Socialist Press no. 12

AS LABOUR LEADERS PREPARE STATE CONTROL

TUC VOTES SAVAGE

The Trade Union leaders are collaborating with the right wing of the Labour Government to impose massive wage cuts on the working class in the interest of capitalism. Pushed forward by a severe inflationary crisis the Labour Government is about to introduce harsh statutory controls of wages, involving the crea- tion of mass unemployment.

Healey has made it clear that he is not offering a choice between wage legislation and cuts in public spending which will destroy jobs.

Speaking to Labour MPs on Tues- day he said: "We must accept a 10% cut in the standard of living and public expenditure. The alternative is to crawl to the Int- ternational Monetary Fund and accept the terms they impose upon us." Wilson and Healey are deter-

PER WEEK".

mined, but they could not hope to impose their policies without the collaboration of the TU lead- ers. The working class are power* ful and prepared to defend their living standards and jobs.

Wilson's problem in imposing state controls is comparable to the Jones plan. the problem of Peron in Argen- tina where a 48-hour general strike has shattered the govern- ment's attempts to introduce flat-rate increases and state con- trols of wages. In Britain the conditions for wage cutting had first to be created by the trade union leaders working closely with Wilson.

JONES PLAN

The first move was made by Jack Jones, General Secretary of the T&GWU. Using the arguments and "equal of "social justice" sacrifice, he raised the concept of flat-rate increases. He then developed a position that the only way to beat inflation was for workers to cut down the size of their wage claims to "break the inflationary spiral* - which is the argument of just about every employer in the country. The T&GWU conference became a springboard for this policy. No sooner had the conference voted for it - as a means of avoiding" statutory wage controls - than Healey announced imminent wage legislation. Capitalist propaganda then foc- ussed on the NUM conference where so-called 'Marxist', Arthur Scargill, persuaded the Yorkshire delegation to drop the £100 de- mand, and the decision taken, splashed all over the capitalist ced. press, strengthened the hand of Jones, Murray and Wilson.

In the forefront of the search for a "compromise" at the NUM

SOCIALIST

PRESS ›

WAGE CUTS

The general strike of 1926 arose out of a 10% wage cut, imposed - not by the TUC - but by a Tory government. The trade union movement was built to defend and improve the standard of living of the working class. Its leaders are conference were well known mem- of cutting the standard of living.

bers of the Communist Party, including Dai Francis and Jack

THREATENED

Collins. It is also interesting to ask - where was Mick McGahey and his Scottish delegation who The proposal is that wages be first put the £100 claim forward?

ut in order to "preserve the Lab The Stalinist position was seen our Government to be a conscious policy, when precisely the right-wing policies 'the next day's Morning Star head- being carried out by Wilson which lined uncritically "Neither 10% threaten the very existence of the £6.00 has any revelance. Labour Government.

MINERS VOTE TO SEEK £100

ed this clearly, when the Tories When the General Council of were returned on the basis of a the TUC met, it was not to org- working class abstention, brought anise resistance to state control about by the betrayals of the Lab- of wages, but, having already acc- our leaders. epted the principle of wage cuts, to discuss the implementation of to bring down the Tory Govern- ment and bring the Labour Gov- The whole position of the TUC leadership is based on the notion the pay laws and defend their liv- that workers' wages are responsible for inflation - otherwise why cut Labour Government in power 1s to accept - state pay laws.

The only way to save the Labour

'LEFTS

In the Parliamentary Labour Party the lefts' have failed con- presented to fight Wilson's polic ies. Benn and Foot have now Jones at T&GWU Conference the right comparable only to them to solve the problem? The Jones himself. term "national interest" has bec- Some of the remaining 'lefts' ome universally used and not a have made strong statements single trade union leader has spo- against Healey's proposals. They ken of the independent interests are now called upon to act on of the working class. their statements and to work to The outcome of all this collabor- ation is clear. The door has been the removal of Wilson. opened, the confusion created, and Wilson will go ahead as he on alternative policies and start originally planned, with pay laws which would reduce the standard ing standards and not from the of living in a year by something requirements of capitalism.

like 30%. An idea of the price The demands must be for the rises in store is given by the inc- books of the employers to be reased postal charges just announ- The decision of the TUC to police wage cuts is unprecedented in the continued on back page, col.5 history of the workers' movement.

now attempting to use it as a means The 48-hour General Strike called in Argentina by the 3,500,000 strong General Labour Confederation (CGT) ended 10 hours early on Tues- day, after forcing President In reality it is Isabel Peron to concede wage increases of up to 150%. The strike had been called be- cause Peron had vetoed these inc- reases (even though they had The Woolwich by-election show- already been agreed by the emp- loyers), and attempted to restrict rises to a 50% "flat rate".

In the stormy period leading up to the stoppage which began on In February 1974 the miners had Monday a million workers had been involved in unofficial strike action, and meetings and demon- ernment to power in order to break strations had taken place all over Argentina. ing standards. Today, with the rest The political impact of this mass movement has been to disrupt the of the working class, they are being political bloc which had previously told that the only way to keep the existed between the bureacratic leaders of the powerful trade unions and the Peronist government.

If there was an election tomorrow, Wilson would be heavily defeated.

The CGI nominee in Peron's government had been forced to Government now is to remove the resign, and there was mounting pressure on the President to sack right wing from office and reverse her unofficial "Prime Minister" - the policies Wilson has introduced.

•Senor Lopez Rega, Minister of Social Welfare. Rega is well known for his connections with the ultra right-wing AAA (Argentine Anti- Communist Alliance) "death squad" which has been carrying out brutal murders of militants and sistently to take the opportunities left-wingers. These connections have now even been publicised in a daily paper, La Opinion, and swung behind Wilson in a move to further damaged the standing of me reron government.

100% INFLATION

The economic crisis itself in Arg mobilise the labour movement for entina is out of all control with 100% annual rate of inflation and Such a campaign must be based a huge balance of payments crisis.

The proposal to cut the negotiated from the defence of workers' liv- wage increases, which brought the confrontation, was part of a gov.

ernment "package tion, which also devalued the peso by 50%, increased fuel prices b 170% and allowed othe opened, for a sliding scale of wages to protect workers against intlation.

rise by at least 100%. This open a sliding scale of hours to detend attempt to slash workers' living 'standards was the motive force

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO 12 * 10th JULY 1975 * 10p

ARGENTINA

STRIKE BREAKS

PAY CURB

Peron behind the strike wave The CT leadership, until now the main prop of Peronism, attempt- ed throughout to restrict the mili- tant struggles of workers. The 48- hour general strike call was widely seen as an attempt to forestall growing demands for an all-out indefinite general strike, to remain in control of the mass movement, and prevent a full-scale political split developing between the trade unions and the bourgeois appar atus of the Peronist movement.

Peron must now try to pick up the pieces in order to preserve capitalist rule. With her whole cabinet having offered their res ignations as the general strike began, her closest confidant the object of universal hostility, and the massive economic crisis con- fronted by Argentinian capital, her base of support seems increas ingly shaky. But for the workers movement the problems still are not solved.

The undoubted power of the trade unions is still channelled / bourgeois through a reactionar leadership. There still is no mas independent workers party. In- flation will now escalate uncont- rollably, snatching away even the 150% rises just achieved The demands of Argentinian workers on their unions must be for a break from Peronism; for a sliding scale of wages to main- tain their value against inflation; to cure infla- for workers' defence squads to protect militants against the AAA and other reactionary groups, and prices to the building of a revolutionary leadership to mobilise the class in the fight for socialism.

Page 2

USA

kers to the weaken the need The desperate cash crisis of New York City was eased yet another week by this scheme to defer payment of reformist enormous and escalating its debts. This follows complex financial wheeling and dealing among major months by several Us banks over Mayor Abraham Beame, desperately trying to stave off city bankruptcy.

The unusual aspect of the new however is that it comes scheme from one of the major unions, and involves workers accepting increas- ingly worthless two year city bonds in place of a wage increase of 6% due at the end of the month.

This open union policy of mak- for capitalism's ing workers pay the proposal of an- crisis follows other union bureaucracy to guar- antee the wages of workers threat- ened with redundancy by offering funds. othet union 111

LEBANON

Middle East Cauldron Fears of the revival of the of civil smouldering embers war have continued to stalk of Beirut in the the streets days since the establishment right of a new ultra wing government for Lebanon on which left more than 1,000 dead, be rede can State and bolstered by ane ink with the outside world and the only exclusion Christian and Moslem communities.

