Workers Press no. 950

workers press

HUGE TURNOUT

AGAINST FINE

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLE

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRA

By Workers Press Reporters THE WAVE of strikes in defence of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers is growing swiftly.

There were more than 100,000 engineers on strike throughout the country yesterday and 500,000 will be out on Wednesday. Yesterday's stoppages had a paralysing effect on a number of big industries.

• There were no national daily newspapers produced in FLEET

STREET.

• British-Leyland's giant plant at Cowley in OXFORD and the Ford Motor Company's factory in DAGENHAM, Essex, were both hit by a walk out. • Large-scale strikes occurred in both NORTH and SOUTH LONDON, while there were reports of crippling strikes in SHEFFIELD, PORTSMOUTH, READING and WATFORD.

As engineers walked out yesterday they won wholehearted approval from other trade unionists. Wherever pickets were posted, they were obeyed unhesitatingly by members from other unions.

In the protest march through Oxford the engineers were joined General Union Transport and Workers' by a large contingent of members from the local car workers' branch.

however, it was clear that many From yesterday's strike wave, engineers are anxious for an official strike call from the sections of Until now asked members in the executive has AUEW leadership. support the union's policy which leaves action on a the areas to localized basis. In London, for example, substantial number of shop order to change the union's stand stewards, voted for a Several other resolution against the Act.

AUEW

executive calling on the speakers from the floor attacked to stage an indefinite strike (see the right-wing's manoeuvres.

12). The resolution put to There is no doubt that there meeting of London shop stewards and deep-rooted is was only narrowly defeated.

genuine against the feeling of militancy Voting the proposal against attacks on the union. of chairman was Kevin Halpin, But this runs the danger of Communist Party's Liaison the if being dissipated one-day Defence of Committee for the strikes, supported by the Com- Trade Unions. become the only Party, munist It was Halpin and his organ- means of resistance. ization which advocated the one- For the engineers to win there Bill'. "Kill the day stoppages to must be the widest call through- by EAST

BIR-

The decision out the entire labour movement

MINGHAM

join the strike for a complete industrial struggle of 800 was • taken at a meeting against the Tory government.

will halt stewards yesterday. Only by the Tory removing industrial belt in the the whole government from office can the where car and components area -or any section of trade engineers- factories are concentrated.

Those of -remove the threat unionists- big firms affected will be Rover's, fines jailings from massive and Pressed Fisher, Steel British- over their heads. plant, Dun- Leyland's Longbridge The CP's one-day strikes policy lop's and the Lucas factories.

was their slogan when the anti- Addressing the meeting execu- Act was being passed tive councilman Bob Wright said: didn't the These protests I hope that we shall have none They Bill'. only served to head of the nonsense of calling for the off the militancy of the working recall of the national committee.

the door for the class and open We are not prepared to recall the present fines. national unless there committee There be no repetition big demand from the must is of this treacherous strategy.

branches.' made right The demand must be He was replying to who had for all-out industrial action by wingers in the area all trade unionists to force the opposed strike action and wanted a recalled national committee in government out of office.

E NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 1

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOC

CONTROL

section of the Ox THE 21,000 workers at British-L body plant, radiator and services from work in answer to a call fror committee. At least 15,000 Transport and General Workers' Union mem- came out with AUEW bers members at Leyland's. Other engineering plants to be hit by strikes included John Allen's, Valor Bruce of Bicester, Amey Engineering and the Del- clair Transformer works in Ox- the total of ford, bringing strikers to 25,000. In the morning 1,000 engineers and other trade unionists de- monstrated through the city Kick the Tories out!', 'General strike, Tories out!' and "Tories out, Socialism in!"

Ernie Roberts, AUEW assist- secretary, told the ant general marchers: "The employers' gov- ernment wants to smash the only defence that the working class has got-their trade unions.

•We must remember that the laws, the police, the judiciary and the courts are not neutral No. 950

BER 19, 1972

4p

IE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

INCREASE

PROFTTS

of the Oxford march. British-Leyland's Oxford assembly, services divisions all stopped away call from the local AUEW district are weapons to be used they against the working class.'

'An injury to one is an injury to all he said. 'That's the prin- our movement was built ciple on. Roberts called on all the other unions which had received sup- port from the AUEW, including the miners' and railwaymen's the unions, to come now to engineers' defence in action.

Bob Fryer, T&GWU steward at British-Leyland, told the meet- defence of ing that the the AUEW was the defence of all trade unions. "The TUC must call a General Strike to remove this Tory gov- ernment once and for all, said Fryer to loud applause. The time has come-and it is not too soon-to get the Tories out and put back a Labour gov- ernment pledged to socialist poli- cies.' • See Oxford comments p.12.

TURMOIL

IN

TEXTILES

The strike by Asian textile workers in Lough- borough was the first major conflict in the history of the Mansfield Hosiery mills. The strange relations between the union, management and the workers were revealed last week at a government inquiry in Nottingham. TOMORROW: Workers Press reporter PHILIP WADE, who has followed the course of the strike and allegations of racial discrimination, presents his investigation on pages 6, 7 and 8. Be sure of your copy now by ordering from: Circulation Department, 186a Clapham High St, London SW4 7UG. Or telephone: 01-622 7029.

DECEMBER

FUND: £808.40

NEEDED BY

NEXT MONDAY

WE HAVE seven more days to go. Can we complete our £1,750 target by Christmas Day? The great response yesterday to the call from many AUEW district committees to strike against the National Industrial Relations Court attack on the union shows the determination of the working class to fight back against the Tory government.

We know that this determina- tion is also behind our paper.

This month we are asking you for a special effort. Help us collect our total a week early to cover the holiday period. So far we have raised £941.60. Let's not waste a moment. Go all out now and make sure we reach our target in time. Rush every dona- tion immediately to: Workers Press December Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street London, SW4 7UG.

workers press

HUGE TURNOUT

AGAINST FINE

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLE

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRA

By Workers Press Reporters THE WAVE of strikes in defence of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers is growing swiftly.

There were more than 100,000 engineers on strike throughout the country yesterday and 500,000 will be out on Wednesday. Yesterday's stoppages had a paralysing effect on a number of big industries.

• There were no national daily newspapers produced in FLEET

STREET.

• British-Leyland's giant plant at Cowley in OXFORD and the Ford Motor Company's factory in DAGENHAM, Essex, were both hit by a walk out. • Large-scale strikes occurred in both NORTH and SOUTH LONDON, while there were reports of crippling strikes in SHEFFIELD, PORTSMOUTH, READING and WATFORD.

As engineers walked out yesterday they won wholehearted approval Wherever pickets were posted, they were from other trade unionists.

obeyed unhesitatingly by members from other unions.

In the protest march through Oxford the engineers were joined Union and General Workers' by a of Transport large contingent local car workers' branch.

members from the however, it was clear that many From yesterday's strike wave, official strike call from the engineers are anxious for of sections Until now the executive has asked members in

AUBW

leadership. leaves action on a support the union's policy which the areas to localized basis. In London, for example, number of shop substantial order to change the union's stand stewards. voted for resolution the Act. Several other against AUEW executive calling on the the floor attacked speakers from an indefinite strike (see the right-wing's manoeuvres.

The resolution put to 12). There is no doubt that there meeting of London shop stewards deep-rooted and feeling genuine defeated. was only narrowly of militancy against the the proposal Voting against attacks on the union. Halpin, chairman of Kevin was danger of But this runs Party's Liaison the Communist being dissipated one-day for of Committee the Defence supported by the Com- strikes, Trade Unions. become Party, the only munist It Halpin and his organ- was of resistance. means ization which advocated the one- For the engineers to win there 'Kill the Bill'. day stoppages to widest call through- must be the

BIR-

The decision by EAST out the labour movement entire

MINGHAM

the strike for a complete industrial struggle join _ to of 800 was • taken meeting against the Tory government.

al will halt stewards yesterday. the Tory Only by removing whole industrial belt the the government from office can the area where car and components -or any section of trade engineers- Those factories are concentrated.

of -remove the threat unionists- big firms affected will be Rover's, jailings from fines and massive British- Pressed Steel Fisher, over their heads. Leyland's Longbridge plant, Dun- factories. The CP's one-day strikes policy lop's and the Lucas the anti- was their slogan when Addressing the meeting execu- •Kill sed Act was being Wright said: tive councilman Bob the These protests didn't I hope that we shall have none Bill'. They only served to head of the nonsense of calling for the off the militancy of the working recall of the national committee.

class and open the door for the We are not prepared to recall the fines. present unless there national committee There must be no repetition is big demand from the of this treacherous strategy.

branches.' right The demand must be made He replying to who had for all-out industrial action by in the area wingers all trade unionists force the opposed strike action and wanted to government out of office. a recalled national committee in

= NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY DECEMBER 19, 1

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOC

action of the Ox THE 21,000 workers at British-L body plant, radiator and services from work in answer to a call fror committee. At least 15,000 Transport and Workers' Union mem- General out with AUEW bers came members at Leyland's. Other engineering plants to be John strikes included hit by Allen's, Valor Bruce of Bicester, Amey Engineering and the Del- clair Transformer works in Ox- the total of bringing ford, strikers to 25,000. In the morning 1,000 engineers and other trade unionists de- monstrated through the city centre, shouting 'Defend the en- the Tories out!' gineers! Kick 'General strike, Tories out!' and "Tories out, Socialism in!'

Ernie Roberts, AUEW assist- ant general secretary, told the marchers: The employers' gov- ernment wants to smash the only working class defence that the has got-—their trade unions.

'We must remember that the the police, the judiciary laws, and the courts are not neutral— IBER 19, 1972 • No. 950 • 4p

1E SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

of the Oxford march. British-Leyland's Oxford assembly, services divisions all stopped away call from the local AUEW district weapons to be used they • are class.' against the working 'An injury to one is an injury to all,' he said. 'That's the prin- our movement was built ciple on' Roberts called on all the other unions which had received sup- port from the AUEW, including the miners' and railwaymen's unions, to the to come now engineers' defence in action.

Bob Fryer, T&GWU steward at British-Leyland, told the meet- ing that the defence of the AUEW was the defence of all trade unions. 'The TUC must call a General Strike to remove this Tory gov- ernment once and for all,' said Fryer to loud applause. 'The time has come-and it is not too soon-to get the Tories out and put back a Labour gov- ernment pledged to socialist poli- cies.' • See Oxford comments p.l2.

