Workers Press no. 967

workers press Movement against state pay plan builds up

GASMEN AND CIVIL

SERVANTS TAKING

INDUSTRIAL ACTION

BY STEPHEN

THE CAMPAIGN against gathered strength yesterday a servants got official backing against the laws banning pay ris The first wave of industrial acti sands of civil servants plan to disru by holding mini-strikes during office Airports throughout Britain will also be hit as traffic con- trol assistants at all Civil Aviation Authority airports join in the protest against the 'freezing' of their pay deal by the government. Even more serious industrial action is looming in the gas in- dustry. Gasworkers' leaders met in London yesterday and backed a rank and file call for a nation- wide overtime ban and possible selective starting strikes next Wednesday (see report p.12).

This will affect 47,000 workers in the industry. The civil servants have been called out by the 200,000-strong Civil and Public Services Asso- ciation and the 60,000-member Society for Civil Servants.

Their action today will be a militant curtain-raiser to to- morrow's talks between the TUC and the government. The Tories are hoping to create another diversion and to trap the working class with more repressive laws on pay and trade unions. Yesterday's news of the grow- ing anger over the pay laws came as Prime Minister Heath began talks with senior government Ministers over the second phase of the Tory plan to control wages by government decree and destroy the right to free collec- tive bargaining. It seems certain now that the emergency state pay plan will be extended to beyond the 90 days into April to give the govern- ment time to rush its next measures through parliament.

The calls for industrial action are a major indication of the desire among a large section of workers to fight the Tory offensive. The great danger is that the TUC and the union leaders will use the phoney discussion over Phase Two and possible 'de-

INCORPORATING THE NEI

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL

TEPHEN JOHNS

gainst the Tory government erday as gasworkers and civil backing for industrial action g pay rises. trial action will break today. Thou- to disrupt government departments ing office hours. freezing' of the right to negotiate to put off action. Leaders of the General and Municipal Workers were dis- tinctly annoyed yesterday when con- asked if a government cession' on this issue would mean the overtime ban would be called off. Yet this remains a real possi- bilitythe G&MWU bureaucracy is noted for its right-wing atti- tudes and • dislike of militant industrial action. The Tories obviously are walking a tightrope. Action on pay could easily spill over to other workers who have also been caught in the freeze. It would also encourage sections with claims pending to come forward and join the campaign.

The Tories' main allies at this the

TUC

time of crisis are leaders. Commentators openly view the Downing Street initiative as a trap. As one observer put it in TheTimes' yesterday, the "softly, softly, Tories want to catchee, monkey' - the monkey being Victor Feather of the TUC.

The aim is threefold. To halt the build-up to a showdown over pay; to divert the work- ing class with talk about pos- sible relaxation of the attack on the standard of living; and to allow that essential margin of time to prepare the real offensive. with pay Workers claims should demand, and take, immediate action to stop this Tory-TUC conspiracy. The TUC must be forced to gress to prepare a campaign to remove the Tory government and all its laws. More than pay is involved in the latest manoeuvres. The Tories are in the process of construct- ing a corporatist plan to tie unions to the state and abolish the right to collective bargaining.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 10, 1973• No 967 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTÉE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE 'Cheap-food' Cobden praised in ASTMS requiem

REQUIE

RITAIN

ASTMS

TASTMS

THIRTY

workers from the London of the neaocuarters

ASTMS

took part yesterday union-sponsored 'Requiem for Bri- Common tain' against War Cul Market. n on tube station to Morning- Cam- demonstration. den ton Crescent tube station- -about of mile-had ree quarter: century Rime to pay tribute to 19th led Liberal Richard Cobden who agitation for the repeal of the the 4p NUARY 10, 1973 • No 967 •

SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

Cobden's statue was mostly sub- scribed for by Napoleon IlI, of all people! lan Mikardo-'left'-talking Labour MP for Poplar-rounded off the requiem by declaring: 'Above all, Cobden was an apostle of cheap food and that's why we pay tribute to him. Cobden would have turned "in his grave to see Liberal MPs supporting I the Tory Party in taking Britain into Europe on terms which are an economic burden to the people as a whole.'

GOVERNORS of seven Manchester hospitals have told Health Minister Sir Keith Joseph that the pay of their ancillary workers is inadequate and unfair'. In a letter to Sir Keith they urged him to find a quick solution' to the prob- lem of the workers' frozen pay claim. *It is quite unique that a board of governors is pre- pared to indicate its sup- port for a pay claim, said union official Colin Barnett yesterday. said the letter, He signed by board chairman Sir Cyril Harrison, was after a meeting sent between the board of United Manchester Hospit- als and National Union of Public Employees. PRODUCTION of the Sheffield evening newspaper *The Star' was delayed for several hours yesterday when journalists took action over the Tory wage control legislation. The 160-member Na- tional Union of Journalists' chapel wants to know what will happen to a £3 agreed wage rise which has been stopped by the new laws. It was the second con- secutive day that the paper was delayed. A MASS meeting of West End actors and actresses protesting against the gov- ernment's order freezing a £5-a-week pay rise will be staged by their union, Equity, in London on January 28. The union's council held an emergency meeting yes- terday to consider the full legal implications of the order which came into effect on January 5. The government order has frozen a £7 pay rise in mid-November, plus the ES, that would have brought actors up to £30, from January 1.

workers press Movement against state pay plan builds up

GASMEN AND CIVIL

SERVANTS TAKING

INDUSTRIAL ACTION

BY STEPHEN

THE CAMPAIGN against gathered strength yesterday a servants got official backing against the laws banning pay ris The first wave of industrial actic sands of civil servants plan to disruj by holding mini-strikes during office Airports throughout Britain will also be hit as traffic con- trol assistants at all Civil Aviation Authority airports join in the protest against the 'freezing' of their pay deal by the government. more serious industrial Even action is looming in the gas in- dustry. Gasworkers' leaders met in London yesterday and backed a rank and file call for a nation- wide overtime ban and possible selective strikes starting next Wednesday (see report p.12).

This will affect 47,000 workers in the industry. have been The civil servants called out by the 200,000-strong Civil and Public Services Asso- ciation and the 60,000-member Society for Civil Servants.

Their action today will be a militant curtain-raiser to to- morrow's talks between the TUC and the government. The Tories are hoping to create another diversion and to trap the working class with more repressive laws on pay and trade unions. Yesterday's news of the grow- ing anger over the pay laws came as Prime Minister Heath began talks with senior government Ministers over the second phase of the Tory plan to control wages by government decree and destroy the right to free collec- tive bargaining. It seems certain now that the ment time to rush its next measures through parliament.

The calls for industrial action are a major indication of the desire among a large section of workers to fight the Tory offensive. The great danger is that the TUC and the union leaders will use the phoney discussion over Phase Two and possible 'de-

INCORPORATING THE NEWS

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL

TEPHEN JOHNS

gainst the Tory government erday as gasworkers and civil backing for industrial action g pay rises. rial action will break today. Thou- to disrupt government departments ing office hours. freezing' of the right to negotiate to put off action. Leaders of the General and dis- Municipal Workers were tinctly annoyed yesterday when "con- asked if government cession' on this issue would mean the overtime ban would be called off. Yet this remains a real possi- bility-the G&MWU bureaucracy is noted for its right-wing atti- tudes and dislike of militant industrial action. The Tories obviously are walking a tightrope. Action on pay could easily spill over to other workers who have also been caught in the freeze. It would also encourage sections with claims pending to come forward and join the campaign.

The Tories' main allies at this of crisis

• TUC

time are the leaders. Commentators openly view the Downing Street initiative as a trap. As one observer put it in 'The Times' yesterday, the Tories want to "softly, softly, catchee, monkey — the monkey being Victor Feather of the TUC.

The aim is threefold. To halt the build-up to a showdown over pay; to divert the work- ing class with talk about pos- sible relaxation of the attack on the standard of living; and to allow that essential margin of time to prepare the real offensive. Workers with claims pay. should demand, and take, immediate action to stop this Tory-TUC conspiracy. The TUC must be forced to break off all contact with the Tories and recall a special Con- gress to prepare a campaign to remove the Tory government and all its laws. More than pay is involved in the latest manoeuvres. The Tories are in the process of construct- ing a corporatist plan to tie unions to the state and abolish the right to collective bargaining.

THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 1C

NTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALI

U D

ASTMS

E E

TASTMS

TMS

THIRTY workers from the London white-collar headquarters of the ASTMS took part yesterday in a union-sponsored 'Requiem for Bri- tain' march against the Common Market. The demonstration, from Cam- den Town tube station to Morning- ton Crescent tube station-about three-quarters of a mile-had one aim: to pay tribute to 19th century Liberal Richard Cobden who led the agitation for the repeal of the Corn Laws! NUARY 10, 1973 • No 967 • 4p •

SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

Cobden's statue was mostly sub- scribed for by Napoleon III, of all people! lan Mikardo-'left'-talking Labour for Poplar-rounded off the MP requiem by declaring: 'Above all, Cobden was an apostle of cheap food and that's why we pay tribute to him. Cobden would have turned In his grave to see supporting Liberal MPs , the Tory Party in taking Britain into Europe on terms which are an economic burden to the people as a whole?

GOVERNORS

of seven Manchester hospitals have told Health Minister Sir Keith Joseph that the pay of their ancillary workers is 'inadequate and unfair. In a letter to Sir Keith they urged him to 'find a quick solution' to the prob- lem of the workers' frozen pay claim. It is quite unique that a board of governors is pre- pared to indicate its sup- port for a pay claim', said union official Colin Barnett yesterday. He said the letter, signed by board chairman Sir Cyril Harrison, was after meeting a sent between the board of United Manchester Hospit- als and National Union of Public Employees. PRODUCTION • of the Sheffield evening newspaper 'The Star' was delayed for several hours yesterday journalists took when action over the Tory wage control legislation. 160-member Na- The tional Union of Journalists' chapel wants to know what will happen to a £3 agreed wage rise which has been stopped by the new laws. It was the second con- secutive day that the paper was delayed. A MASS meeting of West End actors and actresses £5-a-week pay rise will be staged by their union, Equity, in London on January 28. The union's council held an emergency meeting yes- terday to consider the full legal implications of the order which came into effect on January 5. The government order has frozen a £7 pay rise in mid-November, plus the £5, that would have brought actors up to £30, from January 1.