This arrangement has constant- ly been threatened by the storms of Middle East politics and not least by the Lebanese Palestinian masses.

civil war when the US sent in the continued to take an active interest in the maintenance of this state as a buffer between Zionism and efforts to get Egyptian President ionalists Sadat to bring other Arab regimes plan' that will sell out the Palestin- pro-Syrian McMurtrie Godley from service in Indo-Chinese embassies to 'combat' absent The carried This is a situation where the "Rejection Lebanese right-wing murdered 27 Palestin- known Falangists ians in cold blood. The struggle of George against this provoca- Palestinians "strong forement calls foI TrATION tion between and on 23rd May a This Zionism up. military regime

SOL

was answered by the establishment- association of barricades in all the Palestinian refuse sections areas and among Lebanese workers. ins challenge ended the military regime within 3 Falangism need to The new phase of right-wing June provoked terror during political brought about a further Falangists again the Once

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

subscriptions collected from equip for struggles against employers are being the workers resistance to pave the employers attacks, and way to redundancy. of the whole the economic crisis of New York City defend jobs and to promised This can only working conditions. allowing take place through building a new leadership which will expose these plans and challenge the rights of capitalists and municipal employers to create unemployment.

increasingly remote.

LICI

Mayor Beame richest economically collapse. military hardware which they were using at the edges of refugee camps and working class areas. The Palest- opposing these attacks by left-wing Lebanese para-military conservative leaders of Moslem and that they had had enough and on July 1st felt able to sink their right-wing politician who is already threatening draconian measures to Irom leader of Lebanon's largest Socialist states There are great dangers also in the position of the bourgeois nat- Palestinian resist- the Leaders of ralei ance movement the largest group, together with the the Iraqi Saika and supported Democratic Front have under censorship, pledged support for the new govern- ment and agreed to restore order in the refugee camps. Increasingly in recent weeks their forces have been from the struggle against Falangist provocations. main fighting has been of the Front of ts Palestinian resistance groups of which the best Popular Front of Habash. There could be no clearer illus- inseparable of the struggle defeat to Ine pro-imperialist and the forces in the Arab world, than the between

THOSE

to accept a sell-out to the Zionists and those who have borne by the brunt of the struggles against Most were The the Lebanon. extreme put forward a programme of socialist demands in the Palest- movement and Arab masse is now urgently posed. Lers fed up

ANGOLA

wave of strikes mounting workers. dockers and port an ending of the transitional government grows rich in materials and has been growing at movements - the Popular Movement National Union for Total Indepen- ist economic crisis the development of any independent Angolan capit- The situation is one where the open warfare between them despite existing forces both of international neighbouring African states are sup- porting particular factions of the way of ironing out their differences.

The right wing FNLA for exam- Tavoured the Stalinist influenced MPLA and The Portuguese Minister of the the indigenous UNITA, whose main Economy in the transitional govern- ment threatened to resign 2 weeks ago, claiming that the country, the of Portugal's focusses on the northernmost por- vince of Angola - Cabinda, rich in ex-colonies, is on the verge of total the open warfare between the liberation movements is added

INDIA

Clamps Down On Wednesday June 25th fifty thousand people at a rally anti-corruption campaigner, to start a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience to force Mrs Gandhi Gandhi's resignation as Prime Minister, following her convic- tion on June 12th for corrupt businessmen wanting decisive capit- allst pouties Only hours later a power cut But Mrs Gandhi has a semi-dictatorship of her Congress Party because she fears the explos ion of vicious class struggle between their beds to jail some 700 people, these elements and Indian masses who, for want of a have leadership, socialist Narayan's non-violent behing state of emergency called to deteat reformist Gandhian campaign what she called "a deep amd wide The clouds of this storm have spread conspiracy to cause internal been gathering for during which the Congress years, Party steadily has been ground in six state elections, as its promises of an attack now in jail, with no right of appeal have never been carried out.

courts, one third of whom

DISPOSSESS

This is because living standards of the Gandhian old guard whom jobs and land can only be defended Mrs Gandhi defeated in 1969. After India through the dispossession his victory over the Congress Party of the same businessmen and weal- in the Gujarat state elections earlier thy farmers who provide the main financial and electoral support of the Congress Party. Poverty and exploitation enormous and increasing - per cap- ita income averages £52 a year, and 385m out of a population of 580m live below the poverty line of about were united only 50p per week. The feudal relations which hold Gandhi rural villages in a vice-like the right the Sevak become ever MOre three quarters of households cult- ivating land have uneconomic hold.

of less than 2 acres and these ings and the half of the rural population SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday Jul: 10th 1975 the MLPA In military terms, appears to be in control of this area.

Gulf much lo and of President Mobutu of neigh- bouring Zaire. Accordingly Mobutu, no doubt prompted by Gulf, is declaring that Cabinda not really part of Angola at all and should be allowed settle its own status through a by referendum Mobutu has Meanwhile an open border between provided Zaire and Angola for ferrying larg quantities of arms and recruits to the right wing FNLA, though he has for diplomatic purposes agreed to "seal" the border using his own with the troops in coordination Portuguese army.

STRATEGY

At all costs a repetition must be prevented of the strategy of inter- capitalism, which set up declare "independent" states under puppet governments loyal to imperialism This must be avoided in Cabinda The oil wealth must be nationalised with all other Angolan min- eral resources and the ports, being integrated into a socialist economic regime based firmly on the unity of Angolan workers and peasants must be a first step tow- political divisions imposed by im- perialism and use the vast economic resources of the continent for the benefit of the African people.

landless are under the that thumbs of rich farmers, landlords and moneylenders - labourers may work 20 years to repay a debt of £5.

this situation JP Narayan's campaign in Bihar state, where these contradictions are most acute, drew a following greater than any move- ment since the fight for independ- in remote ence (no meeting villages being under 10,000 strong) to a programme of decentralisation of government, electoral reform and "fairer" land ownership.

DEFENCE

But without a programme of jobs and connect with defence living standards of urban workers, and without setting up independent workers' and' peasants' committees to fight for the control of transport credit and for land nationalisation and collectivisation of agriculture this movement has joined a motley right-wing crew some of whom Mr Gandhi has compared to Nazis.

announced Mrs Gandhi has broad measures of "reform" to b introduced in the next few weeks base of her party wil imposed but the very prevent any improvement in the lo of the masses. What is more, she has followe these promises by actually bannin 26 political and religious organisa tions which oppose her fallen These include Maoist as wel rule. as right-wing political groups an within hours of the announcemen headquarters at least two subject to raids by police.

STALINISTS

losing on poverty It is conspicuous however tha of whole throughout the Moscow-lin Communist Party has defender Gandhi's actions, continuing thei craven support for her corrupt an This has demagogic regime. flu. both Gandhi and th delighted capitalist class internationally exposing yet again the treacherou politics stemming from the Stalinis concept of "peaceful coexistence" It'is the bankruptcy of politica are leadership alone that now hold workers and peasants backunt India. The immediate need is fo peasants' and workers, farmers committees to be built i the fight for a socialist programm unite the struggle agains and to grip Gandhi's government. unbearable But within that movement th key question is to train a Trotsky ist leadership to clarity and direc the masses in their struggle.

WHAT IS THE WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE?

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th, 1975 Mao greets President Marcos in Peking.

Recent moves in Chinese my foreign policy spell out the conclusions of the 'socialism in one country' line of the against of Stalinist leadership the Chinese Communist Party. China series of leaders of south east Asian regimes have visited Pek- ing in past weeks, cementing their "We Chinese with day, leadership. Last week Kukrit Pramoj, Prime since Minister of Thailand, was formally received by ise lung auring which the trip culminated establishment diplomatic relat- OI Both ions between the two countries and a state banquet at which Pramoj the states of south declared that east Asia must oppose foreign sub- version 'in all its forms'.

What his words meant was spelt reactionary bluntly by Malayasian out more dictator Premier Tun Abdul Razak, follow- ing a similar visit to Peking in May, during which diplomatic relations also: established. were. by an American magazine, ne was "What about China's tradit- asked ional support for local revolutionary movements? Would that post problem?" Razak replied: reception, "Chairman Mao and Premier Chou categorically nition that the our internal problem is terrorist affair and that we can deal with the way we like. When I interpreted, as came back from China, I announced support that as far as the Communist terror- ists here are concerned we regard them bandits. They are

LOU

The Peop le's Republic of China recognises The Workers Socialist League was formed on December 22nd 1974 as part of the fight to carry forward the method and principles of Trotsky's Transitional Programme, the founding document of the Fourth Internat- ional. •The Wst now represents the continuity of the struggle for these principles in the workers movement. of the League followed the expulsion of over 200 in 1ommanon Workers Revolutionary Party, members from the ically by the WRP leadership in order to prevent discussion of their own abandonment of the Programme both in mass expulsions showed that there could be no hope of correcting the WRP - an independent organisation had to be founded to maintain the fight for Trotskyism. Such a split came out of particular conditions. The rapid development of the economic crisis of capitalism and the forward movement of the world working class, which has now overthrown imperialism in and Cambodia, began to produce the conditions to build revolutionary parties internationally. At such a point the importance of a fight for the method and principles of the Transitional Programme, against both sectarianism and opportunism is paramount in the preparation' of revolutionary leadership.

period of isolation irom the mass movement, as the only tendency with a programme and a history of struggle to lead the working class in the taking of power.

