workers press

The daily paper of the Socialist Labour League, 1969–1973: a searchable archive of the scans

Workers Press no. 907

30 October 1972 · 12 scanned pages · about 19,327 words of machine-read text

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workers press

FORCE A GENERAL

ELECTION NOW!

TWO MORE DAYS TO RAISE £436.19

DAILY O

THIS MORNING'S Cabinet meeting, like the Heath-CBI- TUC talks which resume this afternoon, will produce no solu- tion to the Tory government's economic and political crisis. No agreement is likely to be reached on wages and price control - and even if it were, it would be another matter to enforce it.

The TUC leaders - despite their anxiety to collaborate with the government - have been unable to deliver the working class like sacri- ficial lambs to the Tory slaughter.

Failure to reach an agreement will leave the government with no choice but drastic action to curb inflation and restore overseas confidence in the pound, rescued temporarily last week only by panic intervention by the Bank of England. This means an immediate offensive against the working class and compulsory state control of wages.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Anthony JUST OVER 100 delegates and visitors attended the second day of the first annual conference of the National Union of School Students in London yesterday.

Under discussion at the morn- ing session were amendments to draft Newly the constitution. elected NUSS president Bob Lee- son told Workers Press that there would be certain changes of policy now that he had taken over. 'We will have a vigorous cam- democracy in paign to achieve schools. This will include mass meetings. throughout the country and the organization of branches and strong areas, Strong The union would be sending letters to headmasters through- out the country informing them action would be taken if that NUSS was not recognized. He said that over the next the union intended year to develop a fairly comprehensive alternative to the present educa- tion system. On the question of unemployment, Leeson said they intended work as closely as possible with the trade unions to reduce unemployment, particu- larly among school students.

WE ARE g are not the is going to l to raise our the trade Tories and halt the he the governn

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDA

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTE

BY JACK GAI

Barber said yesterday that companies had been *forced to accede excessive wage claims' and that 'one way or the other the uncertainty must be resolved and will be. The goverument, however, is in a weak position. Unable to curb the unions in direct confrontations like the miners' strike and the use of the Industrial Re- lations Act, the Tories have sought since last July (when talks first began) to rule by collaboration with the union leaders.

The three-month series of negotiations have been aimed at securing a behind-the- scenes coalition involving state control over wages. This has not been stopped by the strength of the union leaders, but by the determination of the working class to substantial wage increases in the secure face of a soaring cost of living.

The government had hoped to secure a 'voluntary' acceptance of wage control by the TUC bureaucracy, to isolate and defeat a key section of workers such as the power workers and to launch an all- on the working out attack class as a whole once entry into the Common Mar- ket had been secured. They are now unable to work to this schedule. They are forced to fight be- fore they are ready. The ruling class is E ARE getting closer, but we class. More e not there yet. This month it claims are demanding going to be a fight to the finish as rapid inflation raise our 1,750 target. prices even more a workers' standard of Whatever the decision between e trade union leaders, the As the pound remain ories and the CBI, nothing can low, the crisis facing alt the head-on clash between worsens. e government and the working Workers Press is ne • MONDAY OCTOBER 30, 1972 • No. 907 4p

MMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEA

ACK GALE

in difficulties-but this makes them all the more determined to defeat the working class, even if it should mean dictatorship. Some Tories are already calling for this.

Pere- After the Tory Party conference, grine Worsthorne wrote in the 'Sunday Telegraph' that 'a strong man most fitted in the to harness the power of the state battle against inflation' was required.

The Tory Party would have to fall back on the 'authority of the state' and in- troduce 'policies that should properly be called national socialist, were not this description odious SO pregnant with memories'. This would, he said, be a new social order at once stable and authoritative (which) sounds very British, much more so than national socialism or the cor- porate state. A few days earlier, comparing the value of rigid state control and parliamentary collaboration with the management unions, Enoch Powell declared: I am far from arguing that, because one view leads to fascism and the other to parliamentary, democracy, that settles the question which of the two views of inflation and its causes is factually cor- rect.' Powell, in the final analysis, sees no more wage more than ever to give a lead lemanding to be met to thousands of workers coming forces into struggle. Our Fund up more than important. We have more and erodes ndard of living. two days left and we need ind remains at a new £436.19 to complete our target.

is facing the Tories Let's go into action immedi- ately. It is within our reach. ress is needed now Don't waste a moment. Rush all

UR LEAGUE

scope for free trade unions while Worst- 'authority of horne calls openly for the the state'-that is, a dictatorship over the working class. To create the conditions for such die- the Tories scream about strike tatorship 'violence'. They themselves are responsible for the violence by their attacks on the working class and their attempts to break strikes. (See What We Think p. 2) The background to these unavoidable conflicts is the economic and financial crisis which has raged unabated since President Nixon took the dollar off gold on August 15, 1971. The patched-up arrangements of last December 18 to try to bring some stabi- lity to the world's currencies were totally disrupted when the pound was floated eight months later. The crisis is thus not confined to Britain, but is world-wide.

Inflation is rife, particularly in Europe.

Housewives Madrid and several in other major Spanish cities have come close to clashing with the police in recent demonstrations soaring food against prices. Holland the In government has threatened a compulsory wage freeze if a new 'social contract is not accepted by the unions. And the entire executive of the 600,000 strong Socialist Federation of Trade Unions had to resign because of a split over a package deal for the talks with the government.

Everywhere relations be- tween the ruling class and the reformist trade union leaders being broken The are up. central task now facing the working class is to prepare for conflicts the immediately ahead. What is involved is much more than conflicts between groups of workers and groups of em- ployers. Now the working class as a whole is in conflict with the Tory and the government instruments the bourgeois of state. This the question of poses power. The trade union leaders must be forced to mobilize the working class behind the power workers and other trade all unionists fighting for wage in- This would create the creases. conditions to force the Tory government to resign. There should then be an all- out campaign to return a Labour government which would be pledged to socialist policies, in- cluding the nationalization with- out compensation under workers' control of all basic in- dustries, banks and insurances.

Only through the expropria- tion of capitalism can prices be controlled and jobs guaranteed.

your donations - and extra - immediately to: is

WORKERS PRESS OCTOBER

APPEAL FUND,

186a Clapham High Street.

London, SW4 7UG

Scan page 2

workers press

FORCE A GENERAL

ELECTION NOW!

TWO MORE DAYS TO RAISE £436.19

DAILY O

THIS MORNING'S Cabinet meeting, like the Heath-CBI- TUC talks which resume this afternoon, will produce no solu- tion to the Tory government's economic and political crisis. No agreement is likely to be reached on wages and price control - and even if it were, it would be another matter to enforce it.

The TUC leaders - despite their anxiety to collaborate with government — have been unable to deliver the working class like sacri- ficial lambs to the Tory slaughter.

Failure to reach an agreement will leave the government with no choice but drastic action to curb inflation and restore confidence in the overseas pound, rescued temporarily last week only by panic intervention by the Bank of England. This means an immediate offensive against the working class and compulsory state control of wages.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Anthony JUST OVER 100 delegates and visitors attended the second day of the first annual conference of the National Union of School Students in London yesterday.

Under discussion at the morn- ing session were amendments to Newly the draft constitution. elected NUSS president Bob Lee- son told Workers Press that there would be certain changes of policy now that he had taken over. 'We will have a vigorous cam- •in achieve democracy paign to schools. This will include mass meetings throughout the country and the organization of branches and strong areas, strong The union would be sending letters to headmasters through- out the country informing them would be that action taken if NUSS was not recognized. He said that over the next year the union intended to develop a fairly comprehensive alternative to the present educa- tion system. On the question of unemployment, Leeson said they intended work as closely as to possible with the trade unions to particu- reduce unemployment, larly among school students.

WE ARE ge are not thei is going to t to raise our Whatever the trade Tories and halt the he the governm

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDA'

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTE

BY JACK GAL

Barber said yesterday that companies had been 'forced to accede excessive wage claims' and that 'one way or the other the uncertainty must be resolved and will be. The government, however, is in a weak position. Unable to curb the unions in direct confrontations like the miners' strike and the use of the Industrial Re- lations Act, the Tories have sought since last July (when talks first began) to rule by collaboration with the union leaders.

The three-month series of negotiations have been aimed at securing a behind-the- scenes coalition involving state control over wages. This has not been stopped by the strength of the union leaders, but by the determination of the working class to substantial wage increases in the secure face of a soaring cost of living.

The government had hoped to secure a 'voluntary' acceptance of wage control by the TUC bureaucracy, to isolate and defeat a key section of workers such as the power workers and to launch an all- out attack on the working class as a whole once entry into the Common Mar- ket had been secured. They are now unable to work to this schedule. They are forced to fight be- fore they are ready. The ruling class is E ARE getting closer, but we class. More and m month it e not there yet. This claims are demanding going to be a fight to the finish as rapid inflation raise our £1,750 target. prices even more ar Whatever the decision between workers' standard of e trade union leaders, the As the pound remain ries and the CBI, nothing can low, the crisis facing it the head-on clash between worsens. e government and the working Workers Press is ne • MONDAY OCTOBER 30, 1972 • No. 907 • 4p

MMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEA

ICK GALE

in difficulties-but this makes them all the more determined to defeat the working class, even if it should mean dictatorship. Some Tories are already calling for this.

srine tortore wrote in render grine Worsthorne wrote in the Telegraph' that 'a strong man most fitted to harness the power of the state in the battle against inflation' was required.

The Tory Party would have to fall back 'authority of the state' and in- on the troduce 'policies that should properly be called national socialist, were not, this pregnant with description odious SO memories'. This would, he said, be la new social order at once stable and authoritative (which) sounds very British, much more than national socialism or the cor- SO porate state'. A few days earlier, comparing the value of rigid state control and parliamentary management in collaboration with the unions, Enoch Powell declared: I am far from arguing that, because one view leads to fascism and the other democracy, that settles to parliamentary the question which of the two views of infiation and its causes is factually cor- rect.' Powell, in the final analysis, sees no wage more than ever to give a lead more to thousands of workers coming emanding to be met forces into Our Fund struggle. up and erodes more than important. We have ndard of living. days left two and . we need nd remains at a new £436.19 to complete our target.

is facing the Tories Let's go into action immedi- It is within ately. our reach. ress is needed now Don't waste a moment. Rush all

UR LEAGUE

scope for free trade unions while Worst- 'authority of horne calls openly for the the state'-that is, a dictatorship over the working class. To create the conditions for such dic- tatorship the Tories scream about strike 'violence'. They themselves are responsible for the violence by their attacks on the working class and their attempts to break strikes. (See What We Think p. 2) The background to these unavoidable conflicts is the economic and financial crisis which has raged unabated since President Nixon took the doliar off gold on August 15, 1971. The patched-up arrangements of last December 18 to try to bring some stabi- lity to the world's currencies were totally disruptad when the pound was floated eight months later. The crisis Britain, but is worldwide.

Inflation is rife, particularly in Europe.

Housewives Madrid and several other major Spanish cities have come close to clashing with the police in recent demonstrations against soaring food prices. In Holland the government has compulsory threatened freeze if a wage "social contract' is not accepted a new by the unions. And the entire executive of the 600,000 strong Socialist Federation of Trade Unions had to resign because of a split over a package deal for the talks with the government.

Everywhere relations be- tween the ruling class and the reformist trade union leaders being broken The are up. central task now facing the working class is to prepare for immediately the conflicts ahead. What is involved is much more than conflicts between groups of workers and groups of em- ployers. Now the working class as a whole is in conflict with the Tory government and the instruments of the bourgeois state. This poses the question of power. The trade union leaders must be forced to mobilize the working class behind the power workers and other trade unionists fighting for wage in- This would create the creases. conditions force the Tory to government to resign. There should then be an all- out campaign to return a Labour government which would to socialist policies, in- pledged cluding the nationalization with- out compensation and under workers' control of all basic in- dustries, banks and insurances.

