Critical stage reached in building fight

THE building pay claim is now at a critical stage. Although over 100,000 are on strike, the union leadership has refused to call a national strike for the E30, 35-hour wer claim.

Despite the leadership's retreat, thousands more building workers are now on strike for the claim. Dozens of sites in the Southampton area have been stopped in the last two days.

On Monday alone, 32 sites came out and work stopped on the £ltm Pirelli site at Eastleigh.

In the North East yesterday building workers struck on seven more private sites. Meetings were taking place on the others during the day.

Over 3,000 workers have now stopped in Bristol, holding work the Roman Catholic cathedral, a tobacco factory and a newspaper office.

At the same time however, the Communist Party is trying desperately to cover up for the betrayals of the leadership and to hold back a fight against the Tory government.

That is why yesterday's 'Morning Star' came out behind Tuesday's decision by union leaders for a 'rapid intensification' by the regions and against a national strike.

An editorial could only say there will be some disappointment' that no national strike had been called The 'Morning Star' was also very careful to confine the builders' fight to one with the employers, deliberately omitting the fight against the Tory governThe Communist Party stands for peaceful co-existence with the Tories and capitalism. From the very beginning they have been in favour of selective strikes. This line was agseed at the 'Charter' conference in Birmingham.

When they were reminded of their position, at last week's mass meeting at the Conway Hall, leading Stalinist Jack Henry, defended CAT secretary, general secretary George Smith.

'We want less bashing of the union leaders and more bashing of the employers instead,' he retorted.

To say the builders' battle is a wages question with the employers—as the Stalinists do is to disarm builders by keeping them away from the real enemy and to prevent unity with other workers fighting the Tories.

The builders, pay fight is crucial not only for builders but for 4027 BEELD NADEL PINED a iRm 28 Charlotte St the entire trade union movement. On an average building workers' wages are some of the lowest in the country.

With the craftsmen's basic at only £20 and £17 for labourers, they are forced to work long hours of overtime to take home decent wage. The work is highly dangerous, and deaths on sites represent 40% of all deaths in industry.

The building umons are poorly organized, with a membership just over 30% of those employed in the industry. Over 150,000 builders are unemployed.

The claim is a just one. It is aimed at securing decent basic rates throughout the industry, so that every worker - however weak the organization on the sites-will get a living wage.

But the Tories are prepared to back the employers in resisting a £10 increase in the rate and a five-hour cut in the working The demand must be for a national strike of building workers, the recall of for the preparation of a General Strike to force the Tories to resign.

. Ill major sites in the Greenock area i are now out, including Gilbert Ash at Larkfield Hospital, McAlpine at Inverkip Mitchell in the New Town Centre:

A picket of 200 at the direct labour site of Greenock Corporation was out yesterday morning. Paul Lafferty LIVERPOOL joiner, Paul Lafferty (25), warned that the only threat to the success of the builders' pay and hours campaign lay in union leaders' efforts to keep the rank-and-file divided.

Commenting on Tuesday's decision by union chiefs not to call for a national builders' strike, Mr Lafferty said: 'I don't think the membership will have it. Men are stopping work all over the country and once we are all out, that's it. There'll be no change until we get what we want.' Mr Lafferty has been on strike for several weeks after the Bovis Preston building workers out on mass picket The corporation workers agreed to strike for the day and will meet this morning.

One of the local UCATT convenors and strike committee spokesman said: 'The latest offer is temptinfit have not been snags publicised.

"The offer is not f29 like the papers say, but £23 now and £25 in May 1973. We want a straight offer.

'The whole of the West Scott union oficials sak, despite In the Midlands the strike committee is holding twice daily meetings to organize picketing throughout the area.

They are particularly incensed about the employers' advertisesite where he works was among the first in Liverpool to be pulled out on selective strike. Married with two small children he and his family have been living on £10 Social Security.

He told me at his Liverpool home, "This strike should have happened years ago. We have all been surprised to see all the lads coming out and the solidarity.

'Up here in Liverpool it has always been the feeling that outside Merseyside there's been no militancy but the fact that North Wales and Wigan have been leading the fight and even the lump men have come out has made the lads feel terrific.

'UCATT had been losing membership. Men just left the union because they were disheartened by being sold down the river for so many years. Now the militants have forced the union into action and even the men who have been leaving the union are wholeheartedly behind us.' Mr Lafferty said local UCATT and T&GWU officials had shown little interest in the builders' campaign until an unofficial MerNOW OPEN Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m.

Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ment in the 'Sun' which, they say, completely misrepresents the offer.

A committee member told cent for a national strike. We want every single site out.' Over 600 workers are out in Plymouth. West Country builders are now aiming at stopping work in Bath.

Building workers in Preston are angry with their leadership for not calling a national strike.

A strike committee member told Workers Press: 'The leadership are not doing what the men want. It is clear they want an all-out national strike.' On hearing news from London that the building workers' leaders had backed down, one seyside action committee was formed.

He said, They told us we would never get a national strike among building workers but then they felt the feeling of the men fight decided to take over the Now he says years of suspicion and even hatred of local union bureaucrats had been replaced with the fear that their policies will divide and weaken the building workers.

He specifically condemned UCATT regional secretary, Bill Crighton's statement at Liverpool stadium that workers on sites where builders employers concede the claim should return to work.

Mr Lafferty said nationalization was the only lasting answer to the building workers' demands.

'I want to see registration of building workers so you get a reasonable living wage and fall back pay like the dockers.?

The crux of builders' problems apart from the effect of inflation was that one week a man could be earning £40 at one site and the next week drop to £14 somewhere else.

•Wage stability is what we want and that's why everyone's come out.

'Nationalization is t. ne answer to this strike and in as well.

*There were quite a few dockers on our march on Tuesday. The biggest thing is the T&G. It's the same union for builders and dockers.

'If the T&G didn't discriminate between different sections of the union and used the power they had they'd win every strike.

*If the T&G leaders made the large firm in Preston-Brown and Jackson — issued a press statement saying that the site was still working.

'Anyone wishing to work will get police protection company, it said.

A picket from Marshall's was angry that the union leadership could not be recalled except after many years.

'It should be more often. We should change our own rules.!

Further support is coming in from the labour movement for the building workers. Apart from the dockers, Preston North Constituency Labour Party has come out in support and Preston South CLP will be meeting soon and individual members think it will also give complete support. UCATT officials refused to read out a unanimous resolution from 250 Skelmersdale builders calling for a meeting of all Merseyside shop stewards to plan support for dockers and builders.

The resolution also called on the TUC to break off talks with Heath and the CBI and to organize a General Strike to force the return of a Labour government pledged to socialist policies including nationalization.

ALL TRADES UNIONS ALLIANCE MEETINGS VICTORY TO THE BUILDERS AND DOCKERS!

TUC MUST BREAK OFF ALL TALKS WITH HEATH!

MAKE THE TORY GOVERNMENT RESIGN!

EAST LONDON: Thurs, August 17, 8 p.m. The crisis of capitalism and the docks struggle Festival Inn, Market Square, Chrisp St, E.14.

CENTRAL LONDON:

Wed, August 23, 7.30 p.m. The builders' fight.

Small Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn. NORTH LONDON: Thursday August 17, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, Seven Sisters Road, N4. LUTON: Thursday August 17, 8 p.m. St. John Ambulance Hall, Lea Road.

TOTTENHAM: Thursday August 17, 8 p.m. Railway Tavern, White Hart Lane.