TWO STEPS.

FHE NEWSLETTER 5 Brian Behan was right -‘All union officials to be elected and to receive a standard of living no higher than the average wages of the members they represent.”

How right was Brian Behan (The Newsletter, August 23)

to point out the grossly inflated expensés paid at conferences. - Salaries of certain officials are only half of the ‘expenses they receive in cash or kind. G Protect our shop stewards Protection of shop stewards and militaits.

Employers’ moves against strong shop stewards’ committees in sacking conveners. and leading stewards’on trumped-up charges are perhaps a. prelude to attempts, te smash workers’ organizations altogether.

Victimizations: are not combated as they should be by “ executive councils, and many suspect that tacit .understandings exist. between. managements and national officials about committees that have caused leaders ‘embarrassment’ by taking direct action-when hours of negotiation have proved fruitless.

* + . * These are.some of our policies. But our group is not a discussion forum. We discuss only in order. to engender action and we believe in helping: every group of workers involved in struggle.

We helped bus strikers = In the London bus dispute we arranged collections, organ- _ ized factory gate meetings, sold the Strike Bulletin and took a delegation: of .strikers around. branch. meetings.

‘We invite workers involved in. disputes to address us. We ' seek to learn lessons from these” disputes. - The .sacked convener from the Yorkshire Engineering Co. amply justified point 6 of our. programme.

Our rank-and-file: movement ‘can ‘do ‘much. But very rhuch more can be achieved by hundreds of such committees linked together and fighting for trade union principles.

[ RENTS KILMARNOCK TENANTS SMASH. A. SCHEME _Aueust.30, 1958 committees, . which are already facing extensive short-time working with the prospect of. redundancy in local factories.

In face of growing opposition from the tenants, the Council -met -in. emergency session on. August 20. Deputations from the tenants..and Trades Council were received.

.In. support of their representatives, over. 2,000 tenants. demonstrated in pouring rain, bearing the slogans ‘End the Means Test’ and ‘No More Money for the Lenders’.. When the Council meeting ended, with the scheme still in operation, the Councillors were besieged by angry tenants and called for a police escort.

Half. the missives, unsigned, were. collected in-the three. days following the. Council meeting.

Now the -local: authority has been forced to reverse -its ; decision and withdraw the scheme. At the same time however it-was stated that.it wili apply -a flat rent increase, and it is this that the tenants will now have.to fight. ~ But they have shown that by their unity they can win, and have established tenants’ associations in every ward, together with a central co-ordinating committee LEADERS HAVE ABDICATED RESPONSIBILITY,