Blanket bombing Israel: Postmen strike PAGE 2 Workars Pross, Wednesday January 10, 1973 AN APPLICATION for the extradition of Anthony 'Dutch' Doherty from Eire to Northern Ireland is now before the district court in Dublin. Doherty, a former Provisional IRA officer, was arrested in Dublin on Monday. He is wanted in Northern Ireland on a charge of possessing a revolver in Belfast. Irish premier Jack Lynch has already demonstrated his willingness to serve his Tory masters at West- railroading through the Dail minster by the Offences Against the State Act. This followed his talks with Edward Heath at the end of November.

The arrest of Doherty once again shows Lynch's com- plete collaboration with the British Tory govern- ment and its military regime in Northern Ireland.

The real purpose of the reactionary legislation passed in Eire in December is now revealed. It is designed not only to deal with the IRA in the south, but to enable the Lynch government to act as policemen on behalf of the Tories and northern Orangemen.

Workers Press has always denounced the method of terrorism as it isolates the movement from the working class. However, the sole responsibility for the bloodshed in Ireland rests on the British gov- ernment and its imperialist army.

Demand the release of all political prisoners! No extradition! Unite the working class of all Ireland and Britain against the Tories in Westminster and the Orange and Green Tories in Ireland!

THE STRIKE of 90,000 engineers in Tyneside, Wear- side, west Lothian and south Wales on Monday was proof once again that the working class is determined to defend its trade unions against the government and its National Industrial Tory Relations Court. 13,000 west Wales engineers struck last Friday, as did another 13,000 in Leeds on January I. London, south-east England and Shefield engineers struck on December 18 like their brothers in the north- west, the Midlands, Dundee, the Home Counties and the west of England on December 20. Swansea engineers struck on January 5.

The engineers-and other workers who came out with them, like the London and Merseyside dockers have shown the way to answer Heath and all those who wish to smash the trade union movement.

But while the workers demonstrate their ability to defeat their leaders prostrate the government, themselves repeatedly before it. Again and again Feather and company crawl to 10 Downing Street.

These men dissipate the enormous strength of the working class and allow valuable time to slip by while the Tories prepare Phase Two of their wage control legislation and even more vicious attacks on workers' standard of living and organizations.

Last year when the working class displayed its poten- in the miners', builders, engineers' and and in dockers' strikes mass demonstrations against the rent Act, their leaders permitted the government to implement the final stages of the Industrial Relations Act and to legislate for wage control, rent hikes and entry into the Common Market. It is solely thanks to these leaders that the Tory government survived 1972. Now they must be told 'No more talks with the sworn enemies of the working class!' Councils of Action must be built in every area to link workers' struggles on jobs, wages, prices, rents and defence of the unions. Build the mass move- ment which will make the Tory government resign.

I would like information about Fill in the form below and send to NATIONAL

SECRETARY,

SOCIALIȘT

LEAGUE,

LABOUR

18ба CLAPHAM HIGH ST, LONDON SWA TUG.

Name... Address. AMERICAN B52 bomb-

BY A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

as several US service First ers yesterday carried out Most of the plateau reconnaissance and as 'bad weather conditions'.

north of the city is under plane on Monday. their heaviest raids for Spokesmen now say that their control. Ground fighting was the planes were six months dropping over recently Attacks have the southern up al all 1,000 tons of bombs been stepped along the reference up or tne La Mau penin sula. target was Da Nang base. of on a concentration Kontum's only road President Thieu in Saigon The target location National Liberation Front with the of South rest became contused with the warıce ld not Vietnan forces the central trust' should put reference point! Yesterday's bombing raid signatures on peace treaties.

highlands city of Kontum.

followed report German The CHorelen The south should be Fifty B52's and 40 fighter- Hanoi official daily ister Walter Scheel has Dan' Nixon wary issued a statement denying bombers attacked within a accusing the a new onen sive by the North Vietnam.

ten-mile radius of Kontum.

covenmedi millary ovenimen ese, he said. blackmail. 'protested' against The US

CON

bombing. The US high mand fears that the North It described the command lilaooive Vietnamese take over raids on the north Saigon is still trying to an work what which out went wrong nontulil. returned from consultations a 'very vulnerable' bombing rald paro as negoce on their TermS 'the their own base in Da Nang.

provincial capital in the showing that US im- Canary south. perialists are obviously The fascist Spain, observed that bombers worse than a Chicago gang'.

750,000 Kontum was one of the destroyed gallons a pause for reflection eight Culs be ocæ cae necten benre kincos y position. 1972 offensive of the NLF.

shot down one more transport aircraft, as well MRS GOLDA MEIR, Israeli pre- massive losses if hundreds of tons of budget proposals which will cut in- oranges and lemons are left to rot on but impose Value-Added has threatened drastic mier, the trees and quaysides. Tax. measures if dockers refuse to end It is part of a broad movement of The development the strike workers to protect their poses a sharo threat to the their go-slow by today. movencil inflation, which was at a rate of 1t Israeli onslaught on the Arab masses.

per cent in 1972. But yesterday as the number of While Israeli jets have renewed ships lying idle in the ports of :Haifa, Golda Meir's re- raids guerrilla and covernment inc on army Ashod and Eilat 40 to moved price control on goods which posts in Svria. the israel Cabinet has were not considered

JWU.

workers vegan moustra neces. the anger Jewish action for higher wages. leading rapid workers whose living-standards 1l1° are being cut. ver ovov bostuen die enoovee.

creases. in the central telex and cable offices On lanuarv 1 there was a protes The Israeli trade began work banning Consume strike in hundreds of factories against of firms Louncil nas published a ilst price increases wage which it claims have raised prices ex. The dockers have already rejected The workers condemned the and *recom- a casco. cessively are pronts went mend' a consumer Su -a Dovcol tained a firm stand for their full claim cent and employers profits by 23 per cent. back the or tiese aris • ine trade unior of a 50 per cent rise. leaders who back Council have to get the post and The strike comes at the height of Inflation only increase rapidly utmost with the implementation of Monday's the citrus season and growers toresee dock strikes called oft

THE

United States This presented the US fied by Trea- protectionist mea- Crease in the importin cent in- Department has follows the deci- sure complaints government sury 1 reasury, ded Laise une Import Lax I1om Amencan LYrE subsioles were Carce They tyres from 4 facturers size $23m and were allied with claim this Michelin on tha

DUL

10.6 per Canadian government a loan of $50m at very low them only on level terms They enter the with the French sidies two Michelin interest rates the branch Canadian domestic actores la NOVA COm tvre are still the French monopoly. According to figures turers not satis- market. Socialist Labour League North West Rally

FORCE THE TORY

GOVERNMENT TO RESIGN!

BUILD THE

PRELIMINARY • bank credit-tightening move for

REVOLUTIONARY

two years. statistics issued in Tokyo

PARTY!

The Bank of Japan yesterday showed Governor. Tadashi Sasaki Japanese at announced the raising exports SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 7 p.m.

reserve ratios to combat record figures in 1972. The Everyman, Hope Street, Halo e There was an overall in- new une

LIVERPOOL

of crease per cent percentage of deposits that over 1971, with total the placed in to value of £12.3m. for deposits from commer- The increase in Decem- cial banks and 2 per cent ber was 30.4 per cent overall. for demand deposits. Officials sad that the

'RIGHT TO WORK' FILM

The export drive measures were expected to avanese rengred about 300,000m mop most belligerent propor- yen of surplus liquidity.

tions in western Europe. inflow of US Exports last month were neavy -....... dollars had increased 84 per cent digner than in by reserves December 1971. $13,000m G. HEALY (SLL National Secretary).

LOSL

Exports the United these had been converted CHRISTINE SMITH (Young Socialists) States were up by 19.5 per into the central yen by cente bank, thus In a personal capacity: Inercabuly domestic liquidity. Ine banks ngures ShOT CONNIE FAHEY (Manchester Tenants) Sasaki remarked that ALAN STANLEY (Vauxhall Shop Stewards) ships and steel this money had been in-

BRIAN GEENEY (U.P.W.)

in December and 'stock, vested in land WALLY FOUCHS (CAV Occupation Committee) As record exports were as well as industrial expan- announced, the Bank of sion thus creating an inflationary mood. declared first

A PAY-and-productivity row at Bri- tain's overseas telegraph headquarters has thrown up serious doubts about whether Post Office union leaders intend to fight the Tory pay law.

of Post Office Last month the Union Workers announced that it intended to press a big, new pay claim despite the law.

And in a letter to overseas telegraph operators House, London, last week UPW sec- at Electra retary Tom Jackson said that the ambition of his executive would be 'to achieve a settlement well beyond any norm which the government proposes'.

The union chief went on to suggest, however, Socialist Labour League Yorkshire Rally

FORCE THE TORY

GOVERNMENT TO RESIGN!

BUILD THE

REVOLUTIONARY

PARTY!

SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 7.30 p.m.

Great Northern Hotel, Wellington Street (near Leeds station),

LEEDS

FILM: THREE YEARS

OF WORKERS PRESS

Speakers : G. HEALY (SLL National Secretary) PAUL WHETSTONE (Young Socialists) In personal capacity:

GEORGE LUBY (U.P.W.)

..ROBBIE ROBERTS. (N.U.M.)

Workers Proas, Wednezday January 10, 1973 PAGE 3 Fighting the Tory rent Act Camden opposition hangs in the balance meets tonight and the whole policy of non- CAMDEN council implementation of the 'fair rents' Act hangs in the balance. A number

BY PHILIP WADE

of those against the Housing Finance Act are said to be wavering

OUR HOUSING

under the threat from the Tory government that f8m subsidies will

CORRESPONDENT

be withheld if the rents are not put up.

didn't do good, I us any Camden has for some No LP must say wasn't time been the last council defy the in London ™They have this idea that plans backing smash municipal housing, while destroying a Dasic delo- cratic right of the work- the lane the guse when t the become ing class. for anti- on Sunday the rebel other side will do the same And them. received Did Cllr Collins agree backing or well over 4,00 Tory fight with such 'argument'? an trade unionists, Lollaille 'Of course Party members and 1 sav 11 Labour

ROL.

DICK COLINS.

