[TRADES EDUNCIL AMorkers forkers Socialist League contingent on…]

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TRADES EDUNCIL AMorkers forkers Socialist League contingent on Jan 14th Lobby.

The two building workers Frie The two building workers Frie.

Tomlinson and Dennis Warren are still in jail.

After they were refused the right to appeal to the House of Lords, in December, the TUC sent delegations to the House of Commons to see Wilson and then Jenkins, who simply said 'I cannot usurp the function of the court?

The TUC pressured by the anger of thousands of trade unionists at the treatment of these men, called for the lobby of Parliament on January 14th which was precedee by marches of 8,000 trade unionis through London.

W.S.L FIGHT The Workers Socialist League participated in the main maich, distributing leaflets calling on the demonstration to take up the call for a general strike and for the removal of Jenkins, and for his replacement with a Home Secret ary who will free the men.

The WSL leaflet put the position clear:

"This campaign to release the Shrewsbury Two must be seen as the start of a campaign throughout the workers movement against the range of anti-working class legis lation carried forward by the Lab our Government. "Capitalism in crisis is introducing a series of laws to stop the independent action of the working class The use of the 1875 Conspiracy Laws has to be seen as linked to the so-called 'Anti-Terrorism' Act the proposed legislation to make the law of trespass into a criminal law - to be used primarily against occupations - and now the use of section 42 of the Immigration Act to deport immigrant workers (without charge, trial or appeal) who become involved in trade union struggles.' 'Franco Caprino, who is currently der arrest under this law, has ently been involved in picketing * were Warren and Tomlinson.

i her Roy Jenkins says 'the rule " em must prevail' , and Wilson wile: hant tue British Leyland *O"er they are speaking the same anguage as Dems Healey when he ays it is far better that more peo ple stould be at work, even if that 1019 0700000g lower wages on average, that that those lucky enough to keep their jobs scoop the pool whist brilions are living on the dole, That is what the social contract is all about. "These statements show the right wing of the Labour Party, supporting the employers and the bankers, using the law and the threat of unemplcyment to take away the jobs »dthe the standards and basic Fi rom the workThis attack must be fought not by protest but by action. This demAL onstration today gives the lie to all those in the trade union movement who say that the working class won't fight. What is required is determined and principled leadership. ' The lobby of itself acheived nothing - except a vague promise from Wilson to look into the conspiracy What it did was to raise the issue to a new level in the workers movement (not the intention of the TUC and pose the question of the next step.

THE LEFT MPS The working class fought to form the Labour Party and send their representatives to Parliament.

The "left' MPs - Bob Cryer who said 'Shrewsbury represents an injustice and the labour movement has always acted to right injustices' - Frank Allaun, Martin Flannery, By an industrial correspondent now use the official support to order the men back to work will nut necessarily get them off the hocl..

True to form, Jack Jones (who said in the middle of the Scottish lorry drivers strike that it was no good getting high wages if you bankrupt the firm you work for)

called for arbitration, the local T&G official attacked the Tuners, and Parsons moved at a T&G stewards' meeting in the works that the Tuners be advised to withdraw their claim, a proposal which was defeated in a fight led by WSL members.

On the 2nd January the IMG issued a leaflet into the factory saying that the Tuners claim "will damage the chances of a united fight to restore the value of our wages in the annual review"

This leaflet helped whip up hostility towards the Tuners.

IMG rank and fileism leads them to attack minorities in a period when attacking minorities has been the theme right through the right wing to the employers themselves who know that if minorities can be disciplined the majority will be disciplined.

You cannot choose the condition or timing of a fight. We can only struggle. to understand the forces at work behind. It is clear that the Labour government is backing private industry in order to give it time to make itself profitable. It can only do this by greater exploitation of the working class in the form of speed up (which is now taking place all over the Cowley complex) and by the preparations for victimisation. All this is clearly behind the managements attempt to beat this strike.

The tuners must be supported. It has always been minorities that have built and defended trade unions, we must fight to stop the blacklegging. The WSL will be at the forefront of this fight.

ENTIRLET Audrey Wise, Dennis Skinner - we call on these to put their words into practice and act to remove Jenkins now and demand a Home Secretary who will carry out the decisions of the Labour Party Con ference and free the Shrewsbury two.

The Tribunites and left talkers have shown no inclination to wage this fight. Like all reformists they are too terrified of breaking the laws set up by the capitalist class to defend itself against those it exploits. They are Parliamentarians who genuinely believe that capitalism can be made acceptable, or even that socialism can be achieved through the 'correct' constitutional procedure in Parliament.

The Communist Party says the lett MPs are fighting, and have opposea resolutions calling for a general strike to free the Shrewsbury two and defend trade union rights.

The International Socialists and the International Marxist Group both see the answer in terms of more 'rank and file' movements, thus diverting from the real task confronting the working class, which is to drive out the reaction.

ary leadership of the official trade union andLabour movement whic stands aside while trade unionists ar salled.

Len Murray looks for a solution in parole which would be 'one wa of relieving the situation'- and plans no other mass action.

Prentice - a T&GWU sponsored MP - refused even to meet a delegation of trade unionists on the lobby, as 'a matter of principle' The opportunism of the Worker Revolutionary Party only served to further confuse the issue.

On December 20th they said in the Workers Press 'The campaign of words has failed, as Workers Press always said it would. Now only the trade union bureaucrats, the CP and the so-called 'left' MPs want to continue this obscene circus of protest'!

Then when it emerged that the working class was planning to turn out and fight, the WRP somersaulted to full support, but still did no call on workers to loin the marches before the lobby, and did not fight within its own membership for ă high turnout.

(The ATUA delegation was 50, whereas the WRP claims a London membership of 5,000)

GENERAL STRIKE This campaign must now be taker. forward. The only way to force the release of Warren and Tomlinson and the repeal of the 1875 Conspiracy Acts and their replacement with laws defending trade unionists is by an indefinite general strike.

The strength of the working class which freed the Pentonville dockers and which threw out the Industrial Relations Act must again be mobilised in defence of its rights.

The demand for a general strike must not be an empty demand.

Resolutions must be put down for special meetings of shop stewards and workers to actively fight for a general strike.

DEMANDS The policy of the ialist League is for: * A General Strike to force the release of Warren and Tomlinson, for the repeal of the 1875 Conspiracy Acts and their replacement by laws defending the Trade Unions, and for the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Immigrat ion Act, and all other anti-workin class legislation. *For the Left MPs to put down a resolution in the PLP for the removal of Jenkins, and his repl acement with someone prepared to release these workers and defend the working class. For a campaign on this througiout the labour movement. *End the social contract. Defend jobs and living standards.