Socialist Press no. 33

UNION LEADERS

FLOUT MEMBERS

TO BACK SPECULATORS

meeting of the TUC today. The final formula is likely to provide a pathetically small cash increase Budget. This latest step follows a busy fortnight's work by Jack Jones, Hugh Scanlon, other union and lean on Chancellor Healey's worthless and fraudulent chiefs and TUC Secretary Len Murray.

assurance. These men have been energet- defending incomes - not ically value of those of their members whom claim to represent, but the Nuev dividends and profits of the done capitalists and speculators who ation, hold their wealth in sterling.

These speculators who (with a from the Bank of for little help England and the government) caused the recent tal in the value of the pound, have been treated by going on, the bureaucrats as analy and all-powerful gods who must be immediately placated by sacri- every fices taken from workers pay packets. From the day of the Budget, prices. the six-man TUC negotiating com- mittee have been falling over leaders themselves in their haste to assure themselves. the world's bankers that the "tough bargaining" with Healey was nothing but shadow boxing

COLORESC

original ofter, to deceive their members.

There would certainly, they chorused, be agreement close to Healey's 3% demand. Murray counter even altered a prepared speech to the European year. rade Union Con federation give

UNION

JACK

JONES!

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

Another round of massive wage cuts is almost certain to be agreed at a special General Council "tax cuts" plan announced in the well that such a "deal" is utterly This continuing erosion of the unacceptable to all workers. They the wages rams home are consciously importance of the fight to defend interests of their own members to living standards. This can not be prop up the profits of the capital- by reactionary wage limit- ist class. but only through a sliding scale of wages guaranteeing point importance of this. The Financial in line with Times this week reports that for point increases the rising cost of living as assessed the first by trade union committees.

majority But even while their talks were a rise in profit margins.

the further slide in the With wage cuts, the policy value of the pound consumed the price rises whole of the 3% increase - since and

TUC

leaders understand this confidence.

fall hits workers such and other through rising food necessary to go further than token In making their squalid agree- participation in ment this week the trade union negotiations: consider their positions have been represent The secret "bargain- adequately ing" with the government is over committee. between Healey's

SOUL

which according to that too, would cut take Economist impose unese concinons home pay by 7%, and the TUC's ers without would demand. blatant violations of union democ- cut incomes by 6½% over the next гасу. The union leaders know very

A BETTER

TEAM THAN

1926! betraying the The employers appreciate the time in three years to prevent them. of employers anticipate In Madrid two demonstrations were organised; one was a march speed-up and of Labour through streets ed by ORT and other groups to the left.

easy to of the Communist other was a 'peaceful' meeting in a Indeed the CBI has not felt it outskirts of Madrid park on the led by the CP dominated Workers' wage-cut Commissions, the the employers and the third union federation, the USO. by the

TUC

There was some the CP and Socialist party union leaders know would intimidated they cannot hope to regime's determination to stop the on work. demonstrations, as they had been the most gross and two weeks earlier when they with- drew support at the last moment from the demonstrations in Pam- the Continued on back page, column 1 plona to celebrate national day Aberri Eguna. this time they realised that tens of thousands of workers not stopped

OTTOTA

against the brutality their anger and hypocrisy of the regime.

FEROCITY

In the event the regime made distinction between and 'peaceful' marches strations in

DAIKS

them both with equal using baton charges by mounted rubber bullets In Madrid and gas. where the GeMOnS TAROLS largest they arrested hundreds of demonstrators. events follow a month These which the during policy has been trade union leaders political and throughout Spain. reported arrested are alleged members of the nationalist organisation Marcelino Camacho of the munist Party and Workers' who, along with leaders missions

TIM

Labour Party (PTE) and oi the the Communist Movement (MCE).

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO. 33 * 5th May 1976 * 10p

ALL OUT

MAY 26th Assemble: Tower Hill, 1pm.

March to lobby Parliament: 2pm.

Fight for strike action on May 26th in every area.

MASS ARRESTS

IN SPAM

The sharpening repression by the Arias regime completely failed to stop massive mobilisations of the working class against Francoism on May 1st. The regime had banned all demonstra tions and arrested hundreds of potential leaders in their attempt 30 year faces charges liable to CP prominent PrIsOn Ramon Tamames who the member with other alleged organisers of a April 4th was Party; the demonstration on fined and then imprisoned

STOL

During those demonstrations indulged in Socialist UGT regime arrests of demonstrators, as on May 1st, and in the Aberri Eguna where one mili danger that

CHOSE ORS

tant on the way to Pampiona wa leaders shot dead at a police roadblock.

by the Even the reported arrests in the last month amount to more that 1,000. The regime has now more o less abandoned all pretence at the Basque long-promised reforms. A speect But Arias on April 29th promised: by referendum in October to approv would the monarchy and to vote on showing new 'parliament' of two houses One would appointed bi watchdog the regime line of Franco maintain the national movement. The other would be elected b 'universal suffrage which Aria did but probabl not street means giving the vote to 'heads o demon- families attacked Even then the governmen ferocity, would still be appointed by head of state and not depend o and tear majorities. Th parliamentary Barcelona welcomed ultr by

SUCCEE

fight leader General Inestia,

WOTE

former head of the Civil Guard In addition, 'reformist' Interio Minister Fraga directly regimes only sible for most of the growing was of has been publicl Canes of repression, supported by the right-wing tel Among those the Guerillas group,

TONI

about 200 Christ the King. Euskadi wholesale repression ha

ETA

V; extended even to the Socialis Com- Party (POSE) and its trade unio Com- organisation the UGT, four o whose leaders have been senter Continued on back page, column

PORTUGAL

of The results ortuguese general election of 5th April have shown very learly indeed the strength and mpetus which remains in the parch of the Portuguese porking class. This was despite all the pressure and om the capitalist class pokesmen, the handing back of the edia to the parties of the right, ad the attacks on the bombing forkers' organisations. obtained Socialist Party _87 million 35%, and 106 votes, Assent 70,000 pats the rived just short of 15% with 40 Party, communist cats.

PPD

The capitalist

CDS

and and 16% atties got spectively, with 41 and 71 seats.

MAJORITY

This means that the mass parties the working class have overcome effects of a protracted witch- int in the capitalist press to win easy majority. This considerable blow is a wing and ainst the right inployers, though the election elf now reopens all the questions political leadership in the work- • class. It means that all the repressions ce the alleged 'coup' attempt ol

ITALY

dragging the Events are the eluctant leadership of talian Communist Party down "Parliamentary heir so-called bad to Socialism". If it had been left to Party cretary Enrico Berlinguer and his Stalinist chiefs there would been no nation 20th, the Christian Democrat- Moro not government

ENQUIRY

COMMISSION

: to an error, our report in failed to make clear Yarge was a leading of an organisation known initials LIRQI, which now Ourriere Ligue •1 - ionaire. of the Enquiry address c/o Lutte Ouvriere, is 233, 75865 Paris Cedex 18, le mould appeal to other groups consider themselves to belong the revolutionary workers' treat to support the efforts of commission. In Britain they can INTERNATIONAL nEWS place the

LEFT SWING

leaders of the Socialist Party and working class, they Party

IN ELECTIONS

Communist on spot. tne CP chief Cunhal has been calling for a government including repres- of his entatives party. certainly not opposed to alliance with the capitalist parties, though he is against any socialist policies for such a government. The greatest however, pressure, is on Socialist Party leader Mario Soares. For him, the majority for the workers" parties means that he cannot any longer look directly to bourgeois PPD and CDS parties to 'democratic, ie. hold capitalist order. set up government based on the SP alone.

Times on 1st May, Soares showed support of the military to maintain minority government. the existence of such an administra- 25th November have failed to break the unity and strength of the work- have the support of the go wing party in order to maintain order.

