The Newsletter: Portworkers' special

THE acceptance of a paltry 7s. 6d. a week—7s, 4d. after reductions—by the trade union side of the NJIC is a sell-out that will cost portworkers dearly. Not only is this pittance way behind the increase in the cost of living—it is an admission that the trade union leaders do not want to fight on behalf, of their members.

That this should happen at a time when the whole employing class is on the offensive is simply a cowardly retreat by the leaders. Yet Britain’s port- __ workers have a long and proud ‘history of ‘service to trade unionism. . of the bus strike are a closed book. They The traditional call of ‘an injury to : tefuse to mobilize the forces of the union _for an all-out struggle against the ema a a~ ntl t.. 312... 1...... sick scheme.

‘Third, a fall-back guarantee equal to the full basic wage.

‘Fourth, three weeks’ holiday, paid at the national average minimum.

‘Fifth, the granting of the full 35s. wage DOCKERS SUPPORT

Ab : with the te fanattiea, tl Hened thelr relia for six weeks so that) the marketmen would have a fighting chance in the struggle against unscrupulous employers?

All this is well known among the big ; moneyed interests that administer the giant monopoly concerns controlling port installations and shipping.

EMPLOYERS HATE US

Big business on the docks hates the militan portworker, because he is a man of principle who cannot be bought over and utilized against his fellow-men.

Above all else the employers hate the solidarity of the portworker and his capacity for rank-and-file organization.

They long for the day when they can bring him to his knees and return to the pre-war days of dog eat dog struggle which characterized the labour market in Dockland in the years before the war.

We are now on the threshold of big struggles in Britain. A slump is on the way and the bosses see this as a good opportunity to get back to “the old days’.

READY FOR BATTLE

The port employers and shipowners are getting ready for. battle. In the Tory Government they have a most reliable class ally, who can be trusted to co-operate with them in every possible way.

First item on the port employers’ agenda is to get rid of the Dock Labour Scheme.

While it is perfectly true that from the workpeople’s point of view there are many loop-holes in this scheme, the employers feel nevertheless that it will be much tess costly to push the portworkers directly on the dole than pay them for bomping. NlOVodaron ine OVkEIN Propane a remoli tion at the ‘Trades Union Congress that it should use its offices to encourage a united campaign between the two unions to eliminate non-trade-unionism on the docks.

The Congress decided to accept ‘previous question’ (which was moved by a _ wellit thin feoidsheet, written hy portwotheres for portwarkors and. thelr brothers in other industries, promiment militants and ordinary rank-and-file dockers in the various ports give their views on the dockers’ struggle, and some of them also say what they think about the necessity for a rank-and-file’

used to force the employers to come across.

If our leaders are not prepared to'do that, . then the rank and file must use their initiative to get wider support. Se “Your industrial conference is a good

September 1958 2d.

Here are our In a statement to The Newsletter, Bert Aylward, national secretary of the docks section’ of the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers, put forward five conditions for acceptance of. the employers’ demands for mechanization.

‘I feel we should agree to these demands only on the following conditions,’ he said.

‘First, no reduction in the manning scales, ‘Second, introduction” of a pesions and —Fred Francis $] AM all in favour of ‘such a’ con_{ ference,’ was the response of Fred Francis, a cold store worker at Blackfriars and one-of the leaders ‘in. the Tooley Street sector during ‘the last dispute, when asked to comment on the national rank-and-file conference calied by The Newsletter for.Novermber 16.0 La Bro. Francis, who is a’ member. of Dulwich Labour Party, declaréd: ‘The conference will be a success if you are able to instil into the delegates the necessary enthusiasm for . them, ‘on their return, to propagate its aims and ideas throughout their own industries,”

Discussing conditions on the. docks, Bro, Francis explained how about 1,900 dockers in London are non-registered men. CAN BE SACKED |.

‘There are 500 of us in the cold stores ‘in this position,’ he said. ‘We.are employed by individual employers and can be sacked by them... .

Awl Dae _ ‘Unlike the registered-men we fave ‘no tight of appeal to the Dock Labour Board. ‘I_ consider it. necessary. dat all. dock workers should be members the Scheme. That would help to unify the men.. To. date the Transport and General Workers’ Union has failed to declare this its official policy.’