Only through the expropria- tion of capitalism can prices be controlled and jobs guaranteed.

your donations — and extra - immediately to:

WORKERS PRESS OCTOBER

need

APPEAL FUND,

186a Clapham High Street.

Rush all London, SW4 7UG

Scan page 3

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Monday October 30, 1972 US sabotaging deal What we think Spider Heath say NLF

THE

VIETNAMESE

reduction of proviae 10 National Liberation Soviet and Chinese aid and Vietnamese warawal. North Front yesterday accused the United States of denied The witch-hunting hour has struck. Scarcely a day sabotaging the that any secret clauses are agree- goes by without some blood-curdling drivel in the attached to the draft deal. ment with Hanoi to end militants and Tory-owned media about strikers, The deal bein! the Vietnam war and pickets. strong v supported not only charged it with wanting In the forefront of this red-baiting is the 'News of the the by the NLF and Hanoi, but break ott TalKs nades throughout the south prolong the conflict. When he met

NLF

and The proposed treaty pro. also by the Cambodian and World', owned by millionaire publisher Rupert statement by the Moscow vides that all American liberation Hanoi envoys Laotian Murdoch. in Provisional Revolutionary should Viet ments. On rnedy. orenner

LOODS

cave Advertising yesterday's two-page tirade against the gin told them he hoped the nam days The Cambodian libera- Druducasi Within left, the 'News of the World' said: called Vietnam would be signing- -and Thieu clearly front, in particular, Liberation tion all South continued. tears this is the end for controls almost the entire 'Who are the Strife Makers?

Tomorrow the "News people under Saigon's con- except however mer seems to country some of the World" continues the vital investigation Hence nd that the troops, expect that some kind of desperate south and LO. that's got all Britain talking .

names the men demand that US sign ceasefire will agreement attempts to cause a break- draft treat Vietnamer determined to smash the system, put an end to our agreement shortly be reached whether unwill lue lalks. renu with North way of life. Tomorrow in the "News of the World" regime Whatever ne ikes it or not acministrat He has ordered all South entirely creature emerges under the terms of you'll meet-Mr Trouble: the spider at the heart of On Saturday, North Viet- Vietnamese to display the American imperialism: the ceasefire it is certain a nationwide web of agitation and strikers.'

announced that nam Saigon government flag and despite having over a mi- provide a lame On reading this advertisement millions of trade would onlv hold promised the death penalty work for continuation of lon men under arms, unionists will recognize 'Mr Trouble', the man with Presi- the popular the guerrilla struggle. Turtner talks dissi Nie i's adviser Henry Vietnamese creating industrial massive havoc and end to Years Kissinger the their way of life. The spider is Edward Heath.

sides are masses des covenc American ner vermon ing to stake a claim to is dependent completely on haven do-Chinese failed to to sign une trealy by dues- Since coming to power June 1970, Heath and 1n day. much territory possible American finance air and his Tory gang have launched attack after attack The Americans are claim- the south before the actualle ing that for end plit few days on the basic rights and livıng standards ot the President Nguven North Vietnamese _une lI tney sign the deal, the majority of people in Britain, the working class.

opposition the the other hand, Americans eave withe the deal makes the North Viet- keep their forces the the in days, making Their Industrial Relations Act is an attempt to smash necessary. namese have been attacking draft puppet

SOULA

unce. Lne coldest UnCH free trade unionism, the 'fair rents' Act will double The Kremlin is also urg. Saigon- treaty, there are regime inevitable in the council rents and throw council housing to the ing Vietnam not controlled towns and vil- rumours that secret codicils coming days. North mercy of the speculators market, entry into the Common Market will be paid for by workers by Chile strike terms massive price increases and higher levels of unem- ployment. Heath has provoked industrial strikes on a scale not seen since 1926- -first the dustmen, then the Post Office workers, the powerworkers, the miners. the Salvador

PRESIDENT

railwaymen. It is no accident that while the gutless The programme calls for: • An end to the present The court also cancelled Allende Chile • Restoration their silencing of the radios suspensions imposed 16 of on trade union bureaucrats are closeted with the spider firms of not under the radio had at No 10 Downing Street, the Tory Press comes announced nation- control oi which In a stallulls by the state compulsory wide broadcast over the taKen over Awrence. disobever forward with witch-hunt against the veronous Since Are sion Allende has already con- link-up with the state net- rank-and-file leaderships.

week-end that he was Suppression of ceded the point. work. the off breaking

SHAUL ALON

defence of has freed The bold talk about 'no lhe obiect of these media attacks is to strike tear Collutice. with the leaders of the Tories are to win in negotiations' is a cover for into the middle class. If the une revo mon radio stanons rom a com which Constitutional reform pulsory link-up with the another retreat ão. the coming struggles with the working class, they in its 18th day. nationaliza- network. prevent state Allende the face must capture the company executives,

SOW

• any the clerks, after that the This Ahende Salo

LION

WithoUt Was Wala the representatives, the accountants, the sales Court demands put forward were from parliament. judge had remove his government and A breas corner shopkeepers- -their wives and their mothers- and The expulsion of 'for- ruled that the restrictions civil the too political that he war against in-law! eign extremists'. were constitutional. working class. was WOlK To do this they are filling their 'union, but not a politi- columns with the cal most phoney, far-fetched rubbish about 'moral Since the strikers waves of drug addiction and, of pollution', tidal ale Spain purges & trades with Maoists transport employers oppos the militancy of the working class. Only Coul se ing a proposed nationaliza.

Reverend Harold the of St vesterdav ion in the south, and since Giles-in-the-Felds, 200 yards from Congress House, ot the SuPPUlLCIS

FRANCO'S

police have countries have Stalinists since told his fock that strikes have become 'a murder- right-wing Christian Demo.

been nego. was Hong ous weapon' and should be outlawed.

cratic Party, was arrested six people, includ- Kong charge of the Spanish side Tiating what ing an American teacher, two firms with of the negotiations which too clear Goodwin said a modern strike is 'manifestly a con- Spanish the after seizing illegal capital, the Span- resulted in recent Mos settiement spiracy. But there is only one conspiracy -that Ltd democrat Allende was cow-Madrid trade pact. in a notel at

CASA

by the agencies of the ruling class-the Press, the San Agustin, 19 miles from Tradied bushaess referring to. Spanish have The Madrid. already church, the Labour Party reformists and the trade broadcast belies

URUGUAY'S

with are Batie. has union bureaucrats-to keep this Tory government Stalinist covernment The e police found stock-

CO-CASIC,

Dr in power and the working class in economic bond- propaganda last week arrested Jorge piles Grease claimed strike It is hoped that these leader Redom of the * ot Presi and 'Workers' age. paper Vanguard' negotiations will faction of open near the printing press. These attacks by Murdoch and his hirelings cannot Was Peking Bordaberry's ruling visit dent une Contrary. way 101 be ridiculed out of existence- although many of This weekend purge Foreign strike is hardening and the Minister Lopez colorado may series are side-splittingly the claims in the ludi- for political Spanish Maoists Bego and bled a commercial a broadcast alleged to light is on ConS a time of much enthusiasm delegation offensive 9: its morale. by Jose lasl in the Spanish for Workers Press has a daily duty to fight on the side Three cabinet by week nationa com- trade with Maoist China. of the working class to expose the mand' which is organizing Ceron has considerable pro- slanders put have now resened o Representatives experience of dealing with test against the arrest. this employers' strike. around by the wretched scribblers of Fleet Street.

DORi We will discharge that duty fearlessly.

'Chronicle' trial in secret Low-key Canadian election SOVIET scientist concerned ing on 'anti-Soviet agitation and with puoncanion •rubarallud CANADA faces the Growing recession and an underground The Chron- Top nuclear physicist Andrei Its characte pre- prospect retormis NDP from Sakharov has appealed Secretary General of the United of a eriod of politica insta- of per icle of Current Events' is being emovment rate over.l. vents cent have turned many workers clear lead the working class tried behind closed doors in the ility if today's election fails t the reformist New Democratic situation rocketing prices town of Noginsk, 40 miles east Nations for immediate interven- outgoing Prime Minister gIve tion behalf of the scientist, Party. on and high unemployment of Moscow, on a charge of carry- Pierre Jrudeau a clear parila- Kronid Lvubarsky. ine elecuon generally nas been ene only. in a low key with many voters A DUTCH-style summit between -a 3z-per- package or the talks- At least lour orner peopie are Trudeau's disillusioned with Lib- cent wage rise, compensation for belie hit to babe been arrested image would the trade unions, the employers politician who the cost-of-living with the new security eral Party which has held power increases and the government is flounder- 1963, seeing and a 40-hour week make creat ciances Is oacy tart- sunce out • alter- Donce last anuary m an enort to stifle the takeover of Can- native. The New Democratic The NVV has split on the issue aucracy's tear Ishea. Ine Us adian business which The and its executive has resigned. The bureaucracy's natural seats out a orkers Unic the growing criticism has resulted in resources has dustrial Union, which Dutch not been stemmed. the Darnament CilliCall national- Ottawa has emphasized handouts affiliated socialist- will impose the doors of the court being dad.

Threatened ists have gained further sup- to big business the slogan federation trade compulsory and price locked and from Nogine. correspond- Want ents banned from unions, the NVV, has rejected its port. 'corporate welfare-bum' treeze Young Fabians cover Labour's rent collaboration

BY PHILIP WADE

Goudie, 340 period between 1974 and 1976'.

Another point is new blit ames who, deputy know why eader and chairman of the meetings rent FOUR WEEKS after the first councils implementing e concer ed, ds, re will be hey nous. are une on legislation. ncerned with this are concerned there scrutiny boards dispute committee hilt WIle increases under the Tories' controlled Brent council, north directly concerned with the Tory arises over tne lair rent levels fair Young direc rents Act, the Cualicust writes the author. and on the rubbish flows ondon, actually took government until that time.

pall Fabian Society has avoiding any question of actually come up the his 'Labour's funda- the meantime, less than with no a l4-point theretore borough. He is also a prospective Merline Tories ane surror a vhile the Tories are scheme to 'mount bureaucratic parliamentary candidate. Love h government. Instead have barsuasiven hele been cogently and resistance' Fabians Fabians asking for the are • to the law Young he adds. Colicus

IS TO

But this worthless 28-page bureaucrats of the labour move croue or some orise worst our spurious "bureaucratic resistance'.

right-wins, nationally and locally, that why Labour document, published today, and-out reformists And the could has ment to unite and colaborale hope The 14-points will really shake Yet every tenant knows nothing very that seen for what it Is: l0 DC forced through the increases!

Tories their of manoeuvring and the roots. no amount apology irst page of the document shows LeCC Than

TOT

The will solve the ques- collaboration by the vast majority unprincipled opportun- such shattering AsTe Labourseners are asi

SUCOCO

Ilalibulaliun of Labour councils with the Tory ist character their so-called confirmed Fabians, this pamphlet demands Should ton or conder rents. at call 'stand' "fair rents them when the labate and for ance schemen.

apply of this tory edent o be achieved by the remova Act. really speaks on the TelL increases In fact it was written by Cllr talks of the Acts repeal in thi

SLIN

Want

Scan page 4

HOW THE SHIPPING

I SHARKS MAKE PROFIT

TEXTILE

JOBS

UNDER

THE

AXE

Irish wool textile workers 'militant have pledged resistance' to a threat to make up to 1,200 of their number redundant. The plan to sack the 1,200 workers result 1S the or and Atkins report which outlines proposals for massive ration- alization throughout the textile industry. Sackings Resistance to the sackings has been proposed by the Irish Transport and General Work- Union ers' called on Eire's Minister for Indus- Commerce Mr try and

LAOT

jobs in provide new areas where existing mills are due to out of close before they go operation. officials are also Union demanding copies of the report rationalization on walkale programme is based and they asked the have Minister provide special enhanced pay- ments other than those pro- vided under the Redundancy Act. The IT&GWU has rejected 'completely unacceptable' the nan that each mill to be closed should be informed of mus decis on without rererence to the overall situation in the industry. Refused Industry in a letter to the Minister,

IT&GWU

vice-presi- dent, John F. Carroll, said: It is not possible that the workers in the industry will sit back quietly and let this pos- sible loss of jobs develop over the next couple of months.