Led bad we must a demonstration struggles decade ago through the streets of the Mornington Crescent, Cllr foi Posession were made look for borough. involved Collins was then One definitely vot- of the Party to back us struggle rent said he felt some- implementatior ın a 1ng what bitter haven't got tonight's meeting increases the Will counci be Cllr Dick estate. reversal connerence nave we! •Twelve anarch agawas of the bitter Police called in the 'fair rents' were the National of the icaucis neighbouring districts Ехеси- on a simila against from unal we're fight- decade and at Committee a council. Now

LWO

lamules LIVe of the Regents Chairman were evicted by the Tory government,' added Labour party. Cllr Collins council after court orders 'Although it obviously Park tenants association at 14-day deadline to Midlothian rebels MIDLOTHIAN county council, ordered to pay the costs of one of 12 Scottish authorities If the Labour council refuses still holding out against the comply with the deadline, it is possible that the "fair rents' Act, been given 14 days to fall in line will seek a court order against or face the consequences.

it. that the executive might well feel itself 'compelled Failure to comply that to accept the norm'. Following public inquiry The Ne into their to Electra House prisonment of the Labour coun- Jackson's letter, addressed has the intended cillors for : of court. O'Keeffe, is to contempt branch secretarv Michael be explain why a productivity deal signed last October Other councils holding out in provisions The ot the Housine is being implemented without the consent of UPW Clydebank. JUn. (Financial Provisions) Scotland Kilmarnock Alloa, fermline Act. members Barrhead, Cowdenbeath, Cum- difficult Jackson Midlothian, which refused to could be rescinded it it since vernaule. Dakeita. Dunnipace, Saltcoats and Whit- promised that the deal increase the rents of 11,000 was not approved by a council dwellings, has been burn. The hirst ballot on e Mas Eclan exed for executive and no date the Sunderland yards a second. Operators at Electra House say that the deal is already changing the face of the exchange.

need f20m jab: The Post Office McKinlay, officer for ponsible telecommunications shipbuilding manager asking for a delay. 'This being the case, Jackson his letter, 'the union has alternative but to stand by THE FUTURE of British shipbuilding hangs on a massive its given word.' injection of government aid, says a leading shipbuilder. Mr Jim This has statement caused House since Venus, managing director of Court Shipbuilders, told a meeting Electra ructions at it implies the UPW's given word in Sunderland his company needed a £20m handout from the to the employer has priority over word to its members. treasury to make the three Doxford and Sunderland shipyards viable. But the row assumes even wider significance as Court, which also owns the that Jackson's argument the both for iso, bo-ton liquid gas tadiers.

the building of Dorset firm Appledore deal seal das held the to the Shipbuilders bought the three ballot, Pos Office The Tories unlikely and alling yards for woue rense bavments oI up •osolete decision until after £95 a year agreed under the deal.

make £8.5m last summer they receive the nearly-completed Now it says that it the yards re OK shipbuilding uy suspents 'As _Tuture prospects know' vou

TO G

are to pay they must de mocern. O'Keeffe, *we haye a wage claim ized on scale which amounts Booz Allen and Hamilton in for the grades which we to virtual rebuilding. including OTOs represent alle Court already announced has to try and our amalton must ne Farm warning achieve a settlement well beyond it intends reo Den une rallion any norm which the government site where it will build a capital- yard costing covered orODoses. into the Common Market £8m-£10m. Dantall Was

NOVINO

'f. however we are comnelled The will employ yard wards , Mr more capitalist philo- Will accept norm, then this _about half the tota sophy, Henry Fell, …auu men- one be a single sum money three yards' workforce- -and pro the country's biggest and most the unrelated duce technically-advanced Service] innuenual larmers, sala yesterday national Telegraph 20,000 octween ).000 alid efficiency agreement.' Fell said this capitalist more tons. for philosophy meant rewaras But Venus warned that with- statement others' cureci some ania curtains lor out government cash the jobs was warning HA larmers at an other yards Oxford farming conference not 1icl

LWU

members have been given North Sands and Dentford. could underestimate the ability and pro- usal interos be in jeopardy. national ceed with its claim competuveness Ol mnel duropean regardless of the pay law.

Court says it plans to modern- counterparts.

A THREAT TO TRADE UNIONISM

An examination of the Confederation of Independent Staff Organizations (CISO) by Jack Gale PAGE & Workers Press, Wednaeday Jar An examination of the Confed A potentially significant threat to trade union organization, particularly in banks and finance houses, appeared last month with the launch- ing of the Confederation of Independent Staff Organizations (CISO). CISO's launching followed the setting up of a steering committee composed of the heads of the Barclays Bank Staff Association, Commercial Associa- Union Group Staff tion, Sun Alliance and London Staff Association, ICI Staff Association and Kodak Senior Association. This culmi- Staff nated in a meeting of repre- sentatives of some 45 staff associations. The meeting, held on De- cember 5, resolved support for the principle of CISO, agreed that the steering committee should remain in being, that a draft constitution be drawn up and that a further meeting be held on February I follow- ing the report back of repre- sentatives. According to the secretary to the steering committee, Mr Paul Nickolson: "The confederation is being formed to give impetus to the demand now being expressed by employees for the estab- lishment of organizations to represent them on a company or corporation basis. This has already led to the emergence of new staff associations, inde- pendent of management, which are seeking recognition from and negotiating rights with employers and are building on the experience of well estab- lished staff associations.'

This is clearly intended to be an alternative to the estab- lished white-collar unions and to those unions particularly in the financial sector-APEX, reday January 10, 1973 Confederation of Independent Staff

ASTMS, NUBE.

CISO argues that staff asso- ciations should be 'given the benefit of back-up facilities similar to those available to TUC-affiliated trade unions, which are too expensive for individual associations to pro- vide on their own. They are important because trade unions would find it difficult to sub- without them' sist • A confi- dential CISO steering commit- ree paper prepared for the conference December 5 put this even more strongly: 'TUC affiliated trade unions are unable to subsist without back-up facilities and staff unions a long from are way getting similar facilities.

CISO claims that it will pro- vide: • Research and information services on remuneration poli- cies, employment conditions, protection of m employment, training and career develop- ment, legal problems. • Facilities" for training and the exchange of ideas and ex- perience. • Advice and assistance, where requested, for the pro- motion of: Good communications, includ- ing quick and effective ways of resolving disputes. Staff involvement in decisions affecting their work. Opportunities for increasing personal competence and its reward. Effective negotiating proce- dures and practices, including assistance and negotiation if required.

CISO

also argues that 'the needs of white-collar workers are not properly understood.

A principal fear is that the pay and conditions of white- collar staff are being squeezed between boards of directors anxious to keep down labour costs and workers whose mili- tancy achieves substantial wage increases.

NO M

OSA START:

nt Staff Organizations (CISO) by Ja has In recent years there been a large growth of trade unionism among white-collar main factors workers. Four have contributed to this.

Through nationalization and mergers in the private sector, the organizations in which these workers are employed have become very large. This brought has not only large numbers of white-collar work- ers together, but has brought them into closer contact with other workers whose unions are strong. International competition inflation and have changed the climate in organizations and the style of management has become tougher. Finally, in many companies there is an increasing profes- sionalism in personnel depart- ments which are no longer the welfare departments of pater- nalistic employers but act more like manpower econo- mists concerned to get maxi- mum output from the mini- mum number of people at a minimum cost. Faced with • these pressures, more and more white-collar workers have begun to realize that they have no power as individuals if there is no or- ganization to protect their in- terests. Hence the growth of trade unionism. That the CISO reflects the backward outlook of some sections of the middle class, and thus assists management against genuine trade union- ism, is made clear by the seven principles on which it will operate. These are: '1. Constructive rather than militant relationships with employers. '2. An emphasis on company based negotiations. Interest- ingly, an addition to this prin- set forth in the confi- ciple dential discussion paper has been deleted: "which balance self interest with a concern for ) by Jack Gale honourable conduct and the public interest'. '3. Powerful but responsible promotion and support of the interests of employees who are members of organizations in the confederation' This appears to have replaced an original principle as follows: 'Recognition that members' long-term interests are not best served by selfish and aggressive policies' '4. Political and financial independence which will en- able the confederation to re- present only the interests of employees member to the three major political parties, any elected government and any organization of employers in Great Britain and, where international necessary at level. '5. The promotion and sup- port of new independent mem- ber organizations within the confederation. Staff associations from amongst the believed to have had representatives cerning the Confederation of Inde on December 5: Financial sector Barclays Bank Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank-Technical and Services Midland Bank National Westminster Bank Bank of England Royal Bank of Scotland Bank of Baroda Bank of India (UK) Australian Mutual Provident Britannic Assurance Eagle Star General Accident Commercial Union Phoenix Assurance Sun Alliance & London Corporation of Lloyds Sun Life Welfare Insurance Norwich Union Nationwide Building Society Forward Trust Above: Members of

ASTMS

locked-out during a dispute in Croydon. The CISO is a threat to white-collar unions ASTMS, APEX and NUBE. '6. The absence of domina- tion in the confederation by any large member organiza- tions or combination of mem- ber organizations. '7. The capacity to absorb a rapid growth of membership which will be increasingly re- presentative of organizations of workers throughout the country currently unattached to any other confederation.'

As if that were not enough, CISO has openly declated that it is appealing to those people in the middle class who are antagonistic to real trade unionism. Many staff, it claims, 'have no wish to join trade unions which are affiliated to the TUC. They simply do not. like unions.' ongst the following organizations are sentatives attending the meeting con- of Independent Staff Organizations Others Lufthansa UK Balfour Beatty Imperial Tobacco Automobile Association Courtaulds Senior Staff Seaboard World Airlines Kodak Senior Staff A. Monk & Co British Council Coleman Association—Reckitt & Coleman i Cadbury Schweppes-Senior Managers . Bibby-Agriculture & Sales Telecommunications Staf Association Ilford Senior Staff

ICI

Tate & Lyle Arthur Guinness & Son

BANGLADESH ON THE

BRINK OF CIVIL WARP

SMITH

CALLS UP

RESERVES

TO FIGHT

GUERRILLAS

The racialist regime in Rho- desia is to continue calling up reserves to assist in counter-insurgency operations. The mobilization follows series of well-planned raids by which liberation forces killed 12 and corporal Was oners were wounded. The Territorials, called up for an indefinite period, will join armed troops, police 1coulal and airmen in patrol clar Several guerrillas are claimed captured, Deen their names kept have been secret even during court cases.

This is done so that guer- rilla forces have difficulty in of their discovering the tate also means that the men. Rhodesian authorities are tree to inflict the most barbarous punishment and tortures on anyone who is picked up. In a local magistrate's court last week, tribal leaders two were sent to prison for failing report the of onesence guerrilla who had been recruit- ing Africans for training. Two were jailed for four years and the guerrilla was given five years' hard labour.

