The Newsletter: Strike Bulletin

Colour bar on eTRIKK BULLETIN A Rank-and-file Paper __ No.7?

One of the buses being run by the People’s League for the Defence of Freedom stopped at the No. 2 bus stop in Brixton Market on its way to Norwood last Saturday.

Of the three people at the stop, one _ was a coloured woman, with a small child. She was prevented from getting on the bus by the ‘conductor’, who told her that ‘no coloured people are allowed on these buses’.

This incident is reported in the latest issue of the Stockwell strikers’

D Supplement to The Newsletter, [80 Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4 Telephone MAC 7029 . 2d. “z .

° From Battersea strike committee Workers never sacrifice their weekly support on Monday we say: ‘Thanks. If wage packets and support a call to the working class stand together we shall strike action unless they ate convinced fase> speedy and just settlement of our they are fighting for a just cause. We must make up our minds to win this The 100: percent. solidarity of the Lon-. strike quickly. This can be achieved by don busmen after six weeks of existing on immediate extension. We are convinced the £3 a week indicates the conviction and de- masses of our membership agree with us termination in. the ranks. on this point, and we hope the decision Macleod tells us that he is looking for of the delegate conference will be reversed ‘a chink of light’. We , busmen are fighting in the very near future. for ‘a chink of money’ and we intend win E. A. DAVID (chairman), H. ning our demand of 10s. 6d. all round. .

SINGFIELD (representative), C. ; DRIVING DOWN. STANDARDS FEGENT (secretary)

The London Transport Executive and their masters the Tory Government. can ‘get tough’ if they like, but: we central Lon‘don busmen are not prepared to see 14,000 : of our comrades ignored at a time’ when : the Government is pursuing a policy of rising prices, increased rents and generally driving down the living standards of the section, National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers)

(LOSE on 100,000 workers are now on strike in London. This tremendous struggle is recognized by the employers, by their. Tory Government, by trade union leaders and by rank-and-file trade unionists to be the most critical industrial battle since the General Strike of 1926.

The Smithfield men are solid. The Port of London is shut down: -The busmen are standing as firm as the day they came out. And in all three strikes the issues involved are fundamental questions of trade union principle.

At Smithfield they are defending the right to full employment. In Dock‘land we are defending our conditions of labour against the importation of non-dockers, and at the same time are defending our right not to handlegoods that_a strike of other workers has placed beyond the pale. At the bus garages they are fighting against. an.attempt to buy off one lot of workers at the expense of 14,000 Quo

working class. ‘The arbitration award was a deliberate ‘There are two conditions en which . .. . aligmpt to aplit one svetion from another yg rgsumption of work ean be obte ned,’

The portworkers are solid, despite the Brother Harry Constable, says the Tory ‘ attempts of the employers and of certain aily Telegraph, ‘has been to the fore in trade union officials to force a return to many docks disputes’. He was. in fact one work on. disastrous terms, of the seven strike leaders charged with ‘conspiracy’ in 1951, and has played an NOT BEEN FOOLED active part in every struggle since the 1948 wirlke,

Hoother words wo nto whit Pou dhe working class as a whole. ‘Uherefore the Bro, Drancis, thimy-six years a) meniber working class as a whole has a respon- of the Dulwich Labour Party, is a checker sibility to ensure our succeéss. in the Tooley Street sector.

We are as convinced now as we have The employers, he says, are linked up been from the beginning that victory can and therefore have a sharp interest in debe guaranteed only if ‘others are involved in feating the strike in all sectors. solidarity action.

‘Union Cartage, who have a considerable Whatever his motives may have been, part of the men involved jn the original we believe Bro. Cousins was incorrect to road transport dispute, are tied up with tht oppose extension to other sections of the Vestey Corporation, who employed the 609 TGWU, and we believe the delegate men sacked at Smithfield.

conference should have supported the ‘When. the dispute spread to the cold resolution of the Central Strike Commit- stores the first to be affected were the nine tee. belonging to Union Cold Stores, also part To the tube men who gave us unofficial of the Vestey Corporation.

is ' : th Southiwmpton and) the Northern ports, AS for back as August 24 hist year, In an .