TURMOIL

IN

TEXTILES

The strike by Asian textile workers in Lough- borough was the first major conflict in the history of the Mansfield Hosiery mills. The strange relations between the union, management and the workers were revealed last week at a government inquiry in Nottingham. TOMORROW: Workers Press reporter PHILIP WADE, who has followed the course of the strike and allegations of racial discrimination, presents his investigation on pages 6, 7 and 8. Be sure of your copy now by ordering from : Circulation Department, 186a Clapham High St, London SW4 7UG. Or telephone: 01-622 7029.

DECEMBER

FUND: £808.40

NEEDED BY

NEXT MONDAY

WE HAVE seven more days 1o go. Can we complete our {1,750 target by Christmas Day? The great response yesterday to the call from many AUEW district committees to strike against the National Industrial Relations Court attack on the union shows the determination of the working class to fight back against the Tory government.

We know that this determina- tion is also behind our paper.

This month we are asking you for a special effort. Help us collect our total a week early to cover the holiday perlod. So far we have raised £941.60. Let's not waste a moment. Go all out now make sure we reach our and target in time. Rush every dona- tion immediately to: Workers Press December Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street London, SW4 7UG.

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Tuesday Decemb THE COLLAPSE of the secret Vietnam talks in Paris has revealed the totally fraudulent character of the British Com- munist Party's so-called "sign now' campaign. Advertising the campaign on December 4 the Stalinist news-.

paper 'Morning Star' called for 'superhuman efforts to pile up the pressure to get Nixon to sign the peace treaty with North Vietnam without further delay. Superhuman the efforts would THE NEW Japanese govern- ment is coming under strong pressure from the military to step up its rearmament cam- paign and widen the base of the armed forces. are making The militarists their demands despite a govern- ment decision to double expen- diture on the armed forces in current four-year plan. The general secretary of the Na- tional Defence Council, Osama Kaihara, yesterday claimed the forces were far armed present too small to defend Japan.

The National Defence Coun- cil is the civilian body charged with control over military policy.

Kaihara said the biggest problem facing Japan was the manpower shortage in the army. The government has at pre- sent decided that the armed forces should not exceed a total strength of 260,000mainly to of reviv- avoid fears overseas ing Japanese militarism. 'But is it possible to defend Japan ı with only [sic] 260,000 men?' Kaihara asked. He said: 'In my opinion, for effective defence a national sistance organization of every Japanese citizen is indispensable.

The self-defence forces [euphem- ism for the armed services] will constitute the core of the organi- zation.' in other. What is proposed words, is the militarization of society whole of Japanese the for 'defence' purposes. But just who is threatening Japan? Per- nobody asked Kaihara, haps because he certainly didn't answer this question. He did, however denounce the constitutional restrictions on sending troops abroad, which he claimed interfered with training schedules. With Japanese capitalism in great crisis as a result of the American pressure for export cuts and revaluation, the signi- ficance of the resurgence Japanese militarism is clear..

preparing to open ind JAPAN is most of her industries to 100 per cent subsidiaries of foreign firms a trade liberalization move in designed to resist pressure for another revaluation of the yen, Finance Ministry sources in Tokyo said yesterday. The move is included in a new programme to be submitted to the Foreign Investment Council shortly for consideration and approval At present only 50-50 joint ventures are automatically per- mitted in the majority of Japanese y December 19, 1972 for the munitions and 'advisers' and certainly have to Viet- the stepped up their savage attacks entire experience movement has on the north. nam protest demonstrated beyond a shadow While this the Com- US imperialism goes on, of doubt that Party to be 'pressurized' by munist trying cannot deluge the chief butcher with petitions, protests and the like. Could appeals to 'sign now. the any spectacle be more obscene?

It is clear that if American This policy fit only for 1S susceptible imperialism were pacifist fabians and contented the Stalinists call to what slaves. 'world-wide pressure', the war The fact of that would have years iS, course, been Nixon pays no attention what- It is equally clear that ago. ever to the bleatings of the the war is not over. Stalinists and their hangers-on The Paris talks, in which the in the trade unions and show Stalinists placed so much faith, business. be simply have proved to the next And when think about it, means of preparing you why should he? This year he stage of the war. The Ameri- the leaders of the cans have shipped in arms, went to

BY JUAN GARCIA

GEORGES MARCHAIS closed the 20th Communist Party Congress on Sunday with a pledge to serve the French people and the nation'.

That was an apt conclusion to four days of debate which made it clear that the French CP is prepared to defend the interests of the Marchals (right) bourgeoisie in the event of an electoral victory secretary, at the of the Union of the Left and the of sharp class daily had dropped by 63,000 and on eve the Sunday magazine by 160,000 conflicts in Europe. since 1950. If there was persistent This had led to a reduction in theme in the Congress, it was size. If it continued, prices would that the Communist Party was, and have to increase more re- above all, a party for the ductions were envisaged. nation. of the Sta- The parlous by Take the intervention linist Press in France is only one Jacques Duclos, veteran member the of the reflection of crisis of the He Political Bureau. de- main party of the French work- speech fended Marchais in ing class. him firmly in the which placed The average age of the Party tradition of Marcel Cachin and the Congress representatives at Maurice Thorez 'always under was 33 years and 72 per cent of attack from men of power who delegates had joined the CP since put their class interests before 1958. the interests of the nation'.

A list of 21 new The inevitable empty optimism members to pervading the Congress gave way Central the Committee shows that only five of them had joined more sober tone when to Etienne Faion opened the second the party 1958 and since only Congress devoted eight are less than 35 years old.

session of the to the party daily 'L'Humanité'.

The French Stalinists, of first time that is the course, have lost many middle- 'L'Humanité' has appeared on the class youth to the numerous re- agenda of a Congress. visionist organizations of the Fajon complained that many 'extreme-left', and have no policy members and even branch secre- or wish to attract working-class the who suffering from taries do not read news- youth are thinking they can make low wages and enormous unem- paper, The youth do with 'radio and class-con- ployment. not willing sciousness'. sing hymns the 'greatness of France', in the tra- He claimed that sales of the JUST OVER 100 Yugoslavs are being still in detention after industries. About 200 industries deprived of liberty in the past have already been freed for 100 of 'com- of foreign ten weeks on suspicion per cent subsidiaries mitting a political dereliction or firms, but either in- they are excess', Yugoslav public dustries in which foreign coun- Panta prosecutor, Marina, dis- are not interested or those in an interview published closed in which Japanese industries are yesterday. too strongly competitive.

Since October 1, which marked The Finance netinistruneil the start of a drive for improved sources Party discipline and against said a Cabinet of cor- Economic instituted by President Ministers might be ruption held Tito, 131 People were deprived to endorse the proposed of before of their liberty on suspicion new programme even political failures or excesses and formed by new government is Kakuei Tanaka, 101 of these were still detained Prime Minister Christmas. last Friday. expected by world Stalinist movement in both Moscow and Peking and was received like a hero.

He arrived in Moscow within of the blockade of days Haiphong and the renewed bombardment of Hanoi. Yet Interr none of the communist parties which are now so actively bombarding him with appeals made any protest about his visit. They didn't even apply what 'pressure' they could muster to get their political masters Moscow to rescind the in- vitation. The cowardly leaders the British of Communist Party, who are now such paper heroes outside the American embassy and 10 Downing (right) with Claude Estier, Socialist Party at the CP Congress. ditions of de Gaulle and Thorez.

union The trade movement. unionists are under sharp attack from the monopolists' rationali- zation of Europe and must enter into conflict with their CP lead- ership which accepts the econo- mic reality of the Common Market. Congress deliberately The played down the future the working class faces in the EEC.

While delegates spoke about attacks from this and that mono- poly, the EEC was scarcely men- tioned. To break the French working class from the weakening grip of Stalinism is an urgent task which can only be accomplished by the building of a section , of the Fourth International in France. SEVEN THOUSAND members of the Ceylon Bank Employees' Union returned to work yester- day after an abortive 107-day strike over demands for better promotion prospects and more pay. The strike, which affected all commercial banks, including two state-owned banks, was called off after a union meeting held on Sunday to consider the union's failure to win its demands.

Government spokesmen said soon after the strike began on September 1 that there would be no negotiations with the union while the strike continued.

kept Street, their mouths firmly shut. Stalin reduced the role of the communist parties to a means of applying pressure to bour- geois in the governments interests of the Soviet bureau- cracy. The 'sign now' campaign is fully in line with this basic Stalinist policy. It is a fraud from start to finish and helps the US government with its own manipulations of "public opinion' while disarming the working class and spear- heading pacifist illusions at a time when the greatest vigilance is required. et ' International working-class soli- darity with the Indo-China revolution is not a matter of petitions to Nixon, but, above all, of struggle against im- perialism at home through the construction of the revolu- tionary party of the working class. This struggle alone can bring forward the only force capable of effective solidarity action with the Vietnamese revolution -the international working class. NORTH Vietnam yesterday accused the Americans of stepping up the war with say- age bombing raids on its towns and the laying of new mines in its territorial waters around Haiphong. A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Hanoi said 'large numbers' of American planes had carried out raids yesterday above the 20th parallel, including the suburbs of Haiphong. Mines were laid' in territorial North Vietnamese waters and rockets were fired at a number of villages in the sub- urbs of Haiphong, the Ministry said. The accusations of American escalation followed the break- down of the secret negotiations in Paris between Dr. Henry Kis- singer and Hanoi's Le Duc Tho.

This series of talks has been used by the United States as a for preparing the next cover stage of war. the US trick, • Denouncing Hanoi radio said not only had the US supplied the Saigon re- gime with 'tens of thousands of tons' of weapons and material, it has also handed over the en- tire network of bases in the south to Saigon. It said Nixon had sent 'tens of thousands' of disguised mili- tary advisers into South Viet- nam while the latest round of 'peace' talks were in progress.

regime The South Vietnamese meanwhile implemented had martial law on US orders and massacred supporters of a peace settlement. The Americans have now dropped all pretence of seeking for peace. The North Vietnamese position at the Paris talks was not judged 'fair and reasonable' President Nixon. So the by bombing and the massacres con- tinue. Nixon has not just stepped up the war in Indo-China. Right across south-east Asia the puppet regimes being military are strengthened and the screws of dictatorship tightened. In Japan rearmament is going ahead at a rapid pace with Us encourage- ment. In South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines martial law has been proclaimed or made more stringent in the interests of forti- fying the 'second-line' of anti- communist states. •The purpose of these moves is to provide the framework for continuing the war in Indo- China under the auspices of the Thieu government and with US in the back- military advisers ground.