The defence of jobs through the fight for work sharing on full pay, run but for all wage agreements to include a sliding scale to compensate for trade union committees; the defence of living standards through the all increases in the cost of living as of the "rights" challenging committees; the of the struggle for power through DreDaration books of. industry, and to establish workers control

MAOISIM PROPS UP

S.E. ASIA PUPPETS

US military the huge in the Philippines, Secretary Schlesinger, involved in future ions in Asia or the Pacific.

The Chinese 'detente' in south also meant they of the Korean war in 1953.

When North leader Kim from Peking state visit, shred of support to liberation the while the Kremlin bluntly a visit would be 'inappropriate' government as the legal and the moment. constitutional government of Malay- Communists sia so obviously the bolev now here are bandits: they are fighting the government recognised by the countries of the world' Prime Minister Chou En-Lai.

Asked about broadcasts from of the

SUDDUL!

Chinese liberation forces in Malay- sia, Razak continued: monitor these things and we have sensed that the broadcasts have been very low key we have had diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. I think these things have leadership in the cooled down very much. Razak and Pramoj are anti-communists to the core, bitterly and brutally hostile to the liberation policy the movements in their own countries.

Another politician who visited Pek- 'coexistence' with ing recently - if possible even more was the Philippines it. Ferdinand Marcos, long The reactionary time protege of American imperial- ism in the western Pacific.

superpowers

LAVISH

Union Soviet Banqueting Pramoj in Peking, Hsiao-Ping accused Marcos, , too, got an ultra-lavish Mao, and

ROCLOV

went away with diplomatic recog of south east Asia' allu

UNIL

calling for "non-interference in each others internal affairs" - publically end to Chinese all for the guerrilla forces reiterated the reactionary which have been struggling against the dictatorship in the Philippines that the Soviet Union is a since the Second World War.

Chinese 'diplomacy' also stret- a "fascist state machine.

ched to their making no mention of The nationalisation under level of political con For this reason the most carried out bureaucrat- theory and in practice. These party. Vietnam Soviet Union as a workers' state, After a hard Trotskyism now emerges determined by trade union prices of the employer and the the fight for entirely on a piecemeal description of the privileges enjoyed by Soviet bureaucracy and the of political ression Soviet Union. It contains not one jot of an historical explanation of how, and when, a new form of capitalist class was supposedly formed, could have achieved the overthrow of the basic social October revolution wihtout a shot installation being fired. at Clark Bay and Subic Field. These now serve, in the strategic plans of US Defence

CYNICAL

as essential troops US military act- There could not be a clearer of drive towards example the cynical east Asia has 'Marxist' phraseology to justify the expediences of policy than the line have support to preparations against the that the Soviet Union is a fascist provocations of the Park dictator: ship in South Korea, a vassal state This line played an important of US imperialism since the ending part in Chinese support for Britain's Common into the Stalinist Korean and is already beginning Sung dangerous launched extremel diplomatic efforts to gain support China seeks anti-Soviet alliances with from other workers' states in April western the European West German Maoists have he got essentially the same response SLaLes taken the position that the 'fascist' and Moscow. The Soviet occupation of Eastern Eur- Chinese CP leadership received him ope is a threat the gave not to independence of West Germany!

his calls for South Korea, The logic of this position is that told him the Chinese leadership best stand Western military intervention in a A key figure in Chinese foreign political crisis in, say, East Germany.

And the essence of the policy is not is seventy-one year old deputy Prime Minister Teng Hsiao- support for the workers of Eastern Ping, probable successor to veteran Europe against the dictatorship bureaucracy but, on the cont- the closer and closer ties 1al ye capitalist governments judged "use

TAKE OVER

ful' to China's national interests.

This line, similarly, for responsible imprisonment, of With both Chou and Mao ageing ugal by the military and ill - the latter now not part of their pro-Moscow Stalinist support- day-to-day administration - the new ers. State and Party apparatuses announced in January is preparing to take over from th

STALINIST

old guard. At the same time Chinese has reacted to the dcieat of US in Indochina not by any correction of the policy of peaceful It is in foreign policy, most of all, that . US imperialism, the icadership Chinese Communist Party shows but on the contrary by reinforcing its Stalinist character and its refusal fight for the theory that the to leaa a world is dominated by two capitalist international interests and people. USSR - is spelt out anew, and their The fact that - especially in the policy in Asia openly points to the colonial countries - as the main threat. ionaries have embraced the politics Teng of Maoism, now

USSR

within case parties. bur inese crises of leadership will have no resolution 'holding a serious threat over the peace and security of the countries outside the struggle to build Trotsky ist parties, And in June a despatch from the Bolshevik opposition to Stalin- the Hsinhua news agancy in Peking ism within the Third International.

- not 'officially' from the Commun- The political bankruptcy ist Party leadership, but certainly Maoism threatens the also put out by its deliberate decision - opemnt of socialism within China 'theory' itself. It shows the necessity for a 'bureau- political revolution crat-monopoly' capitalist state with remove the Maoist and restore the vower of the tact long statement is based ory committees and soviets.

workers' management: all these policies are now called for in this situation. As they are fought for and workers are mobilisec to win these demands, they begin to form a bridge between the present ciousness of workers and the need for the working take the power. Yet the WRP refused to take up a fight for thi important developments in our work have centred on a break from WRP sectarianism and propagandism, important gains in trade union work and opening up completely new areas.

We are beginning to recruit and train from the new forces thrown into struggles in this period - not only trade unionists, workers, housewives, students and youth - in the fight to construct the expose all those who attack and revise Marxism - not only the WRP but also the 'rank and file' policies of the IS group who refuse to defend the ionary movement into unprincipled blocs and liaisons with anti-revolution.

ary tendencies, as well as against Stalinism and reformism.

world the movement of the Already it is clear that throughout the working class poses similar questions for those groups calling themselves of the International Committee of the Fourth Interaational, producing similar splits and offering a rich possibility movement. based on the rotskyis!

the WSL is now engaged in a process of inter- nal discussion prior to a full founding conference, a vital part of which is to perspectives for the building of the Trotskyist Fourth International, and the development of revolutionary parties based the Trotskyist programme in every country in the struggle to end Page 3

SPAIN

the

SUDD

rights in the

GENERAL STRIKE

or how it

AGAINST TRIAL

gains of the Five of the 23 left wing on trial in political prisoners Madrid at the hands of Genera Franco's regime were freed week. last of use Their release followed a general istrike in the shipyards of El Ferrol Galicia, in which most of the accused were workers. The government reacted immed- iately to the strike by declaring a Market, state of emergency in the town, but protest stoppages and working play ( TO to-rule continued in the shipyards tole as of the 23 stayed However, on trial on various charges, some of capitalist which were changed to more serious "terrorism', including indictments, proceedings opened in the as the national Madrid public order court.

3 Year Wait would at of All the accused had been await- ing trial for more than 3 years. They were arrested in March 1972, when police attacked a demonstrat- ion of 4,000 in El Ferrol, marching in support of claims on with wages and conditions ir the ship- yards. Several of those still awaiting sentences in the courts are accused has been of illegal membership of the Spanish and Communist Party. Maoists in Port- The fascist regime suffered a regime and signicant setback in tae elections to the 'Syndicates', (state-controlled "trade unions"), whose results were announced last week. Despite the fact that there was a split between the Stalinists and the Social Democrats, with the illegal Social Democratic trade union organisation

(UGT)

calling while the CP ran candid- of the DOV COLl ates unofficially, the outcome was a rebuff to the authorities.

united, poll, less than a quatter of the posts working were kept by those who formerly held them, and in key plants, such as the SEAT car factory in Barcel- many revolut- ona, the votes went solidly behind of the the illegal representative. 'workers commissions'. poses sharp crises

LETTERS

The Editorial Board wants to letters any encourage of subject, which should be kept devel- as brief as possible. Please send them to: China to WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, bureaucracy, London NW5 1HR

SOCIALIST

PRESS

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Page 4

THE

For over 18 months the by dumping motor industry has been at the centre of the capitalist For instance, crisis. This is not merely the result of the increase in ol sells for $320 less than prices. Even before this increase the capitalist world's by of this year motor companies were of US the plunging rapidly into economic crisis. The oil crisis through its effects on the sales of cars has sharply Volkswagen the Japanese companies. may reinforce accelerated this process.