‘There are two extremely important things article in The Newsletter (later reprinted about these strikes and the workers’ stra- as a pamphiet), Bro. Constable wrote tegy in them, and in my opinion these about the employers’ offensive: things have got to be grasped by every ‘There is no mistaking the concerted, worker, whether he is a docker, a busman, deliberate nature of their drive. — a marketman or anything else: ‘They are rehearsing for a powerful, all-out !) The strikes are taking place befere . attempt to alter decisively the balance of unemployment has developed to. the point forces between the classes, to beat back where it is a serious weapon in the hands the workers, quench their militancy, of the employers. thrash them, exhaust them and weaken them by every means... 2 2) If the employers win this fight the trade unions will be weakened by the vic- POPPER nrg Uimization of militants on a scale such as They see something else too. More and our movement has never seen before. more, as the campaign of intimidation and . Scabbing is built up, the portworkers see how the Tory Government stands behind

Busmen see last Monday’s token stoppage on the tubes as the genuine voice of the rank-and-file railwaymen and an answer to Greene. To help the militant tube men make‘next Monday’s strike more effective, a number of garage strike committees are planning to send pickets to stand with the tube men’s pickets at the depots. the employers—not' merely approving of

~ whitewashed A vores points out that a return to work on the withdrawal of scab N appeal by the Smithfield joint strike committee to London _portlabour, recommended by the docks divisional conference, ‘completely ignores the fact that a return to work does not resolve the question of “black” cargo’.

recommend as trade unionists that men ‘Meat transport drivers,’ the appeal should return on the following terms: no declares, ‘are in dispute over a rejec- discussion on wages; redundancy; discusted pay claim, in consequence of sion on the employers’ suggestion of when and where they are prepared to accept a which 600 inside workers at Smithreturn to work; employers’ terms on whom field were dismissed without prior they are prepared to accept back. consultation with their union.- ‘We therefore ask you to remain solid ‘Cold store workers on Thames-side and behind your committee who have on your Smithfield immediately declared all meat to behalf refused to accept the impertinent be “black”. The public wharfingers there- terms dictated by the employers, which upon introduced “black” labour to clear completely ignore’ the issues which we cold stores. struck over.

‘We shall continue to attempt to force OUR TWO QUESTIONS a meeting to discuss our just and reasonable “We ask: (1) Can the portworkers return demands.” __ and still declare meat “black”? (2) Will the cold store workers be asked to return and accept the position that meat is no

longer “black”? Sutton strike committee regrets to an‘The docks group secretary asks that the nounce the death of Bro. Bracey-Wright, a meat transport workers return to work and member of the garage and a committee allow their officials to negotiate with the man for many years. employers. “He was greatly respected and we are very ‘We would ask this official whether he sorry to lose him,’ a committee spokesman thinks that the drivers’ committee should told the Strike Bulletin.

welcomed in the busmen— Liverpool It offers staff scab-halfpennies Hendon strike committee)

Well, here 1 am in Liverpool, where Praaey County Council service circular no. 542, issded on April 29 ‘I have been welcomed — with real for departmental use only, urges LCC staff using their own vehicles Northern hospitality. When arrived

Make no mistake about it. When Sir John Eiliot says ‘My attitude is a tough the offensive against working-class wages, one. This show is going to be fought oul’ jobs, rights and conditions, but actively he is not speaking just for a section of organizing it. the employers, he is speaking for the em- What’s the answer? ploying class as a whole. There can only be one answer. This Govcrnment has got to be removed with: the This is a big fight. Some of us have seen it coming for a long time, Can the utmost speed, and replaced by a Labour workers win? Yes, they can, because government pledged to treat the workers though they face powerful employers properly.

they themselves are the most powerful force of all. THE BEST DEFENCE The workers can win—provided they are Some people claim that ‘unofficial’ move-, determined to fight on until the vital prin- ments challenge the trade union moveciples are secured and victory is achieved. ment, or that they are some kind of 'breakThe workers can win—and this is proved away’, This is absolute nonsense. by the really magnificent struggle of the Far from being a challenge to trade Smithfield marketmen. ‘These fellows have unionism, a powerful rank-and-file movebeen out since April 19 with virtually no ment in no matter what industry is the subsistence money for themselves or their best defence of trade union organization families. , and trade union principles.