It is our intention to con- vene very soon a national con- of sultative conference members in this industry. They will be given as much informa- tion as in our possession at this time, which includes

VOIL

the fact that we have not got of full [Atkins] copy the report and that this has been by your depart- relusea to us ment." The union has deplored the 'fact the Minister that has declined to disclose to us the mills which will be affected by closure or rationalization.

It is not possible that 1,200 workers who recom- ale mended for the scrap heap will thank the textile industry and government deprivation of their extreme normal, social, and polllical Christian [!] right to work in their homeland.' And Carroll added: 'Redun- dancy compensation Will not sutnce. obs are the answer.'

Here's where to buy books by Victor Matthews, chair- man of Cunard, has ex- pressed some interest in P&O, Britain's other shipping major group which is currently the centre of a take-over con- troversy. He told pressmen the other 'Personally I would love day: see these two names put together. But that is being sen- business I am timental. and in not sentimental Matthews, It must be said. is being downright honest in so far as the word has a mean- inge in business circles. sentimentalist, no Along with his that's for sure. Nigel Broackes, he partner, developed the giant property and shipping, Trafalgar Invest- ments, which has assets of tens of millions of pounds As each bid and counter-bid P&O is flung into the arena, Trafalgar simply in cruises the nearby waters like a cun- ning shark waiting for the And the new paperback documentary Leon Trotsky on Leon Trotsky moment to strike. Working in their advantage is the steady lowering of the reverse bid and the publicity surrounding the takeover which has revealed P&O to be nothing more than an ailing tax shell surrounded by an increasingly redundant ship- ping fleet. If Matthews and Broackes are hesitant in making a bid, they are waiting for a bed- rock price and they are also conscious that the shipping in- dustry is entering a period in which cut-throat rates will operate and world trade will decline. Why should the company get saddled with another sink- ing ship when its own opera- in less than happy is tion straits? Since taking over as chair- man from Sir Basil Smallpiece, Matthews has brought about a new reorganization of the Cunard empire. One of the most significant areas has been shipbuilding for the Cunard fleet. Matthews is about to sign a contract with European ship- 28 Charlotte St

BOOKS • PERIOD

Workors Prose. Me Left: Nigel Broackes, partner in Trafalg assets of millions of pounds. Right: Vict builders for the construction of a new 'stretched' version of the Cunard Ambassador which join the will company's Caribbean cruising fleet.

It will be built under unique conditions. The hull and en- be built at Bur- gines will i in meister and Wain Copen- hagen, it will be fitted out in an Italian yard and over half of the catering staff in the

• PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

Presa, Monday Octabar 30, 1972 PAQE 3 in Trafalgar Investments, which now has Right: Victor Matthews, Cunard chairman.

crew will be foreign. These contracts were achieved with the co-operation of the unions and they allow Cunard to take advantage of labour cheaper materials in western Europe.

The £20m deal is a sign of the times when British capi- integrated talism becomes with its European neighbours in the Six.

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Scan page 5

GRANTS GO TO THE

PROPERTY MEN

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Monday October 30, 1972

BY PHILIP WADE

Nearly 75 per cent of all the money spent in Lon- don under the last Lab- government's our now Housing 1969 notorious Act is finding its way into the well-lined pockets of property speculators and landlords. This largely unsurprising fact been verified by the has now housing charity, Shelter, in a report out last week.

HIGH PRICES

It has been obvious for some that ratepayers' time money, ostensibly destined for house- led improvement, has to nothing more than a wholesale clearing out of working-class families. In their place have come the trendies with their new flats created out of the shell of old terraced houses. The property men have taken the money and used it to develop flats for sale at prices far beyond the reach of any worker. fashionable Formerly streets in inner London are now well equipped with an of cars, bay arrav windows and the round of dinner parties. Shelter reckons that only about one in seven of existing tenants has ever derived.

any benent from the given grants by local councils under the Act. The others are evicted by *fair foul'. Some means or boroughs inner London are now approving flm worth grants a year and over half the money is going to developers and landlords. In the Royal Borough Chelsea, Kensington and per cent of the cash goes that and way, with Hammersmith Westminster not that far deniac.

MORE JOBS

TO GO ON

LONDON DOCKS

New moves toward the further rationalization of London's docks are being considered by the Port of London Authority. Although neither side is prepared to comment, we un- derstand it is likelv the PLA will shortly take over Metro- politan Terminals -a group the West set up handle African trade into Tilbury. Terminals Metropolitan 1S owned by four shipping com- panies, Elder Demster, Sea Lion Investments, Furness Withy Freight Handling and Palm Lines. A joint statement by Wil- liam J. Cook, chairman • of wetrobontan. and Bowey, director- assistant general of the PLA, said: It is only proper that all concerned should know that these discussions are taking ay October 30, 1972 Before and after the grants un used to be. On the right the r One prime example of the way things have worked is in the Lanhill and shown improve- Marylands general in Westminster, ment area described in 196> as one ot London's distressed most housing areas. Now nearly half the dwell- ings have been converted or improved in just three years under the Housing Act. Average rents of furnished dwellings have risen 400 per place. Should these discussions lead to a decision in favour of a takeover, full consultations will take place with all em- ployees and the trade unions concerned.' A reduction in the number of port employers was one of the central concepts of the Devlin analysis leading, it was hoped, to better manpower utilization and a drop in the numbers employed. Metropolitan Terminals has 850 on its payroll and is one of the largest employers at Tilbury. There is no firm information • the possibility of redun- on dancies if the take-over goes through. But Metropolitan was to have provided the labour for a new £2m to £3m terminal being built by the PLA at Tilbury. If the take-over goes ahead, the PLA will provide the men instead. grants under the 1969 Housing Act-this time ight the newly-converted, luxury flats for the m the cent. One in nine tenants were given notices to quit. Only the Labourites under Wilson were incapable of see- ing what untold misery their wretched Act would bring to thousands of workers. In their rush to conciliate bankers and property men alike, the Act was an alternative to any socialist attempt at real measures in housing. Not yet satisfied, the Labour Party leadership is, in tact, Four men, including a former mayor of Pontefract, York- shire, have appeared before Leeds magistrates on charges of corruption in relation to building contracts in the Don- caster area and the north-east.

Maurice Byrne (48), a shop- keeper from Leeds and the former faces ten mayor, charges of accepting gifts of money totalling £5,650 while he was agent to Carlton Con- tractors Ltd. It is alleged he accepted the money as an in- ducement for showing favour to architects and other con- tractors. Seven of the ten charges are jointly concerned with Anthony Joseph Flannery and William Starling. Flannery (39), former director of Hors- forth, near Leeds, faces ll charges, ten of which are in respect of accepting £3,510 for showing favours.

CRESFORD RD SK6

this time in Fulham. On the left how it for the middle class. proposing, when returned to power, to carry on the same way with improvement old grants 'with controls. Time and time again, how- ever, it has been proved that unless an offensive is opened up against private landlordism their and speculators nationalization, 'well any meaning' piece of legislation will only operate against the working class. Above: Maurice Byrne The other is a charge of being an undischarged bank- rupt acting as a director of Carlton Contractors. Starling (44), former direc- Staincross, tor, near Barnsley, of corruptly accepting a total of £3,260. Norman Woodcock Brian director, (47), another who lives at Kirk : Ireton, Derby- shire, faces two charges of accepting a total of £310 for showing favour to a firm of architects, Brown, Lloyd and Partners. All four men were bailed and the hearing will continue on December 12. British-Leyland workers are demanding to know more about the situation in their pension fund. multi-million The pound fund is at present adminis- tered by the company's mer- chant bankers, Schroder Wagg.

Most of Leyland's 200,000- strong workforce pay weekly instalments to the fund. The bankers then invest the money that on retirement SO employees receive a fat pen- sion. In theory this is what is supposed to happen. It has been revealed, how- ever, that some of the bank's investment moves have gone sadly astray. In one recent monthly account the fund apparently recorded a loss of £16,000. When shop stewards have asked for a detailed list of the fund's share portfolio and its performance, the infor- mation has not been forthcom- ing. Many stewards point to the steady growth in share values last year and wonder why their fund could possibly have made a loss in any single month. Dissatisfied with the lack of information on the state of the fund, some stewards' commit- tees are pressing for details of the fund's activities over the past five years. There is even pressure for Schroder Wagg to be replaced as investment managers. Recently Schroder Wagg was as advisers to replaced the scheme which operates at Tri- umph Motors, Coventry-part of the British-Leyland com- bine. government-controlled The Export Credits Guarantee

(ECGD)

has Department granted a loan worth more than £5m for a road-building project in Dubai. A road tunnel is being built in the tiny but wealthy sheikh- dom by Costain Civil Engineering. It will run under Dubai creek and link the towns of Deira and Shindagah. This project is only one of several which Costains have carried out for Dubai over the past few years. The £5m loan is made avail- able to the Dubai regime by Lloyds Bank though it is backed by the ECGD. Repay- ment of the loan will be over five years starting in June 1976. Albert Costain, a partner in the family construction firm, is the Tory MP for Folkestone and Hythe. He is secretary of the Tory MPs building sub-committee and the housing and local committee. His government brother, Sir Richard Costain, is chairman of the company which was founded by their grandfather. The company has more than 45 subsidiaries all over the world with a turn- over of millions of pounds.

Scan page 6

BEHIND THE

SOVIET-US

TRADE DEAL

Economic dislocations caused by the failure of the harvest in the Soviet Union this year will force a major readjustment of the national budget, according to sources in Moscow. One informed estimate is that the total adjustment will 20,000 million cost some roubles (about £10,000m). The money is on top of the £400m the USSR has already spent on imported most of rom the United States The effects of the economic dislocation will include austerity programmes in government departments and sharp cuts in funds to certain industries. Already Soviet delegations international scientific meetings being sharply curtailed. The food shortage hits the Soviet masses worst of all. There Care or oueues ever for potatoes shops in the at Moscow region. molatoes being imported from Poland, though the country is usually self-sufficient in this staple foodstufi. Some of the shortages may be due shoppers coming into the city from outside to stock up in anticipation of this winter. shortages ordered to Police have been limit the amount of potatoes cabbage in leaving cars and The long-term effects could be even more serious. ine ex- drought which de- Treme stroyed much of the grain har- of vest has also cut supplies winter fodder for animals and the forced slaughter of more livestock than usual. This could lead to a short- age of livestock in the future and largely nullify the great efforts that have been made to build up the animal population over the past ten years. Economic problems are not confined to the agricultural The sphere. consumer goods the Com- which industry, to munist Party leadership

BANGLADESH

MINISTER

BACKS TORY

WAGE

CONTROL

The hue and cry for control of state wages in Britain has been joined by an unlikely crusader from Bangladesh — Fin- ance Minister Tajuddin Ahmed. In his speech to the Com- monwealth Finance Ministers Ahmed told Tory conference, Chancellor Exchequer oi ine 'We are all Anthony Barber: when UK wishes to with you curb inflation and thus remove the basic cause. "The floating of the dollar attached high priority in the current five-year plan, is tend- ing to lag behind. According to figures pub- lished recently by the Central Statistical Board output so far this year is 6.7 per cent higher than in 1971. The highest in- in engineering, creases are chemical, petrochemical and power industries-all of them heavy industry. But production of foot- wear, textiles, clothing, radios, televisions and washing machines had not shown such good performance, according to 'Pravda'. In some sectors production of consumer items even fell behind the 1971 levels, the Party newspaper said Fewer shoes, television sets and washing machines were produced this year than last and there was a shortage of 'technological equipment for light industry', delaying auto- mation schemes for consumer- goods production. Behind these problems of in a single country, which is the basic creed of the ruling bureaucracy. Soviet agriculture is suffer- ing from the devastating effects of the forced collecti- vization carried out under Stalın in the early 1930s. Live- stock were slaughtered whole- sale in this veritable civil war in the Soviet countryside.