Because of the importance of the industry which in has in total production (around 10% of total industrial output in the major capitalist countries) its 1000 impact on the rest of the economy is very marked. similar It in the motor industry dumping. the 1S that challenges which the workers' Labour movement is coming to face in all even industries have shown themselves first Northfield). alla will special saarpness It is no exaggeration to say In Australia, where British that at present it is the workers of the motor industries who must the government OuL first fight the attacks resulting from limiting the the capitalist crisis, which threatens 20% import cars to of the to erode the gains of decades made by the workers' movement. The GM question for us is to turm this Holden, combat into an offensive struggle for socialism. There was a universal drop in

FALL-OFF

sales in 1974 of about Cal quarter compared with 1973. But, confirming that the oil price the onlv factor KIOl the figures for 1974 have continued the steep decline. In the United States sales this yown on 1974; thạn 20% more down in Britain the by Ine present best estimate is that they will tall nearly 25% on last year; in France they are 182% down on last year and the decline is still accelerating. The reasons for these continued declines are many. Partly the effect of the increase of the oil price on the cost of runhing cars. But in addition the costs of insurance and repairs are rising faster than general inflation. And steep m micrest lales recent years has made hire purchase (the means by which most private sold) increasingly expens- cars in stock in CoLs Ive. And in some countries, especially the United States, val sales being affected by drop the real wages which has attended the workers worldwide capitalist recession, both through cuts the purchasing In power of earnings and through the growing volume of unemployment.

As soon as it became clear to The declining market has pre- the producers that the unaccept- of dictably led to out burst able levels of stocks not cut-throat competition between likely to be reduced by restoration companies of demand then almost universally

DONE

internationally. Late last year the companies introduced programmes American companies introduced and of rebates (reductions of system working. $200-400 a car) on new purchases.

In the US General Motors and Chrysler in its 'Car Clearance Ford both partially or completely Carnival' offered even an extra closed about half of their assembly 100 dollars all Ford and

IOT

plants for periods of 2 to 4 weeks General Motors cars traded in. The at the end of 1974. Between them whole scheme was extremely the American motor corporations the end expensive and only December indefinitely laid 1n reduced stocks by about 8%, The off 205,000 workers. Only 40,000 main effect was simply for buyers of these have since been taken to CaTS few weeks back and the rest have come to the get new earlier than they had planned. The end of their lay-oti pay British have found companies Italy in October 1974 Fiat similar problems in the special hire put 70% of its workforce on purchase deals which they started 3-day week; this move was replaced December with an agreement earlier in the year. with the unions involving equivalent cut-back in production

LEYLAND DUMPING

by extended shut-downs at Christ- mas and Easter. In Germany during 1974 Volks- British Leyland is one of the

MULTI-MILLION

CAR PILE-UP

wagen laid off 10,000 workers and lost 60 days of production through short-time working. Ford and Opel shut-downs, stopped recruitment and encour- aged early retirement. US Ford has made plans to close most of its plants for two weeks in June and Chrysler US is planning to close assembly plants for up weeks at a especially British Leyland, have had consid- with schemes of erable success voluntary redundancies through which they hope to reduce their BLMC Marina track at Cowley; Leyland are dumping Marinas in the US labour force with the minimum of organised resistance. In Germany Volkswagen, too, have introduced voluntary redundancy through programme which they repe bout spense their 10,000 workers out proposed total reduction by T.ne of 1976 of 25,000 of their workforce. Voluntary redundancy, a new development in the employers' struggle for speed-up is being facil itated by the reformist trade union "avoid leaderships who prefer to confrontation" and who do not challenge the employer's right to reduce his labour force. Opposition to voluntary redundancy must centre the way in which it exposing whittles …dowi the those employed and is then used as a lever to force speed-up and break maliling agreements. concentrate bringing on the strength of the unions against such schemes. Those who take voluntary redundancy must be made aware that they risk long-term unemploy- ment as the slump develops.

PROFITS DOWN

All the world's major car com- panies, except Renault, have in the last year declared huge declines in US Ford and profit (tor example, General Motors down 60%; Amer ican Motors down 84%). In fact they are virtually all now operating at a loss, that is they have been falling to sustain their elementary function as viable parts of the capitalist system Where car companies declare a profit it is merely because company accounts have been compiled with- considering out the effects of intlation. Intlation makes apparent profits into real companies count as part of their profits the increase in the value of SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th, 1975 their necessary stock between one year and another. This is 'profit' which they can never realise This also means that companies which have actually declared losses like Volkswagen, Fiat,

BLMC

Chrysler US and UK Toyo and Kogyo, been making have really bigger even losses. In order to at all the car survive companies have been forced into radical changes in their financial policy • going into debt on a large scale to the banks; delaying the payment of bills due to their suppliers and demanding rapid payment of debts due to them; and running down their cash balances. This process is not limitless for in the end an inability to pay debt.

causes bankruptcy. •Nearly all the najor companies would by now t bankrupt • 1 were not tor t to various desperate meas resort ures. And as these run out then one by one they are being forced to turn to the state for financial assist- ance.

TABLE I

Declared Profit Real Profit

TABLE II

Money owed to BLMC Money owed by BLMC Difference British Leyland is the best known example of this. But in France the state aided and partly financed a merger with Peugeot which rescued the enormous Cit- from otherwise Comedy certain death. This was combined another merger between the two lorry producing firms of Berliet and Saviem which involved partial nationalisation. Initially the French government provided £130 million to finance these two mergers.

In Germany the Federal govern.

ment has refused to bale out Volks- (of which it owns 40%) wagen from last year's £90 million declared loss. The Finance Ministe asserted that "We don't want has British Leylands here" any The sheer size of the motor •industry in all major countries will however force all kinds of governemnts to intervene rather than allow the dramatic volumes of unemployment which would otherwise result.

The case of British Leyland is a perfect illustration of this increas ingly general problem for capitalist governments. BLMC is the largest private amployer in Britain (204,000 workers) and until last year (whe it was overtaken by ICI) was th country's largest exporter which until is a company 1974 always declared a profit which, when adjusted for inflation, was always in reality a loss. As the Ryder report made clear it was able to declare a profit only at the cost of a rapid run down of its product- ive assets Leyland declared and real profit figures since 1972 are in Table 1.

The case of Leyland shows that in spite of the increasing difficultie problems long pre dated the oil crisis. In these circum- stances bankruptcy up to now has been avoided increased the running down borrowing, assets and not paying bills, , which has made the company notorious.

It only gets with this away because many of its suppliers SO depend on it alone for their sales and perhaps (as a lot of its debts must be to nationalsed industries.

steel and fuel) because the state has been willing to give Leyland con- The cealed subsidies. figures ir Table 2 illustrate this graphically Before finally succumbing to the pressures which led to state intervention and the Ryder report Leyland tried namerous other meth ods of ensuring its survival: it laun- ched a major attack on the unions in the company, culminating in the unsuccessful ett tin Co ley in Apist Aprll AVar 1974; it tried to negotiate sufficient loans from the banks who refused, fearful for their profits; own negotiated for of the a purchast company by the governments Saudi Arabia and Iran During all this time Leyland had been secretly negotiating with Wedgewood Benn when the and Ryder committee was finally estab-

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th, 1975 lished its immediate reason was not that Leyland was down to its last penny but because someone inside the management leaked the negot iations. With Leyland, as in all similar the implementation of the cases, Ryder report not solve the WIl basic problem of the company in capitalist society - its incapability generating stable State

OIL

prouts. of this kind in no participation way takes the outside laws of capitalism. For the industry the motor economic outlook worsening. We have received a letter stages of savagery While the current rate of inflation to civilisation. from a member of the Workers is ripping into the employers' prof- as the Fight group, , who also belongs its and running riot in his account concerted Womens books, to the Liberation ally attempt to curb that inflation Movement, taking up some LU through cuts in the money supply points in in our article cuts public spending can Socialist 7 cattle Press the only at the financing and and hence 'Woman Question'. the markets of the car companies.

