Strikers jailed

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No scruples have ever ship, broke their way into the been shown by Labour gov- occupation, and hauled the 16 ernment ministers in their sailors off in handcuffs. collaboration with British Brixton jail, while repeated But the recent case of were defeated by the resistance sixteen jailed Indian seamen of the seamen, who also rejected indicated the depths to which a $500 pay-off settlement the Labour leaders are prepared offered by the shipowners. shipowners in their strike- after three weeks imprisonment, The seamen took industrial ment and payment of their action against discriminatory flights home. inflicted on them in comparison of the immigration and prison to the Greek sailors on the SS authorities in this attempt to Calypso. intimidate strikers has prompted They staged a sit-in, barri- protests from immigrant leaders cading thernsalves in a cabin in Britain. promptly called in help-from the need to fight within the officers- of the Immigration Act, and the notorious for the racialist views removal of its racist defenders rife among them-boarded the from the Labour leadership. scabbing on strikes and employers.

to go in assisting even Greek breaking activities.

wage rates and longer hours on the ship. The Greek captain the British authorities.

Immigration supposed to have said "It seemed very well orchestrated", The second unknown was in fact a collective secret informant: 'Shipowners' were quoted as saying "The men must have a death wish"

By Thursday the dockers were "wreckers" in both the headline and first paragraph of the story.

Robert Adley, Tory MP for Christchurch and Lymington, was given space to attack the working class collectively, describing the strike as:

"Further evidence of a determined attempt by industrial workers to cripple Britain's major ports"

Friday brought allegations of "sabotage" quoting a shop stewards' document to managementwhich management said they knew nothing about.

But Friday also brought a vote to return to work and so Saturday's Telegraph was looking for fresh targets for its venom.

The real culprits it transpired were not dock workers at all but students . and not just ordinary students either.

The story stated:

"Shipowners believe that a Trotskyist cell at Southampton University is behind a spate of unrest in the port there in the past year involving 13 strikes and 12 other disputes that have disrupted the export drive.

"They are seeking firm evidence that students have been secretly fomenting They were thrown into efforts were made to deport them by air. All such attempts Last Thursday, however, they secured a $700 cash settleMeanwhile the involvement The case points yet again to Party for the complete repeal unrest in the docks, which are the main gateway for trade with South Africa."

While still waiting for any "firm evidence" of this remote control of the working class, the Telegraph's rant in its leader linked Southampton docks with Leyland.

"Manipulation by Communist groups-dissident or orthodox-is only one ingredient. They owe their influence to their ability to play on resentments and anti-social impulses, glorifying them in the name of class war and solidarity. surrogates or a lost sense or purpose and community.

"This alliance between backwardness and Marxist dogma gains added force because the industrial and political establishment has lost much of its self confidence."

How will this establishment regain its 'self confidence"?

By no other method than paying close attention to the lead given by two members of this establishment who have achieved close harmony on the task facing the capitalists.

Or as the Telegraph puts it:

«Government, Parliament and opinion-formers must take the lead by spelling out the consequences for all concerned of industrial vandalism, as Mr. Edwardes and Mr. Duffy have done this week."

It was a long drop fror that oil patch.

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"A new International: cannot be prepared without practical participation in the unfolding events. To counterpose a programmatic discussion to the revolutionary struggle would, of course, be false. It is necessary to combine the two." (Trotsky, Writings "The Second, the Third and the Amsterdam Internationals cannot at present convene their congresses, because they are paralysed by their dependence on imperialism and because they are torn asunder by "national" contradictions. On the contrary, the sections of the Fourth International, despite their extremely meagre resources, the difficulties of obtaining visas, the murder of their secretary and the hail of repressions, were able in the most critical moment to convene their international congress and adopt unanimous decisions in which the tasks of the present titanic struggle are formulated precisely and concretely, on the basis of all historic experience.

Trotsky, Writings