HOGARTH IS GRATEFUL TO THE TORIES

'lefts' in the union.

Bromley talks in his address about the 'momentous issues confronting our membership and the whole trade union movement': unemployment, the Industrial Relations Act and wages.

He says the problem of unemployment is a national one, demanding 'a national solu"There can be no solution to the problem of large-scale unemployment under this Tory government,' he says.

"The strength and vigilance of the organized movement is the only safeguard for all workers—both employed and unemployed. Our task is to remove this Tory government the National Industrial Relations Court.

The record of the AUEW leadership is not much different to that of Jones despite a lot of presidential rhetoric, Bevan says.

'The abandonment of a national strike on the wage claim in favour of the reformist and dubious expedient of plant-bargaining is a dangerous precedent It has dissipated the energies of union members in isolated struggles which have proved ineffective against the intractability of the Engineering Employers' Federation. It has, moreover, confirmed the opinion of the employers that right-wing votes in the election is Ken Cure, a branch secretary and district committee delegate from Birmingham.

The defeat of the Labour government in 1970 gave the Tories an opportunity to bring in the 'vicious and regressive' Industrial Relations Act, he It is my considered opinion that we must now stand firmly behind the Labour Party and its constitution and work, through our branches, in our wards and constituencies, for its return to power at the next General Election in what appears to be the only hope for a return to sanity in industrial relations.' wages will go up with the against £24 three years ago.

Of the possible £40, as much as half could be bonus, which means that basic rate has probably dropped in real terms taking into account the rise in the cost of living. *'A workers' charter at GKN' by Peter Cartwright (FT September 20, 1972). Seamen's William Hogarth has described as 'gratifying' the decisi on of the Commission on Industrial to grant an approved closed-shop.

Application for the approved closed-shop—as laid down in the Tories Industrial Act — was made National Industrial Court jointly with the shipping employers.

On March 15 the issue was sent by the court for examination by the CIR. The Commission reported at the end of July.

SUSPENDED On all counts these moves breached TUC policy of refusing to co-operate with the institutions of the Industrial Relations Act, and at the Brighton Congress last month the National Union of Seamen was suspended from membership.

But here is how Hogarth sums up the issue in the current issue of the NUS journal "The Seaman':

It is indeed gratifying that months of patient work have resulted in the vindication by an outside body of everything this union has said for months concerning our need for a closed-shop.

'Not only the protection of seamen's working conditions has been assured, but also the continued functioning of this union as an effective countervailing power in the sphere of maritime industrial relations.' TACTICAL An 'outside body'? Howarth seems utterly unconcerned by the anti-working class character of the CIR, or by the tactical purpose of its decision to grant the closed-shop.

He talks about the union functioning as an 'effective countervailing power' - without mentioning that it will do so under state licence.

Few seamen will be gratified by his literary efforts.