She says: There no capitalist answer 1S activity to the question closures and Firstly, redundancies - if private ownership concentrating and culture. on the social relations within the The works of family, which seem see 972 1973 1974 you as the cause of women's oppression, supply 27.9 -22.4 evidence 21.1 you fail to examine the family in form in 10.9 -24.6 -112.4 any historical context or to relate the relations of capitalist You have production. 972 1974 1973 failed to answer, or even to raise, 60.1 188.7 180.9 many of the problems which the on inter-marriage 297.5 373.9 womens movement for the past 39.9 -119.8 -193.0 brothers and year has been

CLO

grips sm been namely why has capitalism unable to fully and private profit were to be main- socialise housework and has main- banning tained it would mean mass sackings lanca me lamuy ana wnat 1s the and a much reduced car indsutry.

relationship between woman's and Nor can any of the problems be work in the home and the pro- solved by nationalist measures such duction surplus value on the as import controls and protection- shop floor?... could be ended These simply shift the crisis ism. from one section of workers onto partnel any way While we agree with the reader and in any event simply anotice, on the importance of tracing back household. hasten world wide protectionism, which markets contract further the historical development of the bourgeois family, and as Socialist still. Ine working class is an micr Press 7 explained, the article was nationally oppressed class, and its beginning of programme of struggle must be one merely the dis cussion on the question of women's that does not cut across the I1ght of workers in other countries.

oppression, we will do this in order of child to explain hew the social relations in the berate is fat deepese

DEMANDS

side 1.e. reiterate was recognised. relations which must be replaced by The fight against redundancies overthrowing the economic material must centre around the demand for base that they exist on the work-sharing to be instituted, with- capitalist system of private owner- out loss of pay, administered by trade The em instability of

THON

replacing a planned to cut his labour ployer's right socialist society in which no mem- force in order to increase his profits must be challenged, and the work- ber is oppressed. was worldll er's right: to employment at the Engels describes: pay-rates won by the unions must "That be defended. man at the By demanding that the reduced available be shared out by work trade union committees, the begin- over of workers control ment of ILle and production are manning brought forward. if the employers refuse this then factory occupations must be and! electing committees of called tor to organise and trade unionists Por mathmom patil and national maximum local and national support. society. Marx: The modern family contains The occupation must demand to work much the accounts and order access acooks of the employers to examine in embryo not only slavery would consider far but serfdom also. both the claims of the employers and the real workings of the com- In order to undertake this his- torical study we turn of course to pany. If the employer is shown to of. social be bankrupt, then the case for his Engel's Origins of the Family, vation Private Property immediate nationalisation, without and the State. that led from Engels developed this study from compensation except to small say- ers is proved. the research of Lewis Morgan, the was the status of Such nationalisation must be findings of which were published in 1877 in a book called seen as a part of a regeneration of 'Ancient the industry under a programme society Engels maintained that Morgan of government contracts as part of rediscovered in his own way the a developing planned socialist econ- would have been materialist conception of history, omy. The factory committees must that is that in the last resort the manage carrying out of production and reproduction these contracts. immediate life are the determining of The continued development factors which condition the social of inflation and the erosion the institutions under which men live.

value of the pound must be com- the development of the pensated by the fight for the sliding productivity of labour, and with it scale of wages, which under such the wealth of society, the social conditions would maintain the value order appeared to be dominated by of take home pay by providing ties of sex only. As productivity for the increases to compensate of labour developed and with it through increase in the cost of living of private property, the possibility of cultivation. working class families, as assessed utilising the labour power of others, began to yield a by trade union committees.

and therefore the basis of class Onlv on these demands can the antagonisms, arose. So the old soc- ruthless logic of capitalism be ant iety based sex on groups. wered in the car mdsutry. Onv in the state this way can the enormous product- overthrown. based on used as slaves. classes appeared, and with it a new ive torces be utlised for sociall need rather than forcibly clesed lamuy system enurely dommalco ana by the property system. scrapped, throwing thousands on Morgan's work traced the devel- food and the dole and forcing of of through the speed up on those still in work.

ownership of the

SOCICLY

barbarism barbarism of increasing Civilisation and Morgan, the family savagery all of natural The etc. This was by Also as of of century. those that than often have women marriage 110 way As Engels there We now procuring une the of pro- viding food - the herds, slaves, land, tools, etc. became his. The woman owned the household goods and in of separation the children remained with her. Consequently a man could not leave his possessions to his children but thev went to his sister's children or the descendents of his mother's sister - following the female line.

WEALTH

Thus we have the new social driving force the accumulation of wealth. This elevated the status of man mn1 tne lammy and crcalco the stimulus to overthrow tradition order that man's children might inherit his wealth. As Engels says, this revolution was "one of the most decisive ever experienced by mankind" and was the "world- historic defeat of the female sex."

because the man thus became the master of the house. As Marx said "the modern family contains embryo not only slavery but serfdom also. •.. it contains within itself in miniature all the antago- nisms which later develop on a wide scale within society and its state" Monogamy then was established with its predominant emphasis on fidelity on wife, the part of the. because of the necessity of ensuring the undisputed paternity of children in order that wealth could safely be passed on. Monogamy was. "the first of form the family based not on natural but on economic conditions, namely, on the victory of private property over original, developed, naturally common ownership" The question now is - what about the working class who acc umulate no wealth and are not concerned about inheritance - why do they conform to the laws marriage and succumb bourgeois just as much as the ruling class to "a wedded life of leaden boredom, described as domestic which bliss". This is of course because it is the ruling class which determines the ideology of the state - as Marx and Engels say in The German Ideo- logy. which is ruling "The class the material force of society is at the time its ruling intellectual same force" The ruling class controls the education system, and ideas Tine they put across are no more than the ideal expression of dominant material relationships. Consequently working class children are subjected in school to the ideas of the ruling class - that employers have rights to hire and fire workers and that in the home the man is dominant.

KEITH JOSEPH

Baret Water in their Peate Margaret Thatcher in their for Policy Studies' desperately try- ing to restrengthen the bourgeois As they say, the Conser ideology. Party is the party of tradit- valve ion, for conserving the family and "developed with the values spread of independent property the from late Middle " (Keith Joseph, Guardiar Ages 27.1.75). They say the family mus be the centre of our thinking - "If the family weakens, society Daily Telegraph, (Keith Joseph, 28.1.75) and abhor the moves comprehensive schooling tonia destroes he which traditional framework' Religion also plays its part in the perpetuation of the bourgeois both for marriage the working class and the middle class - by obscuring the basic fact that marr- ment the mystique death us do part Advertising of course in the present day reinforces Page 5 the role of woman and the family by presenting the ideal family in this consumer society. However even though the influence of the ruling class in these spheres is very great the social relations of production themselves in capitalist society are ressed workings ure that teet ope ressed working class accept bourgeoisie. Oppression in the factory, in bad housing conditions, living on inad- equate social security when unem- ployed - these material conditions themselves, direct products of the established relations of prod uction, are the biggest factor which prevent the working class from developing their own ideology.

Consequently it is impossible for working class family structure to change until the material cond- ition are and fortune. Monogamy arose of considerable concentration wealth in the hands of one person of -and that a man - and out the desire to bequeath this wealth to this man's children and to no one else's". (Engels, Origins of the Family, Private Property and the The overthrow of the capit- State). alist system and the building of socialism will provide the material base for a new social driving force to bring about new family struct- ures based not on exploitation but the freedom of all individuals to freely enter relationships.

SOCIALISED

As outlined in the article in Socialist Press 7 a socialist economy will involve women as well as men fully in the productive process and will provide of social system dining rooms, laundries and child care lachities such that the of the household become socialised tasks - undertaken for the commun- ity by the community in the most efficient way, and the care and education of children become the responsibility of the whole comm- unity and not just the burden of their mothers. Capitalism therefore has been unable to fully socialise housework because it is not in its interest so to do. It needs to maintain the bour- geois family unit because segrega- tion into individual families prevents the working class from feeling a sense of unity and acting class. Engels said as a about the collective feeling of horde can have the no greater enemy than the collective feeling of the family.

SEPARATION

So we see that the reader, in separating the social relations within the bourgeois family from the social relations of production under cap- italism, separating the 1s led into question of women's oppression from the oppression of the work- ing class as a whole. The question of the relationship between women's work in the home and the production of surplus value on the shopfloor seems to be order explored to prove the necessity for 'wages for housework' which is a thoroughly reactionary demand which would only serve to isolate the housewife even further.

In reply to the remainder of the reader's letter we think that our interveations into the TUC women's rally and the National Abortion Campaign remoted in socialist been have reported Press, and the motions we are bringing the unions leave, maternity creche facilities anu aboron ligals snow lnal we are not passive in our fight on these issues and that it is not necessary to affiliate to various single issue campaigns in order to win women to the revolutionary movement.

TaGWU CONFERENCE: JONES

LAUNCHES PAY CUTS

PROGRAMME TO DEFEND JOBS

Page 6 Jack Jones' role in preparing the ground for the Labour government to introduce state pay laws gave this year's T&GWU conference enormous significance. The proposals on support for the social contract and flat rate pay increases were orchestrated with the statements of Healey and Wilson and designed to create the best conditions for the imposition of massive wage cuts on the working class in the interests of capitalism.

The only consistent opposition at the conference based on an alterna- tive programme, was the Workers Socialist League. The policies of a sliding scale of wages and a sliding scale of hours, were debated in front of a large and important conference for the first time. The votes for these For resolutions, though small in number, very important. these are reasons we have given full coverage to the conference.