The rank-and-file movement of the Lon- : don portworkers stands four-square behind the officials in so far as the officials struggle

Most of them come from the East End for trade unionism. of London—the same arca that the dockers come from, an area soaked in the best It has- been mainly responsible for the traditions of trade unionism. They are led high degree of trade union- organization by trade union officials who have not for- and trade union awareness in the Port of gotten their militancy. They are determined London over a very long period. that they are going to win the day. Our ‘unofficial’ movement stands for the Let the employers take note. There éan fullest unity of the workers to win their be no settlement on the docks without a fights. It sets its face against ‘breakaways’ settlement at Smithfield. and denounces as slanderers those who try to divide and mislead the workers by sugWe are not going back to the bad: old gesting otherwise. days.

That is why we have built our liaison committee, our so-called ‘unofficial’ move-

ment. There has been quite a bit in the Press There has been a lot in the Press in recently, too, about ‘ruthless communists’. recent days about ‘unofficial movements’, Those Reds are under the bed again! The Times says we are waging a struggle This is the yarn the employers always for power. Well, in one sense that is true spin when the workers won't “knuckle enough. under.

Of course, portworkers don’t see them- The most ruthless.men in London. are ; selves as the next Parliament of this the dock employers. They have built mascountry! But they do see themselves as men sive fortunes out of the exploitation and with high trade union principles, with a maiming of dockers toiling in all sorts of duty to fellow-workers, with a duty to themselves not to let the bosses trample Now these rich and unscrupulous bosses on them.

: (Continued overleaf)

I LOOKED in at Brixton garage during the 8 p.m. to midnight shift. One of the pickets, a clippie from Donegal, was amused at the suggestions in the Press that the women would not be solid.

She said: ‘It’s all right for the women; it’s the men I admire. After all; not many of the women are the bread-winner—they work to help out with the high rents and that. I’ve never heard any of the women grumbling about being out—or the men.’

This sister, who is unmarried and was too shy to give her name, went on: ‘The people in Brixton Market are badly hit by the strike, but they are not nasty to us. They seem to see our point of view.’

Another picket, Bro. G. Murphy, a young conductor from Dublin, could not describe Sidney Greene without using strong language.:

during the bus strike to take ‘official’ ij b ike to take ‘official’ passengers s to the to the maxi imum on Saturday I was taken to the head- heen extent. A payment of one halfpenny a quarters of a divisional Labour Party, VICTORIA mile is made for each ‘official’ pas- The members gave me a hearty meal, senger carried. congratulated me as a London busman on jour solidarity—and eagerly grabbed the The circular begins: ‘BUS STRIKE. 2,000 Strike Bulletins I had with me and STANDS BY Should the bus strike due to begin on went out to sell them. May 4 occur, every officer and emn- On Saturday evening» my host Frank ployee affected is expected to do his THE 10s. 6d. Brady, an ETU member, took me and introduced me to the County ward of the best by whatever alternative means of Labour Party, and the members pledged full transport lie.open to him to attend his Support to our cause and invited me to Last week our branch unanimously place of work at the normal time in explain our case at a further meeting on agreed ‘that this 1/298 branch reiter- Monday evening. order to carry out his official duties.’ ;

Rates its previous demand for 10s. 6d. Then I paid a visit to the Pirie ward It goes on to direct attention to the folLa week all round, and mandates its Labour Party, who have given grand suplowing points:

delegate accordingly’. port both with Strike Bulletin sales and 1) Staff living under four miles from their with financial help. place of work must walk. We are hoping that all other bus branches have acted ‘likewise.

2) Net additional travelling expenses due Since Victoria garage has been open we APPLAUSE—-AND CASH to the strike will be reimbursed according have had a few disputes, but never have The vice-chairman interrupted the social to grade; staff whose rate of pay is under we known the men and women to be so event that was going on, and I was allowed £520 a year will receive the full amount, solid as on this occasion. to go on the platform to express my gratiThis is proof enough that our members tude for all their support in our struggle. are solid behind Frank Cousins in the fight I received a great round of. applause (and a with the LTE and the Government. ‘ , couple of free pints!).

Over the weck-end I visited several COLOURED LADS SOLID Liverpool Corporation garages, and again

He said: ‘It’s. disgraceful that he should have accepted such a settlement; I can’t understand why the railwaymen are putting up with it.’

_ WHAT PUZZLES HIM Another thing that is puzzling Bro. Murphy is why Frank Cousins did not arrange with the railway union leaders for supporting action before he brought the busmen out.