Second item on their agenda is to get rid of all active trade unionists, or ‘agitators’, as they are called.

In their report to the Devlin committee of inquiry (4955) the employers stressed that all those ‘who incite unconstitutional! action’ should be liable for dismissal.

Third item on their agenda is to create a state of affairs where three men will be chasing two men’s jobs—that is why they look forward to unemployment.

Plans are in hand for a bitter struggle. The Christmas trade is now being unloaded in several ports.

It is rumoured that Harringay stadium has been taken over as a scab distribution centre for goods from Southampton and Southend, and that certain army units are being trained to do the work of dockers.

In the face of these preparations the unions do absolutely nothing to prepare their members for action. The biggest culprit in this respect is the Transport and General Workers’ Union.

For the leaders of this union the lessons

- September 1958 ‘Let Down”

It is to the great credit of the TGWU rank and file that they united with ‘blue union’ men against such actions.

United action on the docks is the key to victory. Above .all else this means unity on the job between ‘blue’ and ‘white’ union members.

This can and must be established by the setting up of liaison committees in each port which will include representatives of both unions.

These committees should set up a national liaison committee to organize the struggle against the employers.

This committee must straight away forge unity with transport workers and market men and get ready to mobilize the widest support when the employers attack.

The National Liaison Committee should launch a monthly paper to provide news and leadership for portworkers everywhere.

The Tory Government and the employers work as one. It is impossible therefore to attack the employers without attacking the Every serious struggle on the docks today is essentially a political struggle. Preparations to fight the employers are preparations to fight the Government.

This battle cannot be won by the portworkers alone. It can be won if the portworkers mobilize all the forces which the ‘working class are capable of providing for The employers are trying it on—they can and will be defeated. The conference called by The Newsletter on November 16 will be an important step forward in this direction.

Don’t forget to elect your delegate to the national rank-and-file conference on November 16, Applications for credentials should be sent to: Conference, The Newsletter, 180 Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4.

known member of the Communist Party) and this motion was shelved.

Since then nothing has been done, and the only people who stand to gain are the employers.

Instead of a united campaign to get rid of non-trade-unionism we have the spectacle of TGWU officials in Liverpool organizing strikes, not against the employers, but to get ‘blue union’ men sacked from the docks. thing. It is necessary to get together: with workers from other -industries, so. we can discuss common action-to defeat the employers” * Every Thursday at the West India. Dock you can see Jimmy O’Connor, going‘ round the men collecting for the lads Who are off sick or injured, oe i

Jimmy, too, is a member of. the ‘white’ union and is the treasurer of the unofficial MUST Docks Joint Liaison Committee. He” hag been a docker for twelve years. -me “What do I think of the recommendation?’: echoed Jimmy, ‘It’s lousy!’ ‘We should go in for the .full: whack.

Another thing, “all ‘unions, including: the ACT!

“blues”, should be involved in this fight.

I want to see the “blue” and “white” stand together on_ this.’ es Like Teddy Jacks he too welcomed .the industrial” conference: ‘All Newsletter Industrial Correspondent workers are going to need help from each wrt do the rank and file dockers other in the next twelve months or so: Let’s Start getting together now. so. we can‘ discuss think about their wage claim? way and means of doing that?)

What are their opinions on the findings A member of No. 16 Branch of the ws of the Court of Inquiry? National Amalgamated Stevedores “and Dockers, Jim Humphreys, works in the In a post-war council flat in BarMillwall Dock. nardo Street, just off Cable Street, A militant, Jim. has served on the docks’ oe Stepney, lives Teddy Jacks, a member executive of ‘the union ‘and-has also. par: of the Transport and General Workers’ icipated in various unofficial committees over the past years.

Union, who is generally employed at He too was irate over the ‘miserable ; che Canary Wharf in the West India award of 7s. 6d’. 0 ne Dock. “Now the thing is to’ 'go° back to the emThis burly 30-year-old docker has ployers and demand the full claim. Failing that we should take action. I hope the ranks some very definite ideas on the wages of all the unions can-be united on the wages * struggle.’ ;

‘Disgusting’ was the way he described the suggested 7s. 6d. He used other words, too, but they were unprintable.