SOCIAL CONTRACT

DEBATE

The authority of Jack Jones, right wing General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union, was shaken at the union's Blackpool conference last week. A few hours after he

A PROGRAI

had swung the vast majority of the 963 delegates behind the social contract and flat rate increases, arguing that this was the only way to avoid statutory wage Healey announced imminent state pay laws.

Now, as Socialist Press predicted He said that the conference had prior to the conference, the Jones earlier discussed the history of the plan has quickly become the main trade unions, and the fact that they the laws ever for ramming pay were built in order to protect and improve the living standards of the down the throats of the working class. working class, not as an instrument debate from By reducing the to reduce them to solve the prob- free collective controls OI lems of capitalism. warc bargaining, to wage control by the Inflation, he said, is not caused working class. It derives unions or the state. Jones opened bv the the door to state laws. from capitalism can only be auld To by ending solved Canals. talk about breaking the inflationary

CAREFULLY PREPARED

spiral today is meaningless.

Every- during last knows thai the One Jones' conference platform was Tory wage freeze and the previous carefully prepared. Three motions one imposed oy a Labour goverl emerged from the battle in the ment, prices rose just the same.

He said that when we talk of composite the trade union making sacrifices we Monday morning should look at Chile. Chile real In something an wages were reaucca lo like one third of their previous level, the social a composite Contact by the with yet the cost of living index rose by proposed for 376% last year, and by May this giant loopholes Jones to go throu year had risen by a further 125%.

from This shows clearly that inflation

ORON

is a part of capitalism and to deal jectin with it by tightening your belts is details of Jones' an employers argument. be An additional broug

THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE

rate increases. sliding wales. only plan, Replying to the discussion Alan part of the was Thornett put forward the only agenda. alternative possible to the Jones plan. The only way trade unions

JONES' CASE

could fight inflation, he said, was to do the they skere built for - Job defend the living standards of their Speaking in support of the soc- ial contract Jones said the T&GWU members. should give a lead to the nation.

This could only be done with a This meant accepting a 'temporary' programme containing the demand for a sliding scale of wages to keep retreat on wages in order to advance in step with the full amount of the again later. The social contract was present- rise in the cost of living.

We should now be talking not ed by Jones as the only alternative statutory The simply of threshold payments set wage control. conference was told that North Sea against government figures, but pay Oil will come to our rescue and we rises protected by a sliding scale wil return free collective bar- based cost of living index on a gaining. A vote against the contract worked out by the trade unions.

would lead to "massive unemploy- He went on: ment", "It would be a powerful thing if His other main plank was the the trade unions used their resour- Labour government, arguing that ces at all levels to compile accurate the only way to protect the Labour floures on cost of living increases government and avoid the return of and then insist that wages rose by that amount." a right wing Thatcher-Joseph admin- istration was to support the social Replying Jones' argument. contract. on social justice he said it would flat Cowley motion take than rate Moving une 1101. achieve this. "They will still be rejecting Ascot and Henley after your flat Thornett defined the two positions The first is that rate is in" he said. being proposed. The debate had posed the alter- workers should tighten their belts natives clearly. The conference must to break the inflationarv soiral. the other is that the trade unions should either fight for a sliding scale or "solution do the job they were built for and accept Jones' capitalist of a wage cut to "break the in their members against flationary spiral". inflation.

FORWARD WITH

Wednesday On morning the conference was shocked by Healey's announcement of state control of wages the previous afternoon. After voting in favour of the social contract on Tuesday morning delegates found it had been abol ished only a few hours later.

This created a dagerous situat- ion for Jones. He wanted to make a statement: but there was a lot of conference. opposition from the That Jones should make a; state- and put to the vote, agreed, but with a big abstention.

had to clutch at straws. ones He said that Murray had rung him that he and told him assured by Healey as TUC General Secretary that there would be no state control ôf wages. of Jones the would remain the same - opposition to statutory wage control. As this was going on the Stalin- ists, who were trying to move an Healey's emergency motion on statement, were isolated from the conference in the standing orders 100m. The first item the agenda on There was unemployment. were two resolutions - one a general one moved by the Stalinists - the other calling for a sliding scale of hours and factory occupations, submitted from Cowley. It was important that a state- ment was made on Healey's announ- cement. if opposition was to be effective. Jones knew this and played for time. Tuesday afternoon's deb- brought the ate on wages The issues out even clearer. slidi nepale of of ese soluti ion, out of the social contract debate, emerged as the real aiternative. Having been moved by Alan Thornett on behalf of the Cowley 5/293 branch it had obvious wide- spread support in the conference.

and several speakers gave it strong backing. As the strength of the policy emerged Jones intervened with an Executive statement. He said that

A REPORT ON THE

TRANSPORT & GENERAL

WORKERS UNION

UNITY IS STRENGTH

In line with these requirements, neither the mover nor the seconder of the first motion even mentioned state control of wages.

TAKE THE HEAT OUT

Harry Urwin, for the Executive.

then made an incredibly long state- ment about almost nothing taking the conference up to 10.30 and the the situation. Only heat out of after this had taken place was Alan Thornett called to move the resol- ution on a sliding scale of hours before He said that the day conference had been asked to the vote for the social contract in order to avoid state control of wages - but only hours later the social contract had gone and what was left was whatever delegates chose to call it - state control of wages. discussion This made the unemployment even more impor tant, he said. "We were told yesterday that supp- ort for the social contract was the only alternative to massive unem Healey's measures ployment. But will directly increase unemploy- ment - from a starting point of almost one million. This is not the way to keep the Tories out. What would be the result if there was an election tomorrow?" went on, that It was clear, he Executive had the policies of the We now have to examine failed. policies if alternative we are to defend jobs. Such an alternative was contain- ed in the resolution calling for a fight for a sliding scale of hours the conference. which was before

SLIDING SCALE

OF WAGES

he could not disagree with the principle of the resolution, even though trade union compiled figures were an innovation, but he would have to urge conterence to because it contradicted against it the decision taken on the social Jones got the But the vote. impact of the resolution and dis- the cussion conference was considerable. The real nature the social contract could not have been more clearly demonstrated, the real nature of the Jones proposals. SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th, 1975

BLACKPOOL CONFERENCE

"We are talking essentially about the principle full pay, "It is time this he said. union began to challenge the right' of the employer to put our mem- bers on short time or the dole whenever it suits them. "The only to fight for way when faced such a policy, with redundancy or closure, is to occupy the plant. Often a strike was not effective because the in these conditions, employer did not want production.

In such cases, he said, the union should give automatic backing to such an action. This policy would be a powerful weapon in the hands of members whose jobs were threat- ened, and something the employers would have to take account of.

NATIONALISATION

He went on to say that workers faced with losing their jobs should demand that the company books opened to clearly establish the case for full nationalisation of the firm - not state participation.

Urwin, replying for the Exec- utive, urged the conference to vote the resolution because "tied" the Executive to "a specific form of action", and could "land workers in the courts". Once again therefore the weight was thrown be of the Executive hind a pro-capitalist policy - bring ing reject the only programme capable of defend- ing jobs.

TROOPS

IN GLASGOW

The T&G leadership was heavily attacked for allowing the troops to to break the dustcart sent it drivers' strike and refusing official support. "Bill Coubraugh, from Glasgow, demanded to know why the leader- ship had not called for national strike action support of the drivers. "It the government can win a vict- bringing in the army against ory by the working class in Glasgow they might get bigger ideas for the us of the army in the future" These points were raised as ques tions on the national affairs report.

The issue could not be put to the conference because the troops were used in March and resolutions had to be in during January.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th 1975

SHREWSBURY TWO

The debate on the Shrews- of whom pickets, one bury of the T&GWU, is a member was left until the last day of the conference. resolutions two There

WCIC

The before the Executive pro- supported by the be con- posed that the 'campaign The other called for strike right even tinued. and action to obtain their release, condemned the leadership's abject failure' to take adequate action to free the men. The strike resolution was moved Ted Gates from London docks.

end the by suspension He said that we are as are not allow concerned the Executive nim above criticism. are levelling is that these men still in jail" Pat Seconding the resolution of BLMC Service Evans, convenor Division in Cowley, said the time talking over. have foI was either got to put up or shut up".

He said the Shrewsbury pickets were not in prison for violence or affray. These charges were dropped.

strike action. They were put in prison for conspir- acy, under an act never before used Executive" in an industrial dispute.

certain He said the problem with the confernece was that the Executive them". anything which pro- would oppose posed action. He recalled that the previous day a resolution was call of ied supporting the Diaching the African goods. South vote Jones had realised that they had been committea to action.

had intervened, the vote was taken Warren and Tomlinson- jailed for picketing.

WRP:NO ACTION

The Workers Revolution- trace ary Party made no detectable left. intervention at the conference other than Workers Press sales sbury and an open letter to delegates carried in Workers Press.