The votes of the parties to the expected to be from the military, 144,320 or 2.72%. the UDP increased their vote from 44,000 to 90,507 (1.7%) and again elected deput Maoist groups, working class, despite all the forces 15,506 1 1% and%, th with the capitalist order involved in repudiating military support.

is it difficult to know what signif- icance to draw from this, since the Maoist groups, especially the latter Pastical parties of the bourgeoisie FSP groups had reduced votes of 30 mine to be Trotskyist, the Lips A powerful President time, when the PRY did not stand.

for the capitalist order against the mass movement expressed through the workers organisations.

class parties to break from the AFM be even own independent organisations in government of the CP and SP. The workers' committees and all their within an

DOWN THE PARLIAMENTARY ROAD

Italy Is lo of course, The within the "sensitive' CP will the have fallen, would the exact nor Ministries identity of 'Antelope the Labner Affairs. Democrat leading Christian who They in the late 1960s pocketed over a million dollars in Lockheed bribes could almost united become the central and Have give Parliamentary certainly Italian explosive mystery oi politics. The Lockheed scandal was the for the MOro last straw govern- ment. A US Congressional enquiry British it the of three men was showed that one their long paid off by Lockheeds to guaran- awaited of Labour and tee the purchase of 'Hercules' air- Communist craft - Prime Minister Moro, his were to Foreign Minister Rumor, "national Tories avoid to President Leone. (Each indignantly divisions"! denied he was guilty and expressed total confidence in his colleagues!)

the of Among the Yet despite accelerating 1.7 million Communist inflation, unemployment and has the shortages, daily right-wing political brought a veiled violence and a whole galaxy of While official shift to political scandals, at no point Tne did the Communist Party leader- in Italy, CP тасу" and ship call for elections. The Christian Democrats fell of their own weight at the point where the tacit support Rossa!" of the leadership could no of their towns. longer protect them. with the Mass forces exist The Communist entered Party Stalinist for fight the election campaign on the most 'historic against the reactionary platform imaginable.

for "Italia compromise They favour that cuts both and public will spending

STALINIST

RUMANIA

the The split between leaderships of the Stalinist Rumania Soviet Union and hardened significantly with the publication last week of a Rumanian book which lays semi-official claim to a large of territory which, is presently part of the Soviet Rumania from 1918 to 'perfect scientific rigour according whole of Bessarabia is properly part of the Rumanian state. WIth population of four within more than 300 miles of the Republic and as part of an enlarged Ukraine) at the end of the Second leadership of the Rumanian Comm- unist Party have now decided (even time being) to stake their claim in a Soviet policies for economic 'union' of the USSR and This lead to a separate diplomatic trade policy towards the and Western Europe, the refusal of troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968.

and à policy of diplomatic "balance At the Moscow Congress of the Soviet leadership "socialist states', then abruptly leit for home well before the end of the

POLAND

The Stalinist leadership in Poland faces growing oppos- ition to its policies and its control within the political Union of Polish Students.

Warsaw Congress opened in 28th which had on April country's designed to merge the various Stalinist-controlled youth into a single 'Union of Young Socialists' incorporating the former 'Young Socialists' (oVer 'Young million members), the Peasants' (also over a million) and 'Young Soldiers' (over two the million members). But the student movement (about 300,000 members) refused to join in the fusion, which was clearly a move designed to reinforce and centralise the control of the over the various youth bureaucracy movements in Poland. In Poland the student bodies and clubs have a long history of generat- ing opposition to Stalinism - even if often in a nationalist and partial form. In 1956 it was the students of Warsaw and who stood Cracow along with the workers in some of the biggest industrial plants - in the front line of the grass-roots resist- which was being ance prepared SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 5th May, 1976

CRISIS

Rumanian publications in recent But this is the first time months. that state organs have given a clear endorsement to such claims.

The quarrel - from both sides - and highlights the reactionary nationalist character of the Stalinist bureaucracies. Bessarabia has been least since at in dispute Empire 1812, when the Turkish handed it over to the Russian Tsar.

It changed hands several times in the 19th century, and was seized Stalin toasts Churchill, 1944.

Rumania in 1918, following the of Russia and military. prostration the Bolshevik revolution - a seizure dignified by the authors of the "integra- tion into the Rumanian state by the will of the masses"! When Stalin's entered armies Rumania end of the war. _at ine with the agreement they restored, of the imperialist powers, the borders of Tsarist Russia; though in Rumania they left the extreme rightist King Michael on the throne until 1947! the Rumanian And noW Stalinists, in support of their claims raditions ent for territorial are the reviving the 'traditions' Dacian people who inhabited the country at the time of the Roman Empire. Thus the city for Che last central Rumania, has for the renamed Cluj- years Napoca, its ancient Dacian name!

Thus, for all the talk of "inter- nationalism" on Moscow platforms, the Stalinist bureaucracies reveal themselves as nationalist castes of the most reactionary stripe, whipping up national and cultural hatreds and keeping Eastern Europe as much divided as did the former imperialist powers and their monarchical puppets. In March 1968 they formed the spearhead of the mass demonstra- that broke out in Warsaw against police censorship and in Czechoslovak support of the 'spring', demonstrations to which the Gomulka government respond- ed by a brutal crackdown and the launching of despicable anti- campaign in the name of 'anti-Zionism'. opposition The recent move. among Polish students follow wide- spread and public protests against the new adopted by 'constitution the Gierek regime in February. This specifying contained 'unbreakable fraternal alliance' with the Soviet Union: terms which 'legal could easily become the pretext for the use of the Soviet Army in Poland. Faced with a mass campaign of the petitions agamst Stalinist leadership retreated slight- so that it Ly, dlluting' the specified only 'friendship and co- with the USSR and the operation other socialist states' time Gierek's the same security forces were busily engaged in compiling "black lists' of those. the draft publically opposing constitution - lists which certainly

SOCIALIST PRETT, Meebecadey Mary Sid, 1976

IRANIAN

ZIMBABWE

STUDENTS

UNDER THREAT

KISSINGER CHANGES HORSES

Two Iranian students in this country, Mahmoud Tourneh and Henry Kissinger's visit to Mahammad-Reza Poorian are week Southern Africa last currently under threat of deporta- marks a fundamental change the jails and tron in the policy of US imperial- chambers of their country.

OWI

were both arrested by the ism in Africa. iney police during demonstration against executions in Spain.

who authored

HUEROUS

Mahommad -Reza Poorian has Baby" policy. In it the US govern- been imprisoned for six months, ment recognised that: allegedly for assaulting a policeman.

....racial problems of Southern worse, Much however, both Africa will become more students threatened with perhaps leading to major violence deportation. and the greater involvement of the When the case for deportation of Communist power". Mahmoud Tourneh came up But it went on to say: April 22nd, even the judge felt he "...whites are here to stay and could such not recommend an change the only way constructive extreme step and the HeTT can come is through them. There is Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins. no hope for the blacks to gain the The Labour. movement must political rights they seek through demand immediately that these which will only lead students should be allowed to stay chaos and increased opportunities in Britain. for the communists". They will certainly face many years of torture and imprisonment

SALE

if they are compelled to return to Iran, as do politically active all Iranians discovered by the regime The of this cynical and SAVAK, its notorious secret policy was the sale by the United police force. States of millions of dollars worth Efforts behalf these studente should be linked with the 'semi-military' to Vorster's white in

LOCAL

ending of all links with the South Africa and the Byrd amend- the Shah. Darborons regime Congress which

METE

It is bad enough to see the Queen allows the US, in contravention of Marth around the North of sam United Nations sanctions, to import Farah around the World of chrome from Rhodesia. Festival London, but all the Lusaka in Speaking, however. visits. by Peter Shore, Barbara week last Kissinger (Zambia) Castle, Lord Briginshaw and other inauguration announced the of prominent Labour leaders Iran American policy" era in "new are a disgrace to the working class White which he bluntly warned SUBSCRIBE to Socialist Press

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THE WORKERS

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

The Workers Socialist League was formed in December 1974 to struggle for the continuity of the principles Trotskyism in Britain and towards the rebuilding of the Fourth International. In the daily struggle to take the demands and principles of Trotsky's the WSL has been at the Transitional Programme into the trade unions, forefront of the fight for the sliding scale of wages, and work sharing on full pay - demands which at the T&GWU Conference were the only alternative to Jones' treacherous £6 pay plan and the wholesale accept- ance of redundancies by the bureaucracy.

In the Health WSL comrades have led the struggle for the sliding scale of N spending and for trade union contrees to pee with the fight to end all private the Authorities ofr practice - policies adopted by ASTMS National Conference.

WSL comrades have tested and developed the In local disputes also, demands of the Transitional Programme, putting forward in every case, the only real opposition to the Stalinists and the right-wing. Our struggle for the "open the books" demand in tre motor industrv has won a mass response. At the same time we have put forward a policy to fight unemploy- ment, calling for unity of employed and unemployed through the fight to mobilise the trade union movement.

The WSL is the only movement that fights consistently for transition- al demands, going beyónd mere trade union militancy to pose the pol- atical issues to workers.

While these practical interventions have developed the League's grasp of Trotsky's Programme, enrich the movement's understanding of the history and the present crisis of the Fourth International, as an essential part of any serious initiative towards its reconstruction.

