Crackdown in S. Africa carworkers "Free State" force back bosses "Free State"

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FACES P The tattered "nationalist" credentials attributed to Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey when he came to office last year have rapidly fallen by the wayside in the light of his increasingly servile relationship to British imperialism and the Thatcher government. But this external policy has been linked up with internal moves to repress republican forces fighting to force imperialist troops out of the occupied six counties.

Problems

This drive has not been without its problems-in particular the successful appeal by IRSP militant Osgar Breatnach against his frame-up sentence for a mail train robbery.

But it continues with a savage offensive by police in the "Free State". Republican News last week headlined on the brutal assault by Donegal police on republican sympathisers, who were subjected to beatings and torture in an attempt to force them into confessions that would secure their conviction in the Special Court.

The paper gave detailed accounts of the maltreatment meted out by Haughey's police, underlining the level of repression that exists in the 26 counties.

Aftt ly fast Italy, figures headloı deep shı Last duction seasonal allowed months But more repression is on the way. Justice' Minister Gerry Collins last . week announced that a special cabinet meeting had instructed the Attorney General to draw up new, even more draconian laws supposedly to combat "terrorism"

Using the pretext of the killing of two policemen last Monday, Haughey's gang are proposing to:

*Put the onus on the accused to prove his/her innocence instead of the prosecution having to prove guilt.

*Make it even harder suspects to obtain bail.

*Refuse suspects the right to remain silent while under interrogation.

This last proposal is not only outrageous in itself, but obviously implies an actual license to torture suspects who refuse to speak to their police captors, in order to force them to break their silence.

These latest moves to crush élementary democratic rights in the "Free State" are the bitter price being paid by Irish workers for the preservation of the six county statelet in the North and of Haughey's puppet capitalist regime in the 26 counties. industry in the Port Elizabeth industrial area of South Africa have added the strength of their independent actions to the pay demands currently being negotiated between union officials and management.

Unwilling to rely on union officials to make the voice of workers heard, and determined to pursue their wage demands, more than 10,000 workers have at different times over the last month, taken independent strike action.

The developing strike wave demonstrated a militant and determined working class and brought an almost immediate 20% offer from most of the employers. This, in itself, represents a significant success for the strikers.

Rejected

Union officials described the offer as satisfactory and immediately agreed to it.:

The response of workers was different-meetings at the major Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen plants all rejected the offer. The reaction of union officials was one of "surprise" also been "surprised" at the last wave of strikes at Ford, as they were at the emergence of the more recent strike wave.

The only event in the struggles of the Port Elizabeth motor workers which cannot have surprised their union officials at all was the return to work. • It was only in this aspect of the struggles that the union was totally involved.

Solidarity

Workers have shown their willingness to struggle on the basis of their own class power, drawing strength from the solidarity of their fellow workers.

Their rejection of the employers' offer emphasises their growing confidence and determination. It was the independent strike action, taken by the VW workforce and immediately strengthened by stoppages at other major plants, that added decisive weight to the wage demands under negotiation, and won workers the 20% offer.

This ongoing struggle stood threatened however not only by the threat of dismissal, unemployment and state repression, but by the active misleadership of their own union officers.

The intervention of the union leadership was central in ensuring a return to work at most of the plants which had come out alongside the VW workers.

Even though workers at major plants subsequently joined the VW workers in rejecting the 20% offer union officials succeeded in dissuading them from coming out alongside VW again.

vW management then announced that it was implementing the 20% offer on July 1 in an effort to break the strikebut this attracted only 60 of a striking workforce of 3,500.

It was only after union intervention had successfully reversed the immediate development of the strike to other plants, that the VW workers, themselves relatively isolated, bowed to strong union pressure and returned to work.

Despite the return to work, workers have made clear their rejection of the 20% offer, and negotiations are continuing between employers and the union.

Reformist unionists who start off accepting capital's right to make profits are inevitably caught up in a web of compromises with employers, at the expense of the workers' interests. Such reformist misleadership can only stand as an obstacle to the struggle for workers' demands.

It is essential that workers at every workplace develop independent workers committees through which to take up and organise the struggle for their demands..

Control

It is only through the development of, such committees that workers' control of unions can be insured, and independent unions, committed uncompromisingly to the achievement of workers' interests, be built.

For the motor workers at the present time, it is through such committees that an effective working class voice can be added to the current management-union negotiations, and unified class action be prepared in support of wage demands.

Build independent workers committees at each workplace.

Build independent trade unions.

Prepare joint strike action through the motor industry in support of wage demands.

Protect wages through a sliding scale.

For a national minimum wage, to be set by workers' committees and protected through a sliding scale.