Not a single motion on the contract, wages, unemploy- social ment or the Shrewsbury Two was moved by any WRP member in any

ODDY

T&G branch in the country.

conference. because in instructive, Kill period when the resolutions ignored the the had to be submitted, last December could and January, the

WRP

had just adaptation,. in carried out a major criticisms mid-October, the to later formed raised by those who the WSL. (See page 3) taken Workers Press had suddenly beg- un carrying demands for a sliding of wages and hours and the first Shrewsbury Матсл nau beel Again, called. "fight It shows that all this was never No more than verbal adaptation. attempt whatsoever was made to

WRP

take any of these issues into the

FOOTNOTE

The nature of the T&GWU the conference has to be taken when assessing into account nere the votes or the impact of policies. big the The conterences of behalf nly general unions are in some ways can industrial unions different from the which deal specifically with of and conditions wages industry. more AUEW for example Ine Executive Committee and National Committee members can take opp- again and the resolution defeated on his recommendation.

REACTIONARY POSITION

During the debate some extrem- ely reactionary position emerged.

by the Norton Villiers Triumph One speaker, opposing strike action, claimed that the Shrewsbury pickets motor cycle company, and the had been violent. Standing to the from NVT plea the law courts. he £30-£40 million in government listed alleged acts of violence and aid show the damage to property. operatives as an A big section of the conference emerged in his support. When his unemployment. three minute speech time came to Socialist conference voted for (26.6.75) the Meriden motor cycle orders to of standing cooperative, set up with full support finish his blistering to "left' alit attack on the pickets. Industry Secretary, He was answered by a building Benn, has embarked upon an inten- section delegate who described the sive speed up and demanning exer- real violence of the building sites, cise, now employing only 350 out carried out by thugs hired by the oi an lump operators to beat up workers cut of 80%. organising trade unions. Replying to the debate on be-

LEFT OUT

half of the Executive, the national officer of the building trades section But at the same time the fighting for hunted He called the strike out "scurrilous attack on the and went on to say "if of the other two Small Heath and Coventry.

people keep on telling lies are the factories now threatened by about us we will tell the truth about the impending collapse of NVT if no government action is taken.

The no-strike motion, in effect condemning the Shrewsbury serve their sentences and allowing the state to establish the precedent use of conspiracy laws industrial disputes was carried by a substantial majority. workers at the Imperial Type writers factory sharpest challenge. After prolonged the Department Labour government has announced it cannot find a buyer to continue typewriter manufacture, Leicester two or lne have been sold to a clothing manu- facturer for warehouse facilities.

Immediately came the employers' all out attack on the Hull occupation - taking out Hedon the …Road movements, even they could sell it off. places where the WRP has anything The most astounding thing how- ever was the question of the Shrew- marching from Atter north to south, and east to west, and alter nolaing a lanonal con ference on Shrewsbury the previous Sunday, anyone could be forgiven the expectation that the WRP would warned have or intervene in the T&GWU Secretary Shirley Williams that are in danger they NO! The

WRP

totally out one conference which margins are increased. call strike action get Warren and Tomlinson out.

What, then, was the point of voting that have plundered workers for a general strike at the ATUA years with continual price increases, conference if it was never to be using imposed into the trade union move- control of food supplies, ment? The WRP's Open Letter to greeted by T&G delegates, incredibly, did not est scepticism. even mention the Shrewsbury Two.

WRP

shows the UnIs on Shrewsbury was a sham fight, and was directed more tow- controls minimal ards the internal problems of the profits brought of government last March. the than the release Shrewsbury Two. Williams of course food prices. referendum ed to maintain high food prices osing positions and lead sections of interests This could not conference. happen at a T&GWU conference.

farmers have already for the JOneS the large scale destruction of milk Executive Committee (who are not allowed to attend) or he delegates a national officer to speak on his This means that opposition from individual come Of course delegates who are branded as being problems in against the whole leadership.

therefore

MOUNTRICS.

favour of the weighted in platform than up rapidly is ine case m mosi sales have beer. tel

NVT LOSS:

Varley permits Sackings The £7.4m loss registered Secretary, Eric Varley, seems deter- mined that the ruthless laws of the capitalist market must now operate at NVT, endangering 3,000 jobs. directors for He has told the firm's chairman.

Mr Dennis Poore. that he should futility not delay "any commercial decis- of co- ions" that need to be taken.

answer to

INSTRUCTION

reported .. Press This is virtually an instruction proceed to impose to roore lo rhetoric from the then Wedgewood he had offered to delay until govern- ment plans were announced. As the Sunday Telegraph coldly reports it: "After discussions with NVT direct- original 1,750 workforce - a ors Mr Varley has come round to 'the view that a three-factory motor not a practical cycles 1S system proposition, and that no more gov- ernment aid given to Meriden or availably money should be made conditions where NVT is already 50.1% government owned, completely the defence of jobs NVT plants at such a position from as a part of the These only be seen government's conscious increase unemployment public spending GO Wil Benn's replacement as Industry of capitalism

DEFEND IMPERIAL

OCCUPATION

The 135 day long sit-in of This bankruptcy of the Hull leadership of the T&GWU who have set out now faces its from the start to isolate the occup ation from the rest of the labour "studies" by town. movement in tne the Industry, used to use the strength oI occupation to demand possible answer - the nationalisation that of IT without compensation and allu IT factories the production of typewriters for government contracts. Instead of this the pipedream of another capitalist owner taking over after this news the factory which could not make money under tie orga cabltdusi cultivated by local and High Court writs for possession of owner, was factory, so that Never at any point has the Food firms cook the books Two major food companies Labour Prices of going of business - unless profit These cries, coming from firms their monopoly must be workers with the great- It is a cynical move to pressure Williams (an extreme right-winger) into further slackening the already and prices in by the Labour Williams - campaigned with Tories.

needs little pressure to accept the idea of higher She has only recently workers' cut in been stomping the country on joint caused by inflation. Tory platforms with of profit in the food The rate leaders campaigning for the Comm is therefore falling, while industry on Market - an organisation design- the employers' need for capital is increasing. farmers profits. of all industry, not just food man- The effects of EEC entry on British ufacture. appeared But of course the employers maintain a discrete silence on the hundreds millions OI

INFLATION

pumped into the food industry by the Labour government in the form financial there of food subsidies. These subsidies aimed at preser the food industry ving profit margins. and were finan- just as there are in all other capital- While costs of raw ced by taxing ine materials and maintainence o! plan: Page NVT has only sufficient funds for three more weeks of full prod The problem is now urgent.

uction. does not lie in but ine solution government loans and handouts 49.9% Rather the remaining (now owned by Manganese Bronze) must be nationalised without com- and O1 programme state contracts opened up to guar- antee jobs threatened by the shrink- ing world market for motor cycles.

If less work is available then a short time and redundancies, which programme of work-sharing on full pay, across all factories, administer- ed by trade union committees, must be introduced.

UNITY

At the same time workers must demand full access to the books and to technical resources of NVT for trade union committees which up a plannec draw can begin lo development of the factories into Varley can the furly in this way can the unity moves to of the workers and hold and job security at Meriden, Small Heath and Cov- in defence entry be established. leadership directed towards exposing highlights the the real financial state of IT through opening up the account books of both IT itself and Litton Industries to trade union committees.

The Hull workers now confront They ref- the of the machinery oi the state - the law courts and eventually the police the only - having been kept away from the development and pollica national campaign necessary to face up to these forces and win before it is too late, the must local labour movement mobilised in defence of the occup- national struggle don. the focussed on the demand for nationalisation of Imperial Type- "shock" The monopolies warning of impending collapse is a calculated move therefore. As the Financial Times said: "As manufacturing with much of industry, the food processors took a long time to discover that proof of hardship needed to sway the and that solemn prot government, of difficulties estations (25.6.75] enough" In other words they have learned to "cook the books" to present the worst possible picture and pressure for increased prices and profits.

OPEN THE BOOKS

If manufacturers are in difficult- simple for the ies, the answer movement make them workers position by ceal wages - also Tne prove they open the full accounts (includ- ing receipts of government cash) to committees trade elected This will clear away the bluff and working deception But this is true All government subsidies must the privately- be withdrawn. owned food monopolies cannot then continue without raising prices an inflicting speed-up - or if they pro pound. clearly closing down, prose must be nationalised, paying compensation only to small savers The nationalised firms mus: te place anger ne labaee......

committee:

"Moderates" witch-hunt

RYDER 'IMPROVEMENTS' REJECTED

Page 8 The move to the right of one-time militant Bill Cleary, secretary of the Ford conven- ors committee and convenor at Ford's tractor plant at Basildon, has resulted in his public support for the call for the witch hunting letter produced from Dagenham. The letter, directed not at the union but sent direct to the Tory press, calls for an inquiry into so- called "extremist activities" at the Dagenham Body Shop.