Pickets were out at Decca's Battersea, south London, factory. Engineers at the plant came out on strike to defend their union against the 255,000 imposed by the National Industrial Relations Court. Workers said this vas an important step because the factory has only ecently been organized North of the Thames, at the CAV factory in Acton, followed the call from their district com- engineers and came out. Right: The Battersea pickets.

mittee Below: The Acton men. By OUR OWN REPORTERS

REGINALD PREN

TICE, Labour's Shadow Minister of Employment, engineers that say S They were even more wrong to defy striking in defence of the court. Trade unionists should not rally round these men their union are being led as though they are latter-day Tolpuddle Martyrs. They are just into 'a lost cause'. not worth it.' would He said workers But the working class took no lose a day's pay just before notice of Prentice's reactionary Christmas for no good pur- statements. They stopped work in their thousands and secured pose. Their union was pur- the release of the dockers.

suing tactics which were not The Prentices of the labour sensible. movement do not want to defend He said it would be sensible if

AUEW

defended the had themselves in the National Indus- trial Relations Court. To incur large fines, he said, was la quite of unnecessary waste union funds'. He suggested that the AUEW should its executive review

EAST

COAST

shipyard policy and consider whether the stewards Scotland in are to present tactics were contributing managements to honour press the defeat of the anything to their agreement to pay finish- Industrial Relations Act.

£3.30 ing trades workers is likely Prentice Wilson's increase. appointment Employment A joint meeting of stewards as Secretary in the next Labour from Leith, Dundee and Aber- government! deen is to be held within the if He is a former full-time official next two weeks, and the managements fail Transport and General to pay with the up Workers' Union working in the advice and services bureau at five Transport House. When the dockers were jailed by the Tory court in July Prentice angered THREE HUNDRED old people his constituents in the dockland may die from Christmas cold on seat of East Ham North. Day from the illness hypothermia.

'I have sympathy at all Young Liberals The said yester- with Bernie Steer and the others,' official day that figures show he said. "They were wrong to that during the six winter months picketing and blacking organize 60,000 people die of each year, against the policy of their union.

cold and illness aggra- trom the vated by low temperature.

to the basic rights of the working want the class. They trade • unions to co-operate with the Act and to accept its jailings and massive fines. Prentice openly says what a number of the other Labourites are privately thinking. In the the Tory struggle to defeat government the masses must also be steeled to flush out the fifth column of class-collaborators in their own ranks. industrial action will be con- sidered. This action would take place in defiance of the Tories' pay-control law. Harry McLevy, stewards' convenor at the Robb Caledon yard in Dundee, announced the move following a meeting of representatives from the three ports at the weekend.

BURTONS,

the High Street tailoring chain, has announced record profits of f8m. This was £500,000 higher than the previous were up by more year. Sales than £20m during the 12 months to September 2; this was largely due to the recent acquisitions of Evans (Outsizes), Ryman and St Remy. Shareholders are promised a big lift in dividends after Phase One of the state pay plan.

Workers Press, Tuesday December 19, 1972 PAGE 3

BY A WORKERS PRESS REPORTER

HOUSEWIVES must be prepared for further increases in meat prices, a lead.

ing member of the Farmers' Union of Wales has warned. Robert Hughes, chairman of the FUW policy committee, told members: "The govern- ment is quite right to resist demands for a ban on the export of British beef or lamb to the Continent.

"The government indicated quite clearly that prices would rise as the industy moved over to a system of direct support.

Consumers should steel them- selves for further increases in meat prices in the future.'

Hughes said that since the beginning of November when the Common Market reduced its import tariffs by 50 per cent, fat cattle prices in Wales had by between £3.16 and £3.36 a live hundredweight. Prices were still rising and there was pressure

BY A WORKERS PRESS

on the government to curb

CORRESPONDENT

ban the Continent. exports to He added: 'The Minister has rightly rejected these THE ANGRY tenants of quite demands. Kiveton Park, near Sheffield, Hughes' statement follows an announcement by the Ministry of may picket the homes of Food and Agriculture that week- councillors who voted for the end fresh meat prices would rise by as much as 2p to 4p a pound.

implementation of the Tories' was the fourth consecutive week that meat prices had edged Housing Finance Act. up. The local tenants' association is bitter that the Labour-control- led council implemented the Act and slapped on fl increases.

Meanwhile, nearby Clay at Derbyshire, the Labour Cross, council is putting up magni- a ficent fight against the Act.

a weekend demonstration At marchers stopped ouside coun- cillors' houses Kiveton i Park half of inner in

MORE

than their and demanded to know London's probation officers attitude. staged unofficial one-day an strike yesterday By loudspeaker each of the over new including Jack Field, pay-grade system. About 150 councillors, of chairman the housing took part.

CON«

mittee, was asked to reconsider Many offices unManned robespine were the decision to serve summonses despite warning on those who refused to pay the from the National Association of increases. Probation Officers that members Mrs Tina Rzerzuchowski, the The should work normaly.

COT.

association secretary, said: vice was not represented in some courts. 'We told them the council had acted like assault force in Probation officers later lobbied the implementing Act and at- at the House of Commons as crush tempting to opposition. part of their protest They must rethink their attitude scheme introduced in September other demonstrations will be officers or which puts probation held. doing the job into same two -at different pay. grades 'If they do not withdraw the They summonses we will be organizing want the scheme scrap much bigger demonstrations early ped to give everyone' doing the in the New Year.' same job the same salary.

IRISH GROUP SLAMS

TORY PRESS LIES

PAPERBACKS CENTRE

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Tuesday Decemb Letter from the League for a W Dear Editor, We are asking the indulgence of some space in your columns in order to counter some of the slanders published in an English Sunday newspaper on December 10, as an 'exclusive' in that paper of which it can said 'all human be truthfully vice is there, the 'News of the World'. Not content with featuring series vilifying industrial militants in Britain who are workers' for standing up rights, opposing Heath's hideous anti-union laws and fighting for socialism, the pro- prietors are now mounting a campaign of black propaganda socialist and Repub- against lican militants in Ireland.

We wish in particular to express our disgust at the foul claim that Peter Graham, who was a member of the Young Socialists* at the time of his in Dublin in assassination 1971, had misused October funds and informed on 'Repub- lican militants, who had put him out of the way' This gross, disgraceful libel on the name of a great revolu- tionary fighter has been designed, as when it was first circulated, to cause suspicion among anti-imperialist organ- izations and create grave dis- tress for his sadly bereaved family. You will recall that at the time of Peter Graham's mur- der, leading officers of the Belfast Brigade of the Pro- visional IRA attended his funeral. The Leinster Com- mand of the Provisional IRA, Saor Eire, the Young Social- ists, and the League for a y December 19, 1972 for a Workers' Republic in Dublin Workers' Republic issued statements condemning the savage murder and praising Peter's qualities as a revolu- tionary. Not one shred of evidence exists to besmirch his name.

We wish to repeat that we are proud to have been associated Peter Graham in with the building for a Workerg, Of the League Republic and the Young Socialists, irrespective of the political differences be- tween us in the last year of his life. When British imperialism no longer exists, when capitalism has been consigned to its over- due position in the dustbin of history, the name of Peter Graham will be given its right- ful place beside the names of Jim James Connolly and Larkin. We would like further to say that we also deplore the compounded libels against Liam Mairin Keegan and Dalton. Mairin Keegan's death from cancer, a death resulting in the loss of another fine comrade, is attributed to the possibility that certain explo- sive substances are carcino- mous. That the article, if such it can be called, is a concoc- tion of lies and fantasies is indicated by the fact that Mairin Keegan's tragic illness had a history going back almost ten years before her death. Liam Dalton's death by suicide in London was a fear- ful shock to all who had worked with him. A selfless man of powerful intellect, he had been involved in revolutionary movement for long years, and had fought for revolutionary socialist politics since the late 1950s. Yet some paid hack takes it upon him- self to suggest that this most courageous of men 'fled from Dublin' due to 'fear he was going to be killed by an Irish under-cover agent' and that 'suicide was his only way of escaping from a horrible death'. We personally can state categorically, from our associa- tion with him only days before he returned from a visit here to his tragic decision in Lon- this is a total don, that fabrication. The tissue of lies, like all such, betrays itself by its errors. Peter Graham died in October, not November 1971.

Mairin Keegan was in forties, not her early twenties, and was in Derry in August 1969, not 1968 (what hap- pened in Derry in August 1968?). Liam Dalton did not 'succeed' Mairin Keegan in her A wide selectior

BOOKS • PERIO

British troops on the Above : streets of Londonderry. capacity in the organization to which she belonged he died of her within weeks especially if he had 'fled' to Nor did he 'die on a London. London suburban railway line', but jumped from a bridge to the road below. The bombs which exploded recently in Dublin, the murder of Peter Graham, and now this renewed attempt to smear his be of benefit only can Halic. to British imperialism and its Irish hangers-on here capitalist class and its political parties. Yours sincerely, Basil Miller, Carol Coulter, the Central members of Committee of the League for a Workers' Republic. * The Eire Young Socialists connected with the dIc Young Socialists' organization in Britain-Editor.

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Rail operators in Cali- fornia hope by next year to have completed part of a new, computerized rail system which will abolish strikes and cut labour re- quirements by 80 per cent. The company is Bay. Area Rapid Transit, of Oakland, which, despite a number of dangerous problems, is press- ing on regardless. When the problems are fully ironed out of its project BART to carry 200,000 hopes day-running passengers trains at only 90-second inter- vals during peak periods-with a total staff of only 1,200.

'We can get away with it because we're starting cold' boasts a BART official. 'We don't have to live with feather- bedding contracts and we can exploit new technologies, which we could not do if we had to deal with existing unions and negotiate for automation.'

eyes are already Envious being turned on Oakland by other rail operators throughout the US-and by the British Rail headquarters at Maryle- bone, London. But the cost is prohibitive.

Total cost of the BART system, which is finally supposed to cover 75 miles, will be some- thing above £600m. the part of the And on system which has already gone 28-mile into servicethe stretch the company hopes will be complete by mid-1973- there has already been one serious enough accident. Automatic controls failed to stop a two-car train on the end the line. The lead car of a sand ploughed through barrier and ended nose down in a parking lot below. The train was wrecked. Just a month before this section went into service the were still starting and cars stopping erratically because of in the signals they confusion were receiving. • What is more, one really serious problem still remains.

From time to time, the com- puter control centre which the system believes runs phantom train is occupying a section which When this actually clear. happens train routing is com- pletely disrupted until the faulty signal is tracked down.

