Blunt reception for TUC at Downing Street

were wrong.

They still have a cringing faith in the economic sur- PREMIER Edward Heath yesterday told calls for 'general vival of capitalism. the TUC General Council at 10 unions forced Into Downing Street that there was not the the state pay laws. mest bourgeois commentator But today even the dim- 'giving in' to wage demands. slightest chance of the government As the union leaders were being carpeted by Heath, the stock market is sounding the alarm and admitting that order from In a blunt and unprecedented meet- continued to slide. At 3 p.m. yesterday the monetary chaos seems ing he warned the trade union leaders the 'Financial Times' index had impossible. of the seriousness of the economic slipped 2.6 points to 446.6, gold had crisis. risen to an all-time record of $72.30 had a crucial effect on the working-class struggle against the Tory government. These views on the crisis Street shortly after 2.30 p.m., having considered an invitation from Heath The TUC trooped into Downing $2.4675, a rise of 8 cents since last Friday's closing price. an ounce and the pound rose to at the morning session of the General A Cabinet meeting yesterday Council. examined the financial situation and Serious Only two members of the council plans were discussed for the introducrefused to take up Heath's invitation tion of a state of emergency over the gas dispute. to another round of intimidatory warnThe Stalinists and reviings. They were Alan Sapper of the David Basnett, general secretary of sionists did all in their Illm and television lechnicians' union the General and Municipal Workers' power to keep the working and George Doughty, the draughts- Union, sought no concrete backing for class from a political fight. men's leader. his gasworker members from the TUC yesterday. 'I did not ask the General They said this was pre- The Council, as expected, voted to mature, that the Trotskyists call a special congress of the full Councii to do anything but express 'over-estimated the serious- TUC on Monday, March 5. The reso- their support at this time,' he said ness of the situation'. lution for a special Congress was afterwards.

So instead of political carried 17 votes to three. The meeting Sympathy being free, he TUC mobilization they suggested also approved a policy document which leaders gave It. TURN TO BACK PAGE