When I called on Danny Connolly,. a ‘We should push for the full amount,’ he member of the Lendon and St. Katharine said, ‘and if the employers are not prepared Docks’ Liaison Committee, at his home, .. to grant it, then we must take whatever which is just up the road from the dock, .. action is necessary.

The introduced me to Joe Kavanagh, a work‘Mind you, if we do take action, we don’t mate of his, who has-been on'the dock for intend being treated like the union leadership treated the busmen. three years. oe Joe was in favour of pressing ‘forward ‘All the resources of the union must be for the full claim ‘by’ whatever action is _ necessary’. ‘ ‘ _ A sentiment shared’ by Danny. He was enthusinstic. about the rarik-and-file confer- . ence. : ; cs ‘The conference should be able to- make links among ‘various groups of workers so that in future struggles even greater support can be mobilized.’

CoRRESPONDENTS of The Newsletter interviewed Merseyside portworkers before the delegate conference accepted the 7s. 6d. The workers interviewed said the 7s. 6d. had made no difference to their opinions, which appear below.

Try, and GEORGE TEAL, chairman, of Hull no. 2: branch, NASD, and of: Alexandra Ward Labour Party ORD CAMERON and his court of industry has not led to a decrease in the cost of living. It has merely gone to increase inquiry have given us a good answer the profits of the employer. to the employers’ case on the question The dockworker finds under these condiof wage. tions that his standard of living has been reduced in spite of his increased efforts in Dockers in Hull feel .that we should the industry. use the information in the report and This increased. productivity leadsus to the suggested figure of 7s. 6d. only as our. second’ point, that of the abolition of a basis for negotiations. But we feel the fall-back rate. that we have been let down by the FALL-BACK PRIORITY workpeople’s side on a number. of By the mere fact of speeding up the turnpoints. Instead of. using the Cameron reund of: ships. we increase the possibiiity report as a starting point they “have of having ‘to survive on the existing fallused it as the limit. back -rate. .

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Therefore we think that it should have We feel that the following points should been a priority in the discussions and that serve as a basis for further negotiations.

it should haye taken precedence over the First there should be an increase in .the basic rates which are received only when basic rate of pay to 35s. we are allowed to work.

-Second, abolition of the fall-back rate and Our third: and last point is that of penits replacement by the application of the sions and sick pay.

basic rate of pay which is already guaran- These in. our opinion have been used teed by employers to their weekly solely as a bribe to accept an inadequate pay ‘increase.

Third. the introduction of the suggested Ever since 1945 we have had, similar schemes for sick pay and pensions which promises of pensions schemes. But we think

side area committee, NASD . The scramble for work is growing. The docker’s position is fluctuating day. by day. He needs ‘a substantial increase. to give him an average wage he can live on.

The. feeling on the docks is that we have a good case and that a substantial increase must mean much more than 3 or. 4 per cent.

And with more and more men signing on.we must have an increase in attendance money. Today a docker with four children The present Government is out to stop who goes home at the end of the week wages rising while the cost of living goes up. We need not only a wage increase but with his basic wage has less in his a change of government. pocket than he would receive from National Assistance.

Yet National Assistance scales are based on what. are considered to be the absolute minimum nutrition needs.

Since 1939 National Assistance scales have been increased by nearly 300 per cent.

But the docker’s basic wage has only increased by 120 per cent. ‘side area committee, NASD Facts produced at the recent Court of Together with increasing wages Inquiry showed that the cost of living has there is an urgent need to increase fall- gone up 84.5 per cent. since 1945. If wages back pay and attendance. money. had increased proportionately the docker “would now be getting 35s. per day—an inMy own case is typical of that of many crease of Ss. 6d. per day on present rates. . dockers here. I lately moved to a new With overtime falling off a great number housing estate on the outskirts of town. . of dockers need much more than that to Thirty shillings rent and £1 fares every keep body and soul together. week take. almost a third of the [pre 7s. 6d.j Unity of the ports created now in the . basic wage. fight for a living wage will ‘not only win ‘ The much lauded fall-back gives a sum this fight but will help to create a barrier of £5 14s. after deduction for a stamp. Rent against the attempts of the employers to and fares out of that leaves £3 4s. to live use mechanization and redundancy to lower on. ; the dockors’ standards, have been. delayed by the workpeople’s they should be prior considerations as they side for so long. would give to the docks industry some of the stability and security that other workers PROFITS GALORE have long enjoyed.