So the Public Utilities Com- required the mission has addition of makeshift red and green light signals, operated by hand. Thus the technology of the future is being operated under conditions reminiscent of the last century. All the eulogies of the starry-eyed commentators who have uncritically praised the system cannot conceal the fact that capitalism is incapable of operating it successfully.

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AMERICA AGAINST

THE EEC

ALLIANCES

A major aim of the Uni- States ted trade policy in 1973 will be to oppose preterential agreements between the Common Market and countries non-members. The aim of such agreements win lower is to tarifis for trade between the partners to exclusion of others, it to une US notably the United States.

poliev has been to oppose such discrimination ever widespread the became 1930s. To deal with its growing balance of payments crisis US capitalism needs new and That is why it wider markets. is opposed to trade blocs and agreements which discriminate against US imports. This policy is presented as an altruistic desire to see trade restrictions reduced or abolished - especially were the less-developed countries Common concerned. The Market has preferential agree- with of number developing mainly countries, former their colonies which

NIXON'S

RIGHT-HAND MAN

'In four years he has be- President's the come right-hand technican, the one man in government who daily sees all the complex detail of US foreign policy formula- tion and implementation, a flow of data and recom.

mendations from the De- partments of State, Com- Treasury and merce, Defence, from the intelli- and community gence from sources outside gov- ernment.' The man described in the gushing handout from the White House is, are still economically depen- dent on them. The US is after these markets and it is going to stop at nothing to get into them. It use all the bargaining will power it can muster as well as of direct penetration these through capital invest- areas ment. From their side the Com- mon Market countries, faced by economic slowdown, will not be deterred from dis- criminatory trade practices. They would like to have free to the markets of access developing countries in return for a few tariff concessions while US exports will face high tariff walls. The struggle for markets, in- vestment fields, and economic and political influence between the US, the Common Market and Japan, fought out with protective trade practices and tariffs, is the form assumed by imperialist rivalries today. It has been made more acute by the breakdown of the world monetary system established at Bretton Woods and Presi- dent Nixon's economic declara- of war on August 15, tion 1971. Above: Kissinger and Nixon President Nixon's special advi- ser on foreign affairs, the Har- vard professor, Dr Henry Alfred Kissinger. Kissinger is certainly a high- powered operator, in many ways a unique figure in the history of diplomacy. As the 'answers hand-out says, he only to Richard Nixon'. He represents the interests of American imperialism and has been the link-man in the deals which it has made over the past year with the Soviet and Chinese bureaucracies.

Kissinger is a hard-working and faithful functionary. But it is his brain power which Nixon requires. What else but a com- puter could absorb all the in- formation which the handout claims he goes through daily?

The special tribunal set up by the Sri Lanka (Cey.

lon) government to try political detainees has been in session for more than 23 weeks. Before the court are 32 young people who were de- tained under the emergency re- gulations following the April 1971 uprising. At least 5,000 other young people are still held in special detention camps and prisons set up in the aftermath of the revolt. The 32 are the first to be brought to trial and the slow- ness of their case indicates that the other prisoners may have to wait for years in prison before they ever get before the tribunal. The hearing of the case of the 32 at the exclusive Queen's Club in Colombo is not a trial in the normally accepted sense of the term. To avoid bringing its de- tainees before the ordinary law courts, the United Front gov- ernment passed a new law in establishing March this year the Criminal Justice Commis- sion. Justice The Commissions Act is part of a battery of dictatorial legislation brought in by the coalition since the April uprising last year.

The government is a United Front of the pro-Moscow Sta- linists and the renegade revi- sionists of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party with the bour- geois Sri Lanka Freedom Party of Mrs Bandaranaike. On election in May 1970 it promised the repeal of all re- pressive legislation and guaran- teed fundamental democratic freedoms, in law and practice.

These pledges have proved to be worthless and fraudulent, as an examination of the Jus- Writings of

WRITINGS OF

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5,000 REMAIN IN JAIL

tice Commissions Act demon- strates. The Act's provisions radi- cally alter court procedure and legal rules to favour the police thus ensuring and prosecution. the of people the Convictol government wants out of the way for political reasons.

The Commissions up Sel the Act are selected by under Prime the vaster panel of Supreme Court judges, up to a maximum of five. They are empowered to act both as a court and as a com- mission of inquiry. They are responsible for cases of rebellion, insurrection, endangering or economy and for the nanonal Interest wrongs committed both against public and private interests.

The Commission has extra- ordinarily wide powers: • It can admit evidence—in- cluding made would police -which be inadmissible the ordinary in be courts. Ine evidence musi held to be true unless proved otherwise. • It can sit in private and pre- vent the public and press from attending the proceedings. This is impossible in the ordinary courts of Ceylon. inflict any punish- • it can the penal ment contained in law on suspects found guilty, except the death penalty • It can impose a time limit on the speeches of defence lawyers-though the tribunal has not yet taken advantage of this power. • It is allowed to take into and the account personall previous record of a suspect Delore passillg he is guilty whether or not. • If a Commission member is unable to continue sitting on the Commission, he can replaced without the trial be- ginthere ian, There is no appeal against

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History of Russian Revolution -special aift back or inree volumes £1.70 includes postage Please tick those you require. Amount enclosed € New Park Publications, 186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG a8, Tuesday December 19, 1972 PAGE 5 Above: Youth held in prison by the Ceylon government. the decisions of a Commission, which cannot be reversed.

In the light of these sweep- ing powers, it is worth noting that the commission has no power to order a suspect re- leased, even if the Commission finds him not guilty. The detainees arrested after the April uprising are detained at the discretion of the Mini- ster of Justice, who alone has the power to order them re- leased. If he wishes they can be de- tained indefinitely even if the Commission acquits them. Even the judges themselves are unhappy about the opera- tion of the Act. Judge fern- ando, the court president told a French observer at the Colombo trial that he thought the wording of the Act was of very bad legal quality. Unhappy they may be, but the judges are soldiering on with their task in the spirit of the Act just the same. two of the principal When police witnesses in the present trial were shown to have made false statements, one of the judges remarked: 'We do not propose to punish you for those faults and those faults may be known to your superiors. They might punish you, they might not, but they now know your faults 'All I wish to say is that by truthtully answering my ques- tions you will be helping the Commission and helping your- self. Now that you have been compelled to tell the truth on some matters, it will help you to tell the truth on other matters.' Which would seem to show that perjury-in the interests of obtaining a conviction-is not regarded as a very heinous 'Justice' offence before the Commissions of Ceylon.

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PAGE 6 Workers Presa, Tuesday December 10,

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

The big council estates of London have been under- going a quiet, almost un- noticed, yet insidious revolution over the past two years. The approachable local care- vanished. Instead taker has tenants must go to the 'assist- aphone' - an austere gadget fixed to the wall of some coun- cil blocks—to call for help and advice. Where they used to leave the rent in his office they must take it to 'collection points' where the uniformed Securicor man calls to collect the money.

The old lady with a fault in her heating system no can longer go down to the local plant attendant and ask him to fix it. The attendant needs a job-ticket' district from office. Meanwhile the repair must wait. Instead of living with the people they serve the estate staff more often than not come from outside the area and tour the streets in fleets of neat Minis. The changes are all part of a 'new system' which will be complete in the New Year. It began as an idea in the heads Con- PA Management of sultants back in 1969 and has ended, say critics, in a worse, more dehumanized service to the working class people who live on the estates. For good measure the new caused have arrangements great bitterness among some see the staff who estate redundancies and resulting work-study as the start of a drive to break down all con- ditions in local government. The fact that their union was a prime mover in the scheme increases their anger. From the start the Greater Council bureaucrats London made it clear that their con- cern was to cut costs and re- duce iob levels (almost as an afterthought they added that the revolution' would result in a more efficient service).

In 1969 PA Consultants estimated that the new method would cut down the labour force in the southern London district from 280 to 102. With for supervision allowance (which has naturally been in- creased) they put the real figure at 169. The saving, they estimate, will be £500,000 by 1995. the early days of the scheme the council identified its main target-the local care- taker. A report by the Director of Housing in September 1970 made it clear that the local man was out. 'The proposed arrangement,' he warned, 'means the replace- ment of a somewhat easy way of life, with necessarily little • Te til taste t by continuous supervision, spells of employment under full-time supervision; and the cessation of the ability, arising from the present split duty rotas, to take part-time jobs or keep an eye on the children while the wife is at work.

service, he The •new gleefully, would reported 'considerably with operate less employees than at present resulting in substantial finan- cial savings...' and work- study would be able to be in- troduced and every ounce of productivity thrashed out of the denuded staff. The scheme that PA sug- gested proposed a withdrawal of caretakers from local areas to a central depot to cover one or a number of estates.

There they would be split into two gangs. One for estate cleaning and another doing caretaking work general (lights, checking equipment, answering emergencies). from another A passage report revealed that council the eager beavers of County almost Hall had an para- military concept of the care- taker's daily round. It has been necessary,' they wrote, 'to develop the outlook of the staff towards their general responsibilities when on estates, so that they are always looking with a critical and taking immediate eye, steps where they see anything wrong, i.e., dust chute doors correct time and so on.. in.

lights off at the open, Each caretaker was to be called to the scene of an emer- gency by the 'assistaphone' by the tenants. One might have expected some opposition to the scheme the unions, especially from since a jobs cut-back of some 30 per cent was involved. But the opposite was the case.

Officials of Britain's 'fastest growing union', National the of Public Employees, Union converted themselves into the salesmen of the scheme. After the first 'experiment' was completed in the Brandon estate area of south London in early 1971, they toured the other districts and slipped in the scheme under the guise of a 'look see' proposition.

simple. The formula was The union official plus man- agement would call the men together and present the pro- scheme in glowing ductivity terms. 'Of course it was up to the men to decide-and even then it was only a "look-see" arrangement.' Invariably, after such a battery of propaganda, the let in and consultants were eventually the district was con- verted to the mobile method.

This was very effective since it prevented the total London membership from seeing the encroachment of developing throughout the the scheme on a local Opposition city. basis was difficult to organize.

were (and are) But there two isolated groups who re- fused to co-operate. A small band of caretakers are 'holding out' at Tulse Hill in the depth of south London and a sec- tion of the NUPE membership have formed their own branch to concentrate opposition to the scheme. County Hall reports talks of 'long and difficult negotiations'.