We urge all readers who agree on the need for revolutionary leader- slip and the demands we put forward to find out more about the WSL and ioin our fight in the labour movement.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Rhodesians that: and his colleagues power to the maj must hand over is America's challenge This

UL1LY

now He promised "aid to newly Zimbabwe". He con- independent South appealing cluded shed the of the pas to the warning signal Africa to

WARNING

The warning signal that Kissinger himself has been contemplating is of course the forward movement of the Southern masses Africa reflected in the MPLA victory in Angola, and the support for the war for the liber- Zimbabwe. for Support this is spreading like wildfire into South Africa itself. The imperialist powers are con- cerned at all costs to defuse this by forcing Smith out as quickly as possible, thereby avert- which ing long war consciousness of black workers and . peasants would rise. Some of Kissinger's proposals are clearly out of date: in offering the assistance of US diplomacy for negotiated settlement Zimbabwe, for example. Negotiated settlement is no longer an altern- ative to war.

LEADERS

African leaders like Even those Nkomo and Kaunda who

WORKE

BRADFUND BRANT'!

The mass response to the anti-fascist demonstration Trades called by Bradford Council represents a new level in the movement's labour struggle to defend black and immigrant workers against racist violence. the mobiliz- ation of over 1500 Pakistani, Indian and West Indian workers, together with another 1500 militants drawn from the local labour movement fighting against a National Front march, showed that a sound mater- lal base of support now exists Iot setting up workers' defence squads Bradford thugs off the streets. Significant on the march was the large proportion of young workers from •the immigrant and the enthusiastic response as the march nessed through the streets to themselves to hold back the war in of "negotiations" which favout simply allowed Smith to play for now realise this. time, What the new American poncy Africa therefore in in Southern practice amounts to is to strengthen the hands of the opportunists like Kaunda. The object though guerilla war is that force Smith out, necessary the Zimbabwean forces will remain control of the firmly under the Kaunda, right-wing led by (who claimed to be "emotionally charged" by Kissinger's Lusaka speech) and Nkomo.

DETENTE

Both these 'leaders' are in favour of continuing the policy of detente with white racism in South Africa.

The US will undoubtedly act accordance with such criteria in its channelling of any "aid".

this perspective the divisions within the Zimbabwean liberation movement assume crucial importance. Kaunda,

BRADFORD DEMONSTRATION SHOWS

BASE FOR WORKERS

DEFENCE SQUADS

the city centre, its ranks swelling with workers and youth who joined the demonstration all along the route. Significant also was the bankruptcy of political complete leadership from the Trades Council, which, having called the march into being, attempted in every way to prevent it driving out the fascists.

They held a meeting a mile away from the school where the National Front were the midst of an immigrant area.

When sections of demonstrators broke away to attempt to confront the National Front, they were attacked from the Trades Council platform and obstructed by squads of police. Outside the school itself the police braved a storm of bottles, bricks, beer cans and eggs protect the fascists, bringing in mounted police to charge at crowds of demonstrators. Kissinger Mozam- of "lanzania 21410 High guerilla eighteen-man Command under 1n and their own controi, about that was arrangement right-wing faction of the both were and However, April reaching on were ..where made to thei 16.000 The guerillas natural leader. were said ship". Part of the march last weekend youth responded to thi Angry ove by attacking and turning several behicles. But we should not that activ also were other groups of people not apparently connected with thi demonstration abou set - WIlO smashing local shop windows.

There is no doubt, however, tha had the full strength of the marc directed the Trade been by Council leaders at the school thi fascists could have been driven ou of Bradford. The demonstration thus reflect a growing resistance and militanc within the working class, represents a qualitative turn in th fight against racism. But at the same time the crisis o leadership within the workers movement meant that an opportun ity to inflict a crushing defeat o1 the National Front was missed.

/ORKERS SUE

LE There must be proceed. a reassess- ment of the work and the methods of the National Co- ordinating Committee Against Cuts in the NHS after the poor simpiy general last Sunday's turn out to movement national demonstration. The small attendance (less than 800) is not a reflection of the feel- atter the class on the working ng in che question, but rather of the suspic- mittee have developed politics and sloganising protest which leads to no action.

HOLLOW

bigger response. At the same time it shows how For National South Wales NUM, various must be left' trade union leaders and MPs action and the ubiquitous Ernie Roberts, Levon to herever. level, Assistant Secretary of the AUEW.

most part these names whatever or a token the demonstration. They create an movement but represent •415 action Manchester Cuts March

TRADES UNION CO

NORTH WEST Me. COUNCh More than 700 trade unionists from throughout the North West demonstrated through Manchester on April 24th against unemployment and government spending cuts. The protest, called by the N₩ Region TUC, offered no credible solution or alternative considerable support for it indicates a real strength the cuts but the for feeling on the issue in the workers' movement.

CUTS CAMPAIGN

AT THE

CROSSROADS

A section of the WSL contingent on the NCC demonstration This is why the programme of a living significance. the NCC is in need of change. Up to the demonstration it remained to a health cuts brings certain extent unproved whether series of correct frontation taking leadership, demands into the cratic mass area is collaborating with manage.

working class the OI could produce a broad response.

ment slashing conditions and services. seemed, perhaps, to some, success ycal s Conference of the Medical Com- Private Against Practice, (attended by 350 delegates from the labour movement) that all that сгасу. was spread the needed to be done word in order to win a bigger and This has now been shown to be completely wrong. in the Health form the fight to. Service in struggle against the cuts, action to defend against all cuts.

program- slogans are not enough, The struggle mes are not enough. all affiliates and sponsoring bodies directed instead towards to initiated at first on a local which strikes against the prevent the implement- linked demands gramme,

INDUSTRIAL ACTION

others that on this. on in the fet festious al does question Group. Janet McGuire, Organiser, alone spoke correctly demonstration. act in defence to Service - even Executive (Which where in the country? will they example at the Charter Conference retain an with the Executive Servants union CPSA, refused to in calling strike сгасу? Sunday's

BLAMI

can only prove movement if workers' now made. branches and Trades Councils *A realistic

NCC

demonstration will not be overestimation of demonstrators of the march No less than four national officers of Health trade unions are to make up the panel of speakers demonstration Oxford "Against Unemployment Cuts in Public Investment" for The march, called 15th May, is the brainchild of the Stalinist/right-wing Health Service Joint Trade Union Committee.

FOOD

It offers no demands, perspective no But workers. the official leaflet, issued by Pat Ward, extreme right- wing chairman of the local NUPE Hospitals Branch, does attempt to attract hungry trade unionists with a promise of food. He writes: "If your members would like a programme and perspective take on light meal or refreshments, you let me know the numbers".

And in the fight for strike action Small wonder such local bureau- workers' resistance to the them into direct con- with their own bureau- which in every Where manning levels, Now is the time to make a turn Were They? in the policy of the NCC if it is not to collapse into a moralising phrase-

CIALICT

ridden sections of the 'left' bureau- of the The size

NCC

stands in stark contrast to the recent massive

PLATFORM

Campaign Abortion support of free abortion on demand The NCC must make its plat- from the NHS. mobilise class the members How do supporters of the NAC imagine that this demand can be won unless the It must offer the full backing of NHS is defended from the Labour any local section of workers government's seren't they on the demonstration?

slashing cuts?

CUIS 01

the Where also the action around Women's Charter contingents of the NCC pro- whose recent conference discussed the cuts in the social services and And it must force the lefts' and of decided to include the fight against decorate them in their list 'supporters' to take a clear position O1 Again the role of the IMG in the leadership of these groups is thrown But also required to take a stand into the spotlight. Their refusal to on principle are the delegates to the risk treading on the toes NCC from the International Marxist bureaucrats - reformist and Stalinist

NCC

National with whom Toes in fighting for programme favour of strike action against the principle, results in no way forward cuts from the platform on Sunday's being given to the layers attracted by these protest campaigns.

STAND

Will the IMG now take a stand and demand the NCC pledge itself of the Health if necessary expense of a split with the NALGO has led not a single action against the cuts any- One of the first cases to be taken the follow their to Working Women's Tribunals set up under the Sex (where, Discrimination Act more than relationship opportunist vindicates the WSL's call to of the Civi these boycott

IMG

the the

WSL

bodies. support demand that the CPSA take a lead Five women workers lured into action against the the tribunal were claiming an extra impact of spending cuts on women £12 per week to give them equal workers) and cave in to the bureau- pay to men doing the same job.

argued Management demonstration their reasons for not paying equal to the gain rates tnat Ine women wele buwu- work wearing ung to are learned and the necessary turn catwalk above the men. The upshot was that the women assessment of the lost their at the case

IMG

by the the although chairman helped by the that one of the women had greater of the skill and responsibility than a man.

in the Since hers was not report in this Week's Red he argued, the provisions of the Weekly There were less than 1000 Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimin- marchers znd not the 2500 claimed ation Act did not apply. SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday: May 5th, 1976

OXFORD

A MARCH

WITH NO

PROGRAMME

crats are attempting any trick in the Service book to drag along extra people.

