FREE THE POLITICAL PRISONERS

sentence imposed on Miguel Nufiuz Gonzalez for taking part in a strike. Other were ‘sentenced to twelve, ten and six years in Franco’s foul jails. This was the latest in a series of trials of socialists, “communists, anarchists and militants. The Spanish workers are stirring; only by systematic repression can the. blood- : stained fascist régime cling on to power.

Trade unionists and Labour Party members must protest with all their strength. Let us condemn, too, the continuing repression in Hungary, where, according to an official spokesman, Professor Istvan Bibo, Minister of State in Nagy’s Cabinet, has been sentenced to life imprisonment at a secret trial; and in Ireland, where hundreds of men are held in the Curragh internment camp. The Labour Party must demand the freeing of all these political prisoners.

A TEST CASE NEAT week we shall examine the economic lessons of 1958, including the new currency measures, which mean a stepping up of the employers’ offensive. Meanwhile, for an example of the employers’ strategy at factory level, look at the Harland and Wolff dispute. First came redundancies, coupled with a refusal to share the work. Secondly came an attack on the shop stewards’ organization, with the dismissal of the subconvener. And then, in the midst of the dispute, the management arrogantly tried to slash job prices. If these attacks are not defeated the Clyde employers as a whole will follow suit. This is a test case. The Harland and Wolff workers must not be left to fight alone.

SOUTH WALES BATTLE

A DEMONSTRATION and a possible one-day strike will not stop the sacking of 2,500 South Wales miners, however valuable these protests may be in bringing the miners’ case to the attention of other workers. What is needed is a fight for the seven-hour day and an extra week’s holiday. These proposals should be put to the Board as an alternative to sackings, and a ballot taken in the coalfield for strike action to win them. The rank and file must be given the chance to decide on what to do to save 2,500 jobs. Tuesday’s conference of South Wales miners can give a lead to the whole working class.

STEWARDS AND SAFETY

FOR ten weeks the building workers at the Belvedere power station have been making a real contribution, not only to the struggle against sackings and victimization, but also to the fight for proper safety precautions. About fifty types of constructional engineering work are not covered by the regulations, and since 1948 the 11,000 members of the Constructional Engineering Union on outside construction have suffered 10,226 accidents, of which 279 were fatal. On the Belvedere job alone, though it is only half done, there have been four deaths already. At this rate one in every twenty erectors will be dead before the job is completed.

The fight for safety and the fight for strong shop stewards’ committees go hand in hand. To support the Belvedere men is the duty of every trade unionist. THE TORIES are spending huge sums on war preparations _ while. the number of men, women and children affected by unemployment and short-time working is in the region of two million.

- ~ Nineteen fifty-nine will be a year of great ‘struggles. The workers will have to move into action against the employers and their government—or go under.

* BU the Righf-wing trade union leaders are not prepared to fight. They have retreated before .the employers’ offensive. They have abandoned the fight against sackings.

They are more concerned with firing on their own troops —by witch-hunting militants—than with organizing and mobilizing the workers to resist the employers.

The policy demands of Labour’s leaders are completely inadequate to solve the present crisis. These leaders have lamentably failed to fight the Tories either inside or outside parliament.

But the workers are prepared to fight. In 1958 the busmen, dockers and building workers showed ‘their mettle. They displayed magnificent solidarity and fighting capacity.

Given a socialist leadership, the whole working class can fight in the same way—and win.

The working class has the power, not merely to rout 2 single employer, but to defeat the Tories and their system, and bring to power a socialist government.

The central aim of The Newsletter is to prepare the workers to use that power. But this can only be done if a stubborn fight is waged for socialist policies and socialist leadership within the Labour movement.

Let 1959 be the year when the rank and file of the trade unions are brought into political activity under a socialist banner.

Let 1959 see the Tories and the employers routed by a great upsurge of militancy, of determination to avoid the hardships of the dole queue by using our industrial strength.

* AT the national industrial rank-and-file Conference *“we called last November, over 500 socialist militants adopted a Charter of Workers’ Demands.

We firmly believe that in the struggle to implement that Charter a new, socialist leadership can be built within the We believe that the tasks facing the working class in 1959 are of such a magnitude—and the price of failure so heavy —that socialist militants who support the Charter should now be associated more closely.

We are therefore launching a national campaign around the Charter. In February, March and April we are holding a series of meetings in key industrial centres up and down the country.

These meetings will discuss the problems facing the working class, and the need for some kind of organization, based on the trade union rank and file, of those who support the Charter of Workers’ Demands and the policy set forth in the article by Gerry Healy in our issue of December 6.

It is not the intention of The Newsletter to foist any predetermined form of organization upon militant trade unionists. That is why we are not launching an organization at this stage, but are giving militants an opportunity to discuss whether one is needed and, if so, what its objects, constitution and methods: should be.

For our part, we are convinced that the time is rapidly nN

approaching when some form of “rank- and-file organization, corresponding to the needs and problems of militants and helping forward their fight inside: and outside the unions, will become imperative.

As well as calling these meetings and initiating this dis. ro ks cussion, we are launching an appeal for £1,000 to develop The Newsletter as a weekly newspaper. so that it may adequately serve the working class in struggle.

We ask all readers and supibiters of Our: ‘paper-to give the fullest possible suppert: to the meetings: wh ‘are being called, and so help to defeat the Tories’ plans. ~~ MICHAEL BANDA GERRY HEALY BRIAN BEHAN — -HARRY CONSTABLE ~= ~~ PETER KERRIGAN —