In fact it took two meetings caretakers'

NUPE

of the branch before the deal was pushed through after a dis- gusted minority, centred on Tulse Hill, marched from the room and subsequently tried to join the Transport and General Workers' Union. Others who have managed to avoid the clutches of the scheme are the plant assistants After several on the estates. meetings and' requests they were allowed to form their own branch. Even then the union managed to get the plant attendants to accept visits from PA. But the ploy backfired when a promise not stopwatches to use was broken. The angry members convinced a second meeting and threw the deal out-much to NUPE's annoyance. That was 15 months ago. Since then the plant engineers have been subjected to a form of 'creeping work-study'.

They have been put under the chain of command worked out for the caretakers, though their job and routine remain largely unaltered. Another big innovation has been the introduction of job tickets'. These concern the work done by the attendant in tenants' houses — repairs to home boilers and other minor 8regт30 40.80

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forms of maintenance. In the past this work was classed as overtime and paid on that basis. Now the atten- dants have to do the work in normal time and wait for a job ticket before doing the repair.

This has increased the red tape involved and the time needed to help out a tenant in distress.

It has also resulted in fric- tion between plant attendant and tenant. One described the effect of job tickets this way.

'In the past an old lady would come down in a bit of a panic: "My heating's off." You would nip round and put it right. Other times she would come down worrying about a washer on her tap. Though it's not our work you would do it for the old girl. Now you just tell them to send their com- plaint into the depot—all hell is let loose if you do a job without a ticket.' But perhaps even more serious is an incident in west London where six men have broken away from the plant attendants' branch, resigned from the union and approached the management for their own scheme. The incentive em - ployers have gratefully obliged.

The men are reported to be doing jobs far mobile and Workers Prees, Tueeday Doc beyond normal plant atten- dants' schedule. NUPE says it 'do nothing' about the can situation. The system so far remains but the plant at stalemate, atendants will have to put up a fierce resistance against both the union officials and the management if they are to maintain their standards.

The whole deal, of course, is typical of the trend in local government. The promise of a drive towards productivity was a major feature of the Scamp report which settled the last council workers' strike. The employers have not been dis- Brandon appointed. In the area, for example, job levels among caretakers were slashed from 52, elsewhere to greater savings have been achieved. The myth justify used to is 'greater redundancy efficiency and service for the tenant', but like the one-man buses, the advantages are more apparent than real. The cars flit around the estates, but for the young and fit the 'assistaphone' that calls them up is at least five minutes • Press, Tueaday December 19, 1872 PAGE 7 On the big council estates in London, caretaking services are being ruthlessly cut. One aspect (above) the 'assistaphone' which tenants must use to call for help or advice. away, for the old and infirm perhaps 15 minutes. Many old people, or mothers with child- ren have lost the psychological reassurance that the caretaker is near at hand to help them in case of emergencies. And the more human rela- tionships between estate- dweller and staff have dissip- ated under the new impersonal regime. The cost argument is also somewhat of a fallacy. Another trend in the GLC is to intro- duce contractors to take over certain aspects of maintenance -for the clearing example of central heating equipment.

Normally the plant attendants would have done this. Now vast sums are paid out to pri- vate enterprise for a service which is largely the same, if not inferior, to the nid one.

The estate revolution is an example of planning. capitalist style, and an indictment of a union for failing to defend its own members as well as the interests of the London work- ing class.

THE STRANGE SAGA OF THE

FALMOUTH TERMINAL

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Tuesday Decemb There is to be a second application to the Na- tional Ports Council for permission to construct a tium, tully-automated container terminal at rai- mouth. The application will be submitted as drawn up and according quickly as possible, to the chairman of the com- pany promoting the scheme, Mr Norman Holmes. Last week the five directors of Falmouth Automated Con- tainer Terminal Limited (FACT) met in London to re- view the embattled history of told their project. Holmes Workers Press that there were going to be 'a lot of changes and alterations' to the com- pany. directors However, the agreed to release only a brief and tersely-worded statement to the Press. The statement said that the board had agreed to examine the composition of the board of directors and dis- cussions would start with third parties, as yet unnamed. The FACT plan was unveiled late in 1969 amid a barrage of publicity. It was claimed that Falmouth would become the leading container terminal in Europe. At one time financial back- ing was offered by Fund of the Seven Seas, a Liberian-regis- tered group run by American financier Jerome D. Hoffman.

The chairman of the fund was ex-Mayor Richard Wagner of New York and one of the principal directors was Lord Brentford, a former Tory Mini- now head of the ster and Automobile Association. The head of Hoffman's first fund-Real Estate Fund of America-was Reginald Maud- ling, the deputy Prime Minister who recently resigned as Home Secretary. initial publicity has The failed to live up to expecta- tions. Despite the fact that the company got a Private Bill for terminal passed through the both houses of parliament no work has been done. FACT's financial • director, Mr. S. H. Fletcher, told the 'Journal of Commerce' last week that £100,000 had been promoting the spent on scheme. But having spent this large sum 'the directors may not wish to throw much more money in at this stage. Indeed, Mr Fletcher has said recently plo An investigation of un- registered wharts around the Essex river vealed a startling tale of casual labour. Some of the conditions are of the ruthless reminiscent hire-and-fire com- practices mon on the docks a century ago, but now abolished because of the struggles of registered portworkers. The investigation at Col- part of the chester was National Port Council's review of the unregistered ports.

The conditions of hiring y December 19, 1972 ithat FACT 'has come near to the end of its financial re- sources.' The situation is so serious that a spokesman for the con- sultant engineers said recently: "The present board will not build anything at Falmouth, I am convinced of that.' Yet despite this sort of warn- ing, the most vociferous sup- porters of the scheme are local trade union bureaucrats. The 'Journal of Commerce' says that leading backers are Federation of the Cornwall Trades Councils. Even the 'Journal' is somewhat surprised by their keen interest: 'Members seem to have an unrealistic view of the effect such a port could have on un- employment which in Falmouth has been around the 25 per cent mark. "The actual port, if built, would supply between 100 and 200 jobs locally, hardly affect- • a depressed local unem- ing ployment situation.' labour were described by one Mr C. self-employed casual, Babbage, who worked for one two main Colchester of the employers, the Dock Transit It was Mr Babbage's prac- tice to hold his own 'dockers' call'. He got the casuals to- gether and sent men home if there was not enough work to go round. In times of labour shortage students and even soldiers were used on the wharfs. had almost no These men rights and enjoyed none of the established conditions won by dockers; like sick pay, holi- They day pay or pensions. ing worked on a job-and-finish Left : Richard Wagner, one time charma Real Estate Fund of America. Above: A basis with no flat rate at all (the 'dockers' tanner' was a basic payment won by dockers in the bitter but victorious dispute of 1888 when port- workers got the right to be paid a minimum of 6d each if there was no week even work). The casuals were said to earn between an average of £50 to £60 a • week. But the of work was back- pace breaking. One of the NPC team asked a casual if many men expected wharfs to last out on the beyond 35. 'They don't have to was the reply. The Dock Transit Company, together with the other main employer, W. Fieldgate and Sons, employed up to 20 per- manent employees, but up to as many as 30 casuals. Fieldgate The permanent men earned a flat rate of £18 for a 40-hour week com- earned by pared to the £40 registered dockers in the Port of London. Real Estate Fund of America. Abe: Art Impredion of the famuh container terminate chalman Many of the casual workers do not intend to stay in the Maurice Wells, One, industry. who works for Fieldgate, was saving up to open a car sales business. - Penniless was he ex- with plained. here Calle nothing. But I've got ambition and this job has given me the chance to earn enough to start business my do. Other men what I want to want to as well.' The employers exploit these ideas to the full. L. F. Ratcliffe, a director of the Dock Transit Company, described the opera- tions of his firm: 'Our productivity is second to none and we are extremely proud of this. If we havr com- mitted a sin, it is that we have been reasonably successful in giving good service. three dock 'In the last had no dis- strikes we have That is why we were putes. singled out for attention last time. We are proud of the fact that we kept operating during •. Right: Maualing, Tormer charman nouth container terminal.

a national emergency' Naturally with a docile and malleable labour force the Col- chester employers are hostile to any thought of being forced into the Dock Labour Scheme.

The port handles a valuable 650,000 tons of cargo a year— over a third of this total is the rest bulk general cargo, and ballast. The tonnage has since only increased slightly 1967, but Colchester is des- cribed as a thriving report.

The inquiry lifts the lid off the unregistered ports and exposes the conditions that still apply. As the crisis on the docks gets worse, em- ployers may well turn to places like Colchester in a big way, as they have done to Felix- stowe farther up the east coast. Inclusion in the Dock Labour Scheme would free the men from the arbitrary rule of the small employers. Places like Colchester must be regis- tered. Dockers must not accept anything less than this.

Alderman Andrew Cunning- There's a couple of premises ham, one of the central mem- going for a snip in Holland Park, west London. bers of the cast of the Poulson affair, is proving a hidebound They are two modest bunga- lows at Nos 1A and 2 Holland- adversary. Park. The Since revelations that he previous owners, King Edward's Hospital Fund, and his wife accepted financial the Poulson have flogged both of them to favours from undisclosed buyer. He is empire, there have been an demands that they both leave preparing to renovate them all public jobs. and put them back on the market. This would launch a series of resignations because Anyway, the fund sold them the Cunninghams to Mr X for exactly £1,039,000.

extremely are So if active in public life. you've got a spare half a million Cunningham north east IS officer General of the and Municipal Workers' Union, chairman of the Newcastle Airport Authority, chairman of the Tyneside Transport Accident rates on the docks of Authority, chairman the have rocketed over the past Durham few years and the most dan- Police Committee and sits on the national executive gerous sectors of dockland are committee

(NEC)

of the turning out to be the modern Labour Party. His wife is a container terminals. local JP. Twelve years ago one docker Last week a second bid was in 12 was injured so badly he made to oust him as chairman had to take three days or more of the police committee. off work. Five years ago this Leading the fresh attack ratio had worsened to one in Mr Douglas Nicholson, eight and in 1969 between one was a brewery company chairman.

in seven and one in eight dock The called resolution on workers were maimed. Cunningham to the The increasing accident vacate chairmanship until the Poulson ratios run parallel to the vast 'All we ask is rise in productivity and case was over. the fast pace of work. that he temporarily resigns Contrary to popular concep- until this matter is settled, Nicholson said. tions the container revolution When a similar motion is not changing this. The senior Was officer for the Na- put several weeks ago it was manpower order' ruled 'out of and tional Ports Council, Brian Cunningham stormed out Wilkinson, recently claimed the meeting. that berths some container Following last week's meet- have developed so that acci- ing it was announced that the dents have been built into a 19 to ll de- meeting had given them rather than being vote of confidence in the chair- signed out. I am gratified to Many berths had inadequate know man. that my colleagues are stand- of testing potential means Cunningham drivers' mental and ing behind me, physical said afterwards. fitness for the job of driving heavy dock vehicles. During the bankruptcy hear- ing at Wakefield it A survey carried out in three was re- vealed that Cunningham had ports revealed that of 57 dri- holidays vers, 80 per cent had not been taken two overseas paid for by Poulson companies.

medical advice on given. any costing £256, their suitability drive One, was to straddle carrier. Forty two per Portugal. For many years Cunningham had not received a full cent was chairman of the housing medical examination for more committee at Felling Council than two years, driver one Poulson designed many epileptic and another where was an council housing blocks. had one lung. Special offer £20 includes postage Complete the form below with name and address of person to whom you would like the paper sent.