BLOCK

an and The march was originally called as an attempt to block the success- ful Trades Council demonstration.

Saturday against the cuts, which mobilised 200 trade unionists and which put dominated full of forward a programme of the Health action in defence Service. Not only did none of the right- wingers and Stalinists organising the May 15th march attend the Trades no Council remonstration could to could to everything they and keep hospital sabotage workers from attending. Unsuccessful attempted sabotage of that demonstration puas to only prelude to the complete the inactions by the Not leadership consultants throughout could •Oxford hospitals struck for two days in defence of private practice.

BLATANT

In doing nothing to combat this

NUPE

blatant provocation, who control the majority leaders, of ancilliary grade workers in the Oxford Health Area Authority, showed their complete willingness attacks of cuts planned by local management.

any the bankruptcy of its Despite march leadership, we call on all members that of and supporters in Oxford to National support the demonstration on May march in 15th and to fight on it for our clear demands: *No to all cuts - for a sliding and scale of NHS spending: the books of 'the AHA *Open to elected union committees!

*Ban practice onlyalt nationalise private clinics, integrate them into the NHS. Working *Strike action to prevent the cuts!

DRIVE OUT

demands? To win any of these demands the first step must be to drive out the allied forces of right-wing and of the Communist Party that are con- sistently betraying the fight.

by cuttist, and

TRIBUNALS BLOCK

WOMEN'S CLAIM

actually inter- social worker who viewed and arranged to employ a Industrial male assistant - only to find he was to be paid £400 more than her, and that since her job carried increased responsibility her pay could not be affected by the new Acts!

diversionary

FRAUD

The tribunals are thus already exposed as a fraud from start to as one of There is such a wealth of 1101YI loopholes and interpretations of the that offers only nominal law skirts on a rights to women workers. The real fight must centre on the struggle in unions for the trade tribunal, industrial action to win equal pay admitted this will involve necessary fighting the decisions of the tribun- "like work", als which, as an arm of the state, designed, like other industrial are tribunals, maintain inequality

AND-INNOCENTE

NW JOBLESS

UNEMPLOYED WORKERS

COMMITTEE SET UP

Another Trades Council has set up an unemployed workers' comm- ittee as a special sub-committee to unite employed and unemployed in the struggle against unemployment.

The line of policy the complete fight redundancy programme to It advocates a and wage cutting. fight for: *An end to state wage controls free collective return bargaining. *A sliding scale of. wages to compensate against inflation #A sliding scale working hours (work-sharing on full pay * A ban on all overtime *The of all plants occupation threatened with closure *A scheme of public works with guaranteed government contracts. In taking such a programme into the struggles of the local labour a crucial role. At a time when every bureaucrat is desperately seeking knife the slightest

DELLARIC

against the policies of the Labour the fight for government, of action is essential. programme

WSL

The continuing its campaign in every area for Trades Councils to set up such committees and to lead a drive to recruit the unemployed into the trade unions to prevent their isolation from the organised labour movement.

ASIMS:

KELLY

EXPELLED

A battle is developing in Kelly's

ASTMS

Tony over membership of that union.

of the Kelly, Secretary now North East Constituency Newham Party, Labour has given crucial constituency's leadership that 10 campaign to oust right-winger Reg, Prentice as their candidate.

Consequently, Prentice is out to discredit Kelly means to him of his possible and strip union credentials.

ASTMS,

"eft trade union, should as a trade union, should have come out squarely in support of Kelly, ( who has been an active the Charing CrosS Branch since last November. But General Clive

ASTMIS

Secretary Jenkins, no doubt responding to first pressure from high places, questioned Kelly's membership on the grounds that one of the spaces had been application form in the left blank by the Branch Secretary.

FAKE

cleared this The Branch up so Jenkins charge easily enough, another fake charge thought up that Kelly was not employed at the time he applied for membership.

Branch has Cross TIne Loaning documents to prove this charge to Dc lalse. less manoeuvred to push through a decision on the

NEC

against Kelly's membership. The Charing Cross Branch rejects the NEC's decision on the grounds that it has been arrived at on the basis of false and contradictory evidence, and the Branch has sent resolution the an emergency ASTMS delegate conference, to be.

held this weekend, censuring Jenkins for his manoeuvres calling on conference to conserve the validity of Kelly's membership.

It is vital for ASTMS to come out strongly on this issue. The Labour movement must protect the democratic rights of trade unionists Party oppose right-wing Labour MPs and Labour Party policies which are against working class interests.

INSIDE THE

INNOCENTI

was the fac- Socialist Press: How organised before the tory occupation! Innocenti workers: It was inore or operation prod- less an assembly acing the Mini and later Regent. actually Very few parts were produced in Milan and so the fac- tory had no productive or technical autonomy. There were about 4500 workers who during been reduced to about 4000.

Socialist Press: What is the union organisation in the factory?

IW: As throughout Italy, the main Council organisation is the Factory di Fabbrica). This has (Consiglio about 55 members who are directly elected by the workers and are in close and continual contact with Then there is the higher struc- ture of the trade union federation at various levels - the zone, province and national levels. The councils vote for factory some delegates at these levels but the candidates are nominated from above as a result of deals between the political parties have an agreed share of posts at all levels.

The Metalworkers Federation to winch we al belong Is an amalgall

OCCUPATION

ation of the three previously separ- ate metalworkers unions (those the Communist Party, the Socialist Party and the Christian union).

The higher bodies of the union representative like the not factory council and so the two were in frequent conflict. Socialist Press: What is the political balance on the factory council?

IW: As in most of Italy, the Com- Party munist had the numerical majority and had hegemony of the There were four or five counci. socialists, Christian Democrats, quite a number of people to the left of the Communist Party, supporters Proletarian Democracy electoral of Avanguardia alliance Operaia, the PDUP and other small the left) though not

HOUTS

members of any party, and a small number of members of revolution- ary groups. Socialist Press: How exactly did the occupation begin? IW: It started on November 26th, ine day allel beylana amounceu the liquidation of the company. The management did everything it could to block the activities of the But the factory council met, Inside the Milan factory A march through the town.

(photo: Quotidiano die Lavoratori) This interview took place a few days after the end of five months of occupation of British Leyland'ş bankrupt subsidiary, Leyland Innocenti in Milan.

The replies to the questions have been composited from the remarks of about ten workers, including two of the factory council, interviewed together members by a 'Socialist Press' reporter.

unanimously voted for an occupa- Leyland onl agreement of the inter tion, and this recommendation was possible because vention of the GEPI (an agency o supported by a mass unanimously the Italian government rather lik meeting of all the workers: Enterprise National Board the What the along with De Tomase, the head o Socialist Press: were demands of the occupation?

the motor cycle firm Moto Guzzi.

Through a joint enterprise the cars unde IW: There was continual conflict make Japanese between the Communist Party and licence. The agreement guarantee 2500 workers for fou the pay of the lett about both the demands oI monti the occupation and its methods.

months, 1000 for 16-18 The left put forward a demand and 400 for three years. For thes periods the wage is guaranteed b for nationalisation without com the state redundancy fund.

pensation under workers' control This plan for a joint venture and the conversion of the plant to very like the CP's plan and the C produce public consumption goods When it was fir such as buses. has welcomed it. put to a vote in the factory counc The CP opposed all of this: their the voting was 35 to 7 in favour.