Schemes to overcome the backwardness of Soviet agri- culture have been only very partially successful — as is shown by the fact that Soviet agricultural productivity is only one-eighth that in the US.

Industrial development has been enormous as a result of the nationalization of the means of production and the application of planning. But the plans are administered bureaucratically and imposed from above. In an attempt to overcome these problems - which are now becoming burning ques- in August 1971 was followed by wage and price freeze. The floating of the pound may be a temporary measure, but without any positive scheme to keep the price line down, doubt if a long-term we stability of the pound sterling, with which we are most con- cerned, could be achieved.'

In plain language, this means action to hold down wages along the lines now being dis- cussed between the TUC and the Tories in the Chequers OI talks. The Awami League Finance Minister has every ground for sympathy with Tory the government in Britain. The new Bangladesh government is exerting considerable efforts to hold down workers' wages at home, despite roaring inflation which is eating into the value of the takka. But apart from a basic class solidarity with the British employers, the Bangladesh government has other reasons for egging on the Tories to attack the working class in lar Britain. : 0: *: Above: Russian shoppers come into tt involving the tions whole future of the ruling caste-the Kremlin has turned towards the United States for assist- ance. The huge trade treaty nego- tiated following Nixon's visit to Moscow in May is the result. It means a massive injection of foreign capital to up the oilfields and open natural resources of the USSR.

But it temporarily eases some of the bureaucracy's economic headaches—at a price. The price is political—it is the collaboration of the Kremlin in the counter-revo- lutionary schemes of American imperialism against the The rising price of British exports to Bangladesh eats into the country's slender reserves of foreign exchange. As Tajuddin put it: "The developing nations are largely dependent on imports of raw materials from the developed countries and therefore the cost of imports high causes inflationary in our own country Pressure Nor is the fall in sterling parity any help: 'We have Finance Minister, Tajuddin Ahmed Workers Press, Mr N 17 1 • 151 1 ne into the city to stock up in anticipation o workers of Europe and Asia.

Peter Peterson, President Nixon's trade negotiator, made this clear to US businessmen when he explained the advan- tages of the trade deal to them in following his negotiations Moscow. He told them that the deal would buy Soviet political collaboration and that the actual terms of trade would be considerably in America's favour. 'This is because the US exports will be mainly job- intensive products like machine-tools and consumer goods, while the Soviet Union built up [our foreign currency] with considerable reserves sacrifices and we would natur- to be ally want this duly protected,' Tajuddin said.

'We hope that the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer does not decide to float sterling for an indefinite period and that he would decide to return to a fixed parity at the earliest.'

The 1 Bangladesh employing class gets precious little thanks from the Tories for its grovel- ling acquiescence in its anti- working-class plans. The rapid downward drift of the sterling parity must have been greeted with horror in Tajuddin's Dacca office. The British entry into the Common Market is a further blow to Bangladesh. The EEC imposes an extremely unequal trading relationship on the former colonies of its member- countries. The Bangladesh Finance Minister complained that there is no tariff exemption for jute goods - which make up the biggest portion of Bengali exports. Worse still, the com- : Press, Monday October 30, 1972 PAGE 5 cipation of winter shortages.

will mainly be exporting raw materials and natural gas.

But in the long-term, trade deals with the west cannot settle the problems of the Soviet economy. The bureau- cracy's deal with Nixon is a reactionary attempt to over- come its crisis at the expense of the international workers' movement. The basic problems will, however, remain. And they can only be resolved by the poli- tical revolution to restore the rule of workers' councils as part of the international revo- lutionary. struggle of the working class against capital- ism and bureaucracy. mon external tariff imposes what Tajuddin described as 'a surcharge on the develop- efforts' of the poor mental countries. 'We are also concerned to find that the EEC is rather limited in its approach too in their negotiation on trade liberalization. It does not show sufficient awareness that there is a close link between trade liberalization and monetary reforms, probably because it might oblige them to make The Bangladesh government is upset because the Common Market is acting like what it is—an association of imperialist bandits to exploit working people in Europe and pauperize the colonial and ex-colonial countries in the pursuit of profit. But since he is in full agree- ment with the Tories' attacks on the British working class, it is impossible for him or his Awami League colleagues to fight this developmen: except by impotent appeals to the imperialists to be more humane.

Scan page 7

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Monday October 30, 1972 The Liverpool docker who wines and dines with Edward Heath, Tory banker Lord Aldington and the port chiefs. David Maude and Alex Mitchell investigate the rise and rise of a 'left'. In the middle of the Wilson and the treacherous Jones Labour leadership, docks strike on August abdicated leadership any on 1l reporters crowded into behalf of his million own the National Ports Coun members and the rest of the working class. cil offices in New Oxford He abstained the on Street. National Executive Committee (NEC) statement on the Com- They were there to hear This statement, Market. mon the progress report on supported by the right-wing deliberations of a joint inquiry Wilson Jenkins faction, gave into the jobs crisis the complete room for manoeuvre docks, chaired jointly by the on the Market and does not general secretary of the Trans- 'in principle' oppo- represent General Workers' port and sition to entry. Union and the chairman of • On the little-reported but the Port of London Authority.

crucial prices and incomes vote Neither had much to say. Jones abstained. This again But as the PLA chairman, Lord the gave. right wing a sub- Aldington, to stantial majority to pursue make a brief television state- for immediately talks pay he remarked about his ment, policy to be introduced by a T&GWU's Jack partner — the future Labour government.

Jones - to his interviewer: It is important to stress that 'Oh, we get on very well, you an abstention is not simply a know! neutral vote. It is, in fact, There raised were a few vote which open the door for eyebrows. Tones has often the right wingers and thus is been presented as a dragon of a direct attack on the trade the far left. It time there is union movement. was some plain speaking about Despite this appalling capi- this myth. tulation into the camp of the On the first night of the Tories, 'left' Press the main- Labour Party conference. the tained its for Jones cover

T&GWU

held traditional its throughout the conference reception for trade union dele- "Tribune' week. In a special party rank and filers gations, devoted to Jones article was and the Press. and his 'fight' against the "invitations only' It was an Industrial Relations Act. And affair in one of the banquet 'Labour Weekly' also devoted halls of the Imperial Hotel on great space to propagating the the Blackpool promenade. militant myth of Jack Jones.

There raised was With the Labour conference the room eyebrow when into behind him, has Jones am- Jenkins swanned Roy and barked on even greater efforts Shirley Williams, two of the at class-collaboration. In par- right-wingers who consistently examine his ticular, we must voted with the Tories (or the state pay talks record on abstained) to ensure the pas- with the Heath government.

European of the Com- sage Since the miners' strike the munities Bill. TUC leaders have been en- They not only defied TUC gaged in a series of behind- the policy of policy, but also the-scenes manoeuvres with the Brighton Labour Party And in Heath and the

CBI.

1971 conference in the and Tones and these talks both overwhelming decision of the of the AUEW have Scanlon Parliamentary Labour Party played a prominent role. Not itself. that you would recognize this In voting for entry they from the 'Morning Star', which Heath's passage into ensured continues to place faith in the the Six as well as the survival 'left-ward' of the movement of his government. trade unions. Jenkins and his cronies, the most reactionary representa- tives of the Tory Press mingled Last week the Confederation together, drinking and eating of British Industry (CBI) repre- from the free spread- -paid for the rank and file of the sentatives let the cat of by out the bag so far as Jones's col- bus drivers, lorry union drivers. car workers, dockers laborative concerned. role is and fishermen. They admitted that it was Jack What was most significant, who to the Jones Came however, was the cuddling Chequers meeting on October to were wanese called s for 16 with scheme how There wage drift can be avoided and were the members "Tribune' the -and earnings kept to the flat rate group its £2 suggested under the state hangers-on in the trade union movement making their genu- pay claim. flections before 'Brother Tack'.

The CBI gushed with enthu- He is for workers' control, siasm as they told the Press they say. He is for the pen- about the Tones proposal to sioners too. put a squeeze on earnings.

This is the sort of stuff that All that is required is for all 1972- finds a note a credulity in the packets during W20A •Morning Star' 1973 to be on the and the calculated old rates of pay and for any cretinous journals of the Labour Party. state-approved increase to The proof of Jones's posi- tacked the end of the tion was vividly revealed in pay slip as a final 'government of the days the next party bonus'. conference. After of Thus all increments, like a series and backroom with piece-rate pay- overtime ments and special bonuses for skills or bad work conditions, would be based on the old rates of pay instead of on the old rates plus £2. Mr W. O. Campbell Adam- son, the CBl director general, told reporters: The Jones clean way of doing things nice, formula appeals. It is a described in glowing terms how the effect of wage which could turn a £2 drift rise in basic rates into some- thing much greater on earn- ings could be avoidedthanks to 'the Jones bit on the end'.

And there are other areas in which Brother Jack has proved to be something less than the workers' friend. Jones's verbal commitment to industrial democracy, which so delighted revisionist the academics of the Institute for Workers' Control, have not always resulted in a spirit of total frankness with his own members. In September 1970 a small but extremely powerful group of port employers and ship- held the first of a owners series of meetings with Jones and the T&GWU national docks officer, Tim O'Leary.

Topics discussed included the abolition of the National Dock Labour Scheme. The Dock Labour Scheme, gives legislated 1947, dockers registered under it the statutory right to a job and joint control with the em- ployers over discipline. Kirby, Arthur then Sir chairman of the National Ports had described the Council, scheme in July 1970 as 'the sheet-anchor of dockers' rights for a quarter of a century', and it was not exactly news that the employers wanted to get rid of it. But that concrete plans for its abolition should be brought forward within three months of the election of a Tory • government was surely a matter for discussion in the elected councils of Jones's union.

DISASTROUS

Yet not only was the matter not discussed, it was never even reported to the T&GWU docks and waterways commit- tee, docks delegate conference or general executive. Moreover at his first secret meeting with the port em- ployers — Sir John Nicholson Ocean Steamship, Sir Andrew Crichton of OCL and George Tonge of Hay's Wharf —Jones insisted that it would be disastrous to talk publicly about any change in the exist- ing structure of the port in- dustry until Phase Two of the Devlin modernization scheme had bedded down. employers' proposal, The outlined detail the in at Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, on October 1—was simple: the conditions of 1947 no longer applied, the scheme and the National Dock Labour Board should be scrapped and replaced with a conventional hire-and-fire agreement within the compass of the industry's National Joint Council. By November 6 things had progressed sufficiently Nicholson report confi- to dently, at a private lunch with Transport Minister John Pey- ton, that Jones was apparently not hostile to the emplovers plans 'despite his understand- able and doctrinaire preference for nationalization' and that he would be prepared at the appropriate time to talk turkey rid of about getting the

NDLB.

Unless hard-headed the Nicholson was uncharacteris- deluding himself, this tically is an interesting observation.

It highlights a general truth about the Jones style of trade union leadership. On the one hand he maintains 'doctrines' "prefer' to he would imple- ment, but in practical, day-to- negotiations he day is quite prepared to make all sorts of unprincipled concessions.

Another occasion on which Tones's actual practice fell somewhat short of total con- the rank and sultation with file occurred towards the close of the ten-week Ford strike in 1971. With Hugh Scanlon, once regarded by Fleet Street with irrational fear as his quite terrible twin in the presidency of the Amalgamated Union of Workers, Jones Engineering was responsible for the secret ballot formula which ended the strike. The formula was hammered out at clandestine meetings Scanlon and bet head ones, Ford Europe Stanley Gillen, on March 29 and 30. These were arranged without March 26 any on consultation whatsoever with convenors shop actual sequence of events was this å5 the Fore On Marcl of the union Nationa side Joint Negotiatil ommittee met. The full-tin union officials and convenors present decided to ignore meeting of the full NING Fixed for the following day and set up a central strike committee.