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An article in last Tues- day's 'Daily Telegraph' set the tone for a week of vehement attacks throughout the national and provincial Press on the unions, strikers and anyone who challenges the Tories' right to rule.

Written by Michael Harring- "Telegraph' article ton, the warned that if the Tory govern- ment was not prepared for a stand-up with confrontation the working class it had better change its present bid to pro- economic growth by mote monetary expansion. The big question on the order of the day, he said, was could whether there be a workable Tory version of the corporate state. Headlined 'Eyeball to eye- ball with the unions', the article said that it could no longer be taken for granted that the government's ultimate authority would not be challenged. The present situation con- tained all the ingredients for a period of bitter industrial strife. And following his defeats at the hands of the the railwaymen and miners, the dockers, premier Heath was by no means anxious for further confrontation. But Heath's remarks at the Tory Party conference about partnership between govern- ment and unions had led many people to start thinking in terms of the corporate state.

"This", Harrington pointed out, 'is far closer to the basic instincts of the Tory Party than the idea of a liberal, com- petitive economy? There seemed to be little alternative to a general con- The government ought to the collision.

LEADING TORIES

TORY PRESS

Sir Keith ways to starve Unlike argued, the unable to leaders and to break that means instruments What football play each other. already been by

BATTLE CRIES FROM

Looking for Harrington would be

TUC

the middle class strike, 'which government the On public force: he added matches with dealt with Press. see, Tueaday December 19, 1972 PAGE 9 followed, by however, a stream of similar battle-cries.

Next day the 'Yorkshire Post' followed up with a call to stop Social Security benefits to strikers' families. If there was a General Strike, the paper said in an editorial, it would be financed by 'Literally taxpayer. millions of strikers would be paid from the public purse for bringing the country to its knees.' So far the government's efforts to deal with this 'very real abuse of public funds' had been half-hearted, the 'Post' claimed. It went on to praise the 'balanced and humane' remarks on the subject by Sir Keith Joseph, Social Security Secre- tary, in the House of Commons the previous day. If this high Tory newspaper thinks anyone's remarks are balanced and humane, they are obviously worth a second look.

And, of course, they turn out to be anything but. Said Joseph: 'A large num- ber of citizens are worried by the fact that sometimes in a strike, apparently against the the day, tax- government of payers' money is used to sup- port strikers' families. This is an important issue and Mini- sters are trying to arrive at the public interest.' He had great sympathy with the view that the responsibility ich for keeping strikers' families should rest on the strikers the themselves and the strikers' unions, the Minister added.

The meaning of this is very clear. It is that the government is looking for ways of forcing strikers back to work by star- ving their families. The only 'balancing' factor is that they know such a crude bludgeon would meet with widespread opposition at present, and are waiting for a more opportune moment to dó it.

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Tuesday December 19, 1972 Fight Rising Prices Force the Tories to Resign MEDWAY: Tuesday December 19, 8 p.m. 'The Greyhound', Roches- ter Avenue, Rochester. CAMBRIDGE: Tuesday December Mitre', 19, "The Bridge • •. 'Fight rising prices'. Street.

CLAPHAM:

Tuesday December 19, 8 p.m. Clapham Manor Baths, Clapham Manor Street, SW4. Force the Tories to resign'. KINGSTON: Tuesday December 19, 8 'The Swan', Mill p.m. Street. 'Way forward for trade unionists'. Fumble, a group on the bill at the Yo the 'Grey Whistle Test' on BBC 2.

Wednesday

MANCHESTER:

De cember 20, 7.30 p.m. 'The Black Hotel', Lion corner of Blackfriars Street and Chapel Rd. 'Fight the Relations Act-Force Industrial the Tories to Resign'. HOLLOWAY: Thursday December 21, Hall, 8 Co-op Seven p.m. 'Support Road. Sisters the

BBC 2

Engineers.

PRESTON:

Thursday December 'The New Cock Inn', 21, 7.30 p.m. 11.00-11.25 Play school. Fishergate. 'Fight the Industrial Relations Act-Force the Tories 7.30 NEWSROOM. Weather. to Resign'.

FLOODLIT

RUGBY

8.00

LEAGUE.

Final SWANSEA: Wednesday December of the BBC 2 trophy.

YMCA.

Defend the 20, 7.30 p.m.

AUEW.

Force the Tories to re- 8.50

WHEELBASE.

Christmas sign'. Motoring Edition. THE EDWARDIANS. Baden- 9.25

SOUTH

EAST

LONDON:

Thurs- Powell. Ron Moody as the December day 21, Dept- p.m. Scout movement's founder.

Club, Now ford Engineers' Cross 'Build Coun- Road (near station). 10.30 NEWS ON 2. Weather. cils of Action'. 10.35 TAIZE. A Place for Today.

Monastic community in CLAY CROSS: Thursday Decem- 21, Burgundy. ber Social Centre, p.m. •Fight

THE OLD

Derby Road. Tory rent

GREY WHISTLE

11.15 rises! 'Make this government TEST. Faces, Fumble. resign.' The dally aper that Aght agalnet the Tories. £20.28 for 12 months (312 188u10s) {10.14 lor 6 months (156 la8u08) £5.07 lor 3 montha (78 188U08) If you want to take Workers Press torice a mook the rales are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and sonid to: 186a Claphem High St, Irculation Dept., Workers Prost -ondon, SWA 7UG I would like to take out a subscription 1o Workers Press.

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Name.. Address at the Young Soclalists' pop concert and rall

BBC 1

11.45 Engineer's world. 12.10 Schools. 12.30 Ary trywydd. 12.55 News. 1.00 Pebble Mill at one.

Camberwick green. 1.45 1.30 • idea. 2.25 Canvas. 2.00 Young Truly amazing phenomenon. 2.50 Going for a song. 3.20 Soper at 3.45 Look. 4.10 Play large. school. 4.35 Crystal Tipps. 4.40 Jackanory. 4.55 Josie and the pussycats. 5.15 John Craven's newsround. 5.20 Vision on. 5.45 News. Weather.

6.00 NATIONWIDE.

6.50 TOM AND JERRY. Just Ducky.

APOLLO.

7.00

THE

LAST

Splashdown. 8.10 FRANK SINATRA. A Man and His Music.

NINE O'CLOCK NEWS.

9.00 Weather.

DOCUMENTARY: 'HOW TO

9.25

WIN A NOBEL PRIZE'.

Eight rules.

10.15 FILM 72.

10.45 MIDWEEK.

11.30 LATE NIGHT NEWS.

11.35

THE OPEN PERSUADERS.

Joan Bakewell talks to Rev Dr Colin Morris. 11.55 MEDICINE TODAY. Dia- betes in Pregnancy. 12.25 Weather.

SHEFFIELD

Monday January 8 Marxism and the revolutionary party

FORRESTERS HALL

Trippett Lane, 7.30 p.m.

TODMORDEN

Monday January 8 "The economic crisis' Monday January 22 Stalinism' Monday February 5 "Trotskyism'

THE WEAVERS'

INSTI-

Road, TUTE, Burnley 7.30 p.m.

HULL

Wednesday January 10 Stalinism and Trotskyism Wednesday January 24 Marxist theory and the revolu- tionary party

WHITE HART HOTEL

Alfred Gelder Street (near Drypool Bridge) 8 p.m. rt and rally at the weekend, tonight takes

ITV

9.30 Miscellany. 10.30 A season of Gilbert and Sullivan. 11.20 Bellbird. 11.35 Galloping gour- met. 12.00 Cartoon. 12.05 Rain- and Perky. HTI bow. 12.25 Pinky 12.40 First report. 1.00 Lunch- time with Wogan. 1.30 Emmerdale farm. 2.00 Harriet's back in town.

Good afternoon. 3.00 The 2.30 splendour falls. 3.25 A family at war. 4.25 Junior showtime. 4.50 Magpie. 5.20 | dream of Jeannie.

5.50 News.

6.00 TODAY.

6.25 CROSSROADS.

6.50 THIRTY MINUTES WORTH.

Harry Worth.

FAREWELL TO THE MOON

7.20

-APOLLO

17. Splash- down.

RIVER'S

7.25

FILM:

"THE

EDGE'. Ray Milland, An- thony Quinn, Debra Paget.

A professional killer is on the run from the San Francisco police.

FAMILY.

9.00

THE STRAUSS

Adele.

10.00 NEWS AT TEN.

'THE

10.30

DOCUMENTARY:

APOLLO'.

VOICES

OF What have the Apollo missions achieved?

PROFESSIONAL WREST-

11.30

LING.

12.15 IT MATTERS TO ME.

cannot

TEACHER

unemployment is rising rapidly according to a letter from the National Union of Teachers published today.

Mr Fred Jarvis, the union's deputy-general secretary, in a letter to Tory Education Minis- ter Mrs Margaret Thatcher lists reports from 41 teacher-training polytechnics colleges and throughout the country which a total of almost show 800 newly-qualified teachers without jobs and another 400 teachers on the colleges have no whom information. Jarvis' letter to Mrs Thatcher in reply to her challenge, during a recent television con- frontation, to produce evidence of unemployment among newly- qualified teachers. Mr Jarvis also reveals that the itself has union requests for help in finding jobs from 167 newly-qualifieds. He adds that there appears to be a shortage of posts on the lowest salary scale, especially in primary schools. The only authorities to have advertised in a general way for a limited number of primary school teachers to start employ- ment next term have been Bark- Croydon, Jersey and Red- ing, bridge, while the Liverpool authority has approached the directly for primary union teachers.