solution was a takeover by a joint But fact the new compan capitalist enter- stale and privale formed yet prise. because of the political crisen th the CP As to the organisation, tried to keep the organisation in the still hasn't given hovelicill Th the agreement. hands of of the a smal left factory is still closed and no one factory council while the argued for the greatest participation workIng. not only of workers in the factory Socialist Press: Was this agreemer but also outside. The CP tried to put a brake on put to a mass meeting? every initiative but in spite of this IW: Yes it was accepted and th seyeral demonstrations of solidarity March 7tl were organised outside, such as the occupation ended. on blocking of a major railway station, This was almost inevitable becau of the propaganda of the Con motorway and demonstrations of support (one of munist Party in favour of the se 100,000 workers in the streets of the materially Milan). of y most perate position The CP opposed all these initia- workers. the leaders of the Metal- During the four months of th tives, and workers Federation occupation workers had receive press (abor conference condemning this kind of 80,000 lire a head €55) from the union federation will g Under the settlement they Press: What were the about £300 per head from Leylan Socialist reactions to the demands which were made? Since this interview was given, further mass meeting has confirme TW: First, Leyland refused to pay the acceptance of the 'solution' i the redundancy pay which it was and work at th occupation; legally obliged to and launched a factory has resumed under the ne lawsuit against the occupiers for the management. which Communist recovery of machinery The Party wanted to ship out. presented this outcome as a victor Second, the government and the And indeed marks Italian capitalists arranged a series "victory" for their own policies of "possible' solutions class collaboration. by the which were all welcomed It is victory protected und for which had undi Communist Party and whose jobs are the effect of disorienting the occup- the agreement for a few monti ying workers only with further guarantee One of these was a widely pub- The alternative positions licised plan for Fiat to take over the • during the occupation by grou company to make small cars - for to the left of the CP were capab which it already had a huge over- of attracting considerable suppo capacity. both from workers in the factor of the worker and from the res Socialist Press: What is the agree movement in Milan. ment which led to the end of the But they were not capable in th more real positions d occupation? end of giving real conviction these IW: The occupation of the factory presenting them as part of ended nominally because the programme. agreement reached with Leyland The defeat cannot be attribute for the payment of redundancy pay merely to the material problems which and the release of the machinery.

workers, re «Ine Half of this has been has politic paid and enough; also the rest is due next week.

But the dimension.

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Part 9: The July Days expected etrograd in 1917 was the had of the February Revolution. the alert the ears, Sections of workers, condemned rous system of the revol- to fruitless waiting, gave i lo in, its workers and soldiers despair and tried •wo solve political vanguard of the which the selves those ' problems. created by them refused power atry. even to deal with. the with the inability of the capital ration ¿alist Provisional Government

DISBANDED

the problems which had the February Revolution divisions While at keenly by the wnole felt ever disbanded for disobed front were es of workers and soldiers.

ience June 21st a strike of June 24th a demonstration skilled workers broke out in the the first All-Russian by Putilov works in Petrograd, tress of Soviets to support the where 36,000 men worked. They et majority defended demanded and the wage coalition with capitalists in the control of production, seen as vita.

isional Government) carried in the face of the ever-rising cost of …i banner atter bannet deciar Living. Bolshevik policies: 'Down with The Bolsheviks, recognising that ten capitalist ministers!, 'Down the solution to these problems was ¿ the offensive!"; 'All power to nationa ana pontical, lnat is, luc soviets!". of taking power by the Soviets, workers appealed to the Putilov factory

CLOSED

through meeting of representatives to 'restrain their legitimate indignation' here was plenty to cause this could easily A mass movement tration. Factories that promised mushroom in Petrograd but, lacking trouble than profits жете the support as yet of the rest of dosed down - metal produc- the country, might suffer drastic FS dOwn 40°:, textiles 20% - defeats, with sections being broken fought for control of one by one. ction borb in order to control which were rising apace, and

UNCHECKED

fend jobs. rindling food supplies threat- But the mood could not be held famine. The offensive at the ' in check. announced by Kerensky A report of the railways Jaze Minister with and union to the trade *35 dying in convulsions.

declared: "For the last time we announce: soldiers did not want to fight.

The ecremment seemed to have patience has its limit; we simply cannot live in such conditions" and 5 2The counter-ress a The counter-revolu- protested at the "endless exhorting of us to the duties of a citizer. In: ine Quite openiy to seif-restraint advice the left. On the 22nd June a Soviet Committee drove Vyborg workers through the district with a placard pleading "Forward for Kerensky!' Men of the Moscow Regiment stopped them, tore up the placard and turned the car over to the Bolshevik-sympathising Machine Gun Regiment. This regiment had stormed into the March on its

OWI

"the defence of the revolution' The Executive Committee immediately resolved to send them back with thanks but they refused: "Counter-revolution might attack and old the Soviet restore the regime", The Bolsheviks undertook their case and secured provisions, begin- ning what was to be an indestruc- table friendship.

DISSOLVE

On 21st June they resolved they would 'in future only go to the front when the war has a revolu- character". If forced, the stated would regiment not "dissolve by hesitate to armed Provisional Government force the and the organisations that support it". On Sunday July 2nd four Kadet ministers exploded the coalition by withdrawing from the government 'socialist because the ministers would not confront the workers.

The immediate response of the workers was for an end to this final •coalition farce, the was nudge pushing frustration past breaking point. Or Monday July 3rd a meeting thousand machine demanded armed •aling = = ™ > Street fighting, July 1917 by Rick Roberts Kamener fearing would be movement, isolated and followed by repression.

But the soldiers were determined to put their shoulders Soviet compromisers and get them moving. After all, March the eight-hour day had been won by action from below. At 7 pm. they were still resolved come out, delegates already making the rounds of factories and regiments for support. Petrograd was straining at the leash, not even gancing round al the provinces or the front.

MACHINE GUNS

Motor trucks were demanded and got from the factories and fitted with machine guns.

On the shop floors stopped instantv as it exoecting the cal!

In the Putilov works, 10,000 men assembled in the early atter- noon and cond testrained • 43 4 ÷ SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday May Sth, 1976 the district committee of Even in, the Bolsheviks was dragged deciding it could not leave the workers to their fate but would go along, if only to 'maintain order' At 3 pm. an all-city conference of the Bolsheviks were informed of the demonstration. Tomsky, for the Central Committee declared: "it is impossible to talk of a manifesta tion at this moment unless we want a new revolution". The offensive at the front would inevitably fail, but had not done so the and promised to rained o- compromisers to ruin them- selves completely.

SCAPEGOATS

Premature action could provide the Bolsheviks as the excuse to use scapegoats for the failure of the The conference appealed to the hold back the and to Executive Committee of the Soviet to take power. the But party call was not heeded. Factory after factory came out, lined up, and armed its detach- ment of the Red Guard. Trotsky *Samsonevsky Prospect, the artery of the Vyborg side chief was packed full of people. To the right and left of it stood solid columns of workers. In the middle of the Prospect marched Machine Gun Regiment, the spinal column of the procession.

At the of head each company went an automobile truck with its Maxims; ›ver every detachment streamed ›anner: 'All power to the Soviets!

A participant wrote: "The cockades of the officials the shiny buttons of students, the hats of lady sympathisers were not Today the to be -seen. only of capital were common slaves marching" Faced with a great crowd out- side the palace of Kshesinskaia, the Bolshevik headquarters, clamouring for instructions, for leadership, its and Get austes bayonets, the party had to abandon its fruitless restraint.

PEACEFUL

It resolved to call for a peaceful march to the Tauride Palace to elect delegates and through them their demands to the present Executive Committee. The demonstration moved out, heaving a sigh of relief at this sanction from the party, into the Nevsky, the the artery bourgeoisie Clashes break out with the students, officials, bureaucrats, there officers who parade on home ground. Shots ring out Rifles in the streets give a volley in return. The July days have begun.

At 10.30 pm. a meeting on the front of the Tauride square in elected its deputation to the Executive Committee which was then in session. Its demands: removal of the ten bourgeois ministers; all power to the Soviets; a halt to the offensive; confiscation of the bourgeois press and printing plants; the land to be state property and state control of production.

RHETORIC

But inside the Tauride they had their own ideas of the revolution.

wilen rerected arce outside its walls except perhaps the rhetoric of the Government. That day both Executive Comm- ittees, the and soldiers, and the peasants had been of debating the proposals the Minister Tseretelli on how to save coalition politics without the other half of the coalition. When news of the proposas ot the how to solve this masses on difficult question reached them they proclaimed any demonstration act of treachery to the revol- ution. The question of the cabinet could be left to another meeting, only the struggle against the masses was urgent. Voitinsky The Menshevik "we sent out commissars relates: to all the regiments with a request to give us soldiers to form a patrol.