"INQUIRY"

The "inquiry" manoeuvre is aimed to witch hunt any Ford worker at Dagenham or elsewhere who fights to defend his job, his wages and his conditions. It is completely in the interests of Ford's management, and opposed to Ford workers. The press has attached the label of "moderate to the witch hunt- ers. The use of this term is a further attempt to mask the vicious attacks

MIM

Scargill- caved in to right wing.

The conference of the National Union of Mine- workers in Scarborough was dominated by one thing: a complete air of unreality as each delegate and speaker persistently ignored Chanc- ellor Healey's plans for state control of wages. This atmosphere was deliber- ately stage-managed by President Joe Gormley and the rest of the plattorm to give a picture of a boom industry' threatened only by excessive pay claims, and of The British Leyland joint shop stewards committee has received a sharp reply from management on the implementation of the Ryder report. À meeting of convenors of all Digbeth on June 4th unions in accepted the report in principle but sent a delegation back to "improve Ryder to argue for ments" in the "participation" proposals in the report. They could hardly have been treated with more contempt by top management. Instead of replying to them as representa- tives, Leyland circulated a state- ment to all employees individ- ually setting out the way they Ford workers ment, the Tory press and TV and on trade unionism now being the T&GWU bureaucracy last May carried out by the right wing.

had removed Bob Fryer as Senior The letter seeking the inquiry alleges, for example, that the Dag- Steward and Alan Thornett from enham body shop has only 8% of his position as deputy senior Steward, witch-hunting him as an Ford workers but 54% of recent 'extremist', every plant agreement disputes. But only a management began to be broken by the com- stooge would ignore the al-out company drive towards speed up pany. and demanning which has been at the centre of confrontations at

PREVENT ACTION

Dagenham. No principled trade unionist would advocate accept- ance of such attacks. The question should rather be - The so-called "moderate", Reg Parsons, who was installed as what is the management getting convenor by the T&GWU bureau- away with scot-free in factories under so-called "moderate" leader- cracy with company support, has worked full time ever since attempt- ship? This question goes much wider than just the Ford motor ing to prevent action against speed- up, action to defend wages or company. action to preserve jobs. In the BLMC Cowley Assembly The number employed at the Plant, for instance, after the co- plant has fallen dramatically.

ordinated effort of the manage-

•I REAL ISSUES AVOIDED

From our own correspondent in Scarborough.

and reduce our employment a socialist Labour Government prospects" to be protected and obeyed at Gormley's intention was clear all costs. when he then shook hands with In fact exactly the reverse is "excellent Ezra, declaring, the real case, and this makes clear the depth of the betrayal speech, excellently done at the right time". of miners' living standards by.

So the wages discussion took Arthur Scargill, President of the Yorkshire miners. As the recess- place in an atmosphere of threats to jobs both from the ion gathers and demand for elec- Labour Government in the tricity drops, so does that for shape of Wilson, and trom the Coor The Central Electricity Gener- After refusing up to the prev- ating Board is running down ious evening to change the word several coal-fired power stations, "demand" in the call for face- and coal's second biggest buyer, workers to be paid €100 per the British Steel Corporation, . 10 to 7 by the is now producing only three- week dooluval Yorkshire delegation), Scargill fifths of normal output. finally insisted at the last minute The Labour Government has long abandoned any defence of that his delegation approve the workers' living standards and Their demand was deleted, now comes forward, with the was deleted, and "seek" used for the sake of TUC, for plans for massive wage "unity" and because the resol cuts at a time of 30% inflation.

"might fall". Scargill's collapse is a direct blow to all workers, who will

EZRA'S THREAT

fight the Labour Government to defend living standards. This was emphasised by the coach- loads of Yorkshire miners who Only a couple of hours before lobbied the conference on Mon the discussion on wages, Gormley day and called Wilson "Ramsay called on Derek Ezra, chairman "traitor", shouting of the NCB, to speak. Ezra did MacDonald", "No ten per cent!" not mention wages, but the All Scargill's passionate and threat was clear when he said, "Further major price increases completely non-political speec!

for £100 cannot erase that. I would rapidly lose us markets, reflects the frantic attempts of jeopardise our investment plans In other words developing an intend to implement the "part- "agreement" to speed up and icipation" section of the Ryder rationalisation in order to stay report. The statement finally ends any On management prerogatives argument on sections of the report being progressive, or a they are equally clear: "For its part, Management basis to build on Leyland spell out their objectives in clear will be prepared to present al ternative courses of action when- After saying that the pro- ever they are available and to posed "joint management" modify them in the light of ommittees and councus wı discussion. Genuine attempts leal with wages or condi not must be made to seek a consen- tions of employment, it goes on to explain that they will deal sus. With this approach the occ new model asions on which Management with - investment, and facility planning, sales and has to impiement a plan without marketing plans, and financial having obtained a high measure performance. This is "with the of agreement should be rare. In firm objective of developing an short the objective is to maxim- agreed course of action..

ise the areas of agreement.

Printed and Published by the Workers Socialist League, 31 Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR Wages have been held massively below the increased cost of living.

Measured Day Work timings have been imposed and the Movement of Labour agreement breached, with the acquiesence of Parsons.

Brought in as convenor on a ticket of "saving" jobs and "full , Parsons has ensured pay packets" that less workers are being paid less seal money for doing more work in worse conditions. This is what "moderation" is all about.

These attacks on trade unionism of course are politically motivated The "moderates" all stand on the extreme right wing of the labour movement, many in complete agreement with the employers, acting for them in the unions.

Ford workers must reject ans into branches rigged "inquiry where jobs, wages and conditions are defended. It was under the the right wing and Stalinists - (the Stalinist vice-president McGahey was also backing the word "seek") - to hold workers.

back from any confrontation with the Labour Government.

REACTIONARY

ALLIANCE

The real policy of this untidy and reactionary alliance was tev- ealed when right-winger Len Clark.

of Nottinghamshire said that he believed 'in hoping, if not pray ing that similar confrontations (to the 1972 and 1974 strikes) will not happen again when the nation is going through severe economic difficulties The right wing were jubilant in emphasising that the composite resolution meant that £100 would not be the claim this year, that it "room to gave the NEC all the manoeuvre" (and sell out) that it wanted, and that it avoided call- ing for industrial action.

Scargill now tries to pretend that the Yorkshire claim for £100 is still on. He is wrong. The door is open for Daly to accept Healey's state control of wages and an opportunity for miners again to give leadership to the whole work- ing class has been thrown away.

Whether disagreements are to be "rare" or not, this statement makes it clear that. management have the final, over-riding say on all questions. meeting of BLMC convenors will be held shortly Ryder io discuss the statement.

should nos be completely rej- ected, and full nationalisation ot BLMC fought for. *At the T&GWU conference, Assistant General Secretary Harry Urwin, who was on th Ryder team, insisted that the report was actually written by two businessmen and two bank- ers - he was there "to put the trade union point of view."

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday July 10th 1975 "There are, I am sure many moderate and reasonable men there and a small group of extremists can make it diff convenors' committee. guise of a T&GWU "inquiry", start- ing with the same technique of a letter of complaint (sent from Parsons to Jack Jones), that the powerful 5/55 Cowley branch was split and the present right wing leadership installed.

LINKS

But it is worthwhile beginning some inquiries into the links bet- ween "moderates' and their man- agement, into their easy access to • policies press publicity, into the they really advocate, and their links with extreme right wing org- anisations like the Economic League and Aims of Industry. "wrecking" the jobs, wages and conditions of workers are not the "extremists" "moderates"! but the right wing Bailiffs will go into action in a week to seize property of the 11 Clay Cross former councillors, who have 7 days to pay £7,940 plus £500 costs. Their "crime" was that they alone : Labour coun- out of the hundreds of cils, held a principled line and ret- used to implement the Tory "Fair Rents Act. This was in line with Labour Party policy. Trade unionists and Labour Party members must rally now to the def- ence of the 11, and hound out the right-wingers who support their victimisation through the Courts.

FUND

The good response we have received each month to our £500 Monthly Development Fund has enabled us rapidly to expand the areas of work of the Workers Socialist League, and NUM an T&GWU Conferences. There is still a need to develop the ¡technical resources of our paper.

We call for your support. Please post all donations to: WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill London NW5 IHR

W.S.L.

Public Meetings

AYLESBURY

Wednesday, 23rd July, 8.00pm.

Bricklayers' Arms "Reject State Control of Wages"

OXFORD

24th July, 8.00pm Thursday, Cowley Community Centre "Reject State Control of Wages" TUC votes... continued from page 1 jobs and for the nationalisation of firms threatening redundancies.

These policies are fought for consistently by the Workers Soc- They were fought lalist League for at the T&GWU conference and are covered in detail on pages 6 & 7 of this edition.