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 1.15 News. 1.30 Lon- don. today. 2.30 Women 3.00 London. 4.35 Lottery. 4.40 Lon- don. 5.20 Shirley's world. 5.50 London. 6.00 News. 6.10 Look- around. 6.25 London. 7.30 Film: "The Man With A Cloak'. 9.00 London. 12.15 News, weather.

WESTWARD. As Channel except: 9.25 Rovers. 9.50 Gilbert and Sullivan. 10.45 Let them live.

11.10 Jackson five. 11.35 Better driving. 12.05 London. 12.25 Gus Honeybun. 12.57 News. 1.00 Lon- 6.00 Diary. 12.13 News. don. 12.16 Faith for life. SOUTHERN: 10.00 Torchy. 10.10 Tricks of the good cook's trade. 10.30 Southern 10.55 scene. 11.20 Odd Windward home. 11.45 Cartoons. 12.00 couple. News. 12.05 London. 2.30 House- party. 3.00 London. 5.20 Cartoon.

5.50 London. 5.25 Crossroads 6.00 Day by day. 6.50 London.

7.30 McCloud. London. 9.00 12.25 Weather. 12.15 News. Guideline. HARLECH: 12.05 London. 2.30 Houseparty. 3.00 London. 3.20 Chuckleheads. 5.25 Crossroads.

5.50 London. 6.01 Report West.

6.18 Report Wales. 6.35 Bugs Bunny. 6.50 London. 7.30 Fillm: 'Gunfight at Comanche Creek' 9.00 London. 12.15 Drive-in. 12.45 Weather. HTV Cmyru/Wales 7 and 41 as above except: 4.25 Miri mawr.

Y 4.35-4.50 Cantamil. 6.01-6.18 10.30 Llyfrau. 11.00-11.30 dydd. Edrych yn ol gyda Dr Mary Williams. HTV West as above except: 6.18- 6.25 Report West. ANGLIA: 10.30 Alan Browning.

11.00 The candidate. 11.55 Car- toon. 12.04 News. 12.05 London.

• Houseparty. 3.00 London.

2.30 4.20 News. 4.25 London. 5.20 Smith family. 5.50 London. 6.00 About Anglia. 6.25 Crossroads. R'S 6.50 Harry Worth. 7.20 London.

7.30 Film: "The Trackers'. 9.00 London. 11.15

ATV

2.30 today. 3.00 don. London. 6.00 Jason King. telling. 12.20 EST- Weather.

ULSTER: 12.05

London. 1:32 1.35 Survival. 2.00 Lon- News. don. 2.30 Cartoon. 2.40 Romper room. 3.00 London. 4.22 News.

London 5.20 Emmerdale 4.25 farm, 5.50 London. 6.00 Reports.

London. 7.30 Film: 'High 6.25 Noon'. 9.00 London. YORKSHIRE: 9.30 Douglas Fair- banks presents. 10.00 Scientists.

10.50 Hogan's 11.20 heroes. Gilbert and Sullivan. 12.05 Lon- don. 2.30 Houseparty. 3.00 Lon- don. 5.20 Survival. 5.50 London.

6.35 Calendar, weather 6.00 Crossroads. 7.00 Harry Worth.

7.30 Cartoon. 7.35 McCloud. 9.00 London. Professional 11.15 wrestling. 12.00 Scotland Yard mysteries. 12.35 Weather.

GRANADA: 11.30 Galloping gour- met. 12.00 Paint book. 12.05 Lon- don. 2.30 Looking at . . . 2.55 London 5.15 Adam 12. 5.50 London. 6.00 News. 6.20 Crown court. 6.50 London. 7.30 Cartoon.

7.35 Film: "Cool Million'. 9.00 London. TYNE TEES: 9.35 Make a wish.

Scientists. 10.50 Ugliest 10.00 girl in town. 11.20 Gilbert and London. Sullivan. 12.05 2.30 News. 2.31 Kreskin. 3.00 London.

5.20 Survival. 5.50 London. 6.00 Today. 6.25 London. 7.30 Car- toon. 7.35 McCloud. 9.00 London.

12.15 News. 12.30 Christmas 1822. GRAMPIAN: 11.00 Dr Simon Locke. 11.30 Rovers. 12.02 News.

1.30 Bugaloos. London. 12.05 200 London. 2.30 Women today.

3.00 London. 5.20 Emmerdale farm. 5.50 London. 6.00 News.

6.05 Animal stories. 6.25 London.

7.30 Cartoon. 7.35 McCloud. 9.00 London. 12.10 Meditation.

Gasmen demand strike action over pay warning Official IRA continues its rightward turn Massey clerks vote to stay out

SHOP

STEWARDS

Council resumes negotia- North Sea Edward tne switch lo North Thames Gas

LIONS.

Edmonds The union has submitted John Chiph it urging industrial achon un- a four-part claim which in- union's national officer for which stated was less negotiations on their talks should the industry, said: pay claim are resumed. "Ine ceed to suns ana incretse stewares the present Heath's statement The stewards, represent- $22.87 stopped pletely ing 8,000 labourer's and ernment manual workers deal forward by members the General weekLy necollalla d Day

DUE

Municipal Workers' Wille many private Inaus as the First union, have voted to A reduction in hours tries are still talking about Phase press holidays. More during the current state pay plan

CACCULIVE

would au better remmai en January 28 unless the Gas as plants close down with is a reference to matically be forthcomin

FROM IAN YEATS IN DUBLIN

IN THE first major move against THE OUTCOME of nine months' the Provisional IRA since the debate within the Official Sinn Fein introduction new repressive laws by the Lynch government about the revolutionary perspectives of an unsuccessful attempt was the movement emerged fairly con- made on Sunday night to arrest clusively here on Sunday on the last Provisional Sinn Fein president David O'Connell. day of the Ard Feish. He escaped in a car while his One of the first acts of the rejuven- wife held detectives at bay ated party was to ban Mid-Ulster MP Lne move colicioes Miss Bernadette Devlin from address- tinuing Tory harassment of the

IRA

Sean Keenan in the north. ing the conference on the pretext she _Derry was only a visitor. lican, was captured by police and at the weekend the troops In the stormiest session in the Ard Feish city ToCO Moville. Counties said they speakers from the should be strong enough in their beliefs not to In the past week guards and fear the effect on Sinn Fein members of what units have adopted Eire army The ban was con- Miss Devlin had to say. noticeably Hessive in border areas, , appearing within sistent with the leadership's new anti-left' on the scene of alleged minutes line. INA dOCKS Ever since the Tory government imposed direct the In a bia lo snot circull rule in the nortn last spring, new laws and broaden their been questioning the movement's practically have political base Provisionals the exclusive involvement with the Civil Rights Asso- Civil S•onsores Ken 11SL ciation. Rights Association at a 400-strong inaugural meeting in Dublin on Some rank and flers were Ior a new movement based on Marxism, but sections altogether ounday Hus favoured the idea of transiorming sinn rein into a Other included revolutionary class-based party dedicated (LO the 32 counties the working northern Nationalist Berna reconquest MP. people of Ireland. Civil Rights would form part of dette Labour this struggle. Deputies alle willets lINe Edna O'Brien and actors. For the time being this tendency won, David O'Conn notable that workers were less although it is evidence at this reish and the new policy was agreed primarily •by small farmers and through those activities for which two communities was professional people. students and Sinn Fein has been known the fight for independence.

for delegates from the north.

decades crvstallized in the build.

Sections of the Dublin leader- ing revolutionary party formal has beer ship favour talks with the Pro- 'responding only to the needs and break with the Civil Rights

UDA,

UVF

organizations but the Ard Feish working people movement, bring interest Vanguard of Ireland'. peace in the but about north, amendment shifting the emphasis Costello said there was nothing There was to be gained by looking for what demnation from the platform and from the floor of the Provi called socialists

STASCST

organizations'. sional IRA for doing more thar The anyone else in creating the deep vote on this amendment sectarian hatreds and was tied and the resolution from Protestants Catho- Sinn between executive, the

CATC

Comhairle, calling for talks with

SICS

countes action was demanded on issues Protestant organizations and for affecting all bid to workers in a Ine selling up rally Lo nepublican ism. trade unions to passed Costello added that the Civil Lamans whelmingly. Rights movement had also Daved In his Director report Operations Garland said stressing what appeared to be 1973 must see the expansion of exclusively Catholic grievances • barred arnadette Deviin . from making a speech. firmly back to traditional Irish nationalism. the amendment,

SIX

HUNDRED

clerical Phil Keenan, the convener Proposing told the the T&GWU clerical section, tol Seamus Costello of Bray workers at the giant Massey Workers Press: conference that ґелого! Ferguson tractor factory in "The firm sent the key-punch problems solve Coventry yesterday voted by Lo vulsiuc Con oocialurs

WOLK

tractors instructed • no Irish workers on both sides overwhelming an majority these five girls to work on this of the border. black when it returned work to continue their strike.

We What needed, was Iviassey s alicauy warned the company unde. They decided i Wednesdayt meet Was circumstances would our party based on the working class December 21 next again work.' members touch which would pit all its energies such to winning sovereignty and tree The strike began a week ago Picketing is going on night dom for the people of Ireland. and day at the gate. And after over ure suspensions ove to work on blacks five girls who refused • amendment to pany meeting it will be Moving an work. eariier resolution Costello said intensified. the Officials had recognized there Originally eight key-punch Most lorries have been stop. both

WELC

•COLORS

were la consul ped. But Phil Keenan said that sides of the religious divide and tutional dispute involving a de- that the only way to unite the mand for upgrading. the company employing Is now Workers Press, Tuesday I The 's letter to reason Heath has stopped all wage talks in leader, Lord Friday in the public sector is that he stated that has already drafted Phase Id not pro- Two of his wage laws. And this will be a permanent, ement com- legally-binding structure the theory which will hold down wages to government im- many trade posed 'norms'. that as soon hase of the The next G&MWU meet- ing will be held on January • was over, 16 at which strike would auto- • action orthcoming. will be discussed. d 0'Connoll... gone underground.

He summed up the Officials' new policy line with the phrase: 'The fight for Republicanism is a fight for socialism.' The Ard Feish demanded the immediate withdrawal of British troops from the Six Counties and the setting up of an all-Ireland conference under the aegis of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to draft a 32-county secular constitution. It called on the British gov- ernment to grant immediate civil and religious liberties throughout Northern Ireland, to release in- ternees and to declare a general amnesty. In addition the Leinster House government was called on to re- peal all repressive legislation and take steps to 'curtail' the exploi- tation of lrish assets by • British and other foreign capital.

