THE TUC LEADERSHIP AND THE WORKING CLASS

clearer or biunter. The Tories mean business.

They are at battle stations with all their emergency powers and special squads of riot NEXT?

But the reply of the trade union leaders in no way matches Heath's bluntness. Instead of immediately mobilizing in full support of the gasworkers and other sections of workers fighting the pay laws, they have called a Congress ... in three weeks' time!

Workers Press has been in the forefront of the campaign for such a special Congress. We insisted on its immediate recall when Feather and the General Council entered the Tory trap of the tripartite talks last October.

But instead of consulting union leaders are complying their members about the with the Tories' timetable rapidly-maturing political for a snap General Election. and economic crisis, the In this the trade unions, TUC leaders turned their 'militants' and 'reds' will be backs and marched off to bandied around to frighten Downing Street to see Heath the middle class into voting and big business leaders in for Tory candidates. the CBI.

GASWORKERS who haven't The Communist Party's been on strike for 50 years 'Morning Star' supported the and whose industry has tripartite talks just as its been hit by 25,000 redunmembers unanimously went dancies in the past five years along with the TUC decision are straining at the bit of to continue collaborating their leadership's selective with the Tories at the Sep- strike action. tember Congress.

TOMORROW the executives What a changed 'Morning of the six hospital workers' Star' it was yesterday! The unions meet to fix a date front-page headline said: for their indefinite strike *Special TUC will answer which has been supported Heath'.

overwhelmingly by members The paper's editorial says: who are traditionally docile. *The decision by the General Council to call a special ON SUNDAY in Coventry Trades Union Congress is shop stewards representing not a moment too soon.' 52,000 hourly-paid Ford workers meet to draw up But the Stalinists go on their struggle for a f10 wage to make no other imme- increase.

diate demands to meet the onrushing Tory attack. To The danger is that this wait another three weeks meeting, which will also would be the most abject have delegations from Vauxhall's, British-Leycowardice.

land, Chrysler's and the Are workers in wages gasworkers, will be turned struggles to abandon their into a talking shop infight until March 5 to wait stead of a • FIGHTING to see what the congress shop. comes up with?

The urgent need of the Of course not. Yesterday hour is for the working it became clear how the class to call Heath's bluff. trade union bureaucrats He says his state pay would like to use the spe- laws are "fair, that his cial Congress for their own Industrial Relations Act has cynical ends. 'worked', that his Common At the end of the miners' fair to the consumer and executive, right-wing presi- consumer' and dent Joe Gormley said the that the country is behind anion was postponing any him. pay action until after the The task of the Labour March 5 Congress. and trade union leaders It's either a General Strike must be to create the polior nothing, Gormley said. țical and industrial condiSo he is telling the miners tions to compel Heath to drivers to hold off for a month dur- test this at the polls. ing which the Tories will be blasting against the gasworkers, hospital workers and lorry drivers day in and SLL day out in the capitalist Press. JARROW The recalled Congress must not become a post- SUNDAY ponement of the mobiliza- PUBLIC FEBRUARY 18 tion against the government, but a call to all Tapen.

members of the labour and trade union movement Chic centre, Jarmon to start campaigning now MEETINGS for a General Election. Speaker: G. HEALY ALla national secretar At the moment, bour Party and LABOUR CORRESPONDENT GASWORKERS' MILITANCY grew yesterday following Heath's arrogant ultimatum to the union leaders that they must give in.

As Alf Anderson, leader of 250 striking gasmen in St Helens, told Workers Press: 'We realize this is the crunch. The gasworkers are in the front line of the struggle. The government Will either have to be defeated, or we will go under ve no ran on a. .:11 ...dan)

But despite Heath's clear ultinatum, the union chiefs continued their dangerous hesitation.

David Basnett, secretary of the General and Municipal Workers' Union, said on independent television yesterday lunchtime: 'If the government is prepared to show some flexibility we will talk to them.' And writing in Rupert Murdoch's 'Sun' newspaper yesterday morning, he said: "We have not decided to "take on the government" • The government has left us no alternative but to use industrial action . . .

"The "Sun" yesterday called gasworkers "moderate men". So we are?

A Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing, Street, however, remained deaf to these pleasand proposals Irom sir nenry Come man jones, tormer head of the Gas Council, for a narrow-based inquiry into the dispute.

Ministers were letting it be known that, while no decision has yet been reached about introducing a state of emergency, they are ready to take such action at any time.

In the northern region, where A La-ma -_- inere are 4,suu gasworkers on a fortnight's strike, about 80 firms had their gas supplies disconnected or restricted, and nearly 1,000 workers were laid off.

STRIKE Over 800 gasworkers were involved in the industrial action in south Lancashire. More than 500 of these — from service depots in St Helens, Widnes, Warrington, Runcorn and Wigan -were on strike.

At the South Lancashire Gas Board headquarters at St Helens, a 100-strong picket led by convenor Anderson| was mounted throughout the day to prevent North Thames Gas Board depot yesterday. any service work being done in the area. Unite in action to defend basic rights NORTHIKENT WANFORD MONDAY FOREMAN 12 HONDAN FEBRUARY TA The_ Shakespeare, Trades Union Hall Powis Sireet wootwich ear Watford function sh sweaker NAKEI BANDA SUL National Sec) (SLL Central Clien