WORKERS

IN VENICE

ORDER

GAS MASKS

Venice The the Water. conjure words blissful up scenes of crisp morning air with wisps of swirling I0g along the world-famous canals.

Not so. The air pollution is diabolical that 50,000 SO workers on one large indus- trial estate are asking to be equipped with gas masks. Republican Two senators have said that the pollution is high enough 'to endanger the lives of workers'. The order for the 50.000 gas masks was sent to all 205 firms working at Venice's Porto Marhera industrial dis- trict by the chief inspector of labour conditions. This tol- lowed several cases of groups intoxicated workers belng by industrial gas fumes. The industrialists are now complaining about the cost of the masks. Rather than pay £14 for each of the masks, as recommended, they want to £4 which buy they claim are lighter and more convenient. The dangerous gases being released in the area are phos- prussic acid and sulphur dioxide.

BY IAN YEATS

Bangladesh may be on the threshold of a bloody civil war, accord- ing to eye-witnesses who have quit the country for the "safety of London' In the Bangladesh capital, Dacca, dusk falls each day to the accompaniment of rifle and small arms fire which some- times lasts throughout the night. In the cities, towns and even villages shops are looted and after daylight corpses are found in their homes or by the roadside shot or battered to death by unknown hands.

With unemployment and poverty raging, the writ of the Awami League government 1s being increasingly devalued by the actions of minorities taking the law into their own hands.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is determined to halt the break- up of his country by obtaining a clear expression of public support at the General Elec- tions sheduled for March 7.

An Awami League splinter group disaffected with Rah- man's softness - the Jatiye Shamajtantrik Dal (National Party) - is making Socialist shrill calls for a benevolent dictatorship in Bangladesh.

Rahman's strategy of asking his people to be patient while the new nation is built is in ruins. right wing The clamouring for force to hold restive elements in check.

Lavish foreign aid (at interest rates which in five years time will financially cripple the country) is falling disastrously short of what is required to develop the largely agricultural and war-shattered economy.

Essential goods are scarce and smuggling and black mar- keteering is flourishing, fan- ning the already chronic in- flation. With the Pakistanis out of their country, industrial wor- kers expected rapid advances in their wages and living standards. Instead Rahman has banned since indepen- strikes. And dence, he has less than doubled wages while prices have risen eightfold in the same period.

months of mounting After frustration, their anger broke loose last week after Rahman's police shot two students and injured at least six others.

Led by the pro-Moscow faction of the National Awami Party, workers at most fac- tories in Dacca downed tools in a one-day General Strike against the killings. The students belonged to the

NAP,

whose members now control Dacca students' union Awami Leaguers were after ousted from power. Since independence the pro- Moscow NAP has been known Awami League's 'B as the team' and the decision to call a demonstration at the begin- ning of this month against the US bombing of Vietnam can only be seen as a diversion.

If the NAP leaders intended seriously to oppose the Awami League government which until now they have critically supported, why not base their urgent home campaign on issues like prices, wages and the government's repressive labour code? The Bengali government had already recognized North Vietnam and individual leaders, including Rahman, had con- demned the bombing. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Above: Moulanz pro-Peking National Awami Party, addres The riots in three cities and the General Strike in Dacca which followed were seen by Rahman and the right wing serious incipient alike as a threat to their rule. Rahman himself called on loyal peasants and student supporters of the Awami League to 'save Bangladesh from communism'. In an orgy of violence on January 5 pro-Rahman sup- porters set fire to the National Awami Party (Moscow wing) offices in Dacca. Then they stormed on to set fire to the offices of the pro-Moscow students' union and threw stones at the offices of the pro-Peking Revolu- tionary Students' Union and the pro-Moscow Communist Party.

BOOKS • PERIO

Workers Press, Wednes 3: Moulana Bashani, veteran leader of the ty, addresses a huge rally in Dacca.

The Awami League is blatantly moulding the political situation into one in which all left groups can be lumped 'saboteurs' together and as 'trouble makers' The March 7 election is calculated to give Rahman a mandate to take decisive action. He is relying on a massive confidence vote from Bangla- desh peasants, many of whom benefited from the 25 per cent slashing of land revenues in- troduced as a popular measure when he came to power. But this is by no means certain. A rally held by the

• PERIODICALS @ NEWSPAPERS

3, Wednesday January 10, 1973 PAGE 5 pro-Peking National Awami Party in Dacca last week drew to 50,000 workers and up peasants at a race-course meet- ing addressed by veteran leader Moulana Bashani. Now UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim has warned that Bangladesh will need up to 2 million tons of grain this year if famine is to be averted. Rahman's Together with failure to redistribute land on any large scale, the effect of black marketeering and drought food supplies and the on general shortage of cash in the countryside, the stage is set for serious upheavals in 1973.

Awami League While the turns to repression in the face insoluble of country's problems, workers and peasants alike are being thrown into confusion by the absence of a political leadership willing and able to provide an alternative.

The combined effect of shortages and the first taste of power for Awami Leaguers is a government riddled with corruption. While the right-wing mar- shals its forces behind Rah- man's back, the largely Stalinist opposition is paralysed by its adherence to the perspective giving the Bangabandhu of (Rahman) first one chance, then another and still another to get the country on its feet.

The net result is the in- creasing break-down of law order and of established and political relations. There are now more guns in Bangladesh than during the war against Pakistan, ranging from pistols to bazookas, and raids are becoming increasingly individuals commonplace as and groups seize what they can get no other way. In this dog-eat-dog atmos- phere of deprivation and terror the ingredients exist for civil war. Businessmen, journalists, doctors and lawyers are said to be making preparations to leave the country.

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wad, Thurs 9 aіт.-6 р.т. Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Wednesday January 10, 1973

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

most misplaced. It is a fact that The extraordinary thali- 1961, the the since year domide affair offered the children born, parents were Tory Press an oppor- have been fighting a bitter and unsuccessful battle to secure tunity for of an orgy from the multi-million money pompous self-congratu- pound whisky barons. lation. did But the at no stage 'campaigning' British Press take The dominated the story up their plight, neither did any front pages and by the end of paper print the true story last week several papers were distinc- the thalidomide tragedy which the unique claiming was far from a mistake. This is tion of bringing the Distillers company to its knees. the fact that at least despite has came on national newspaper An added bonus one Saturday when Fleet Street was had the full facts since 1967.

able to write the 'happy ever The began on campaign around the f20m 1 when the after story' Monday January news leaked out that two mer- offer (which after tax con- surrepti- likely to cost the chant banks were cessions 1s company £8m). to settle tiously attempting The whole affair was sup- the wrangle without further posed to prove that capitalists, damaging publicity. though often misguided, out of On Tuesday the government would touch, stubborn etC., refused any special tax status eventually face the music and which promptly to Distillers, 'new' fllm offer withdrew its pay up. Everyone was relieved. "The it proposed (£6m of which 'Sunday the should be shouldered by the reported City, Telegraph' 'has never seen any- taxpayer). like the Distillers affair thing Wednesday things On the and one can only pray that it The took a more serious turn.

will never happen again. price of Distillers' shares fell The same paper reported one £llm off 3p to 163.5p, wiping one of the more telling motives its Stock Exchange value.

'Above behind the campaign: It was at this point the big editor all,' concluded City they had a battalions decided Hutber, 'there has Patrick heart after all (supermarket been a realization that capital- owner David Green had already if it is to survive, must ism, decided not to sell Distillers capitalism with a human be 'Cynics in the trade spirits: face? thought it was all a publicity 'The reported exercise Grocer'). After ten years of witness- ing the harrowing legal battles which in the courts, Pru', parents lost, the with Eventually 'The it shares in Distillers, million Mirror' who sounded the re- stepped in. 'campaign' and the treat on Press The entire capitalist began the gradual rehabilitation gave blanket coverage to kına- its the company ly Sir John Hogg, Prudential position of respect in the City.

Insurance's deputy chairman 'The Distillers' offer of £20m of and deputy chairman The time is .. fair one. Williams and Glyn's Bank (an- for militancy is over' - the Distillers other 1.1 million of relief on the Stock sighs shares). Exchange were almost audible.

The London 'Evening Stand- The Distillers scandal was a "The share- ard' reported Hogg: tricky issue for the Tory bosses holders are worried—on two Street. campaign of Fleet fronts of humanity and appeal emotional with great business and was clearly building up behind we want to help.' They know if we can 410 of the the parents had of course been making deformed children. At some their minds up for a decade, commanded this recog- stage but they had finally come to nition in the Press. it-Distillers would have to same time the pro- At the pay! The tests had be be defused. The 'Standard's' rival, the method--and the one best 'Evening News' turned its lead adopted-was to universally columns over to Richard Flem- suggest that there was nothing ings, director of Robert Flem- basically wrong with a system bankers and that produces thalidomide and ings, advisers to denied Distillers. compensa- persistently worth re- His remarks tion to the afflicted children, are producing in full: save a pig-headed board 'Lack of noise does not mean directors. lack of action. Distillers is 'The Sun" concluded Hence quiet Scottish firm unused to 'Great news at on Saturday: the glare of publicity,' he said.

last. A triumph for the brave "This is difficult parents who never took no for very It human problem. 1S answer. But does anyone terrible human tragedy and the Distillers' £20m believe the company has to find a solution been offer would ever have that is fair and just-and that made had it not been for the figures outcry by the people of Britain is likely to mean as high some the and their newspapers?' ambitious demands made: Over- And the 'Daily Mail': "The Where, one might ask, was thalidomide children-the vic- the humanity when Distillers tims of one of the saddest mis- thalidomide takes ever to spring from man's was taking cam- paigner David Mason to court scientific genius . (Remem- deformed ber the word mistake. More to make his nine- year-old daughter 'Lulu' a ward on this later.) of the court? The argument In the pages of the capitalist was that by not accepting Dis- Press all this jubilation is tillers' 'highest and final' offer, unfit to bring up the he was child. There were no great in the emotiona campaigns Tory Press about that case.

The phrase about the 'quiet Scottish firm' is also interest- ing. $62m PROFIT Distillers quietly made £62m profit in the year ending March more than 1971. 1972, £8m share was 7.25 The yield per per cent in 1971 when £23m shareholders was paid out to 'Pru'. The sharehold- like the ings of the 18-man board of die ors netted them in 1991: this is on top of their salaries.