The convenors, in particu- lar, were convinced they were for a long battle. in Their confidence in this assessment increased been by had an incident that same morning.

While on their way to the the Liverpool dele- neeting, ration had run into Jones or had Euston Station. They questioned him about specula- 'The Times' about a tion in by the possible intervention union leaders. Dismissing this unfounded, Jones totally as told them: I'm not involved.

It's up to you lads — you're running the strike.' But while the NJNC was in Gillen was the progress, phone first to Robert Carr, then Employment Secretary, to try and arrange a meeting with Jones and Scanlon. Carr did not think he could pull it off. But he suggested Gillen contact TUC secretary Victor Feather, who was able to deliver the goods by the Jones morning. very next the meeting, but agreed to did not see fit to inform the men to whorn he had so cate- gorically ruled out intervention 24 hours earlier. the The first convenors heard of this was during the afternoon of Tuesday, March 30, when they were summoned to London to hear the formula that was to split the strikers and end the strike. As one of told them subsequently Workers Press: 'I was flabber- gasted. There we were, fghting Henrv Ford and the Industrial Relations Act, and there Jones Henry's agreeing with was sidekick to a secret ballot, one of the first provisions of the Act.' The convenor in question should not have been sur- prised. It was admittedly another 13 months before Jones and the T&GWU leadership could signal their final acceptance of the Act by appearing at the National Industrial Relations Court and handing over the .

£55,000 in fines it had exacted because of 'blacking' action by docker members their Liverpool, but the key retreat occurred already two weeks before the Ford secret ballot was agreed. On March 18, the 1971? TUC met in special session at Croydon. A right-wing rump who had already declared their intention of co-operating with the Act handed Feather and his General Council a majority against strike action to pre- vent it reaching the Statute instead of chal- Book. But lenging this phoney and disas- trous decision, Scanlon and Jones accepted it. From then on any real fight its Tory against the Act and authors collapsed. The bitter fruits of this abandonment of principle were tasted by workers during the long docks crisis which blew up in March of this year when a small haulage and ware- housing firm, Heatons Trans- port (St Helens)_Ltd, com- plained to the NIRC that its lorries were being turned away from Liverpool docks.

OBEYED

First, at a half-strength meeting of the TUC Finance and General Purposes Commit- tee on May Day, some of the very same men Jones and Scanlon had failed to fight at Croydon were able to smash the policy of no co-operation with the institutions of the Act. When a few days later the T&GWU appeared in court the full flavour of this betrayal came through emphatically.

It will be my case,' said Pain, the union's OC, Peter 'that it has always been union policy that court orders, how- ever distasteful they may be, should be obeyed, and through the full-time officials the union has have that sought to carried into effect.' Pressed by NIRC president Sir John Donaldson to say whether he was challenging the principle or the applica- of his previous judge- tion admission: Their applicationy Pain made the ments, It is inconceivable that such could crucial statement have been made without the clearest of briefs from Jones • of the and the top leadership T&GWU. Yet to say that only the application of the judge- ments was all that was ques- tioned was to attempt to side- step the force of the court's powers, which would then be shop turned against stewards. I shall be asking you to say that the shop stewards did not have the union's authority for their actions and that these circumstances do not put the union in contempt,' said Pain.

In this way the T&GWU leadership accepted the whole framework of anti-union the Act, placing itself in the role of merely arguing with the courts about how it should be applied. And although the NIRC at first refused to accept the T&GWU's interpretation, following the Appeal Court judgement of June 13 was the law according to Jack Jones which hung the threat of jail over the shop stewards' move- ment. Meanwhile other principles were also being undermined.

Workers Press, Monday ess Oftice On June 2, 1972, Jones met Employment Secretary Maurice Macmillan to discuss the jobs which was threatening crisis to push the docks industry into a lengthy strike. It was agreed that a joint committee should be set up with the port employers to find a negotiated solution. Joint chairman with Jones was to be Lord Aldington, chairman of the Port of Lon- banker and don Authority, former deputy chairman of the Tory Party. Aldington formerly Toby Low, was and remains a close friend and of Tory premier associate Edward Heath. It was with the promise of a quick report from this com- mittee that on June 14, the same day as the NIRC's first threat to jail dockers, Jones postponement won official national strike action.

At a point when all the forces were present for a cam- paign to force the Tory gov- ernment to resign, in other words, Jones's concern was to defuse the crisis and find ways Industrial Relations fict, but not only of of implementing the principle of unemployment on the docks. When Donaldson finally jailed five London dockers, in- cluding members of Jones's own union, the T&GWU secre- tary sat with hands folded as anti-Tory unprecedented an strike movement swept the country. At point when the a slightest push should have sent the Tories toppling, the man who had once said he would rather face jail himself than accept the Act lifted not a finger. Meanwhile desperate kera Pross, Monday October 30, 1972 PAGE 7 attempts to bring the Jones- Aldington report out on time went ahead. The six-page report was published three days after the dockers were jailed, as the spontaneous walk-outs which had shut down the docks and Fleet Street rapidly were spreading into other industries.

It confirmed all dockers' employers' worst fears. The assessment of the situation on the docks, that besides the 1,650 men on the temporarily register unattached

(TUR)

another 4,000 men were sur- plus to requirements. Nothing about the millions taken out of the industry by the employers with no invest- ment in return, nothing about the 20,000 jobs lost in the last five years, nothing about the supposedly official policy of the T&GWU docks and water- ways committee-100 per cent nationalization of the industry with workers' control. By last week the Jones- Aldington report had already achieved a large part of the job it was intended to do. One thousand, seven hun- dred men had already left the industry, out of a total 5,500 for applications severance received. The register, in other words, has been slashed under conditions where over 800,000 workers, many of them Jones's members, are still wholly un- employed. Jones as yet may not num.

er himsel among Heath's best friends, but his so-cordial working relationship with one of the men who is may yet qualify him as a contender for the title.

Scan page 8

OF LEON TROTSKY

A review by Tom Kemp. Part One 1933-1934 PAGE 8 Workers Press, Monday October 30, 1972 A series of volumes covering Trotsky's writings in the period of his exile from the Soviet Union, 1929 to 1940, is in course of publication by the Pathfinder Press of New York and is available in this country. It is, of course, ironic that the pub- lishing house of the Socialist Workers' Party, which has aban- doned Trotskyism and Marxism in any form, should turn to the reverential task of bringing out writings which are a con- demnation of their own political degeneration. Many years ago Lenin spoke of those whò try to turn revolutionaries after their death into 'harmless icons'. This has, for a long time, been the position of the SWP. Aside from the motives and circumstances of their publication, these volumes provide an invaluable addi- tion to the literature of Marxism which we strongly recommend to every reader. The two most recent to appear in the form of books of over 370 pages for the years 1933-1934 and 1934- 1935 are priced at £1.43 each. Four others in a large format, mostly reproducing items directly from the sources in which they were first printed in English, covering the years 1935- 1936, 1937-1938, 1938-1939 and 1939-1940, cost £1.25 each. In this article, which reviews the volume for 1933-1934, and in those which are to follow, the attention of prospective readers will be drawn to the problems dealt with by Trotsky in these writings and particular items will be discussed in more detail.

Trotsky's years of exile, proved and that ultimately capitalism would be replaced.

from his expulsion from The founding of the Com- the Soviet Union in 1929 munist International in 1919 until his assassination by preserved the continuity with Marxism. Its goal was the con- an agent of Stalin in of struction revolutionary Mexico in August 1940, able parties to take power was a period of bitter from the ruling class. But first these parties had to win cadres and unremitting struggle advanced from the workers to expose Stalinism and and then break decisive to assemble the forces for sections of the masses from the hold of reformism. a new international. In the reflux which followed This took place under the the revolutionary years after harrowing most conditions in the Bolshevik of revolution which he was pushed from one October 1917, the workers' country to another in Europe Stalin state degenerated. as the current of fascism and emerged as the representative war rose higher. of the new bureaucratic caste In this period of defeat and produced in backward peasant betrayal for the working class Russia under conditions of Trotsky maintained the extreme isolation. The com- historical continuity with the parties munist were sub- founders of the Marxist move- ordinated the dictates of to with Lenin and the ment, Moscow where policy was Bolsheviks and with the Com- determined by Stalin himself International munist which and his hand-picked henchmen.

Stalin has destroyed The adoption of the policy revolutionary force. of 'socialism in one country' The recognition of this great represented Stalin's break with historical responsibility per- Marxism. The role of the com- vaded all of Trotsky's writings munist parties became that of during the 1930s. There was no border guards for the Soviet one else able to carry forward Union, instruments of Stalin's the tasks which he recognized foreign The disastrous policy. if the as imperative working results were shown notably in class was to rise again from Britain the General Strike in its defeats. of 1926 and in China in 1926- The world scene which con- Trotsky and 1927. the Left fronted Trotsky when he left Opposition carried on Turkey in July 1933 to take up against this degener- struggle residence as a political exile ation, upholding the banner of in France was both sombre and Marxism against a new form of full of opportunities. Capital- revisionism. had ism gone through the By their command of the worst crisis and depression in of Russian apparatus the its history and seemed on the and the Communist party brink of collapse. Unemploy- International Stalin and his ment and grinding poverty was allies of the moment were able the lot of millions of workers beat Left to down the in the richest countries in the Opposition, exiling and im- world. Preparations were al- prisoning thousands of its sup- ready being made for the next Trotsky himself porters. was imperialist war. too closely identified with the Instead of being able to take Revolution, where he had stood decay advantage of the and at Lenin's side, and with the decline of capitalist economy victories of the Red Army in and the whole bourgeois social the Civil War to be liquidated order the working class in the imprisoned at this or even itself advanced countries was time. held back by its treacherous leaderships and the bureau- cratic whereby apparatuses they maintained their hold on Finally it was decided that silence and the movement. the best way to After their betrayals in 1914 stifle this intransigent up- holder of revolutionary Marxist the social democratic parties of send him the Second International, principles was to in- as exile into the capitalist cluding the Labour Party in an Britain, become allies of world. Here, it was hoped, he had would be the bourgeoisie and opponents isolated more com- pletely than he could ever be sought palliatives at Alma Ata or even in depression by patching labour camp With- up or prison. They gave life to capitalism. out a movement or supporters the illusion that reforms what could a single individual by the of the working do? position class could be radically im- The Stalinists hoped that 1933: Von Papen, Hitler and von Hind Trotsky's treatment would result in him becoming an enemy of the Soviet state and that he could be finally dis- credited once he was on capitalist soil. They would not have the trouble of killing or imprisoning old revolu- an fighter; wait long tionary enough, they must have reasoned, and he will go over bourgeoisie as other to the exiles had done or were to do.

in this calculation they were, of course, mistaken. Despite all the difficulties of working from a Turkish island, Trotsky con- tinued his political activities without interruption. Just as in 1916 the adherents of the Third International had fitted into two stage coaches, so now the partisans of a new inter- national were a comparative handful. Trotsky set himself the primary task of bringing together these forces and find- ing biggest possible audience in the working-class movement internationally for the principles for which the Left Opposition was fighting in the Soviet Union. • others Isaac Deutscher and have written about this last period in Trotsky's life to depict him as the tragic hero fighting against the current of history. They denigrate his efforts, which he considered the most important of his life, to build a new international.

