[British army violence in Northern Ireland educational system…]

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British army violence in Northern Ireland educational system.

The whole structure of sectarian religious divisions and discrimination must be exposed as a key means by which imperialism continues to axploit both sections of the Irish population.

What do we mean by a workers' and farmers' government in Ireland when there is no existing political party, North or South, that puts forward an adequate programme for the working class?

By the demand we stress two essential points. Firstly the lack of such a political party means that one must be built-a Trotskyist party, based on the prinainlar damande and mothad af apie, vomanus aru marrun vi the Transitional Programme.

Such a party would represent the only independent working class answer to British and international imperialism and to the petty bourgeois nationalism represented by the republican movement.

And secondly those Irish workers that at present see one or other of the existing political parties or groupings as providing a way forward must be mobilised in struggle in such a way as they can learn the utter bankruptcy of their leadership.

This is particularly true of the Labour Party and various left Labour groupings in the South from which workers must be urged to demand not simply a break from its long history of coalition politics but also action on the demands spelled out here.

Start from These demands start from Irish workers' present problems and conditions, and, by leading beyond the narrow bounds that reformists could hope to concede in the straitjacket of the Irish economy, can act powerfully to expose the inadequacy of the Labour Party and its leaders and the necessity for a revolutionary programme.

The Transitional Programme makes this clear, when it points out that:

"Each of the transitional demands should, therefore lead to one and the same political conclusion: the workers need to break with all traditional parties of the bourgeoisie in order, jointly with the farmers, to establish their own power."

tasks The Workers Socialist League has since its formation correctly supported the demands for an immediate withdrawal of British troops from freland and self determination for the Irish people.

We have fought the introduction and implementation of repressive legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and the frame-up trials. of republican militants both in Britain and in Ireland.

And we have given prominence and support to the valiant struggle by Republican and socialist prisoners in "H' Block of the Long Kesh concentration camp for their demand of restored political prisoner support of the 300 Long Kesh prisoners 'on the blanket' must be fully supported by trade union and Labour Party contingents.

Centre of fight

The whole issue of British imperialism in Ireland must be brought far more to the centre of our political fight in the workers movement.

In one or two areas Labour Parties have been pressed into calling conferences on Ireland in which we have intervened. We should actively campaign for such conferences to be organised on the widest possible basis-by Labour Parties or Trades Councils-and set out to ensure that such conferencas adopt resolutions spelling out demands for:

* Troops out of Ireland now! Blacking of supplies to the imperialist forces in Ireland.

* Ropeal of all repressive "anti-terrorist' legislation. Release all political prisoners!

* Self determination for the Irish people.

* Trade union committees in Britain and Ireland to open the books of British employers with large investments in Ireland.

It is necessary to mako it absolutely clear that the fight for such demands means a fight to remove all those elements within the Labour .and trade union leadership that oppose the Irish liberation struggle.

Mason

One way this can be made more concrete is through focussing on the Yorks NUM's continuing support for Roy Mason as Labour MP for Barnsley and the demand that Scargill and others act to remove him.

Such conferences must focus on these questions of leadership, showing in this way the connec. tion between the need to give active support in struggles in Ireland and the fight in Britain for jobs and living standards.

They must be directed towards continuing active campaigns with the trade unions and the Labour Party to prepare the basis for implementing the demands.

CONCLUDED

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DET BERLINGSKE HUS struggles in the print Danish print workers battle with police in fight against speed-up last year On both sides of the Atlantic major attacks on the union strength in the newspaper industry are coming to a head.

In New York, workers on 'the city's big three papers have been on strike since August 9 after newspaper owners made a determined attempt to smash the press room union by axing its workforce in half.

Federal negotiatiors are deadlocked in an attempt to By Jason Pirbright. the workers will be handed over for slaughter to the employers.

In New York and London land Manchester, where the Express wants to launch the new Star) the attacks by management are not normal everyday attacks on the working class.

Defeats

They represent attempts to inflict major defeats on workers who have proved ready to fight New York press strikers Managements of the New York Times, the Daily News and Murdoch's New York Post refused to come to terms.

In August management at the NYT posted new work schedules in the press room.

They were seeking a reduction of 50% in the press operators-and an all out conflict with the union.

The notices were posted even while the union negotiators were waiting for a meeting to begin with management.

The press room walked out the union leadership will sell out this strike have become clear.

At the instigation of the mediator, Kenneth Moffett, the talks have been switched to Washington.