About the Strike Bulletin he said: . . ‘Everybody here gets it when they draw their strike pay, and I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t think it a very good effort. But it’s not enough just to read it and agree with it. For one thing, we must try to get the Strike Bulletin to every member of the public.’ ‘ Mopite (lie Lakers toons Ine tit This. bulletin. is writter by and for rank- We must say a few words about our! greetings were cordial and busmen told me and-file workers. Supplies can be obtained coloured brothers and also the Irish lads. ; they are behind us 100 per cent. in our from The Newsletter, 180 Clapham High Most of these lads are in lodgings and pay- fight, realizing that if we lose they too will Street, S.W.4. ing quite a high rent, but they have stood go down.

This is YOUR bulletin. Read it; self it; out solid with us in this struggle. ‘ Members of the National Union of May we say to them: ‘Thank you! You General and Municipal Workers are taking pass your copy on; see that a copy is on the notice board in your strike committee have shown Sir John Elliot that the work- collections for .us, and -these are being rooms. And see that reports of your local ing class can stick together. passed over to the TGWU representatives. activities are sent in. Let us recap. for the benefit of those who At a mass mecting of dockers on the may misunderstand us: Lord Street site, I was given time to state London busmen were told by Sir John the busmen’s case, and was received with . those with higher rates will receive less. that their claim was unjustified. When the great applause. The whole mecting pledged 3) Staff, Le. all officers and employees claim was referred to arbitration. that support to us.

august body, under Government direction, The next meeting was oné arranged by living between four miles and twenty-five decided—with cynical disregard for the Victory for Socialism, with two Pabour nines uf emp witout u miles from their place of employment, who ih (he avbsence oof alternative: inmeang oof tampered mre gethene’ ha er v Aine a "1 ae — [ted " nih Hint Hi hii deteriorating living — stuadardn ia only mY hat MPa present, Sidney Silverman Ste (Nelaan gabia dee . 1 erly Cee dtede , a I]

i tO AG te gley te geet Ca ferdie the Padi eer 8 Wuittoqine (iis mid bomen Heme be ARGIW oWrtin ‘A good many people have the idea that wh We ARenre AY A MeN HPA Ww anicue HW w Him Vtes ‘An addidioml balfpenny a mile will Sper reel A. G. JONES (branch seerotiry), wave nul ewalaffar ti VV EEN gbo such on arent publleity canptign on the

we are lazy-bones who just sit at home doing nothing,’ he said. ‘The Strike Bulletin shows them what really goes on’.

While I was there Bro. Earl, a Southern Region signalman at Clapham, called. to tell the busmen that porters at some stations—he mentioned Clapham, East Brixton and Wandsworth Road—were working overtime helping to collect tickets.

In some cases they were staying on duty all night. The NUR were stopping this practice when it came to their notice.

Bro. Earl told me that he felt that by accepting the award Greene had let down both the railwaymen and the busmen. be payable for each official passenger carried in a private car, tricar or motor cycle combination. THE MAXIMUM EXTENT After dealing with insurance the circular 1. SMITH (branch representative), W. STRUDWICK (chairman)

Strike Notebook busmen's behalf. the dispute to reach a much speedier conclusion for the betterment of workers and general public at large.’ ‘ East Leeds constituency Labour Party

(Continued from front page) are trying to ditch the Dock Labour Scheme—not because the Scheme gives the docker a heaven on earth, but because it has laid down a few important principles that must be defended at all costs.

The employers who are aiming to wreck the Scheme are the rcal agitators and instigators of the strike, not the militant trade unionists of Dockland, And behind these employers stands the demand was aimed al the dockers too. We our own demand was refused.

It we don’t defend trade union principles today, then we have no chance of wage increases tomorrow. We of the docks fraternity have nothing but admiration for the way the busmen are fighting on behalf of a minority among them.

That’s the real trade union spirit.

More and more our two sections. that are struggling must join hands, exchange cxperiences, learn from each other, see oyr sectional fights as part of one common struggle.

We can learn from each other. And the

Government. Not once, to‘'my knowledge, during the whole time the Scheme has been in operation, has disciplinary action been taken against any employers for a major breach of it. ;

Small wonder that portworkers, marketmen, busmen and road haulage workers have come to see this Government for what it is—a bosses’ Government, determincd that the bosses shall get their own way, determined to take the kind of revenge on the workers that they took in the Trade Disputes Act of 1927.

THOUGHTS GO OUT

In the eyes of the ordinary London docker his present struggle is not directly linked with that of the London busman.

