[Varley is now giving Poore every assistance to…]

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Varley is now giving Poore every assistance to salvage some profits from the closure. He is now discussing with management and trade union leaders a 'survival plan' for the Birmingham factory, a plan speed-up for a vastly reduced workforce.

Varley's policy is to destroy jobs to protect the profits of British capitalism.

The union leaders go along with this policy. While the T&GWU leaders make hypocritical noises about 'action on jobs from the government, they refuse to fight for nationalisation and turn the struggle of NVT workers into the dead end of searching for a new employer to take over the factory.

MERIDEN

In the same way they, together with Benn, encouraged the Meriden vorkers' cooperative where wages were cut and conditions de troyed to pay off loans to finan iers which is now also threatened by the collapse of NVT.

"DEPRESSING"

When Labour MPs like Renee Short say that Varley's decision is 'depressing and a great blow to the workers' they must be asked where they stand - will they fight for the removal of Varley, Wilson and the right wing? Will they call for the nationalisation of the whole industry under workers' management?

The first step in a fight for nationalisation must be the opening of the books of NVT and the holding company, Manganese Bronze, to show what has happened to the funds pumped into NVT and prepare the ground for PORTUGAL, continued from page will not get the 40% rise they so dramatically forced from the government last month.

Left-wing military figures, notably Otelo de Carvalho, former chief of the COPCON security (now disbanded) and. Lisbon commander, and Carlos Fabiao, Chief of Staff, have been replaced. Many more (for example, Dinis de Almeida, commander of the left-leaning Light Artillery Regiment) have been arrested.

NEWSPAPERS

The repressions have gone beyond the military. Newspapers have been closed down, and the mam Lisbon dallies, which generally supported the line of the CP, have been 'nationalised' in order to bring back the former profascist journalists. Similar treatment has been given to the TV and radio stations, with Radio Renascenca being handed back to the Catholic Church.

Among the others arrested were a number of foreigners, and there were military raids on the offices of LUAR and other left-wing organisations. upheavals that had arisen. They also renewed the calls for the "battle of production" which they had abandoned in recent months. ~ There is an driht that the Stalinist leaders will do all in their power to adapt to the right-wing policies of the AFM junta and play their role in containing and disciplining workers and rank and file soldiers - thus treacherously lending vital political support and credibility to the regime.

But these reactionary policies will only worsen the problems facing Portuguese workers. Infation - at 27% per annum, and unemployment at 400,000 population of only 9 million can only be fought through mobilising the strength of the working class. The alliance of workers and left-wing soldiers must be developed and strengthened.

Significantly the paratroopers, when they finally surrendered on the 28th November said they would "go underground to work in the service of the revolution"

BREAK

A policy to expose the reaction-