NUM REAL ISSUES AVOIDED correspondent in Scarborough

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Scargill- caved in to right wing.

The conference of the National Union of Mineworkers in Scarborough was dominated by one thing: a complete air of unreality as each delegate and speaker persistently ignored Chancellor Healey's plans for state control of wages.

This atmosphere was deliberately stage-managed by President Joe Gormley and the rest of the platiorm 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 Ryd A meeting of convenors of all unions in Digbeth on June 4th accepted the report in principle but sent a delegation back to Ryder to argue for "improvements" 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 representatives, Leyland circulated a statement to all employees individually setting out the way they Printed and Published by the ! a socialist Labour Government to be protected and obeyed at all costs.

In fact exactly the reverse is the real case, and this makes clear the depth of the betrayal of miners' living standards by Arthur Scargill, President of the Yorkshire miners. As the recession gathers and demand for electricity drops, so does that for coal.

The Central Electricity Generating Board is running down several coal-fired power stations, and coal's second biggest buyer, the British Steel Corporation, is now producing only three-fifths of normal output.

The Labour Government has long abandoned any defence of workers' living standards and now comes forward, with the TUC, for plans for massive wagr cuts at a time of 30% inflation.

THREAT Only a couple of hours before the discussion on wages, Gorml called on Derek Ezra, chairman of the NCB, to speak. Ezra did not mention wages, but the threat was clear when he said, "Further major price increases would rapidly lose us markets, jeopardise our investment plans and reduce our employment prospects"

Gormley's intention was clear when he then shook hands with Ezra, declaring, "excellent speech, excellently done at the right time"

So the wages discussion took place in an atmosphere of threats to jobs both from the Labour Government in the shape of Wilson, and from the employer.

After refusing up to the previous evening to change the word "demand" in the call for faceworkers to be paid £1 00 per week (approval 10 to 7 by the Yorkshire delegation), Scargill finally insisted at the last minute that his delegation approve the right-wira NeC recommas deleted and "seek" used for the sake of "unity" and because the resolution "might fall"

Scargill's collapse is a direct blow to all workers, who will fight the Labour Government to defend living standards. This was emphasised by the coachloads of Yorkshire miners who lobbied the conference on Monday and called Wilson "Ramsay MacDonald" , "traitor", , shouting "No ten per cent!"

All Scargill's passionate and completely non-political speech for £100 cannot erase that. It reflects the frantic attempts of the right wing and Stalinists (the Stalinist vice-president McGahey was also backing the word "seek") - to hold worker back from any confrontation with the Labour Government.

REACTIONARY

ALLIANCE The real policy of this untidy and reactionary alliance was revealed when right-winger Len Cla of Nottinghamshire said that he believed "in hoping, if not praying 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 gave the NEC all the "room to manoeuvre" (and sell out) that it wanted, and that it avoided calling 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 working class has been thrown away.

AYLESBURY

Wednesday, 23rd July, Bricklayers' Arms 'Reject State Control o Thursday, 24th July, 8.00pm.

Cowley Community Centre "Reject State Control of Wages"

TUC votes ... continued from page 1 jobs and for the nationalisation firms threatening redundancies.

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

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