We know from reading the published ' VAGUE TALK reports that the docks industry has been The pensions scheme, we maintain, could making more and more profits. If the rank and file had only had a reasonable share be worked through the auspices of the of these then the amount due to them would National Dock Labour Board with very have been far more than the figure offered. little cost to that organization. .

But we do not base our case on profits To sum up, we think that the dockers’ alone. We wish to maintain. and increase leaders when discussing our case should our ‘standard of living even if the ship- have forged ahead for a substantial inowners’ .profits should tend to fall. crease in wages now, say 30s. a week; the Since the war our industry has fewer fall-back .rate. of pay should: be replaced men in it and the total amount of goods by the daily. basic minimum; and a pen-” passing through our hands has increased. sions scheme should be introduced imThis means that we are more productive, mediately. .and therefore we should take our share of ' Weakly to accept the suggested 7s. 6d. the greater wealth in the industry due to and then hedge off with vague talk about its reater efficiency. pensions and so forth is not the language is incrause in produgiivity in the doch» in Dovkland,

1 think that the Labour Party should take our side. It is obvious that the Tory GovA LITUDE of Tory MPs and Tory ernment. is out to smash working-class living standards. denizens of the House of Lords is If Labour wants to win the next election not exactly a disinterested one when

it will have to come out clearly on our they discuss the dockers’ wage claim. side and be in the forefront in our time. the King Line.

Men like Col. Sir Leonard Ropner, of need. Even though the Vestey family is not MP for the Yorkshire constituency -of ‘at this stage represented in the House of We must fight Barkston Ash, with a directorship in ‘Lords—the present Lord is a minor— Sir R. Ropner Ltd, have a personal through uncle Arthur the family has fingers in the following pies: shipping, wholesale interest in keeping dockers’ wages at or go hungry and retail meat. trade and ice cream.

their present level.

Ronald Arthur Vestey is a member, and The Ropner firm are the managing quite a powerful one, of. the board of By NASD branch secretary NED HEENEY owners of the Ropner Shipping Co. and ‘directors of Union International.

the Pool Shipping Co., which between (Liverpool) This firm owns and controls the Blue Star Unless we fight we will. go ‘hungry. them sail some 104,357 tons of shipping. ‘Line, with its 32 refrigerated vessels (aggreThe Colonel is also a director of the British gate tonnage 306,401).

Out of seven ships in our area last week, Shipowners’ Association. Through its ownership of Blackfriars five were finishing at five o’clock every day’ Baron Rotherwick, till his death last Julv, Lighterage and Cartage, Western Cartage, and men were going home with £7 14s. was chairman of the mighty British Com- Union Cold Stores, Weddels wholesale in wages after deductions. monwealth Shipping combine, and was butchers, J. H. Dewhurst, retail. butchers— to mention just a few of the firm’s interests —it can carry the beef in its own oceangoing liners, transport it up the river in its own craft, store it in its own cold stores, deliver it in its own motor vans, wholesale Sir William has further cause for rejoicing. Last year, he was able to announce a gross profit increase of £1,700,000. After taxation, P. and O. netted a cool £6,200,000 profit, paying a dividend of 8 per cent.

Sitting on the Board of P. and O. is quite a galaxy of Upper Chamber boys. Men like Viscount Bledisloe, a Tory Peer who besides finding time for his duties in the Lords manages to be the director of twenty other companies. _ Lord Leathers, another Tory peer, was in 1951 Secretary of State for the coordination of transport, fuel and power.

[wo other Tory Lords on the Board are Lord Geddes and Earl Inchcape. A member of the present cabinet, John Maclay, was formerly a director of P. and O.

On. the boards of both P, and O. and.