'great They turn him into a man', a 'harmless icon' who left some literary and political works of great value (though not without their errors!) but who would have been better advised not to waste his time trying to regroup the revolu- tionary forces in order to build a new leadership. The series of volumes cover- ing the period of Trotsky's exile, of which six have been published so far, enable us to follow his struggle on almost a day-to-day basis. Although the conditions under which he him lived prevented from participating actively in • the political work of the Inter- national Left Opposition, he was its driving force and main inspiration. He kept in touch with every , which manifested sup- group port for the stand of the Left Opposition, followed through its activities and tried, from his vast experience, to assist it to develop politically and to Many items in this grow. collection deal with the life of the movement. We are able to follow Trotsky's attempts to win support from the best von Hindenburg (foreground) after Hitler had elements in the parties and groups which, breaking from social democracy or Stalinism, still hesitated a political limbo without taking the path of revolution. Many documents and items of correspondence concerning Trotsky's relationships with his supporters and people he was trying to win for the movement remain, of course, unpublished the archives at Harvard University. Many of those which in® these appear volumes were almost equally inaccessible and could only be found in long-forgotten articles in papers or internal bulletins or in out of print pamphlets.

Some appear in English for the first time. The series is entitled 'writ- ings' rather than either 'collected' or 'selected' works.

It does not include Trotsky's longer works written during this period or others which are permanently in print. Nor is it a selection which picks out the more important according judgement. to some arbitrary The writings represented here obviously of different are orders of importance and some can only be understood with the help of the quite instruc- tive and copious notes. The volumes provide a view of the crisis in the working- class movement in the 1930s which is quite without parallel.

Trotsky was concerned all the time with the analysis of events and with prognoses about the probable course of develop- ment in order to arm and guide the movement. His writings exemplity the point that Marxism is the science of perspectives. What is important in con- . sidering Trotsky's work at this time is not that he was some- times to be proved wrong as events developed, but that he was wholly right about the main trends. All the other tendencies in the labour move- ment were in complete dis- array. The Stalinists dare not reprint their writings of the period. A selection from 'Inprecorr' would only incite ridicule. The reformists seldom write anything which can last beyond the next change of government, The volume for 1933-1934 is of great significance because it includes Trotsky's re-assess- ment of perspectives made necessary by the triumph of Nazism in Germany and the smashing of the working-class movement which followed. Trotsky had foreseen this Hitler had been In power six weeks.

disaster, which had been made possible by the 'third period' line of the Comintern based on the view that the main danger came trom social democracy and that there was little to choose between a fascist government and any other form of bourgeois rule. During 1933 and 1934 the continued communist parties to • maintain that this policy had been correct. A resolution of the Executive Committee of the Comintern which Trotsky discusses, passed in January 1934, still claimed that the difference social between democracy and fascism only involves the 'forms and methods of fascisization'.

• Ву then the social democracy in Germany had been wiped out and thousands of its worker followers executed or confined in concentration camps. Throughout the last critical years of the Weimar Republic Trotsky had argued vigorously against the 'social fascist' line and for a united front approach by the German Communist Party (KPD) to the Social Democratic Party

(SPD)

leaders which would force them to fight fascism or expose them so that real inroads could be made into their ranks. Instead everything which the

KPD

alienated

SDP

workers from it and tied them more closely to their leaders.

Going over this period in the aftermath of the defeat was, for Trotsky, a means of draw- ing lessons which could be countries applied to other where the fascist danger was now on the immediate agenda.

'Had the Comintern placed, from 1929, or even from 1930 or 193-, at the foundation of objective its policies the irreconcilability between Social and fascism, Democracy Or more exactly between fascism and Social Democracy; if upon this it had built a systematic persistent policy of the united front, Germany, within a few months, would have been covered with a network of mighty committees of prole- tarian defence, that is potential workers' soviets.' (p.215) And Trotsky goes on to say that the Soviet Union should have announced that it would have regarded Hitler's coming to power as a preparation to strike eastward and would have reinforced its military forces on its western borders in order to strengthen the confidence of the German working class.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

Scan page 9

The governors at the Cheshire school where 18-year-old Merry Hamp almost was totally blinded after an acci- dent seven years ago are to £76,000 appeal against the damages awarded her by the High Court. The school, Mount Carmel Convent, at Alderley Edge, is run by nuns of the Sisters of St Joseph—'a small order' governors claim it has sources of revenue but for the £150-a-year fees paid by the 575 pupils. They also say that the school had only insured themselves up to £25,000 for personal injury accidents. Apart from the £76,000 damages the nuns will also have to foot legal costs and other expenses which could push their liability up to £ 100,000. Rylands, chairman Joseph of the school governors said: 'We made some provision, but we cannot meet the whole amount. 'It is likely that our advisers will suggest that we appeal against the amount of award. If we are successful in reducing the amount it will relieve considerable anxiety.'

It all sounds heart-rending, doesn't it. A struggling little nuns cornered by band of adversity and having their noses rubbed in the dirt to boot. But the headquarters of the "small order" are in Marseilles, France, and presumably live off a little more than the con- tributions from a handful of pupils. The matter does not end there. The nuns in this small order are Catholic. Behind all their petty wrangling stands the wealth of the richest church on earth. Why doesn't the Pope sell off a bauble or two? More details have emerged about the growing accord be- tween the Moscow Stalinists and the Madrid fascists. The Spanish Cortes (parliament) will approve by the end of the year the newly-signed • trade agreement with Russia. In the New Year the two countries will swap trade delegations of a semi-diplomatic status.

According to the text of the agreement, both countries will send 12 representatives.

Of these, a maximum of four will have diplomatic status and protection. Foreign cor- respondents say that discus- 'for sions will continue eventual establishment of full diplomatic relations between Spain and Russia.' Lord Annan, the right-wing Labour academic, recently lec- tured the National Union of Students about its role in the Stirling University incident in which the Queen was alleged to have been ruffled by a num- ber of wine-swigging students.

disclosed that the Annan Communist Party president of the NUS, Digby Jacks, had taken Mrs Margaret Thatcher, the Tory Education Secretary, to a restaurant for lunch.

"The Sunday Times' got on the scent and discovered that the scene of this grisly tête à tête between the Stalinist and the reactionary Cabinet Mirabelle's, minister was described as 'one of Europe's most expensive restaurants' diners - NUS Below: expensive president Jacks and Mrs Thatcher

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186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG. The Candidate'. Directed by Michael Ritchie. With Robert Redford and Peter Boyle. Having given us hippy. trendy gangsters, detec- tives, cowboys and spies, Hollywood now comes up with politicians. Two former campaigners from the Democratic Party— Michael Ritchie used to guide President Kennedy's TV appearances and screenwriter Jeremy Larner was a speech writer for Eugene McCarthy's 1968 campaign-have com- bined to pep up the thread bare image of the established political parties. Needless to say in a year when the major trade unions, for the first time in 16 years, are abstaining from supporting either of the two major capi- talist parties, this is no aca- demic problem. Bill McKay (Robert Red- ford) agrees to stand as Demo- cratic candidate for the posi- tion of Senator of California.

counterposed to He is the 'straight society' so-called (capitalists, trade unions, con- sumers etc.) as a member of the equally so-called alter- native "society'. who are, we are led to believe, different, because they remain true to doing their own thing. Although his father (Melvyn Douglas) is a former state Governor, and a rich, shrewd old politician, he qualifies as a representative because of his work in a community law centre. On announcing his inten- tion to stand he refuses to be photographed with the staff of the law office on the ground that he is not 'responsible for what they think'. 'They' all clap enthusiastic- ally! The motive of Hollywood for basing this view of the US electoral process on a false 'hippy-style' dichotomy is not difficult to understand. The film starts with some leading Californian Democrats discussing the lack of appeal of their proposed candidates (significantly enough-—and just look what's happening to McGovern!) and one of the local king-makers (Peter Boyle) makes Bill McKay an offer he Workers Press, Mol can't refuse. 'You'll lose, but you'll have a year to speak up for good causes and catch the headlines." McKay soon show's he's not afraid to say that the US isn't what it used to be, or that pollution is getting worse, and that a car park has been . built on a beach where he used to sunbathe (strong stuft this!).

However, the profound mes- sage of the film is that he who get involved in big-time poli- tics, whatever his intentions, have to compromise his will principles in the end. He tries to take the cam- paign to the people, but it doesn't work. Workers refuse to shake his hand or listen while he stands at the factory gate (the inference being that they are waiting for orders from their union boss). He books a public meeting, but nobody comes. He is in- sulted and attacked by odd people and freaks on the and meanwhile the streets, purpose-built mass media image gradually eclipses his former self. The ultimate bankruptcy of his conception is shown via an attempt to cash in on a forest fire which has been caused by Republican farmers who have interfered with land drainage. Just when he appears scene of action, his at the opponent descends from the sky in a helicopter and with clichés well-chosen some dominates the TV and Press.

• Slowly he drops his former intransigence abortion on reform and bussing, supports law and order and agrees to the deletion of a TV commer- cial advocating more welfare assistance on the grounds that it is 'bad TV'. Meanwhile his backers, via their 'plastic politics, con- centrating his on honest, youthful, radical appearance, have built up the sacred ratings to a point where the Republican opponent Corcky Jarmin (finely played by Don Porter) agrees to a TV debate.

Jut before the end he sud- denly breaks from the scripted exchange of mealy-mouthed half-truths, in a radical out- burst, protesting at the lack of real discussion about the Press, Monday Oclobar 30, 1872 PAGE 8 social roots of poverty and crime, which causes Jarmin to lose his cool and bluster pre- posterously. Allegedly this enormously boosts his ratings even further.

Even so, he winds up, making content-less speeches to a background of patriotic music (like Jarmin) which enraptures his supporters (however, seem to be doing doesn't McGovern much good — but that's real life). The insipid Robert Red- ford's task of establishing the plausibility of the candidate is made that much more diff- cult by the non-character nature of Bill McKay, because he is such a fiction, while many of the characters who sur- round him are obviously true social-character portrayals.

His opponent has already been mentioned. The same goes for his wily, yet tough, manager and also for his wife (played by Karen Carlson) who hits just right as the careerist pusher type, who per- suades him to compromise with the media, and plays the regal part on public occasions.

However a poor job is made of depicting their increasing estrangement under the pres- sure of image-building. This is a phoney film. The real corruption isn't shown.

Such candidates are well and truly bought men, before they even announce their intention to stand. The crucial dinners of the rich backers, where the real wheeling and dealing is done, is not even suggested. In fact there is no sugges- where the obviously tion immense amounts of money needed come from. The film was supposed to be something of an exposure of the US elec- tion process, but concentrates on depicting the nature of 'advance' work-drumming up crowds, organizing parades and publicity gimmicks. Bill McKay wins, much to his surprise, the film and finishes on his plaintive ques- tion: 'What do I do now?'

However, like a number of 'hippies' who've made it, in real terms they don't ask this question. They get on and do whatever their capitalist masters bid them.

Scan page 10

IN BATTERSEA AT WORK

PAGE 10 Workera Press, Monday October 30, 1972 The 1,400 workers at the sackings. Although the company says Morgan Crucible factory some work will be available in in Battersea, south Lon- Swansea and at another fac- Battersea, almost don, know now how and tory near another 1,000 workers will be when they are to become forced the area's to JoIn victims of a multi-million rapidly-growing dole queue.

pound property develop- ment scheme. Over 27,000 jobs have been Plans have just been lost in the Wandsworth area in announced to close the factory the past six years-more than in the next three years and use borough's one quarter of the 11-acre office the site total working population.

development and luxury flats.

