Leicester tenants movement growing

'Unique' agreement to be signed builders' Association and the Electrical Trades Union, providing for 'dilution' of the 1,500 Clydeside electricians.

The agreement which is now under consideration by the union's executive committee was described by a union. representative as being a fair one.

The scheme provides for 20 to 25 per cent 'dilution' of timeserved electricians by the introduction of unskilled and semi-skilled workers. For every four or five tradesmen now working in the shipyards one unskilled or semi-skilled tradesmen will be brought in.

This will immediately in shipyards provide the Shipbuilders' Association with an additional 300 to 375 electrical workers who can immediately be trained for tradesmen's work and provide skilled and cheap labour for the new orders which have been recently won.

AGREEMENT

The two sides reached agreement after the Electrical Trades Union called out the electricians at one shipyard and put forward demands for increased wages. They also put forward proposals for the introduction of work-study and EALING'S LABOUR COUNCIL SPLITS SIX Labour councillors in Southall, Middlesex, have split and formed their own group in the Ealing Labour-controlled council on a platform of discrimination against immigrant workers. At a council meeting in June they voted with the Tories to make immigrants wait 15 years to go on the council's housing list.

One of them said: Immigrants are still coming into Southall. Something should be done at a national level to keep them away from places like Southall'.

Although their resolution was defeated, no fight has been waged against these councillors. They are still members of the Labour Party.

REGRET

At the Elthorne Ward Labour Party a councillor, who supports the majority of the Labour group, regretted that a resolution was passed by the Ward condemning the six. A leader of the Labour group now argues that if too bonus payments.

In payment for the introduction of dilution the electricians are to receive an increase in the region of 6d. per hour. The rates of the dilutees will also be raised but they will now be doing work previously paid at skilled rates. The way is now wide open for the breaking down of other trade union practices in the shipyards.

Any such action will be especially appreciated by the shipbuilding employers at this time. One firm announced last week that all its operat ons on the Clyde failed to ma ie a BISAKTA men ask support Newsletter Industrial Reporter AT a meeting in Cardiff this week, called by BISAKTA members in the cold roll mill of Guest Keen Nettlefold's Castle Works, an attempt was made to gain full trade union support at the works for their 11-week-old strike.

Action was taken by the men following the management's answer to their demand for a wage increase after several month's discussion. The management offered a slight increase with the introduction of conditions of labour, which were certain to lead to large-scale redundancies within the cold roll department.

Unsuccessful

Attempts were made in the first week of the strike to gain support from the other BISAKTA branches in the works, but these were unsuccessful and the strike was declared unofficial. It was stated that no further discussions on the dispute would take place until the men returned to work.

In fact, considerable support was gained by the strikers this week and their representatives are now to visit several union branches. In this way they hope to win further support, and with this solidarity, fight for higher pay and guaranteed jobs.

many immigrant workers go on the housing list then they will review the whole question!

Two of the six councillors work at AEC. The 1/680 branch of the Transport and General Workers Union, which represents many AEC workers, passed a resolution condemning these councillors.

WAITING

In Southall, with a population of 60,000, there are only 2,600 council houses in existence. During the next few months the council plans to build only a few more houses to accommodate 300 families. These new houses are being built by Laings, the gigantic building contractor. Slum areas, which were scheduled for redevelopment after the war, have not been touched. Many families have been on the waiting list for 10 or 15 years.

Yet, in Ealing, which is in the same local government area, €460,000 was paid out to purchase land for 200 flats. profit in 1964-65. Writing on the shipbuilding employers' dilemma, the 'Sunday Telegraph' pointed out that although vast new tonnage orders had been won, it was questionable whether any profit would be made out of the ships now being laid down.

CONFERENCE

The Scottish Trades Union Congress executive has announced that it is to call a conference of trade unions on September 15 to discuss relations between the employers and trade unions in the shipbuilding industry. THE movement in Leicester against the Labour Council's proposed 30 per cent rent increases is beginning to snowball. Following the successful tenants' meeting on the Cort trains Liverpool workers to be affected by closure Newsletter Correspondent TORE than 900 workers • will be affected when the Courtaulds monopoly closes one of its rayon plants, British Enka, at Aintree, Liverpool, at the end of August.

