Workers Socialist League

Socialist Press, Trotskyism Today and the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee, 1975–1984

Sucialist After the Prepare for Battles Ahead

Socialist Press no. 148, 2 May 1979 · scan p. 1 · about 734 words

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Times Newspapers Behind the bluster of Times secondly to divide the Times ement succeeded in editor, 'criminal elements' and unions by drawing the wavering about journalists back towards copies of their scab 'sabotage' lav the fact that a management.

The Workers Socialist no matter who comes to office League campaigns on the on May 3.

As Times Newspapers management succeeded in getting copies of their scab editions off the presses in Europe, journalists on the paper put paid to attempts to split the limited unity of the chapels in London.

The NUJ chapel, which last week voted narrowly to work on the scab edition, reversed their vote by a majority of 2-1.

It was the culmination of a series of events which had backfired on the Times management.

First, militant print workers in Frankfurt picketed the works where the so-called European edition was to be printed and forced Times management to back down.

NATIONAL NATIONAL GRAPHICAL GRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION is in dspute with is in dapure with TIMES TIMES NEWSPAPERS LTD. LTD.

Behind the bluster of Times editor, William Rees-Mogg, about 'criminal elements and "sabotage' lay the fact that a concrete exercise in international solidarity had taken place.

But the management were lying when they said that plans to print the paper had been abandoned.

The plates had been made and the simple task of getting the paper printed was clearly to be attempted. A matter of hours later the first copies had been published.

How many have been printed is immaterial. This was not a European edition at all.

Its purpose was two-fold: firstly to get even one copy of a paper printed which called for a Tory vote and attacked the trade unions in Britain:

TIE EVILO EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT THE TIMES IGHER EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT SUNDAY TIME WENT DEPA NGA pickets outside the Times

Symbol

This European edition of the Times was a symbol of the ruling classes' ability to make its voice heard.

This attempt would have foundered at once had journalists refused to work on it. But although the Sunday Times chapel did refuse the Times chapel rejected a call to black it about 102-91.

Jake Ecclestone, FoC of the chapel and NUJ President appealed to annual conference to give the chapel one more chance.

Accordingly-and correctlythe conference suspended a resolution demanding that Times journalists respect print picket lines, and NGA speakers were sent to the chapel.

The result was a vote to black the paper and a victory for the solidarity of the chapels.

Some NUJ members are thought likely to attempt to go into work, and the chapel must now take the vital decision to join printers on the picket line.

The major danger to the print unions lies in compromise offers made by management.

Only a clear policy of occupation, linked to exposure of company secrets and the nationalisation of the plant under workers' management can roll back the onslaught.

Collaboration

Labour's strategy to do this has been to suck the bureaucratic union leaders into collaboration with managementthrough "workers' participaion" • the wage-cutting 'social contract , and now the 'Concordat'-which contains plans to attack picketing rights, the closed shop, and to impose a system of ballots prior to strike action.

The TUC leaders, who themselves have started out not from the needs and interests of their members, but from the leaders has so recently risen up in its hundreds of thousands in militant struggles to crush Callaghan's reactionary 5% Phase 4 pay limit is certainly in no mood to accept Thatcher's attacks lying down.

The question is not whether workers will fight such attacks, but what programme of demands is put forward in the coming struggle to show in practice the need to reject all forms of class collaboration and illusions in the Labour and TUC leaders. along the road suggested by the Tribunite left' • Though these people have claimed to oppose Callaghan, they have put up no fight to remove him, and the right wing cabinet and themselves have no socialist alternative to offer.

They can and must be exposed in the next period in the struggle for a recall Labour conference to kick out the Callaghan leadership.

Their total inadequacy points to the need to build a revolutionary Trotskyist party. We will continue with that task,

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OFFICIAL PICKET LINE DO NOT GROSS

ASSOCIATION NEWSPAPERS OFFICIAL PICKET LINE DO NOT CROSS

← Contents of Socialist Press no. 148, 2 May 1979