The directors generally live style too. Take the quiet ın a Hon Rt Baron Forteviot Eton and Oxford, chairman of the Dewars whisky group,

ATHEN

FORWARD WITH THE PEOPLE

Saturday. January 6. 1973 "This is well worth considering ...but my poor Freddie A sample of the Press ballyhoo over Distillers' formed thalidomide victims. There were no battles when the parents were fighting for con

* YOUR TOP TV

RACING GUIDE

*STARRING TEMPLEGATE

WHOSE NAP CAME

PAGES

IN YESTERDAY AT 4-1

TODAY

t i By VICTOR CHAPPLE and ANTHONY SHRIMSLEY TWENTY MILLION POUNDS! That "final offer" to t Britain's thalidomide victims was made last night by the Distillers Company. I The offer was approved by the 17 man board at a three-hour meeting in Distillers' Condon headquarters.

It is four times as much as the last offer.

THE SUN SAYS

! • GREAT news atlast . porents who never took 12 074.0 onswer. • But docs £20million anyone balieve the Distillers offer would ever have bean made had it not been tor the outcry by the people et Britain and their nawspopers?

stillers' {20m offer to the parents of the de- • no headlines during the long years of legal for compensation for their children.

STan

* YOUR ТОР ТУ

40

RACING GUIDE

* STARRING TEMPLEGATE

PACES

WHOSE NAP CAME

SATE

PAGES

TODAY

IT SHRIMSLEY

UN SAYS -

e parents of the de • long years of legal eir children. Distillers subsidiary. He lives quietly in Dupplin Castle, Perth. combine, The boss of the Sir Alex McDonald, is noted for his quiet conduct of affairs.

He was one of the four wise men who recommended almost the complete closure of the upper Clyde shipyards in the interests of efficiency. The firm also has very quiet industrial relations. The last big strike was in Scotland in had Then June. women pitched battles with police on the Distillers picket lines.

All these facts, particularly the long legal wrangles over money, were either ignored or reported in a most desultory fashion by the Tory Press. But then thalidomide was not an 'issue'. Anyway, the belated pub- licity. did the trick. Distillers shares began to rise once more.

They passed their earlier peak, adding £23m to the company's Stock Exchange value by Thursday January 5. There was one paper, how- that did have the full ever, thalidomide facts. The 'Sunday Times' began investigating the in 1967 and within case months had several cabinets full of documents. Men visited Germany and Sweden to track down the origins of the deadly drug. But only a few shots were fired. The odd piece appeared, but nothing like the full in- vestigation that the material gathered merited. During 1972 the dusty files were reopened when the famous Insight team was told to cool their investigations of army torture and oppression in Ulster. Stories pointing out the sad plight of the children and their bitter fight for compensation were published. definitive Eventually a 14,000-word investigation was completed. This article was Distillers who for- sent to warded it to Attorney-General, Rawlin- Sir Peter Rawlinson. son promptly took the paper to court and halted publication.

One of the judges was Lord Widgery, who had also pre- vented publication of the 'Sun- day Times' Bloody Sunday his own exposé pending lengthy investigation into the incident in Derry on January 30, 1972, when demonstrating civilians were gunned down by the British army. However, events overtook as most of Fleet the paper Street jumped on the thalido.

mide bandwagon and began publishing their carefully- vetted 'exposés. The "UK Press Gazette' asked the 'Sun- day Times' to publish and be damned'. But the story never appeared. Workers Press, Wednesday January 10, 1973 PAGE 7 The Press barons. Chairman of the News- Publishers' Association, Lord paper of Times Goodman, with editor in chief Newspapers, Denis Hamilton (right) and Victor Feather who, according to Cecil King, irror receiving was £500 a year from the of papers. Hamilton group was present at the board meeting which 'Sunday Times' was crucial in the deci- sion not to publish the full thalidomide Other men from Times Newspapers story. Sharecross Sen (top to bottom): Lord Labour Attorney-General, a director; Times' day editor, Harold Evans; and Lord Robens, another director.

flooded C. D. Hamilton, editor in with and warnings Newspapers chief of Times complaints from doctors over the alarming side-effects of the is believed to have ruled that Sunday 1958 Distillers began Times' editor Harold drug. In Evans would be in hot water to manufacture the drug under licence if he was found guilty in any and market the pro- litigation resulting from duct as Distaval. pub- lication. Grünenthal did all in their power to defend their 'inven- tion' and keep it on the market.

Only when its ghastly effect on babies came to 1961 light in was the drug withdrawn all over the world. Hence Fleet Street Since then most of the com- stifled the 'Sunday Times' thalidomide Distillers included, panies, story. But this did reveal that fought a legal battle against the terrible effects of the drug compensation claims. 'Daily could have been avoided. So much for the Mail's' 'saddest mistake' theory.

Workers Press published on Friday and Saturday of last The thalidomide story chal- week a long review of the lenges a fundamental principle 'Thalidomide Special of capitalism- Penguin that production the Power of the Drug for the profit of the few pro- and by Henning Sjö- Companies' duces human welfare for all. ström and Robert Nilsson.

Four hundred and ten children They reveal that by the late are living denials of this prin- fact Tory 1950s the German ciple-a that the manu- Press is determined to keep facturers of the 'wonder-drug, Chemie Grünenthal, from its readers. were

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Wednesday Jai A special correspondent looks The £55,000 fine seques- tered from the Amalga- mated Union of Engi- neering Workers funds by the National Indus- trial Relations Court has brought the question of contempt of court right into the centre of the class struggle in Britain.

It was for contempt of court that the Transport and General Workers' Union was fined a total of £55,000 by court president Sir John Donaldson, who also ordered the Penton- ville five jailed for the same oftence. The rules governing con- tempt of court were used recently by the Attorney- General successfully who an order prohibiting sought publication of articles on articles on thalidomide and the Company in the Distillers 'Sunday Times' newspaper. The issue of contempt came to a head early in the short life of the NIRC when railway workers were interviewed on television denouncing the court-ordered ballot. Sir John warned that the publication of interviews attacking court decisions and urging defiance could constitute contempt.

This threat sent a number of institutions, not least the something BBC, into very much resembling panic. Here they were, thoroughly respect- able journalists, faithful sup- porters of law and order and now they faced trouble simply for doing their job. Contempt of court can be broadly defined as conduct obstructing or perverting, or calculated to obstruct or per- vert the course of justice. If a judge says an act is contempt of court then it is—there is no trial by jury on it. The whole question of con- tempt of court is now being examined by a parliamentary headed by Lord committee Justice Philimore. This com- mittee has received evidence from a number of bodies which clearly reveals the thinking of influential establishment circles on contempt. In their evidence the News- paper Society, representing all provincial newspaper pro- prietors, concentrated on the question of contempt of the National Industrial Relations Court. They point out that the NIRC has the powers of in dealing with high court contempt. This was confirmed by Sir John Donaldson in a statement made in June. The Newspaper Society con- cluded from Donaldson's re- marks that: "Though there has as yet been no test case, we believe that as the law stands, comment by the Press on matters before the court would •.. be regarded as contempt, and dealt with in the same way as by any other branch of the High Court.' This them some causes apprehension because of the impact it has in restricting reports of events surrounding cases before the court. Not that the Newspaper Society magnates want to detract from Sir John's powers to deal with rosday January 10, 1973 t looks at the laws of contempt.

malcontents who deliberately set out to challenge the court.

They simply want a guaran- tee that they will not be liable for contempt proceedings if they merely publish comment on the court's proceedings and on cases before it. This is made plain when they tell Philimore's committee: 'We believe that the law of contempt should not apply to comment on matters referred• to the court for adjudication, unless such comment: "(a) is abusive of the court or its members, questions the integrity of the court, or holds it up to ridicule; "(b) discourages party any from bringing an action, or from appearing before it to answer an action or to give evidence; (c) encourages disobedience to orders of the court.' This lines the Newspaper Society solidly on the side of and order against the law working-class opponents of the Industrial Relations Act, who do not recognize the court, are pledged not to appear before Lord Chief Justice Widgery, Mr Justic prevented the publication of articles on 1 Release of the Pentonville five, jalled for it and have already in number of cases disobeyed its orders. The provincial newspaper went on in the most owners obsequious to way assure Philimore that their main con- cern was to make the NIRC acceptable to 'public opinion'.

They assure him that this aim would best be served by allowing comment on the issues before the court: "The court, if it is to function effectively, must have the sup- port of public opinion. "This is not to say that the public must be persuaded that its findings are invariably right [this might prove a task yond the powers even of the Newspaper Society!] but the public must at least accept the court as a properly constituted branch of the High Court, and be able to feel and to see : that justice is being done!!].

"This is unlikely in the highly-emotive atmosphere in which the court is having to function at the present time, with the standing of the court continuously under attack, and the facts surrounding the cases it is dealing with blurred by prejudice, ignorance and re- sentment ... 'Freedom to comment con- structively on established facts would we believe help to remove the court's activities from political controversy and enable the public to form a more objective judgement.'

Meltond justice The Newspaper Society was that by

SUIC

would not be judges or lay members. In our sitting Juage, is likely to prejudiced the Press. It adds: judicing. the should matter was The essence tailored its Press- Anyone the provincial of question Relations Act surprised by interesting to Newspaper only The Society paper Society was prejudicing the or that matter the court er by a High Court without a Be intuenced jury, statements there are s of the Industrial ourt, we think the ent applies If it is felt neces- in legal protectio of pre- the court, test published couched in which it in for the cour its duty? of these pro at the law should that only the NIRC-that ur movement and an conceivably b terms followed the his line y this line note that the not the 1S te of this type the contempt prob. naldson among vists, put its evid Mr Justice Brabin, the three judges who s Company in the 'Sunday Times'. Above: before the Philimore ence committee two months ago.

Like the provincial news- paper proprietors, Tory the lawyers are in favour of 're- forming' the rules on contempt of court. But again, like the Newspaper Society, their pro- posed reforms are distinctly double-edged. The centre of the Conser- vative Lawyers' proposal is the strengthening of courts' powers to deal with those who disobey court orders, prejudice proceedings or interfere with the conduct of court cases.

They that these propose types of contempt should be punishable as now by sum- mary committal — the Tory come down against lawyers trying them in another court, the grounds that partly on only the judge of the court where the contempt was com- mitted can shrug off' minor contempts without detracting the authority of the from bench. This consideration, however, does not prevent them from suggesting , a new method of dealing with certain types of contempt which does involve trial in a separate court.