Morgan, in partnership with Workers at the plant have Wates, the builders, proposes been living under the threat of on its Battersea to construct mass redundancies since 1968 site about 290,000 square feet 2,500 were employed at when of office and luxury accommo- the plant which fronts the dation for 1,300 people in 53 Thames on the south river houses and two blocks of flats.

side. Morgan and Undoubtedly Wates stand to make far more £10m they than the are expected to lay out to push Then the firm announced the the construction through.

carbon material and brush Only Wandsworth council's side of the manufacture planning committee now stands business would be transferred in their way. As yet no official Morriston, near Swansea, to made decision has been on South Wales. the requested outline Since that date the work- ning permission by the Labour force reduced has been by Council. 900 — largely through over The daily paper that the Tories. {20.28 for 12 months (312 Issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 Issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and send to: 186a Clapham High St., Circulation Depf., Workers Press, London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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ASSET

BY PHILIP WADE

and Asset strippers property developers are keeping a close eye on a of textile com- number panies which are quoted on the northern stock ex- change. In what are known as 'shell' operations, the Barclay Securi- ties of this world are preparing Finding a 'shell' is the game ailing which com- through with low share prices panies bought then are and full pumped of new assets. for From, example, being textiles, sud- the company denly emerges as nothing more than a property venture. The advantages of moving in this way are that competi- tors are fooled by what is the going on and those in can enormous KnoW • make sums of money wines shares suddenly rocket to un- told heights. Harry Hyams started in life this way when he bought the Company Oldham Estates for Nowhe is a next to nothing. and his mult - secrecy of movement has paid off. Shiloh Spinners is one com-

GOODMAN

DIRECTS

A TORY

PR

STUNT

Some local authorities are co-operate retusing to a Tory to with organize a 'Fanfare for Europe' from January 3 13 to celebrate to Britain's entry into the Common Market. The government has allo- €350,000— total of •red £250,000 for cultural events and £100,000 for 'other acti- vities'-to mark the occasion. of Chairman the organiza- tion, Lord Goodman, said last week the celebrations were not The festival, a political event. he said, 'designed purely 1S of view of point trom the making it entertaining. Goodman and his committee know very well that the Tories are lavishing this money around deliberately make

EEC

entry as palatable as possible for the public. Treasury funds being used a naked propaganda in exercise on behalf of the gov- Goodman, a Labour peer, is Wilson's private soli- Harold He is chairman of the citor. Newspaper Publishers' Associ- ation and a director of a num- ber of big Cil- His co-chairman, Lord panies. Mancroft, is a former the Tory govern- minister ment and he remains a direc- tor of the Cunard Steamship Company. pany in the greater Man- chester area currently under the spotlight. The shares are quoted at 2ip each, whereas the assets at real value would give a share price of over 39p. The company has about 20 acres of land which is con- sidered ripe for housing de- velopment. Two or three com- are reported to panies watching Shiloh and a take- over is expected in the next few weeks. firm under ob- Another Ring servation is Werneth Mill. Last month the Sheffield- based Northern Provincial In- vestment bought a 13, per cent stake in the company.

Since then Northern • Pro- vincial carefully have been buying more shares, although at the same time, of course, denying a take-over bid was in progress. Ash Spinning, near Oldham, has assets which would almost more than double its current share price quotation. Other 'shells' include potential Croft and State of Clover, Rochdale and Ellenwood at New Hey, near the motorway.

The latter could be used for an industrial estate or ware- housing, if the tyre fabric manufacturing side were hived Labour Lord Goodman who is directing ' Goodman was chairman of the Arts Council whose budget the Tories slashed so viciously.

He scarcely protested against this move, but he willingly of Hyam - his Harry secrecy movement through 'shell' com- panies paid off, in millions.

off to another textile com- pany. And there are a number of other companies which could soon find themselves divested of textile machinery and turned over to property de- velopment. this means for the What workers in these factories is, of course, almost certain re- While British dundancy. dustry slumps towards all-out collapse, the financial vultures are lining up. directing 'Fantare for Europe'.

accepts a job with the Tories to spend money on so-called 'cultural events' in the month of accession into the reaction- ary European clique.

Scan page 11

Today Play foX Man Friday Colin Blakely as Robinson Crusoe and Ram John Holder In the title role of 'Man Friday', Adrian Mitchell's new version of the time-worn story on BBC 1's Play for Today series tonight.

REGIONAL TV

HARLECH:

9.30 London. 1.00 Helen McArthur show. 1.30 Lon- Common Market cook don. 2.00

CHANNEL: 9.30-12.05

London. 2.30 3.00 book. Women only 1.15 News. 1.30 London. 2.00 A Little'. 4.25 Film: 'Mary Had Schools. 2.20 Yoga. 2.50 Film: London. 5.20 Shirley's world. Strongroom'. 4.15 Puffin. 4.25 5.50 London. 6.01 Report west. London. 6.00 News, weather. 6.15 6.22 Report Wales. 6.45 London.

Addams family. 6.45 London. 10.30 Film: 'Two on a Guillotine'.

of the game. 11.55 10.35 Name 12.30 Weather. News, weather. HTV Cymru/Wales 41 as above SOUTHERN: 9.30 London. 12.00 except: 6.01-6.22 Y dydd.

News. 12.05 London. 2.30 House- 3.00 Film: 'The Man With HTV Cymru/Wales 7 as 41 plus: party. 8.00-8.30 Yr wythnos. A Cloak'. 4.25 London. 6.00 Day 10.30 London. day. 6.45 Question time South. 11.00 News.

HTV West as above except: 6.22- 12.00 Farm 6.45 This is the West this week.

11.05 Theatre. pro- 2.30 12.25 Weather. Guideline.

ANGLIA:

9.30 London. gress.

BY DAVID MAUDE

FIRST STEPS towards united action to make east London cold store jobs dockers' work were taken at a meeting of dockers' and lorry drivers' shops stewards on Saturday. The stewards decided unanimously to ask Jack Jones, Transport General Workers Union secretary, to make a new and approach to the owners of two stores: Midland Cold Storage at Hackney and UK Cold Storage, Dagenham.

cold store and container depot Called by officials of the workers over jobs. As one parti- T&GWU's London region, the cipant in Saturday's meeting in- It is vital that meeting declared that it was sisted afterwards: it is understood that the main the policy of both the docks enemy of the docker is not the and commercial sections of the driver and that the lorry main enemy of the lorry driver is not union that work at the stores the docker, but that the em- was dockers' work. If Jones's of is the main enemy ployer both.' new approach was rebuffed, it What is urgently needed now was agreed, a further meeting is a policy for united struggle and policy which Jones the would be called to decide on T&GWU leadership have shown united action by dockers and themselves incapable of fighting for. lorry drivers. • No redundancies be Both the Vestey organization, can tolerated amongst any section of which owns Midland, and UK's workers in the port, warehous- Hay's Wharf parent company ing and transport industries.

All have fiercely resisted the demand workers must be maintained on that they registered employ full pay until they can be dockers at their cold stores.

nationalized, placed under However, the Vesteys' legal workers' control and planned on action which jailed the Penton- socialist lines. Five ville failed to shift the So did dockers' ickets the • The of statutory dockers arase acking of 27 T&GWU cold store registered jobs con- workers just over a week ago.

National tained in the Dock Saturday's meeting adopted Scheme Labour must be de- regards status quo position as fended—and extended to cover the picketing: the lorry drivers' every port, container depot and recognized they could stewards cold store. ask for the pickets be not to • The T&GWU biennial dele- stressed"' the while the dockers stressed importance of gate conference must be re- drivers continuing to respect the • dontinhis polic, de- called to picket line. mand ending all talks Tories It was understood that, along- with the and mobilize cold side the declaration that union members force the jobs be store should dockers' government to resign. it policy that work, was aiso In this way the political con- none of the unregistered workers ditions can be created for the currently working there should of a Labour government return their jobs lose which would nationalize the Workers Press has fought con- port, warehousing and transport sistently united be- industries without action compensation dockers, lorry drivers, and under workers' control.

BBC 2

11.00 11.25 Play school.

7.05 CHILDREN

GROWING

UP. All in the Game. 7.30 NEWSROOM. Weather.

8.00 ALIAS

SMITH

AND

JONES. The Fifth Victim.

8.50 OUT OF THE BOX.

9.25

SHOW OF THE WEEK:

SACHAS

IN

TOWN.

Sacha Distel with guests Mireille Mathieu, Dawn.

SEARCH

AND DIS-

10.10 COVERY. Digs and dis- coveries in 1972. 11.00 NEWS ON 2. Weather.

11.05 LATE NIGHT LINE UP.

3.00 Saint. 3.55 Houseparty. Romper room. 4.20 News. 4.25 London. 6.00 About Anglia. 6.45 to the London. 10.30 Journey unknown. 11.30 London. ATV MIDLANDS: 9.30 London.

2.00 Shirley's world. 2.30 London.

3.00 Film: 'The Ballad of Andy Crocker'. 4.25 London. 6.00 Today. 6.45 London. 10.30 Name of the game. Weather. ULSTER: 11.00 London. 1.33 News. 1.40 Schools. 2.40 Rom- per room. 3.00 Film: 'The Mag- net'.. 4.22 News. 4.35 London.

6.00 Reports. 6.15 Smith family.

London. 10.30 Monday TYI 6.45

DARTHUR

'EXPLORATORY' talks with the management are to be held to- morrow to try to resolve the dis- pute at Arthur Lees' Sheffield works. workers Maintenance have been on strike for four weeks for a substantial improvement in the bonus structure. After a mass meeting earlier last week works convenor Alan Bentley told Workers Press: Soclalist Labour League

LECTURES

THE THEORY AND

PRACTICE OF MARXISM

Given by Cliff Slaughter (SLL Central Committee member) Bullding the revolutionary party Monday November 6

GUILDFORD HOTEL

The Headrow, 8 p.m. Workers Press, Monday October 30, 1972 PAGE 11

BBC 1

ITV

9.38-11.55 Schools. 12.00 9.30 Schools. 10.35 Personnel by control. 12.25 Cywain. 12.55 people 12.05 hannow 1.00 Pebble Mills at Larry the 12.40 First news one. lamb. re- 1.30 Along the river. 1.45 Look, 1.00 port. and Mrs. 1.30 2.05 Schools. 4.00 stranger Emmerdale farm 2.00 All our and Dixie 4.10 yesterdays. 2.30 Good after- 4.35 Magic roundabout. SChool 'My Six Loves'. 4.40 Jackanory. 4.55 Blue Peter. 3.00 Film: noT. 5.20 The long chase. 5.45 News Debbie Reynolds. 4.25 Free- Clapperboard wheelers 5.20 Bless 5.50

6.00 NATIONWIDE.

this nouse. News. 6.45

TRANSWORLD

TOP

TEAM.

United Kingdom v

6.00 TODAY.

Canada. 7.10 CARS. Public Rela-

6.40 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS.

tions.

7.30 CORONATION STREET.

8.00 PANORAMA.

9.00 NINE

O'CLOCK

NEWS.

8.00 WORLD IN ACTION.

Weather

8.30 SEZ LES.

FOR TODAY: 'MAN

9.20

PLAY

FRIDAY'.

By MIlt Moonlight and

9.00 KAIC.

chell. With Colin Blakely Moses Ram Holder. John 10.40

MASTERMIND

10.00 NEWS AT TEN.

11.10

AT NIGHT.

NiGHI

10.30 MISS LONDON 1972.

11.15

THE

SKY

AT Collapsing Stars.

11.30 DRIVE-IN.

11.35 Will

IRELAND

wister Fight.

12.00 BEYOND INSTITUTIONS.

Weather. 10.35 Film: 'Desire Under All yesterdays. 2.30 News. night. Elms'. common Marker cook book 3.00 Film 'The

YORKSHIRE:

rdays. 2030 LO 2.00 1.25 London Orderly London

OUT

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10.58 London 2.45 Enchanted GRANADA: 9.30 London 2.00 Ail house News. 2.30 Film: 3.00 Film ° 4r00 Crossroads. Leave Me 4.25 London. Ever 'Quebec'. 4.00 4.20 5.20 Emmerdale Farm. 5.50 Lon- London. 6.00 News. 6.25 This is 6.40 10.30 o.Uu News weatner o.UN

YOUT

Julia. 6.35 Cartoon. 6.45 London.