But there is not a meeting on the London waterfront where the thoughts of dockers do not go out to their brothers on the buses.

Not only are the busmen members of the same union as us—they are resisting the same offensive.

The refusal to grant the busmen’s wage

TGWU leaders can learn from both of us! They can learn, for instance, that you don’t win a strike by standing still.

They will make a big mistake if they fail to use the big power that lies in their hahds. If used to the full, the power of the TGWU could decisively defeat this attempt to drive us back to the misé¢rable conditions of the thirties.

* * * As these strikes go on, and as determination to fight it out grows, the logic of the struggle points to one conclusion: we must get rid of the: Tory Government.

This Government is nothing but .a Joint Employers’ Liaison Committee installed in Whitehall and Westminster. It wants to settle accounts with the workers, piecemeal if possible.

That the Trades Union Congress should

goes on:

‘Staff using their vehicles are urged to arrange to take official passengers to the maximum extent.

“Arrangements will be made for additional parking facilities at County Hall.

‘Only those who have no other reasonable means of getting to County Hall will be A group of Battersea strikers was surprised ‘to see a ‘freedom’ bus travelling across Albert Bridge. This is strictly against the law—but the policeman on duty took no notice.

expected to use cars, motor cycles, etc.-— W. O. Hart, Clerk. to the Council:

Stapleford and Beeston (Notts.) Trades Council has ‘passed a resolution criticizing the attitude of the TUC towards the bus strike.

Its resolution declares ‘that this Trades Council, while giving 100 per cent. support to the TGWU for their efforts on behaff of the London busmen, feel that the TUC* General Council’s policy and direction relative to the dispute should take a more active line.

‘The Council feels that more effort and -cisive action should be undertaken by the General Council, which would enable refuse to recognize this, preferring to backpedal on the ground that if we fight we might get hurt—this is the attitude of cowards. It was this kind of cowardice that made possible the defeat of 1926.

WE ARE PROUD Retreat today would be disaster tomorrow. And the dockers have this to say to the TUC leaders:

The British trade union movement is one of the most powerful in the world. We are proud of this movement, of its traditions, its organization, its solidarity.

‘Nothing on earth is going to be, allowed to smash this movement up. And if leaders who grovel in the muck and filth of knighthoods and honours lists are too scared to lead—let them get out and make room for men. _ If the mis-leaders won't get out, it’s our job to put them out, _ We say ta those who want to crucify

Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (T.U.), r.o. 180 Clapham High St., London, Published by Peter Fryer, 180, Clapham High St., London, S.W.4 Frank Cousins or take him down a peg: ‘Drop it. Or-take the consequences.’

If the Labour and trade union movement leads, we can beat back the bosses’ offensive, bring down the bosses’ Government ——and take a big step towards the day when we have a decent order of society in this country.

has passed a resolution fully supporting the London busmen in their resistance to the Tory Government’s attacks.

:

A collection of £2 Ss. 3d. was taken and 34 copies of the Strike Bulletin were sold. An appeal is being sent to.each ward party in the constituency to take similar action.

SUTTON PROPOSES LEVY Sutton 1/340 branch of the TGWU has passed a resolution recommending — the executive ‘that in order to increase dispute pay now as per Bro. Cousins’s statement we would pledge ourselves to pay a levy on resumption of work if necessary, such moneys to be used to cover the cost of any increase granted.’

This resolution was carricd unanimously and is being circulated to all branches.

Battersea Trades Council unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the TUC ‘reconsider their decision in relation to not extending the busmen’s dispute’.

They went on to condemn the arrogant Press statement made by Sir John Elliot, and demanded, in view. of the proposed future cuts in services, ‘an immediate inquiry into the management of the LTE, as they are failing to carry out their responsibilities to provide adequate services as laid down in the Transport Act’.

BRASS FROM BLENHEIM

Blenheim (Leeds) ward Labour Party took a collection at its ward meeting in support of the busmen. Fifteen persons were" present, and the collection totalled JUST A PRELUDE Support continues to grow for the London busmen among Lancashire miners.

The Sandhole branch of the National Union of Mineworkers has adopted a : resolution recognizing that. the Tory-led attempts to smash the u busmen are ‘a prelude to driving down all workers’ living standards’, lt has donated £10 and is calling on. the Lancashire area of the NUM to send financial aid. ;