The Tory lawyers want to deal with criticism of the bench on a similar basis to criminal libel. • reformers justify The Tory their stand on the following "Although we have grounds: stressed the importance of up- holding the authority of the fo courts, we think that the Press have on certain occasions been wrongly inhibited from just or fair criticism of judicial be- haviour. "There can be little doubt uncertain limits of that the the law of contempt is largely responsible for this inhibition.

We therefore propose that criticism of the bench, or scandalizing the court, such as by letters to newspapers or by speeches in Lincoln's Inn Fields, should no longer be punishable as a contempt.

'Instead we propose legis- lation to establish . an offence similar to criminal libel, by which action may be taken against criticisms which are thought to undermine public confidence the bench. [Emphasis added.] 'Proceedings would be undertaken by the Attorney- General only; there should be trial by jury; and defences of justification, fair comment and privilege should be open to the critic This proposal would amount to a sweeping change in the to institute law. The power would be placed proceedings in the hands of a political appointee—the Tories speculate that he would be very slow to institute proceedings, but there is absolutely no guaran- tee of this. What is more, the nature of the charge would make it very difficult to guarantee a genu- inely fair trial, as to exonerate the defendant would amount to attacking the competence of a judge. would the pro- the existing powers of a judge to commit for contempt, but it would also manufacture a new offence with markedly political overtones when applied to such institutions as the Industrial Relations Court.

Far from diminishing the swipe of contempt proceedings, the evidence of these two in- fluential bodies before the Philimore committee is a plea for the strengthening of powers against contempt of court and has very dangerous implications for the workers' movement.

MEMOIRS

After the defeat of the Wilson government, various Ministers rushed into print to tell their side of the catastrophe. We had personal reminiscences written by Harold himselt, Lord George-Brown, Marcia Wil- liams (Wilson's private sec- retary and close friend) and Anthony Crosland. The ex-PM's were parti- cularly profitable. the 'Sunday Times' is believed to have paid Wilson some £200,000 for the turgid apologia for why he wasn't the greatest leader since Disraeli. But was really everyone about the private excited memoirs of Richard Crossman, the old social democrat who went off to become editor of the 'New Statesman'. He has been working at the project for two years. The book was to be published dur- ing this year, but it now emerges that Wilson has inter- vened. Crossman has agreed to delay publication until after the next General Election. He said that Wilson had thought that publication of the Cabinet reminiscences might damage the Party's chances at the polls.

good reformist In fashion Crossman has decided to keep Labour supporters ignorant of the poitical atrocities com- mitted by the Labourites while in power.

VICIOUS CIRCLE

Graduates will soon be forced to work as hotel managers, garage mechanics, undertakers, used-car dealers and mortuary technicians. This follows the serious decline in jobs for graduates over the last few years, accord- ing to Bernard Holloway, secretary of the Manchester university careers office.

Mr Holloway was addressing the recent North of England Engineering Conference. The easiest way to combat this loss of graduate jobs- which was heaviest in engineer- ing and computingwas for graduates to take jobs that would normally go to school- leavers, Holloway suggested.

But he didn't say what the school leavers should do.

DECORATED

Colonel David Hackworth was the Audie Murphy of the Viet- For his services to nam war. US imperialism he received a total of 91 medals. This made him the most decorated soldier of the war. His decorations include two Distinguished Service Crosses, ten Silver Stars, eight Bronze Stars, four Commendation Medals, the Vietnamese National Order, fifth class, and eight Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses. He was wounded four times during active service in Viet- nam and wrote a much-used handbook on counter-insur- gency called 'Vietnam Primer' He left the army because he had become 'disillusioned with the war' • Did he object to the barbarities of US imperialism? No, what bothered the colonel was the US propaganda claim that it was winning the war. He also felt that soldiers weren't properly trained.

Hackworth is now in Queens- land, Australia, where he is allegedly leading a more creative, truthful and worth- while life'. He is working at 'Sid's Diner' at the beach resort of Coolangatta. More funny business is re- ported from Soviet Georgia where house repairs are taking years instead of the several planned two to six months. Funds allocated for housing repairs have, it appears, been applied to other purposes.

Towards the end of last year a number of Georgian bureau- removed crats for were building themselves luxurious secondary residences. engineer of The chief Batoum municipal council has dismissed for the ex- been penditure of funds for wrong and other offences. purposes Local officials in other towns repri- have been severely manded. Moscow Trials Anthology Paperback, 624р

MAX SHACHTMAN:

Behind The Moscow Trial Paperback 75p

ROBERT BLACK:

Stalinism In Britain Paperback £1.124—cloth £2

LEON TROTSKY:

Death Agony of Capitalism (The Transitional Programme) •Pamphlet 5p Class Nature of the Soviet State Pamphlet 20p In Defence of the October Revolution Pamphlet 15p The Theory and Practice of Revisionism Pamphlet 15p Postage 10p per book, 3p per pamphlet. Order from :

• NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS

18бa Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG.

US ROUND-UP BY SARAH HANN

Police are now being used to break up picket lines in the United States on a scale unknown since the huge union battles of the 1930s. Biggest battles of all recently have been on the picket lines of members of the News- papers' Guild. During a recent strike at the 'Cleveland Plain Dealer', mounted police charged into the picket line, injuring several of the strikers. After another such incident on a 300-strong picket line during a Newspapers' Guild strike in Wilmington, Dela- ware, one picket said: I turned around and there was this big police lieutenant, The increase in postal rates imposed on small journals by President Nixon recently has put 12 labour movement pub. lications out of business.

One editor said that postal increases will total 700 per cent over the next ten years for working-class papers all over America. He added: "This will make people think twice before something. This is starting real intimidation.' One journal for machinists, with a circulation of over a million, will be cut back to a semi-monthly or even a monthly as a result of Nixon's moves. The 12 papers that have closed down stretch from Santa Barbara to the Oregon Workers Press, Wedne

H HANNIGAN

with a big smile on his face, pouring mace into my eyes and mouth. 'It's hard to imagine what mace is like. But just think of tear gas applied to your face in liquid form, five or six times • the vapour. I stronger than was completely incapacitated.'

Other workers suffered even more severe injuries. Said the picket: I saw one guy who had been hit by billy clubs.

He seemed to be dead when the ambulance arrived.' These attacks now have the full support of the Nixon regime, and every city police department throughout the country knows it. Just three weeks ago, the US Supreme Court established a ruling that gives broad legal scabs against protection to Nixon: Mis incross postal rates put 12 labour movement publica- tions out of business. border. They are all published by Olympic Press, which is owned by the estate of an Oregon millionaire. Undoubtedly the closures form part of the attack on the unions being put into effect by Nixon's government. The trade unions throughout California will now find it more difficult to communicate with each other following the loss of 12 papers in one go. 18, Wednesday January 10, 1973 PAGE 9 Mounted police charge print- workers on the picket lines at the Cleveland Plain Dealer Company.

retribution by unions and union members. At the same time as he un- leashes thousands upon thousands of tons of bombs on North Vietnam, killing hun- dreds of people daily, Nixon also prepares to bring the war home to the US, to every single section of American workers who dare to defend their union rights and con- ditions. Printworkers who today defy the US Pay Board and demanding who are strike action to fight cuts in their contract are finding themselves increasingly threatened by armed strike-breakers. A number of attacks are being launched on the con- ditions and employment of American dockers. Only last week 260 men were thrown out of work on the Philadelphia docks when 13 gangs were laid off. In addition to the lay-offs, the Luckenback Steamship Company has stated it will be going out of business in the next few months. Workers employed by the company have been denied their guaranteed annual in- come for the past two months and it is now clear the bosses have no intention of paying it at all. The attacks on Philadelphia dockers follows the threat of jobs in Brooklyn, where three piers are closing down. And on the Manhattan docks, over 190 men have lost the right to fall-back pay. In all these attacks the Inter- national Longshoremen's Asso- ciation has refused to lift a finger to defend its members' interests.

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Wednesday January 10, 1973

TODAY'S TV

BBC 1

12.30 Nai zindagi naya jeevan. 12.55 News. 1.00 Pebble Mill at one.

1.30 On the farm. 1.45 Made in Britain. 2.00 Fashioin fanfare. 2.45 Cartoon. 3.00 Sunday debate. 3.35 Young Scientists of the year.

4.00 Deputy dawg. 4.10 Play school. 4.35 Jackanory.

4.50 Thurs- day's child. 5.20 Screen test. 5.40 Magic roundabout. 5.45 News.

Weather.

6.00 NATIONWIDE. 6.50 TOM AND JERRY.

7.00 TOMORROW'S WORLD. 7.25 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.

8.10. SOFTLY, SOFTLY: TASK FORCE.. Conspiracy.

9.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS. Weather.

9.25 TONY BENNETT. 10.10 JOYCE GRENFELL.

10.45 MIDWEEK. 11.30 LATE NIGHT NEWS. Weather.

9.40 Skippy. 10.05 Film: 'Bottoms Upl'. Jimmy Edwards. 11.35 Gal: loping gourmet. 12.00 Cartoon. 12.05 Inigo Pipkin. 12.25 Rupert Bear. 12.40 First report. 1.00 Sing out with The Settlers. 1.30 Crown court. 2.00 Harriet's back in town. 2.30 Good afternoon. 3.00 Looks 3.25 Saint. 4.20 Get this. 4.50 Arthur of the Britons. 5.20 familiar. Survival. 5.50 News.

TODAY.

6.35 CROSSROADS.

6.00

7.30 CORONATION STREET.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE.

7.00 8.00 PATHFINDERS. Operation Pickpocket.

PUBLIC EYE. The Golden Boy.

10.00 NEWS AT TEN.

9.00

A PLACE IN THE COUNTRY.

Wallington. 10.30 The Kong Ting Ruby

LATE NIGHT THEATRE: 'MELODRAMA'.

11.00 or The Sparkle of Blood. Five

FILM:

'FIVE DESPERATE WOMEN'.

Robert Conrad. 11.30 women college friends meet for a reunion on an island and one is murdered.

12.50 A NEW DAY.

BBC 2

11.00-11.25 Play school. 7.05 MAN AT WORK. Please Disregard My Age.

7.30 NEWS SUMMARY. Weather.

7.35

IN A DAY.

The Crossing.

ALL

MUSIC ON 2. I Musici. 8.20 A HARDY SUMMER. Thomas Hardy's words.