But each regiment looked to Ine next to see what it was going to do". No wonder the soldiers looked about them. The Committee was asking for defence against a colossal demonstration asking take same

MLIST

weanesdes sin, • 1970 Trotsky, the election of 25 meeting adjourned. by delegates lead the movement A night session of the Bolsheviks to and Mezhrayontsi (inter-district outside. The Bolsheviks had been steadily close to the organisations Bolsheviks of which Trotsky was a increasing their number of delegates member) was also thinking of the in the last two months. and during the discussion, the Mensheviks and next day. The masses had posed the Social Revolutionaries. convinced question of power, and tomorrow of the would go for the decision, and no they had one third assembly, left the hall. force could stop them. the were thrust by They received news that As soon as they sailors from the Kronstadt fortress events into a minority, they were We beginning to boycott meetings.

lust down the river from retrograd from would also march in the morning, comment

OUI

experience in the trade unions and decided to issue a leatlet calling that the undemocratic on the masses:

LURY

"by peaceful and practices of the right-wing have way of a organised demonstration to bring changed very little in the last sixty their will to the attention of the years. Executive Committees noW The workers' passed resolution calling on the Executive session". The and its Military Committee to take the power and party Organisation direct 15 for leadership of the had assumed movement. This showed the masses Ieadership of the movement. Before continuing it is worth saying a little outside that the workers section Bolshevik about Kronstadt, as this illustrates fighting ally, the political the masses nac. July 1917 - Premature turn to arms by the working class and their need to defend their gains This step forward was a from their through their own, soviet govern- April, tation was tiny. that ment. Throughout Russia, isolated soviets had refused to recognise the ence was decisive. Provisional authority Palace were Government and Kronstadt had front of the thronged. Going talk to the done so on May 17th. The Guardian correspondent, demonstrators president, were met Philips Price, relates but President of the Soviet told him in Trotsky loud applause, June: simply putting this reporting the section 'We are place in order after the tyranny and chaos of the late Isarist regime. That is why we have declared the Delegates from Kronstadt soviet the supreme utives authority on the island. We recog- the demanded the fact that the coalition nise in which government exists in Petrograd, just as I recognise the fact that you are sitting in that chair; but that does that we recognise mean authority over us". that parliament compromise. rid of their

FACTORY COMMITTEES

how winvited guests. In the gallery. machine- gun were listening Price goes on: "I found that the with amazement the evolving first results of the revolution had been to call into being the factory gain time. compromisers committees.....Those were the were waiting for reliable industrial units elementary upon regiments" which the Soviet idea was based. They were formed by men of all skilled and unskilled, who grades, Tseretelli told .confused listeners met for half an hour after the "to day's work. Delegates went forth to "to go out into the streets with the the Soviet. from which also went demand 'All Power to the Soviets' - forth delegates, who were is that to support the soviets? If the direct control of industrial affairs.

soviets so desired, the power could They claimed and exercised the pass to them. There is no obstacle right to inspect the accounts and will anywhere to the of the books of the management, saw to it soviets......Such a manifestation is that no materials left the premises not along the road of revolution, without good reason, and in general but of counter-revolution", ways looked after the welfare the industry and its members.

The 80,000 work of the State officials was rigid for the subject to scrutiny At 3 men were fully alive to the fact that am the Putilov factory in a capitalist state the bureaucracy approached the Tauride, a mass of is only the agent of big business".

eighty thousand workers with wives The chief private concern, the delegation was ad- and children. A cable factory "was already under the Executives and the tired throng of workers lay down in the control of the factory commit- tee. The owner, who had tried to the street and the garden, waiting close down the works and sell some for an answer. of the to foreign But the leaders were waiting for bank was arrested and the whole front, troops irom the and no answer came before 5 am when the business requisitioned in the name Small and workers stand the these were in where were elected to their the present to to the Tauride, the palace of on the for inspiration. and the govern- more Loyal troops were called on, be not only hostile, On Palace for the This after Polovtsev, was living only Committee, from the who hoped 2½ tons of arms and from grad at noon. Crowds palace of for Lenin, Kshesinskaia Finland, just who Soviets' 'All Power and Tauride, the Marching to ToNe fired upon, several began in leaving Killed and undoubtedly as government tried to panic them. of All the Bol- course sheviks.

MOOD

In front the Tauride, Chernov, the Social Revolutionary Minister Agriculture, brought out to the demonstrators.

the mood. out Sensing cred good riddance to the Kadets who had resigned. Miliukov relates how: "a husky worker, shaking his fist in the face of the Minister, shouted furiously, 'Take power, you son of a bitch, when they give it to you!'" Chernor inas forced rotto a car Trotsky, by, according of suspicious-looking group men from who had kept aloof Tha crowd" and only saved by was Trotsky's personal intervention.

This provocation, together with Kerensky, second from right, with friends

BED CEA

Kerensky after- were out wards by the be insurrection DrooI of the Committee. to standards. the decision by workers......We adopted con- fidence but not in those in whom the Soviet has confidence". "But the Power the to the Allies, a said "The present Tseretelli, ed'. 176th Regiment by the Compromisers but in call from the Bolsheviks! The forces brushed clear, but the biggest obstacle French According to Am- sent in its during Executive the afternoon had refused and it a vote of confidence. Towards the evening, the Executive: "issued a asking them to postpone their duty But the proclam- and proclamations destroyed. the river Neva cas covered with the river Neva covered thousands, sheets of white paрer....... (From the diary of Comte Louis de Robien). Eventually the Bolshevik Central Committee sent a resolution to the workers to end the demonstration.

With little opposition from the ranks, the masses ebbed back to the feeling that the problem suburbs, of 'All Power to the Soviets' was considerably complicated than it appeared. But the Executive meeting continued, waiting. At 4 am on the 5th July, reliable troops arrived at last, hand picked from the most backward guard battalions.

They had been neutral until shown documents supposedly 'proving' that Lenin was a German spy. This accusation was to be the basis for the protracted witch-hunt that the Bolsheviks had feared.

The soldiers were received with glee by the and immediately arrested the few workers left in the palace. With the masses gone, government Tseretelli arrested workers' representatives, and isolated the seized weapons districts of the suburbs.

of junkers At am. JOuP and soldiers smashed the Pravda all the offices and arrested still more, violent occupants. attack was made on the Bolshevik printing plant for which the workers had been collecting money for the last three months.

ARRESTS

Cossacks and anyone on who defended the streets Bolsheviks. talking was which about the • to have the to persuade the Bolsheviks promise of pogroms and the from front, Cossack being greeted "the correlation Bolsheviks advise the Kronstadt to go home. Sailors the Baltic Fleet who had to Petrograd to prevent Petrograd ships going

WHERE

surrender Kshesinskaia, thus hiding. On the Lenin was fifth he "Now they e tidot time for This is right time them" was arrested.

DAILY

NEWS LINE

A clear retreat from prin- create the illusion of a mass- based organisation. This is the only way to describe the new masthead, and putting on a mask of sectarians in the leadership of the WRP seek to conceal the continued political liquidation of their move- of Manchester football supporters Led dressed uri acrossest impeccaie tradition", the NewsLine is in no way a return to the days of Workers Press, daily paper which they wound up in February of this year.

Workers Press was built in five years of struggle by the youth and working class cadre of the Socialist Labour League. It was launched as the world's first Trotskyist daily paper in 1969. It was integrally linked with the SLU's struggles in the trade unions and was founded on a solid base of support within advanced layers of the working class.

INABILITY

It was the Healy leadership's growing inability train and develop this basic layer of support- and the expand renew

SLL/

national leadership WRP itself led party which increasingly. towards propagandism and sectarianism. of the And after the election minority Labour government February 1974 this degeneration turned into a rout of sterile mass "'recruitment" which campaigns Equidated the experienced cadrę of at the same time and malins - exposed a bankrupicy of program- me and perspective which led to the political crisis in the autumn of that The Healy leadership, unable to toterate the emergence of a politica of possibility discussion within the WRP, moved i December 1974 to bureaucratic- ally 200 members expel Over chading the entire Cowley car factories zaire in the and the working class base in the Siestern area REVIEW OF IST EDITION by John Lister.

- G. Healy, former WRP General Secretary and current Secretary M. Banda progress continued to lay waste the ranks of the WRP, leaving only the al workers to carry on the direction work of the movement or This led to the collapse of Workers

COMMENTATORS

its role in the 1960s and Stalinists and right-wing, the WRP has degenerated

THILY

commentators on the class struggle, sheltering behind a maximum pro format of thei new daily paper tends to exclude the Manifesto in its centre pages shows clearly the political depths the WRP not on the leadership Central Committee of the Workers British working class to defend its basic democratic rights and demon- social democracy and Stalinism by forcing the Labour government to Of course it offers no avenue for the working class reader to сатту and such perspective for what should follow the forced resignation the government. This is quite consis- tent for the WRP leaders who put such demands for show, not for action. The question of whether revol- utionaries should launch a popular daily press is not one of principle of tactics. We are not but opposed to such a step as such.

attempts by the

WRP

to substitute low-profile "mass" approach for the necessary qualitative building of a revolution- that ary cadre, shows today's continuator of the best traditions NewsLine Workers Press is not The but the WSL's paper, Socialist Press. *A fuller account of the degen- eration of the WRP and the polit- ical opposition to that degeneration The Battle read for Trotskyism advertised elsewhere in this paper.