Tonnage handled since 1945 has gone up by 44 per cent. Yeti there are it in its own shops, and then retail it in now 6,500 fewer men in the Scheme. Wages have risen by 55 per cent. since its own shops. - the end of the war—but the cost of living has risen by 84 per cent. Through its ownership of Eldorado Ice Total dock labour force is 75,000. In the first quarter of 1958, 10,000 Cream, it can even supply you with a sweet to follow the lamb chops. ' of: these were ‘bomping’ every day—ie., were unemployed. _. After the recent strike work became more plentiful, In early August NODDING ACQUAINTANCE there were 4,500 ‘bomping’ every day. Now the initial rush has been cleared Mr Vestey also serves on the boards of that figure is going up again.

the Lamport Holt: Line and the Booth Steamship Co., direct controllers ot the ——r~ South End Stevedoring and Porterage Co.

from 1922 to 1939 the Tory MP for Ports- He is on at least nodding acquaintance mouth South. with a number of Tory MPs. His daughter Present chairman of the company, Sir Florence married the youngest son of LtNicholas W. Cayzer, a nephew of. the late Col. Geoffrey Benedict Brown, former Lord—these jobs have a habit of running Tory MP. in the family—announced at the annus One of the big concerns of British Ship- . general meeting in July this year a juicy ping is the giant Peninisular and Oriental dividend of 20 per cent. Line. This company, with a capital of £40

Dockers were present, along with He also announced, no doubt for the best million, owns some 484,217 tons of shipbricklayers, electricians, dredgermen patriotic reasons, that ‘we have formed a ping. and miners, at a meeting in Liverpool subsidiary company in Bermuda, appro- Ruler of the P. and O. empire is Sir priately named the Neptune Shipping William Crawford Currie, a director of 27 last Sunday to discuss the rank-and-file Company’. (In April 1957 The Times des- companies all told, among which are the conference’ called by The Newsletter cribed Bermuda as a haven where virtually Suez Canal Co. and the Suez Lighterage for November 16. no tax is paid.) Co.

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‘If the trade union leaders were doing We can safely assume that Sir William the job they should be doing—*organizing ICE CREAM TOO is as enthusiastic about Nasser as he is / the working class around a militant strategy The British Commonwealth Shipping Co, about dockers’ pay claims. to meet the employers’ offensive—then this controls the Clan Line, with 58 ships conference would not be necessary,’ said (aggregate tonnage, 438,365) and the Union . plumber. John Connor. : Castle Line (27 ships, total tonnage, - Even if Nasser did nationalize the Canal, One -of the dredgermen declared: ‘We 414,253). all is not bleak for Sir Bill or his fellow found the urgent need for a link-up be- Through its control of the Clan Line, it directors. The tax concessions granted by tween militant. movements in industry also owns all the issued shares of British the Tory Chancellor in 1957 will, it is during our strike last year. The Newsletter and South American Steam Navigation, the estimated, save the P. and O. Line the sum can play a part in building such links.’ Scottish Shire Line, the Houston Line and of £10 million in the next few years.

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CAUSE FOR REJOICING Printed by Plough Preas Ltd. (TU), r.o. 180 Clapham High St, London SW4 = Published by The Newsletter, 180 Clapham High St, London, SW4. the Moore Line is Viscount Runciman, a National Liberal, which is a fancy name for a Tory. He was able to declare to his shareholders in the Moore Line:. ‘The earnings of your fleet for 1957 proved, as we hoped, even better than those for 1956.’

The firm of Stephenson and Clarke has as a director Col. Ralph Stephenson, who sat_as Tory MP for East Grinstead up to 1955. It is this company which manages the shipping interests of the North Thames Gas Board and the British Electricity Board.

Although the shipowners and their Tory friends are anxious to assure us that things are bad in the shipping world and they cannot afford a wage increase, this hardly Squares with the latest company reports.

For example, the chairman of Butlers’ Wharf, Lt-Col, F. W. S. Roberts, was able to announce to their annual meeting on July 24 an increase in dividend from 74 to 10 per cent.

He added: ‘The year’s working has resulted in a much improved profit, in fact a record one.’

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HE LEFT £160,000 Reardon Smith Line has made a profit of £1,133,686 for the year ending March 31, 1958. London and Edinburgh Shipping paid a dividend of 20 per cent. William Corey and Son, coal, oil and ship owners say their profits have advanced from £995,978 to £1,005,313 and they are paying a dividend of 124 per cent.

When retired shipowner Mr William frederick H. Weaver died the Financial Times of August 5 reported that he had left £167,281, after paying £93,062 duty.

When did a.docker ever leave such an amount?