9.15 To Catch a Fox. Those hunt and those 9.25

MAN

ALIVE.

who who don't.

THIRTY-MINUTE THEATRE: 'THE PUNCHY AND THE FAIRY'

10.15 Directed by Roy Battersby. With James Culi: By Jim Allen. ford and Peter Kerrigan. 10.45 EDITION. 11.15 NEWS EXTRA. Weather.

WORKERS PRESS

Do you get regularly? If not, why not take out a subscription now? £20.28 for 12 months (312 issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 Issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and send to : Circulation Dept., Workers Press, 186a Clapham High St., London SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

MONDAY

THURSDAY

Days required

FRIDAY

TUESDAY

(Please tick)

WEDNESDAY

SATURDAY

Or .. months. Full subscription (six days) for Name Address Amount enclosed £ Punchy and the Fairy with presentation tonight is Jim Allen's BBC 2's Thirty-Minute Theatre I ne Peter Kerrigan as Charlie (left) and James Culliford as Gilbert.

YORKSHIRE:

HARLECH:

London Dic

REGIONAL TV

the made, Report. islands London.

CHO HO 1I

3.30 London: Lon- don. 10.3 8.00 Cinema. Adam London. Ne. i,.30 NEWS. spyrorce London. Market Fosroad. 4.29 London the 5.25 Edgar Wallace 12.05 London Yes: 630 a. 3.000 London. House arty: ss 61.30 Nehat the Dews. 425 London. 5.20 papers say Anglia. 6.00

TEES:

29355 him. London. 11.30 1. 32.00 Cartoon Champions. Today 6.35 Lon ondon 12:35 News. 120 Twizzle 11.00 Britain Edga Film Wallace. 11.30 don. O'Hara 2 Sa treasury. • Lecturn. 12.40 ad. 5, 50* 12.02 man 420. 05 5.25

ULSTER:

1. 2.30 Carto 1.29 40 Ro London. day. on 3.00 No Repor Day by Thompson kind ea She pa. 4.25 6.35

12.30 WEE

"Shirley's 8.00 London. Weather. World world. All Trades Unions Alliance meetings

CENTRAL LONDON

Fight Rising Prices Entertainments Force the Tories to Resign Support the Engineers Sunday January 14, 7 p.m.

11 Floral Street, RSC Rehearsal

SHEFFIELD:

Wednesday January, Rooms, London WC1 Trippett Lane, Sheffield ape Inn p.m. Defeat the Tory Government GLASGOW Thursday January Build Councils of Action 'The 1.50 p.m. rantick Durgh Tall

HULL:

Wednesday totel Alfred Philip Wad Common Market and the wage Hotel White (Workers Press) Hart treeze Street (near WANDSWORTH: Tuesday January Bridge). , 8 p.m. Selkirk Hotel 'Festival HACKNEY: Thursday January 11, SW17 Street Market, E14. •rodeway. Parlour, Hackney p.m. leadership in the working class' a living wage' I ne Central Hall (opp. Town Hall). 16, .11,

BRISTOL:

Tuesday Thursda January Thursdal Boar Lane 7.30 p.m Building Design Centre

TONBRIDGE:

7.30 p.m. Peel Colston Avenue (opposite SWEB Hill 8 oad. 8 p.m. The Foresters', Quarry

GLASGOW:

Saturday January 13,

HOLLOWAY:

Tours Hall Seven KINGSTON: Thursday January 11 B:ougham Street, Greenock.

'The Liverpool Market and Tory Wage (Coo Finsbury Sevel p.m. Cambridge Road and (near Park Sisters corner of London Road. WATFORD: Monday 15, January 8 p.m. Watford Trade Union Hall, MIDDLESBROUGH: Sunday Janu- SLOUGH: Thursday January Woodford Road, opposite Watford ary 28, 7.30 p.m. Centre •emement com Class Room, Farnham Road.

Community munity Centre, Newport Road Junctions olatull An appeal on behalf of the Fine Tubes strikers of Plymouth Press Fine Tubes This Christmas has been the ers wishes to The Plymouth trade 53 to Strikers, their wives and nardest or all. moosed soccid aunca just spent their burden. . Now children have unioniss to lake correctons face the rest of their factories and branches with ' strikers Christmas on nIrO Fine Tubes depleted for the very little money. winte Will that their heroic These have strike Tune. January orde struggle for a difficult month to raise mone!

bitter •ete mine acion cane cal their figh ried forward. All money should to further Cal l be sent to: determined belong no This is a struggle the alt a trade union Fine Tubes Treasurer Tiont on. class cannot afford to committee members Strike c/o 65 Bretonside is why the Socialist over 100,000 lose. nave wavered Plymouth, Devon. miles to sustain their fight. Labour Leaque and the work•

BRUTALITY BEHIND

THE BARBED WIRE

Four-week reprieve for 270 mid-Wales jobs THE KEENAN family has a le in Northern Ireland. The pres has spent 14 years in detentior the war. When the latest round of interning occurred Keenan was again picked up—one of the first. He was released just over a year ago, but fled Derry during Operation Motorman. He is now based at Buncrana just over the border in the Republic. Since the army occupation began in 1969, one of Keenan's sons, Colm, has been shot dead British troops and his eldest son, Sean, was picked Belfast two months ago up in and interned without trial.

Other relatives of the Keenan family have also been subjected to army harassment and torture.

Workers Press received details of recent brutality by the army against Cyril Canning, son- in-law of Sean Keenan, senior. The series of assaults took place in Compound 5 at Long Kesh internment camp on December 19, 1972. Canning was picked up shortly declared after internment was and only three months after he was married. His wife Nora (22), has to trek to Long Kesh when- ever she can to visit her husband.

On Tuesday, December 19, Canning was taken from Com- 5 to appear pound before the Detention of Terrorists Tribunal where he was accused of shooting soldiers. English and Scottish There were three prison officers present on the escort, including a Scottish PO. (His name has subsequently been given to the authorities.) As Canning came out of the 'court' he hesitated, not knowing which way to go. The Scottish PO attacked him, pulling him to the ground by the hair. With the others assisting, Can- ning was batoned and handcuffs which were too tight were slipped on his wrists. They then dragged him along the ground by the chain on the handcuffs and threw him into a hut called 'waiting room'. He was thrown onto the floor and beaten over the back of The officers then re- the legs. his trousers hitting him moved continuously. The chain of • the handcuffs in his mouth and, placed was holding his arms back, they ran him into the van backed up against the door of the hut.

Inside the van they walked on top of him and the Scottish PO stood on his neck. He shouted: 'Get on the radio and ask them to give us a clear run through."

At one gate they had to stop and he complained: 'Can't they see we're holding one of them down in here?" Canning complained that he could not breathe and the PO said: 'There are a lot of men not breathing because of you."

When they reached the "cooler" (the punishment cells) they beat him up, stripped him has a legendary history of republicar he present head of the family, Sean etention under the Special Powers Long Kosh camp from the alr. Political and left him naked. They turned off the heating and then tried to get the handcuffs off. As these were too small they had caused to swell and they hands could only get them off after throwing him on the ground and kneeling his chest and causing him considerable pain.

Canning asked to see a doctor and after about two hours he arrived. The doctor was very alarmed and demanded that the prisoner be moved to the sick bay to be stitched. At first the POs refused, but later they decided to rush him over in a group to conceal him from view if possible. 'Watch out, there's someone coming', they said at the last minute and drew back. They half carried him over. He was stitched and his very considerable bruising measured.

He was taken back to the cooler and left there all night. He did not sleep, but had feverish hallu- cinations throughout the night.

In the early morning the Scottish PO entered the cooler, which he was not supposed to do. He threatened Canning that if he said anything about him when he came before the THE 270 men whose jobs are threatened at Buttington Contractors Ltd, Trewern, North Wales, have been given a four week reprieve. Creditors of the company, into voluntary which went liquidation before Christmas, agreed at a meeting in Shrews- month's stay of bury to a execution while efforts to find a new buyer continue. At least one firm is known to have made an offer for the con- struction and road-making equip- ment company and six others publican activity

AN EXCLUSIVE

y, Sean Keenan,

REPORT BY A

NORTHERN IRE

owers Act since

CORRESPONDE

• Polltical prisoners are hold in Nissen huts In Governor, he would 'cripple him'.

Canning asked for a drink of water and was refused. Canning was brought before the deputy Governor for report- edly striking a prison officer (which was completely untrue); he could get three days in the cooler. 'As it is the season of good- will' said the deputy Govenor; I will only give you one day.'

Canning said: 'You might as well give me 30 as I have done nothing.' The deputy Governor said: 'You have had a lot of family trouble' (Canning's baby had died suddenly while he was in Long Kesh). 'What has that to do with it?' Canning asked. He was sent back to Cage 5 without any punishment. Canning's injuries were; four stitches in his mouth; headaches after being batoned the on head; he could not sit down; he had difficulty in passing urine; difficulty in walking, due to a badly bruised right leg; he had swelling of the neck; badly cut wrists due to the handcuffing and both his hands were swollen; the bridge of his nose was badly swollen. He was seen over the next few days by his wife, his family doctor and Father Denis Faul. A leading official of Long Kesh told Mrs Canning that Cyril 'got what he deserved'. have lodged inquiries with the wi receiver. The creditors hoped that a buyer could be found willing to maintain Buttington's as a going concern, but workers fear that any deal will mean some loss of The works' action committee, representing men scattered over about 30 mid-Wales sites, is concerned that only the road- making section be kept may going, employing only 100 men.

But even if both sections are continued, all the potential buyers have offices outside Wales.

Buttington's headquarters are ers in Trewern and many of the Workers Press, Wedness

ERN IRELAND

SPONDENT

compounds. on huts in barb When John Hume MP and Fr Faul rang this same official about getting a doctor, they were met with redtape (1 am sticking to the procedures.') This leading prison official claimed that Canning was rowdy in the Compound and was court martialled by his own men and badly beaten up by them. He then said Canning's in- juries were superficial and he did not need a doctor. The men in Cage 5 strenuously deny this.