LETTERS

We welcome letters from publication readers. Letters for should be kept as brief as possible.

Send to the editor, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London

NWS 1HR

Since the end of the Second Imperialist War Lockheed Aircraft Corporation has paid out at least f13m in bribes, kickbacks and other amenities and officials in to agents throughout the countres Multinational Corporations into the company's financial records.

most to push the F-104 Starfighter and ment officials in the Netherlands, F-104 and the P-2B anti-submarine connection with the sale of 14 C-130 Hercules cargo planes - two former defence ministers are Mexico, Iran, Nigeria and Columbia Whoever goes to jail in connec- seemingly limitless tion with this of graft, it is not likely to be case the directors of Lockheed.

law cares about such things, and the senatee little is only to make sure that interest companies make proper reports of monies spent abroad and keep their tax evasion within plausible limits. the of other to the Lockheed case companies has been to come running, to the Senate with their tales of interna- tional corruption, just to be on the safe side of the law. Among the 85 or so corporations so far reporting are: -Occidental Petroleum Corpora- tion several Venezuelans, including the country's Executive Board of OPEC, Alberto Flores million dollars to foreign officials in Italy, Turkey and other countries; -Boeing Aircraft, political dollars which "certainly legal" and anything but

NO LINE

That no clear line can be drawn between big business and capitalist from the Japanese side the Lockheed saga. Yoshio Kodama, made a name for Second Imperalist War by his operation of plunder and intelligence gathering In Japanese-occupied China.

After the war (he was impris oned for a while but never tried for his war crimes) he returned to Japan with stores of cash vast diamonds and platinum. some of Bribes ... Bribes ... Bribes

THE LOCKHEED WAY

Lockheed TriStar have long made Companies "foreign policy", even in conspiring bring down governments, without the US getting much bothered about it. Remember the collusion and the CIA in 1970 between ITT in trying to keep Allende out of power!

SCANDAL

And now that Lockheed's story, other and those of dozens come before the companies have public the US government is eye, doing all it can to contain scandal, passing on information to the other countries concerned only on be suppressed condition that lt Prince Bernhard except where used in court cases. officials are so US wnly at the public revelations annoyed rocked the' Italian have which he used to finance the government. beginnings of the rightist Liberal- officials government have Party, which today Democratic grumbled of about the dangers governs the country. Lockheed's establishing its own of the most Kodama independent "foreign policy". But powerful of the Japanese ruling that is clearly a fraud, given the class, having made and broken the of general interests unanimity careers of numerous politicians and between American-based multinat- on several occasions named the new ionals and the US government Prime whose global strategy is calculated (but an support capitalist exploitation in on an international scale.

was help of Prime Minister Kishi and the pilot Harbour, Gen. Minoru Genda (both opposes the OECD's pious code of conduct for multinational corpora- original decision cancelled and won because the campaign for Lockheed.

public disclosure of information on Kodama's later efforts on behalf of his client did not always succeed, but in 1972 he brought off a similar Pierre Chaunu remarked tion may be the price of liberty'

ONE BILLION

break governments in the scramble Kodama-inspired deal weapons to fascists and adventurers And with the Japanese Airforce for 100 P-3C Those liberties are in irreconcil- Lockheed anti-submarine Orions was about to go through for 1 billion dollars (Kodama himself stood to pocket about 1m dollars!)

exploitation and to fight against imperialist conquest on behalf of all when the scandal broke. «honourable rightists for Kodama the struggle to open of multinationals to commit ritual suicide and the books blow to the will strike a deadly unsuccessful attack on his home by Lockheed. hapless porn star Mitsuyasu Maeno lethal "liberties" of suggest could that Kodama was himself on the lunatic fringe, far able the goracement. graces of the "respect-

BACK ISSUES

But nothing could be further from the truth. The CIA had detailed reports of the Lockheed bribes as early as the late 1950s, but somehow 'forgot' to

TROTSKYISM TODAY

them on to the State Department. Theoretical Supplement to It is not surprising that thes Socialist Press knew, for Kodama had received US funds for secret political projects in the Far East several times since the Back copies available end of the war. including In fact in the early 1950s he was WSL International Perspect- to smuggle paid 150,000 dollars "Fourth ives: International: tungsten out of China

VIE

Taiwanese warship and deliver it to Problems and Tasks" American authorities in Tokyo. On that occasion, it seems, the Available from buyers Kodama got stung

WSL, 31

Dartmouth Park Hill, claimed that the ship sank en route, London NWS 1HR but kept the commission.

IRISH JOBS AXED —

NORTH AND SOUTH

Two days after ten thous- erS employed manufacturing industry lost their some and Provisional supporters 27,300. Figures released at the end defied the ban on commemor- March show 115,677 without ating the Easter Rising a few jobs from a total work force of thousand Protestant workers around one million. While unemployment grows, demonstrated in Belfast and inflation continues to rise. The Larne against the redundancies consumer Price Index for the that will follow proposed cuts November February in defence spending. registered the second biggest increase (at 7.3%) in three years.

The coalition government in Despite this. the Confederation Dublin had neither expectation nor of Employers demanded intention of stopping the Provision- nine month pay pause from the end al's march. Its dramatic gesture in of March when the present National proscribing ToI the tirst time Wage Agreement expired. Provisional Sinn Fein commemor- Into the vacuum created by the ation of the rising against the British in 1916 was for the con- absence national agree- or a new 55,000 ment stepped building sumption of its power sharing workers and 2,300 maintenance allies in the North. craftsmen with a demand for a £15 a week increase.

COMMON

Such démands, claimed Minister of Finance "could not pos- Ryan At a time of dramatically rising sibly be met without rocketing both unemployment North and unemployment, closure of South, the Dublin government were many industries and the crucifixion urgently Belfast of the whole national economy".

bourgeoisie their common interests None the thịs militant and pursuing the return to independent union bar- authoritarian measures that will be gaining pushed the Irish employers if both necessary are to defend and the bureaucrats of the Exec- those interests. utive Council of the Irish Congress The desperate need to stamp of Trade Unions towards a new peaceful

LOUI

compromise. expression of Republican sentiment stems from the fact that the South-

PAY PAUSE

ern economy, entirely dependent upon and totally subservient foreign investment, not They agreed a pay pause of two the than a feather in face of the months instead of nine and in cold winds of the present world agreement which is proposed to last recession. for 13½ months there are to be two This is the context in which we phased of £2 plus 3%. payments should see the recent round up and This decisive cut in the Irish work- subsequent torture of 15 members ing class living standards is yet to of the IRSP, the Bill of Minister of be ratified. Justice Cooney to deny The craft unions have rejected it and access to theit own lawyers as well stand by their f15 demand. as a government spokesman's threat The timance to the organisers, stewards, speakers Minister Ryan reiterated at an EEC and others directly involved in the meeting in Strassbourg that any pay organisation of the Easter increases would be disasterous memoration that: present time, might well also "....as well as being liable to a reject it. fine

8IKE

three Ryan's alarm is much monas Imprson- very ment such people would forfeit any prompted by the recently released local authority job trade figures for March. These show

KOYCHOIL

and would be disqualified from a trading deficit on exports against holding any public fundspension pala for out of imports staggering £78.1 In 1975 one in every ten work- This is more than double the

POLICE LURE

FAILS

The police people in the ghettos. are very upset The basic assumption of "police' that their £25,000 publicity work is that all citizens are law launched campaign, last abiding unless otherwise, October, to recruit more black and are even potential assistants to people into the force has been the police in of law a one hundred per cent failure enforcement'. military occupation force - it has not attracted a single makes the opposite assumption - all applicant! potential enemies There are only 39 West Indians Therefore the military tactic is not the Metropolitan Police to track down individual London out of a total force of offenders but to subdue the popu- 21,000. lation at large through a generalised Worse, for the police, according 'show of force' Scotland Yard's to Community Such a strategy involves plenty Relations" branch there "a is: of random searches, and for tendency young West arrests to produce a general fear of towing Indians in London to combine the authorities on the part of every- against police officers when they one. are arresting a black person".