'cowboy firms' to try and get supplies in. This was confirmed by Peter Lees, senior steward of APEX, the other clerical union out on strike. Mr Lees said: 'If the firm sends manual workers home they would have to pay them a guaranteed week. They have avoided this so far by getting the super- visors to work on some of our jobs.' This state of affairs is being allowed at Masseys because no lead has been given by the joint shops stewards' committee. A motion last week calling for a stoppage in support of the clerks was defeated on the joint Tuesday December 19, 1972 PAGE 11 POST OFFICE union leaders have declared invalid a ballot held among their overseas telegraphist (OTOs) members pay-and-productivity on a deal. The deal, signed on October 26 over the heads of the telegraphists and their union branch officials, should now in principle be at least held up.

In practice its initial stages have already been implemented.

At Electra House, London's overseas telegraph headquarters, branch officials estimate that several hundred jobs have already been lost. News that the ballot of the 4,500 telegraphists has been scrapped came in a letter from Tom Jackson, Union of Post Office Workers' general secretary, yesterday. The decision had been made, the letter said, after complaints from the branch that some union members had not received ballot papers, that others had received two and that a large number of non-members had voted. Even under these circumstances 833 votes against the deal, which gives telegraphists flat-rate pay- ments of up to £95 a year, had been shown. 1,093 votes were cast in favour. With a big intensification of work already under way, the new ballot promised for early in 1973 is expected to show even stronger opposition to the deal. The productivity aspects of the deal pave the way for a 36-per- cut in the telegraphists' cent grade over the next three years.

BRIEFLY • BRIEFLY

SEVEN PRISONERS have barri- caded themselves in their cells and smashed down dividing walls at Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight. The men, a special control unit, were still behind the barricades late yesterday.

The trouble started on Saturday night when one prisoner smashed up his cell furniture, hurled it out of the window and set it alight. Three other men did the and another three then same joined in. MRS MARY WHITEHOUSE, the ex-Moral Rearmer and clean-up TV campaigner, arrived back from a 14-day tour of the United States yesterday. 'I want to meet the new chairman of the BBC, she told reporters. Mrs White- house sent one of the first tele- Michael Swann •to Sir grams congratulating him on his appoint- ment. In the US Mrs Whitehouse appeared on 25 television and radio discussion programmes.

shop stewards' committee.

The strikers, engaged for the first time in a big battle, are determined to fight this one yesterday's vote as showed. Only 20 hands went up against the recommendation to continue the strike. W. STRATTON MILLS, one of Northern Ireland's eight Unionist MPs at Westminster, yesterday resigned from the Party. His decision to quit follows his failure last week to end the links between the Unionists and William Craig's Vanguard Move- ment. Mills felt that the Tory Unionists were increasingly be- coming the 'political prisoner' of the para-military Vanguard group.

LONDON: Support grows for Lucas fail to undermine CAV sit-in PAGE 12 Workers Press, Tuesday Decem

BY PHILIP WADE

THE FEELING among Oxford engineers on the march yester- day was that it was time for the AUEW's executive council to give a lead on all-out action and for the TUC to organize other unions in support. "The whole fight boils down to the need for leadership from the TUC who are as usual still fence- sitting, British- Peter Biggs, maintenance Leyland AUEW steward, told me. 'Our. union is now having go and making a stand. But a one-day stoppage isn't going to do it. 'The executive must call an all-out indefinite strike supported by the TUC. We have to use the strength of the whole working class.' Vie Foyle, AUEW steward at Morris radiators, told me: 'The

BY STEPHEN J

DELEGATES representing an neers on strike in the London to go on fighting the Industrial They called on their union involve the leadership to whole membership in action next time the AUEW was challenged under the anti- union laws. But many delegates represent- ing over 40 factories hit by strike action wanted to go fur- ther. A resolution demanding that the union executive call an indefinite national stoppage was defeated, but attracted a sub- stantial minority vote. One notable opponent of this line was Kevin Halpin, chairman of the so-called Liaison Commit- tee for the Defence of Trade Unions, which initiated a series of one-day strikes two years ago.

The two resolutions came at the end of a discussion which centred primarily on the role of the AUEW leadership. Many delegates, from plants in London and Essex, criticized the AUEW for not calling official action. They said that one-day protest strikes were inadequate. Others congratulated the leadership for their firm stand against the Tory government and its laws. John Paxman, at convenor CAV, Acton, west London, said: 'I believe that one-day stop- pages have run I their course. feel that certainly we should look towards the executive coun- call for a national stoppage. and cil to give a • direct lead Another Acton steward, Tom Hillier, said it was a pity that the 'Morning Star' had been un- able to come out. Holding up a Workers Press copy of the demanded that all the publica- tions of the labour movement should be exempt from this kind of industrial action. Tim Cowan, convenor of the factory at Batter- Decca radar sea, said that the right wing had been encouraged because leaders had left the engineers an element of choice on whether to take strike action. He demanded a campaign in the TUC to mobilize the working class against the Tory govern- ment. 'There is no possibility of ridding ourselves of this legis- lation until the Tory govern- ment is removed and replaced by a Labour government pledged to socialist policies and repeal of all anti-trade union legisla- tion' Ted Rycroft, member of the Registered as a newspaper at the Post Workers Press. Published by Office. Clapham Hish Street, London. 186a

SW4 7UG.

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

SW4 7UG.

ay December 19, 1972 Engir fine takes us back to the 1800s.

It means we've got to fight to the bitter end. 'The trade unions started in Britain-and we're not going to give them up easily. Vic Foyle, (Left l0 right) Peter Biggs,

TEPHEN JOHNS

ting an estimated 40,000 engi- condon area yesterday pledged dustrial Relations Act. commit- north London district tee of the AUEW, which called yesterday's strike de- action, that other unions get manded off the fence. He said the strike had • sig- end to the 'ducking nalled an and diving' which had begun at the Croydon conference in March 1971, where a united strike cam- against the Act was paign rejected. The climax of the meeting came when an amendment de- manding indefinite strike action and a campaign to call on the TUC to bring the government down was proposed. The platform emasculated this so it attracted a strike. Even in substantial minority the meeting. The final resolution stated: •While congratulating the exe- cutive council on the stand in defence of the union to date, THE LUCAS combine has failed in another bid to undermine the ten-week-old occupation of its

CAV

factory vehicle-pump at Fazakerley, Liverpool. Bargaining counter in Lucas's the Lucas Industrial Equipment factory on the same was site as CAV, which has been laid off because of the occupation.

ngineers in action 'The Tories have found that on entering the Common Market wages had to be suppressed. This is the way they are trying to do it.

I see the fine as an attack on the whole working class. The Ic Foylo, Blll Fox and Andy Deviln.

AMALGAMATED

ENGINEERING UNIO

LONDON INORIN Mi to call on the them we urge whole of the membership on the occasion that action next deemed to be necessary in order that our efforts and our strength is co-ordinated. 'We further call on other unions to give their support to any action in the future.'

Factories affected by the stop- Dagenham, Ford's, page were where 15,000 failed to turn in; Engineering, Rainham; Victor In PORTSMOUTH there were widespread stoppages; produc- tion came to a complete halt at several factories while most in the partially area were affected. The call for one-day action came from the strike meeting of shop quarterly stewards last Thursday. There are 7,500 AUEW in the Portsmouth • district and it

FROM OUR OWN CORI

It appears the combine man- agement hoped to split workers factories with from the two threats against LIE's future.

union officials Last Friday were called in to hear that unless within LIE were able to open weeks the 450- the next few TUC must now give a lead in this fight' AUEW member Bill Fox said the Tories had wanted 'to sneak the unions. Now they up on were 'going to take us on, but

IG UNIOR

woTaiei CAV Acton, where there was a stoppage, and six near-total power stations. Solidarity action came from busmen in Dagenham, who re- services to and fused to man from the Ford plant. • After the meeting a 350- stewards delegation marched on the TUC headquar- ters and handed a message to Victor Feather asking for sup- port for the engineers. was estimated that at least half responded to the shop stewards' call. Firms hit by include Power strike the Brakes, Goodman's loudspeak- ers and Evans. decision In LEEDS a on whether to hold a one-day stoppage will be taken at a district committee meeting tomorrow.

OWN CORRESPONDENT

would have to strong factory close permanently. The factory has been 'turning the corner' as far as profitability concerned management was said. But the enforced shutdown meant that the way was open for competitors to steal its market.

are not prepared for the reaction here', he added. "This thing is going to snow- ball. It's time for the EC to take the kid gloves off and give the lead we've been waiting for. They should call for a General Strike and the recall of the TUC Andy Devlin, T&GWU steward from Leyland's body plant, said: I'm supporting the AUEW 100 per cent. There is an enormous feeling about this in the factories.

hey Now all we want is for the leader- ship to lead. "The laws in my own country, in the Republic of Ireland, are the same as Heath wants to bring in here. 'If the Tories can carry the Industrial Relations Act through they will then pass more laws to stop us striking and even demon- strating. In Dublin someone, and it planted some wasn't the IRA, bombs to keep the government in power. That shows how des- perate the Tories are getting.'

SOME 28,000 workers struck in the Sheffield district, and hundreds marched through the city chanting 'Heath out!'

and 'Tories out!' Shop stewards from several big factories — the River Don steelworks, Ambrose Shardlow's, Craven's and Bone others— brought their banners onto the demonstration. At a meeting which followed, Albert Knight, president of the said AUEW district committee, that the struggle against the fine involved not just engineering workers, but the whole of the working class. The TUC was not fighting the Industrial Relations Act, he said.

The Act had to be kicked out along • with the government that created it. But the meeting was marred by an incident in which George Caborn, the union's district sec- retary, tried physically to pre- a member of the district vent committee addressing the wor- kers present. The member concerned, Paul Littlehales, a shop steward from Daniel Doncaster's engineering factory, twice indicated to the chairman his wish to speak to the meeting. On both occasions he was refused. statement to Workers In a he described Press afterwards, what then happened: 'When the chairman closed the meeting after my second attempt to speak, I tried to address those present on the need for a General Strike in support of the engineers and Councils of Action to defeat the Tories. "Caborn and a number of others from around the plattorm came down the steps and tried to pull me out of the crowd. He then threatened me with disciplinary action.' Stewards from both LIE and CAV heard a report on these discussions on Sunday morning.

Their response was to call for a strengthening of the campaign, led by the CAV occupation com- mittee, for the blacking of Lucas goods entering three other Liver- pol factories: Ford's, Standard- Lucas's Victor Triumph's, and aerospace works.