Other remarks by this leading official to Fr Faul were: 'You're only a propagandist. 'You don't You count'. have no standing here'. 'I should not be talking to you'. The case of Cyril Canning shows that behind the wire the military authorities are still en- in the most fiendish gagıng brutality. It makes a complete nonsense of the claims of the Labourites and the liberals that William Whitelaw is in charge of a "softly-softly regime. Since the Tories seized direct judicial rule, the martial and stranglehold on the north has grown more powerful. It's just that you're reading less and less about it in your capitalist news- papers. white-collar workers there are certain to lose their jobs what- ever happens. Action committee secretary Mr John Llewellyn Cooke, who is also district secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union and mid-Wales represent- ative of the reformist Institute for Workers' Control, toid me there were contingency plans in cold store waiting to be brought to life if the worst, came to the worst. Meanwhile the committee is pressurizing the Welsh Office, government departments and the Secretary of State for Wales Mr Peter Thomas to take all possible , Wednesday January 10, 1973 PAGE 11 Draughtsmen out 18 weeks

DRAUGHTSMEN,

work-study engineers and planners at Rodley, near Leeds, are in their 18th week of lock-out over a claim for a substantial increase in pay.

Despite hostile coverage in the local Press and lack of response from production workers at their plant-Thomas Smith, part of the Thomas Ward group—they say they are determined to keep up their fight until a settlement is reached. The men, all members of the technical section of the AUEW, ban in began overtime an September after months of nego- tiations over an interim pay claim. On December 8 they accepted a £3 increase in the basic rate plus f2 'merit appraisal', but the offer was frozen by the govern- ment.

TODMORDEN

Monday January 22 'Stalinism' Monday February 5 "Trotskylsm'

THE WEAVERS'

INSTI-

TUTE,

Burnley Road, 7.30 p.m.

HULL

Wednesday January 17 Stalinism and Trotskyism Wednesday January 24 Marxist theory and the revolu- tonary party

WHITE HART HOTEL

Alfred Gelder Street (near Drypool Bridge) 8 p.m.

DONCASTER

Sunday January 21 Nhat future for the labour movement. Sunday January 28 The crisis and the socialist answer. Sunday February 4 The revolutionary party In Britain. Lectures given by Cliff Slaughter.

SPREAD EAGLE HOTEL

Westlaithgate 7.30 p.m. action to save the jobs. Today the committee will meet shadow Secretary of State Mr George Thomas in Cardiff.

If no buyer is found for the Mr Cooke said he company, hoped the Tories would step in with measures for alternative work. Employment prospects are severely limited in mainly agricul- tural mid-Wales. Said Mr Cooke: 'The next ten days are crucial. seven to The receiver only has so much money and the wage bill alone is thousands of pounds a week.'

The creditors will meet again on January 28 to make a final decision on the company's future.

Gasmen give Tories eight days ultimatum PAGE 12 Workers Press, Wednesday January 10, 1973

FROM DAVID MAUDE

GASWORKERS' leaders yesterday gave the Tories an ultimatum to lift their 'illegal' ban on pay negotiations. I ernment fails to free the Gas Corporation's hand, overtin banned and co-operation withdrawn from midnight on W January 17. But leaders of the General and Municipal Workers' Union, which organizes most of the industry's 48,000 workers, have left all their options open for calling off the action.

National officer John Edmonds claimed that the issue' ban negotiations 'a from on was separate the Tory pay control law itself. And David Basnett, the G&MWU's new general secretary, revealed that meeting a further executive has been called for January 16, the day before industrial action is due to take place. This will consider 'all the circumstances' which then exist-an indication that union leaders hope for at least a tactical softening of line by the government. Yesterday's decision means that every manual worker in the industry has been instructed to hit supplies in eight days' time. Transport and General Workers' Union delegates decided for this policy last Friday. Selective strikes could follow the overtime ban and of

G&MWU

withdrawal co-operation, the warned yesterday. executive This would happen if the Gas Corporation tried to escalate the situation.

The union is particularly worried that the Corpora- tion might try to use contract-labour to undermine its sanctions. If action takes place it will be the industry's first-ever on this scale.

Even the eight-hour day, a demand fought for in a bitter series of localized strikes, was finally con- ceded by the employers in national negotiations in 1889. threat industrial carried to the point of an offer.

action against wage cuts in the 1930s was lifted by union leaders yesterday Basnett hoped that after talks with the government.

'common sense will prevail', but "This admitted that the bitterness confrontation has been thrust on us, G&MWU secretary caused the letter the union's ranks was 'very real.

Basnett complained yesterday.

'We wanted to negotiate. The He would if he not say British Gas thought his members agreed with Corporation wanted we have But to negotiate. been the distinction he made between from the ban on talks and the pay law prevented doing by letter which a Cabinet Minister itself. has described as mandatory' The union leader insisted that This was reference if negotiations were offered, yes- Heath's premier December terday's would be instruction directive telling Lord Cooper, withdrawn. And despite repeated then just on the point of retire- questioning it was still unclear after ment long right-wing yesterday afternoon whether the

G&MWU®

G&MWU executive would call off career as leader, that negotiations could if during not be the action the next NEW EVIDENCE of Bri- tain's deteriorating economic performance been has re- leased by a government de- partment which indus- says trial investment

CAMDEN

will not Labourites have be- trayed thousands of pick up in 1973. council tenants by voting to implement the hated "fair rents' Act.

The Department of Trade and Industry forecast a small increase After months of fighting 'talk' in capital expenditure of between the Labour 35-17 voted group 2 and 5 per cent over the next on Monday night to put up the 12 months with the prospect of a rents of over 20,000 workers.

1974. revival in The decision - backed by But the Confederation of Bri- Labour leader Mrs Millie Miller- tish Industry has warned that if will be put into effect at council meeting tonight. Some Labour members yesterday said they would still vote against im- 3 for plementation. (See page .. story written before news broke.)

BUILDING

workers return to THE UNITED STATES whole- return work today at the sale price index rose 1.8 per- Hill site near Romford, Essex, cent in December- the biggest official strike. after a four day increase in almost 22 years- They return following a manage. the labour department reported that six ment assurance

SUD-

yesterday. brought the contract I are bona fide ite on January The only comparable increases and union were in January 1951, tradesmen members when will pay union dues back- and 2.5 cent, and in per dated to January l. February of that year, it when was 1.8 per cent. Normally there is a rise in of wholesale prices at this time Registered the year, but even after taking Office. Published Press. 186a Street, seasonal adjustment into account the increase was still 1.6 per Plough Street London. (TU), cent. treet. This compared with a rise of G&MWU leaders hal ries an eight-day • llations is a 'separa tions. If the gov- pay plan. Below at y overtime will be conference nationat t on Wednesday, and now general s offered talks week they are starting after January 17.

It is also unclear whether the executive is setting any condi- tions on a talks offer. 'We want negotiations with- out constraint,' said Basnett. But he would not be drawn any further on this. What if talks are offered, but are clearly constrained by second phase of the Tory pay law? was asked. Came the he reply: 'It depends on the circum- stances' A statement put out by the

G&MWU

following yesterday's meeting claims that in Heath's December 15 directive, the gov-

BY A WORKERS PRESS

CORRESPONDENT

there is no bigger in recovery 1973, the chances of growth could fizzle out entirely. The DTI figures come on top of ones that show that there was a drop of real investment of 10 per cent last year. The level is so low now that even if there was a sharp re- covery in 1974, it would only bring the rate of capital expendi- ture up to the rate during 1970.

Figures spending show on t if that the consumer boom is tail-

BY A WORKERS PRESS

CORRESPONDENT

0.6 per cent in November.

The rise in wholesale prices is normally followed a month or so later with an increase in the consumer price index, which hits the housewife's purse. Biggest increase was in the cost of farm products, which rose 6.8 per cent, the biggest gain since March 1947. Food prices have risen dramat- ically in recent months and have resulted in calls for controls on them. aders have claimed the ban on nego- a 'separate issue' from the Tory state Below at yesterday's post-executive Press.

national officer John Edmonds (lett) general secretary David Basnett.

ernment had 'gone outside its own law to create a situation un- precedented in the history of in- dustrial relations'. Freedom to negotiate must be "jealously guarded', the statement said. • The gasworkers at East Green- wich and Croydon, who have been banning overtime and work- ing to rule for two weeks un- tonight. officially, meet G&MWU official will attend the John Edmonds said meeting, yesterday. 'He will have a great deal to say to them.' This gave rise to speculation that the union may attempt to force a return to work until the date for official action.

ing off but that it is still fed largely by credit. The gloomy figures for invest- with the crisis on ment coupled the balance of payments are dra- matic reminders of the insoluble problems that face the Tory gov- its capitalist and ernment backers. The limited reflation under- taken by the government has pro- or no increase in duced little real investment, but has suc- the extra spending power sucks in imports. At present, they are not con- trolled at the farm level as they were exempted from the wage and price controls imposed by President Nixon in November 1971. Meat, fresh fruit, eggs, poultry and dairy products all rose during the month. Since Nixon imposed the con- trols, the wholesale sale price index has risen by 6.1per percent.

The Labour Department said that of the 15 major commodity groups covered in the wholesale price index, 13 advanced, only one declined and one showed no change. Press

MONTHLY

APPEAL

JANUARY

FUND NOW

THE FUND has begun to grow, but not yet fast enough.

Let's make a very speclai effort this month and try and well over our £1,750 raise target. Certainly we need to. All our overhead costs are going up. Newsprint has already in- creased in price by about y per cent so far this year. And beginning. this is just the Other costs will start to esca- late. We are determined, how- ever, not to increase the price Workers Press. Instead, help us with a campaign to expand our sales and ralse our monthly Fund. We know you will do it. Collect extra possible. amounts wherever Take collections at work and among your local readers.

Raise all you can and post Immediately to: Workers Press January Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UG ПОНИНІННІ THE LEEDS building workers' branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union has asked for steps to be taken to build a local Council of Action. The 9/79 branch passed the following resolution: "The branch calls on the Trades Council to call a meeting for the purpose of forming a council which is prepared to fight against this Tory govern- ment and the actions it is taking against the working class.

"The million unemployed, the wage freeze and rising prices can only be aggravated by entry into the Common Market. 'A Council of Action repre- senting all sections of the work- ing class must be formed 'in- cluding trade unions, tenants' political associations and all movements in the working class.

ANOTHER

attempt is being made to end a strike which has halted production at the Good- year tyre factory in Wolver- hampton. Local officials of the Transport Workers' and General Union have decided to call a meeting strikers today to of the 250 report on the latest talks with the management. The men were not due to meet again until Friday. More than 3,500 Goodyear employees have been laid off. The strike of millroom work- ers began last Thursday in pro- test against the company's refu- sal to discuss pay differentials because of the freeze.