Horse trading over jobs Work-in tactics less likely

came clear from discussions in Blackpool on Thursday between union officials, shop stewards and Texas oil-rig boss Wayne Harbin.

Now the Communist Party leaders of the UCS struggle will meet the liquidator tomorrow to haggle over the timing of 500 redundancies.

After a week of threats Stalinist James Reid, the leading UCS shop steward, meekly admitted after seeing his new boss, Harbin:

We can only report that we are very optimistic as a result of these discussions and immeasurably more confident that a good measure of agreement has resulted here' Reid was speaking after a four-hour summit with Harbin and Boilermakers' Society president Danny McGarvey.

All his options open NEXT WEDNESDAY the Shadow Cabinet meets the newly-elected Labour National Executive Committee at Transport House for a post mortem on the Party's conference decisions.

It will be a smug, selfcongratulatory meeting. For the five days of this conference all the huge dangers facing the labour and trade union movement were kept at the lowest key, political differences were stifled and unity was forged on a programme of "let's-wait-and-see'.

This is precisely the sort of political environment that Wilson needs to create for himself: one where he can conduct his politics on day-to-day basis, all options open.

For Wilson the object of the annual conference is to keep demands on a future Labour government down to a minimum. But if delegates do pass any THE RIGHT-WING ory weekly, The Spectaor', arrived on the conterence news-stands yesterday. The prominently displayed billboards declared:

•WILSON RIDES AGAIN' A wit from Michael Foot's Welsh delegation commented: "The question is—who is he riding?' resolution which he does not like he doesn't feel bound by them anyway. Such irritating resolutions will be consigned to the dustbin.

That's been the hallmark of his ten-year leadership of the Party. He has contempt for the aspirations of the labour movement. In that sense conference has become a giant, organized, sickening hypocrisy.

The most astonishing He added that the would 'almost certainly necessary'.

In tomorrow's talks the Stalinists will aim to persuade the liquidator to phase the redundancies at Clydebank. The first several hundred were expected yesterday, but McGarvey announced after seeing the Texan exposure of th lis hypocrisy came on Thur sday during the marathon e economic debate.

There were seven resolutions before the conference, ranging from calls for a wealth tax, to control over multi-national companies and the abolition of Value-Added Tax.

By far the most significant, in terms of future Party policy, however, was the one from the Transport and Salaried Staffs' Association, moved by Percy Coldrick, which called for immediate talks between the NEC and the Trades Union Congress to work out a prices and incomes policy.

This unequivocally worded call for an incomes policy is at the very centre of the TUC's talks with Heath, which the conference endorsed.

This question is: should the working class be blamed for inflation, and should the standard of living of millions of wage-earners be cut to pay for it?

When the debate concluded chairman Anthony Wedgwood Benn announced that the NEC was supporting ALL SEVEN resolutions.

This meant backing the TSSA and also the National Union of Public Employees' resolution which stated that it is not possible to have an incomes policy even in a mixed market economy which does not have harmful effects on the working class'.

How is it possible to support both propositions at the same time?

It means that the NEC recognizes that an incomes policy harms the interests the working class (NUPE) bu: it supports the construction of just such a policy. anyway (TSSA).

But this is the sort of contradiction Wilson and his cronies lore. work-in be unSlackpool-on-Clyde with McGarvey, Reid and Binding decisions? Not likely!

THERE was only one item which rattled the NEC. This was a composite resolution moved by Caerphilly, seconded by Hull West, which called on conference to instruct the Parliamentary Labour Party that MPs must abide by conference decisions. (seen with new Party chairman Bill Simpson of the AUEW): Keeping demands on a future government to a minimum. Confused No. 3? The Wakefield THE VOTING policy of the Transport and General Workers' Union at this conference has been a ridiculous business. Certainly in deciding how to cast the union's 1 million votes the issue of principles has been absent.

The T&GWU abstained on the NEC Common Markut , statement, abstained on the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) call for a prices and incomes policy and voted for Andrew Cunningham-the General and Municipal Workers' Union north-east organizer mentioned in the Poulson bankruptcy casethus assuring him of reelection onto the 28-man NEC. Harbin that these were being held over until Monday.

With this hoped-for "concession' from the liquidator, plus more detailed information of the jobs build-up at Marathon, the stewards hope to persuade the Clydebank workers to accept redundancies and abandon the fight against the hew company.

The resolution went on to condemn Labour MPs who opposed 'the declared majority policy decisions of the Party' (like its Common Market policy, for instance).

Benn told the seven constituency parties who backed this resolution that The situation in the delegation is so confused that Alex Kitson, the union's No 3 man, took a bet last Sunday that the union would vote against the NEC statement which talked about re-negotiating terms of entry into the Market.

The NEC statement ran counter to union policy.

So Kitson assumed he had a safe bet.

Later in the week we saw a disappointed Kitson shelling out £1.50 to a Transport House official.

Now, if the No. 3 in the union can't predict what the leadership is going to do in three days time on an issue as grave as the Common Market, what chance have the members got?

McGarvey refused to reveal how many jobs were at stake.

"This would be unfair to the Clydebank workers, he said.

He put the Clydebank controversy down to a 'mix-up in communication'. A beaming Harbin, flanked by his equallypleased No 2, Eldon P. Nuss, agreed and hoped problems it had been removed from the open agenda, but that it would be heard in the private session during the But no time was found for this crucial discussion.

And despite angry protests and a protest petition, the question was postponed was on his feet making his set piece reply in the economic debate. The exBalliol chap, ex-army officer and ex-Communist Party member, began to wax passionately about the iniquities of capitalism. *People in Britain now know what is going on.

They know how the rich live. They see it on the television. They see it in the colour supplements.

They do not need in fact to watch "Man at the Top" on the telly. They can read the court reports from Wakefield.' (Applause.)

It was an unfortunate choice of imagery. Sitting four seats along from Healey throughout the Even after a massive labour cut which has reduced the Clydebank workforce from 2,500 to 1,700 in 15 months, besides a cut of at least 1,500 at the three Govan Shipbuilders yards, the men still face further massive redundancies.

A total of 400 men now work for Marathon demolishing the Clydebank yard. The liquidator has said he will employ 800 men to fit out four remaining vessels upriver at the Govan shipyard.

This leaves approximately 500 men with no work at Clydebank —where the last ship was launched on Thursday.

By the New Year all liquidator's contracts will be finished so the bulk of his workers will join the 500 on dole.

In the past Marathon has said it can employ up to 900 at until next year. Delegates are thus expected to wait 12 months for a pledge that MPs might, just might, carry out what was decided this week.

The 'left' did not press the point on the grounds that Benn had been such a good, 'radical chairman. conference has been Andrew Cunningham, the General and Municipal Workers' Union candidate on the NEC of the Labour Cunningham dropped from seventh to 1lth place in this year's ballot when the AUEW withdrew its support because of his connections with Poulson bankruptcy case.

On three occasions since the public hearings began in Wakefield, Cunningham's name has been raised as a beneficiary of holidays and salaries from Poulson. When Healey mentioned the case Cunningham was strangely absent from the platform.

Press, Saturday From Stalinism ... to the CIA