This symbolic move both removes the union leadership from the picket lines and the pressure of the membership, and takes the employers onto the home ground of their 1975 victory at the Washington Post.

Helicopters

There, they broke the press union by operating under a state of siege, using helicopters to fly in the scabs.

The move is the symbol of the union officials' independence of the membership. No wonder Moffett called it a "fresh and positive setting"

Throughout the strike the union leaderships have cooperated in the production of scab papers launched to profit from the vacuum of newsprint in New York.

. These high profit rags pay out of town rates and have close financial links with the strike hit papers* owners.

Murdoch loaned a New York Times sub-editor the cash to start the New York Metro and guaranteed 150,000 copies He also had first refusal on buying the paper-keeping his options open on closing the Post permanently.

When staff on the paper found out about the deal they walked out.

The part time newspaper baron only persuaded them to return by saying he had torn up his contract with Murdoch and repaid the loan.

One of the scab papers, the New York Daily Press; is even published by two brothers who have made a business of moving round the country starting papers up wherever there is a strikel "Traditional"

These scab papers are described as "traditional" in time of strikes. They must be stopped.

Only a paper under the control of the strikers and independent of any business interests should be permitted to move in New York-a workers' paper which is responsible to committees of strikers and which neoclaims the intoracte of LIC the working class.

The union leaders must be forced to fight for blacking.

The New York Times News Service tapes are kept running by executives turned reporters. The New York Times radio need for a Labor Party in US:

On August 16-before the other unions joined the Pressmen's Union on strike, Democratic Mayor • Carey launched an attack on the union saying:

"We want a stable wage economy in New York. All labor unions would be well advised to take into consideration the needs of the people who want the city of New York to continue on the road to recovery."

The next day the New York Central Labor Council endorsed Carey's nomination for re election as Mayor of New York!

If this underlines the need for a party of labour, the threat to close down the Times and Sunday Times in Britain shows what kind of party that must not be.

The statement issued by M.J. Hussey, chief executive and managing director of Times Newspapers Ltd on September 19, which threatened to cease publication, quoted in support of management's stand, the Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan.

Callaghan had told the TUC at Brighton:

"For the trade unionist the truth is that there is no way in which low productivity and high real wages can go together for any real length of time."

Hussey wrote: "l: do notthink I could express the position better than did the Prime Minister."

Sack workers

Times Newspapers are threatening to stop publication of the Times on November 30 and sack workers from every union with which it has not reached agreement by that date.

The problem for management is not to agree no-strike clauses with union officials-the bureaucracy are pleased to sign such agreements.

The fact is that. most Fleet Street print chapels are in open revolt against their officials.

Last year. NATSOPA officials sacked chapel officers from the union to get them back to work.

This year virtually all of the 125 million copies af national daily and Sunday papers lost to disputes have been through unofficial action.

The only exception has been the journalists' strike Daily Mirror.

In all composing a nd press rooms managements ar 'e breaking agreements and spar 'king disputes to use as fuel for the major conflagration to come.

All union officials have now started talks with managements.

Joe Wade, NGA General Secretary, who said he would inot negotiate under duress is , now doing just that.

Behind this lies the determination of the officials to help i management introduce job slashing technology despite rejection of such plans by their members.

No programme The members' militancy has not been linked to any programme against the technology.

They must fight for a policy of work sharing on full pay before accepting photo-typesetting or other technology.

'The only policy capable of combatting the all-out attack on jobs which is coming is a demand to open all the secret plans to elected chapel committees and fight for nationalisation under workers control.

When under attack workers must be prepared to occupy the presses.

The plans for the news Express paper The Star, show what is in store:

Based in Manchester, this Victor Matthews owned paper is planned to compete in the tight tabloid market, and will almost certainly either fold itself, or collapse one or other of its competitors.

It has brought virtually no increase in print jobs, and will staffed by less than 50 journalists (against between (200-300 . on the Sun and Mirror).

Union opposition has virtually crumbled altogether, and the launch is planned for October 20.

A fight to turn on the offensive against the employers must be rooted in Britain and America in a new leadership to fight on class policies which aim towards wresting control of the newspaper empires out of the hands of the bosses.

Only in this way can the anarchy of job slashing and vicious attacks on the working class be ended.

The alternative was spelled out in the proemployer trade paper The UK Press Gazette.

Its lead editorial on September 18 called for the naming of Fleet Street militants, campaigns against them in the national newspapers and ' for them to be hounded out of their jobs.

The future of trade union strength in Fleet Street is at stake.