Only 250 employees are expected to be found jobs in other Courtauld plants in the area.

British Enka was part of a Dutch firm until it was taken over by Courtaulds, who cut production because the productive capacity of all their plants was greater than demand.

A young worker at the Furzebrook Knitting Co., on the same site, alleged:

"There are quite a number of older men who were kept on last time and will now find it harder than ever to get a job'.

Knitting

The other factory on the site is British Celon, which has just begun production and Will not be in full operation until next year. British Celon make nylon for knitting at the Furzebrook factory. This plant will take 150 workers from the Enka olosure.

A leading Liverpool Labour councillor stated in the 'Liverpool Echo' that he hoped the closure was only part of reorganisation, and that it did not arise from the general economic problems facing the country!

It is easy to see that the housing problem is caused by the banks and the Tories and that immigrants are exploited as part of the whole working class.

The actions of these councillors is the logical conclusion of the right-wing's support for the Immigration Act. The immigration policy and Callaghan's budget will have deep efiects on the class struggle in the area. Both immigrant workers and English workers in the area are prepared to fight. They showed this in the strike at Woolf's, Rockware and Durotube, and the struggles over bonus and hours at AEC and Walls.

DEMONSTRATION

The Middlesex Region of the Young Socialists is planning a demonstration through Southall on September 11. All young and adult members of the labour movement should join this demonstration and strike a blow against the landlords and profiteers.

It angrily denies that trade union leaders are obstructing the introduction of measures to break down restrictive practices.

The unions, it said, are 'keen to assist in making industry as competitive as possible' (!)

Electricians on the Clyde have no reason to love the leaderships of the Electrical Trades Union and Scottish Trades Union Congress. The witch-hunt conducted by the right wing against rank-and-file electricians in Clydebank and in Glasgow has been particularly harsh.

But it is now doubly clear what that fight is about and that it has to continue. A new leadership has to be built in the unions to remove the right wing and establish a socialist leadership. * Crescent estate, the Young Socialists have organised a meeting of 120 tenants from the Saffron Lane and Eyres Monsell estates.

At this meeting, the Young Socialists received a tremendous response from the tenants. As one speaker asked: 'What is the difference between an 8s. rent rise and an 8s. wage cut?' tenants called out 'None!' When asked what they would do if their wages were cut tenants shouted: 'We'd strike!' UNITED The Young Socialist speaker pointed out that if the tenants allowed themselves to be divided on the basis of colour or in any other way then they would be defeated. The slogan of 'United we stand! Divided we fall!' received applause from the tenants.

Those who first attempted to minimise the role of the Young Socialists now stated: "The Federation of Young Socialists will get a flea in its ear. from ratepayers who are not council house tenants and a deaf ear from sensible, reasonable tenants.' CLEAR It is very clear from the size of the meeting organised by the Young Socialists that others will get 'fleas in their ears'.

During this week further tenants meetings are being held on five other estates. On Saturday, September 11, an all-Leicester tenants' demonstration is being arranged.

Those few supporters of the Communist Party who have put forward the slogan: 'Keep politics out!' have been left far behind.

Tenants can see very clearly that it is the financial policies of the Labour government and the failure of Wilson to nationalize the banks, the land, the building and the building supplies industries, that is directly responsible for the increase in their rents. Islington tenants' committee meets NEWSLETTER REPORTER OVER 100 tenants at Sickert Court, Islington, attended a Tenants' Association meeting at the Community Centre on Thursday, August 19.

But all they heard from the Association's Committee was that Islington Council will discuss the possibility of staggerthe rent increases of up to 30s., which are due to become operative on September 6.

A report was given on a discussion with the Mayor and a Councillor, in which the Labour Council eloquently pleaded that it had to find the money to service 'spiralling debts' and interest charges on the housing revenue account.

Stagger

One tenant asked: Since the debt spirals every year, how is it possible to stagger the increases? It is all very well the Council saying where is the money coming from, where do they think ours is coming from?' The executive committee gave no lead on the question of the form sent out by the Council. These forms terminate the existing agreement between Council and tenant, but the EC recommended they be signed 'under protest' and that normal rents be paid 'until the issue is clear'.

Islington Labour councillors Robert Redrupp and Albert Ley have already resigned in protest against the proposed increases.