Film: 'The Frozen Dead". 10.30 Name of the game. 11.55 TYNE TEES: 9.30 London. 2.00 Talks on Arthur Lees' strike tomorrow

AUEW

"There will be compromise est with stewards have and we will fight all the way?

heen issued

TWO

'A pamphlets called Guide to A strong day and night picket ime-Study' and 'Work-Measure- being the maintained Lati menu seconcues. (above), TOrY which Is nened's followed nicke who largest privately-owned steel lorry after it had broken through works. picket lines the claims have But George Caborn,

AUEW

been stoppea Dy • district official and a Communist two men who said they were Party member, seeking talks from the •Road Haulage Secu- that Organization' 'would be in the interests of warned LILy as sidesa im on I would like information about

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Scan page 12

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Monday Octobe

FROM IAN YEATS

IN DUBLIN

AN OLIVE branch was held out to Ulster Protestants yes- terday by Provisional Sinn Fein president Rory O'Brady in a speech to the movement's biggest Ard Fheis since 1925.

One thousand provisionals from Ulster and the Republic, meeting under close Special Branch sur- veillance, at the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union headquarters at Liberty Hall, Dublin, heard O'Brady say: 'We do not wish to submerge the Unionists of the North in an all-Ireland state. 'We them real very greater Ulster through the Dail Uladh plan (Ulster parliament).

'Incorporation of nine counties will give a healthier balance of in the North-some- population thing the six-county state has always lacked.' Addressing himself directly to Ulster Protestants, O'Brady said: 'We would never ask you to join the 26-county state-we are trying to escape from it our- selves. recently-released Provi- The sionals policy document 'Eire Nua' looks forward to a 32- county Ireland governed by four involving regional parliaments the scrapping of partition gov- ernments and the severing of all links with Britain. The keynote of this year's Ard Fheis was the urgency of follow- Sinn Fein leaders ing up what claimed as their victory in bring- ing down the 'puppet regime' at Stormont—with massive recruit- ment into the Republican move- ment. Although it was not stated in words, Provisional many SO leaders are anxious to heal sec- tarian divisions in the North and win support from all sections for their regional government plans.

During the private conference session on Saturday there were fierce clashes over the histori- cally-contentious issue of the oath of allegiance and a split was narrowly avoided by a compro- mise resolution of unique signifi- cance. After 50 years Provisional Sinn members may now retain Fein their membership and swear alle- giance to the partition govern- ment at Westminster provided only that they repudiate the oath in writing to their local branches.

For over half a century the oath had to be repudiated pub- limiting licly thus severely recruitment. O'Brady and Provisionals chief of staff Sean MacStiofain laid heavy emphasis on the need for organization political and new initiatives alongside their military activities. The Sinn Fein president called for more work in the trade union and said that movement all local elections in the Republic would be vigorously contested.

Said O'Brady: 'The aim must be to achieve the leadership of people. Building the regional and government structures in local issues involvement together with support for the North provides the means?

On Saturday about 50 students Trinity College, Dublin, from who picketed the conference with banners demanding 'peace' were reception by the given a hot Provisionals and at one stage had to be protected by police.

TENANTS meeting at Paisley, near Glasgow, yesterday enthusi- astically endorsed a call for the trade union leaders to end their Tories collaboration with the and fight to remove them from office. They agreed to lobby Labour councillors before next month's council meeting to. demand that they rescind their decision to implement the Tories' Housing Finance Act. Willie Docherty, chairman of the Paisley Tenants' Action said that the In- Committee, dustrial Relations Act, the Com- mon Market and the Housing Finance Act were not separate issues. By acting in support of trade unionists the tenants, could develop the strength to fight them. ay October 30, 1972 TWO THOUSAND Tyneside boilermakers employed at Swan Hunter's decided by a ballot vote of 1,337 to 803 to end their eight-week old strike yesterday. came after a The result stormy mass meeting on Satur- day at which union president Dan McGarvey outlined the terms of the package deal which would give the men an immediate increase of £2.50.

followed by This would be instalments in January and April of next year and fl the following August. As part of this is to be paid on the bonus, the full amount of £4.50 will depend on a drop in 'the what McGarvey termed alarming rate of absenteeism in the yards'. The deal was bitterly attacked by a large minority of the stewards who argued for the original £4.72 cost-of-living in- crease in the basic rate.

McGarvey attempted to silence this criticism by trying to bind them to last Thursday's 28-23 decision of the shop stewards' committee in favour of the offer. Les Jordan, a leading steward, told the mass meeting: "The un- UNION LEADERS represer workers yesterday agreed to members' f4 pay claim. The ta for today. • the two sides met on ( When declined to reply to the unions' cl day's talks between the TUC, the Downing Street. For the union side, Trans- Workers' port and General Union national officer John Cousins insisted they would 'not be seduced' by anything which emerged from the talks.

And in the National Union of Public Employees' journal, pub- is a lot of lished today, there big talk about pressing the em- ployers to negotiate the claim 'on its merits'. If they don't they will appear as agents of the government, the journal says. "The whole tone of employers' response makes the it clear that the deciding factor, so far as the employers are con- cerned, is not the merit of the claim itself, but the policy which the government is determined to impose on the public sector.

The front-page article also re- ports that as the beginning of 'representatives this month of the employers were summoned to the Department of Employ- ment and given a straight talk on how vital it was that they should not make any offer until his lines on the Heath cleared Chequers talks'. The crucial question, however, is not to prove government in- tervention. That is well known.

What council workers want to know is what their leaders in- tend to do about the Tories.

Besides a. f4-a-week increase in pay, the claim asks for a 35- hour week, more holidays and a 'threshold' clause which would raise earnings if the cost of living agreed than rose more an amount. Yesterday's agreement to post- pone the talks will be seen as evidence thai the union leaders --like their power union col- leagues — are prepared, for all their fine words, to come to terms with the Tories' state pay plan. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Workers Office. Published Press, 186a Clapham High Street, London,

SW4 7UG.

Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU), 180b Clapham High Street, London,

SWA 7UG.

Les Jordan: Personally attacked by McGarvey democratic manoeuvres of the officials have come as full-time but I'm bit- no surprise to us, with the disappointed terly majority of the stewards who door and have opened the allowed them to take control of the dispute. since last June has 'Inflation wiped out the £2.50 before we it. When the Tories even see take us into the Common Market we will not notice the rest,' he continued. Urging the men to continue the struggle, Mr Jordon pointed to the growing financial sup- representing 950,000 council ed to postponę talks on their , The talks had been scheduled et on October 19 the employers nions' claim until after last Thurs- UC, the CBI and the Tories at 10 SIX HUNDRED delegates from 17 different trade unions voted unanimously in Birmingham on Saturday to implement and extend the blacking of all firms concerned with Fine Tubes Ltd, the Plymouth firm which has been strike-bound for two years and four months. There were convenors and shop from all major car stewards Chrysler Massey- • from Ferguson and Rolls-Royce aircraft Hawker-Siddeley . and plants. Nineteen trades councils were also represented. They called on all union executives to ensure that their officers and members effectively implement the black on Fine Tubes in deed as well as word.

The demand was addressed par- ticularly to the Transport and Workers' Union and General Amalgamated Union of Engineer- ing Workers, whose members have been picketing the US- owned factory since the strike began. Inquiry ignored Though the strike is official, both unions have yet to instruct their members to impose the black, leaving a vital loophole supplies can get through which in and out of the factory.

In addition, the engineering union has stopped paying strike pay to its members at the Plymouth factory. Opening the Digbeth Hall con- ference, strike committee chair- man Herman Welch outlined the history of the bitter Fine Tubes dispute. Since the strike began on lune 15. 1970, the company port from other yards up and down the country. 'I received a cheque yesterday for £290,' he said. This was used by McGarvey to launch personal attack on Jordan. 'What is Jordan doing with the money? He is not your treasurer. I'm sure the boiler- will reject procedure makers which can lead to the type of financial practices which we have seen before on the Tyne' secretary of the lerry Daley, stewards' shop committee, re- pudiated the implications McGarvey's attack. He pointed out that it was Mr Jordan's job to tour the country to raise financial assistance. McGarvey said that the men's security of employment had been discussed during talks with the management. The two - year guarantee of expires in March employment and there was argu- next year ment on this issue,' he said. "The they firm said don't have enough orders to guarantee em- ployment for a further year.'

He made it clear that under 'we no circumstances would accept a staggered pay deal if members are going to be laid off in March next year. We will be seeking further guarantees and watching the situation.

WEST GERMAN officials yester- day released three Arab guerril- las to fly by executive jet to Zagreb. Yugoslavia. Other guerrillas had taken a hijacked Lufthansa Boeing 727 there with number of hostages. Earlier Israel's ambassador in Bonn de- all requests to release manded the prisoners-taken after the Munich Olympic Games shoot-out ignored. The hijackers, -be armed with grenades, seized the Boeing between Beirut and An- kara and it ordered it to Munich where the guerrilla prisoners were held. Later they switched desti- nations and directed the plane to the Yugoslav airfield.

had used scab labour to keep the factory going. They had ignored the recommendations of a government inquiry into the strike. Pickets had been attacked at the gates, he alleged, and nego- tiations with the company had been confined to two brief meet- ings in February and July this year. 'We are going to fight on until we win because we believe we have a right to belong to a trade union, Mr Welch said. In the discussion which fol- speakers attacked lowed many the official union attitude, parti- cularly that of the AUEW, which now claims it is up to the shop floor to implement the blacking.

Joe Beckett, the local AUEW secretary, divisional bar- was racked by the meeting when he tried to justify the union's posi- tion. Beckett tried to lay the blame for the Fine Tubes position on the strike committee and the membership of the Plymouth union. But he was sharply atacked by Plymouth delegates who pointed out that the officials had done nothing to encourage local support for thè strikers.

There was also a cool recep- tion for Terry Friel, represent- ing the UCS shop stewards' co- ordinating committee, when he laid the blame for the Tory government on the English workers. Claiming the UCS sell-out as a victory, Friel said: 'Time has overshadowed the Fine Tubes men, but the battle is not lost.'

assistant

AUEW

secretary Ernie Roberts, appearing in a personal capacity, told the meet- ing he was 'ashamed' the Fine

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PUBLIC MEETING

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a reply to Joseph

WEDNESDAY NOV 1

"The Three Legs' The Headrow

LEEDS

7.30 p.m. Speaker: Cliff Slaughter (SLL Central Committee) admission 10p Socialist Labour League

PUBLIC LECTURES

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Thursday November 9 Basic essentials of Marxism Thursday November 16 A theory of knowledge Thursday November 23 Opponents of Marxism Thursday November 30 Marxism-the science of perspective

SOUTH OXFORD

COMMUNITY CENTRE

Lake Street, 8 p.m. Lectures given by SLL general secretary G. Healy Tubes strikers had been left to fight alone. 'We have to teach these anti- union American employers we are not serfs in this country,' he said. Roberts claimed there sufficient strength at the confer- ence to defeat Fine Tubes, but he asked: 'Where is the TUC General Council in this struggle for basic trade union rights?' Questioned from the floor he said the AUEW should 'bend' the rules to pay benefit to its members at Fine Tubes. IS rebuffed Attempts by the state capital- ist International Socialism group to push for the formation of rank-and-file Fine Tubes Action firmly Committees re- were buffed from the chair. The strike comittee insisted that its resolution should go through un- amended. Strike committee members in- sisted the main task was to en- sure that the black on Fine Tubes products was made really watertight and that the unions take action to implement their decisions. A collection at the conference raised over £1,000, including £380 donated by construction workers at Fiddler's Ferry power station site near Warrington.

Strike committee secretary said money to Dick Williams support the strike was urgently needed as the committee has to pay benefit to AUEW members who are without strike pay.

The committee's address is: 65 Bretonside, Plymouth, Devon.

Up-to-date_blacking lists are supplied on request.

← no. 906, 28 October 1972no. 910, 2 November 1972 →