Arrests ale made often not so Black youth in London's ghetto much to catch law-breakers areas like Brixton are under absol serve a warning to the rest of the utely no illusions about the role of population - therefore it is not so the police. Blacks have never exper- important whether not the ienced anything outright arrested actually com- hostility and a high level of harass- mitted an offence or not!

ment from 'the Pigs' This strategy is used of course police in large American by and the police military cities like Chicago long ago aban- Northern Ireland. It is known in the doned "police methods' in favour of trade by American police 'military methods' against black 'intensive patrolling' Liam Cosgrave, Southern Irish Premier £50.3 dismal ment agency, the choppy of the world recession. Outlining of the "Ireland 'Deve Northern Development Agency All Fools Day in the House of Commons, Stanley Orme revelaed government strategy for securing a reliable restored Stor- The powers of the NIDA have been modified he said, "to line with bring into the Welsh newly created and Scottish agençies and to include it the overal oi National Enterprise Board. It will existing companies in the though trouble North. mainly it is concerned with general reconstruction... the transformation of an economy and that is what we talking about achieved overnight". Workers, Protestant, mainly This method is now being more and more adopted here by police in black like Brixton, and of course completely frustrates all the efforts publicity of the 'nice policemen' the Community Relations Branch persuade blacks that joining the police force like very becoming "a social worker. No conscious black worker will join an organisation whose job he well knows is to terrorise the black community. would be a mistake to see tactics like dozens of police vicious dogs bursting black "in search of drugso or the homeş mass police beatings of black youth ¡as in the recent Carib Club incident in West London, just as a product racial prejudice on the part of police officers, though prejudice is undoubtedly widespread. The police are,, and were con. by Joe Quigley Merlyn Rees demonstrated on April 27th against this "transformation" that destroying their jobs. 800 workers Rolls Royce 350 at Standard Telephones 120 and Cables, Regna International in Derry face the sack while 2,000 siklled Ministry of Defence workers are to be phased out by 1978. Barr, the Stalinist chair- Andy of the Confederation man Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, recently warned that unem- ployment could top 80,000 (16% of the work-force) by the end of the year. That the normally docile Prot- beginning estant workers to resist is a significant development.

Kut their loyalty' to the British link remains heavy burden. wastage" *Natural and voluntary redundancy were supported by the union leaders Standard Tele phone and Cables believing it would at least secure 2,800 jobs what had been a work force 1101 of 4,300. WOTkS convenoI Joe Bowers says that ITT, the owners intend to of Standard Telephones, reduce the total UK work force at STC from 9,400 to 3,000; a move sciously created as, a section of the armed force to the State. As such it is their task to defend the existing capitalist system exploitation and private property. "normal times'' the ruling class maintains its control of the working class through the right- wing leadership of the Labour movement. The police concentrate, meanwhile, in catching 'criminals.

However when workers move beyond the reformist leadership in fight for jobs and living stan- dards the class nature of the law itself is exposed and the police turn picket attacking lines and demonstrations in defence of jobs.

The black community, especially the youth is in a similar position They_are alienated from the organ- ised Labour movement partly as a result of the racialism and hostility Immigrants the right-wing labour and union bureaucracy and Police in Bradford preparing to attack anti-fasciots Page 9 which he fears will wipe out all STC jobs in the North.

'STC

workers are now wondering", he said, "on the wisdom of basing the Northern Ireland on economy periphery branches of international conglom- erates". The wondering yet to be directed at the politicians who led the Protestant working class into their present plight. William Craig and James Kilfedder in Belfast and Ian Paisley at Larne were allowed to address the demonstrators.

High Tory Kilfedder caught the mood and "working declared, people must band together and demand security of employment" But not surprisingly, no demands for work sharing, occupation and expropriation were advanced.

NO ATTEMPT

In fact no attempt was made secure a stoppage outside the to defence establishments directly hit, though shop stewards from Belfast factories attended. Instead, they heard nothing than plea to Westminister for special treatment and a request that Jim Callaghan come and see for himself.

Stalinist leader Andy Bart had as little offer Belfast as David EC Thronley had in Dublin, when he sat mute on the Provisional's Easter platform two days before.

From such labour leaders nothing is to be expected while working class that in the North South no less than the in multinational pens era re tre in multi-national plans, new possibilities. The defence of jobs, the resis- tence to flagrant authoritarian rule and colonial exploitation by world imperialism cannot be successful without upon the encroaching rights of private property.

this the In sense permanent character of the Irish revolution can only be realised by fighting around programme that begins with defence of national and democratic rights and living standards, and ends with the of the recognition wisdom of basing for a struggle workers' firm control on the foundation of a rationally planned economy. partly as a result of the fact that they have often never been able to find work since leaving school of owing to. the racial prejudice employers and the massive decline in jobs in inner London during the present world capitalist crisis.

The black youth big of the cities is seething with anger against capitalist system denies them like thousands fellow of workers a decent job and a wage Thus government policy, Labour and Tory, over the last ten years has been to attempt to set up organisations, notably the Com munity Relations Councils, which while firmly under the control of the Home Office give the illusion of being channels of reform for black people, but which, most important place power in the hands of a loca conservațive middle class black leadership "Uncle and their Com- munity Relations Officer tmends and turned to militant self-organ- isation. It is this that police terror tactics are désigned to combat.

We defend all attempts at black self-defence even while recognising.

their limitations. But we insist on the need for such defence to call on the organ- ised. Labour movement for support and on the class • nature of this fight against repression.

for fight programme in carried forward defence of jobs, against the right-wing in the Labour movement is therefore the require- ment. for building the unity of all sections of the working class against capitalism.

NUT CONFERENCE

VOTES FOR DISCIPLINE

NOT ACTION

NO action to defeat the The

NUT.

bureaucrats absolutely clear on their plans to government's spending cuts in (and suspend even expel) any education: but action to hold member or school group who take militant back and defeat action to oppose cuts. ¡teachers wanting to fight unemployment, growing

OFFICER

and Swindling resources undersized classes. of the Any individual officer That was the message loud and initiate proceedings clear from the Conference who would be

NUT

against a. •member at Scarborough this Easter.

suspended. The The main resolution on Labour Executive also intends to line up with management if they move to Chancellor Healey's proposed £949,000,000 cutbacks merely victimize him. clear in its called on the Executive to prepare a As the WSL made "campaign". leaflet to conference, these attacks on the democratic rights of union part of the

UNSPECIFIED

members only of the trade union leaders strategy hold back the developing The demands of the campaign, struggle. the forms of action which would be frightened They are people left unspecified. stifle the growing desperate to Mr. Alf Wiltshire in his to their treacherous opposition presidential address, after a denunc- with the Labour jation of cuts, involving stories of government. schools where cockroaches abound fungi grows the walls, that the union all tight people merely assured

NOT ENOUGH

Not a single concrete action was To try and head off struggle, proposed. they proclaim their "opposition" On the question of unemploy- ment, the only leadership proposal are not enough. cuts. But older should The Executive must call national that teachers was retire early that younger ones strike action to demand SO of can have their jobs. immediate massive injection finance into the education scale of and a sliding expenditure

"SELECTION"

They must fight for the opening of education books of the local the authorities to reveal staffing figures If not enough volunteered to be Executive admitted .... and other information such as the sacked, the paid the educational *there will have to be some This suppliers. would be sclection.' information to be further used in The Executive ridiculed the struggle for the nationalisation attempts to get a discussion on the Budget and the proposed 3% pay Dick North, International an limit, though this was the Socialist

NUT

member on major conference since it was fint succeeded Executive, almost announced.

OUT NOW!

The Battle for Trotskyism

DARTMOUTH

PRICE INCLUDING P&P.

UNITED KINGDOM

£1.25

ECROPE

€2.00

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$2.50 NUT Conference totally utopian passing on government social amendment priority payments (which are present paid to teachers in 'socially deprived' schools). The essence of North's proposal was to call for this money instead books and on extra be facilities in these schools - though he offered no way. of checking on where the money went!

ASSISTING

While not actually asking for a teachers (the did ask that existing amendment should allowance-holders this move would, safeguarded) pointed out by. the Executive, education budget. Socialists should not call for a dwindling resources the grudgingly state demand education, but more where it is needed. WSL does not accept that the deprive members fighting the cuts of their trade union rights.

We call on NUT members to put motions in their branches opposing the new disciplinary rule.

fight this will on mean the struggle against and locally. Especially nationally treacherous are the Stalinists of the Morris, CP, as Max who are such the hatchet men for the Executive.

There has not as yet been an assessment by Socialist Press of the Gay Workers Confer- second February. held Leeds in ence This was attended by 100 people from all over Britain. Although the various workshops generated interesting discussions on the situation of gays in the work- general fight place (the against discrimination, victimisation and specific and particularly the problems of Lesbians) and on the activity gay was not sufficient discussio there of these issues general which were mostly very meetings unproductive. conference did little to consolidate previous achievements and develoned no real perspectives . for future action. failure was largely the dominance of the caused by

IMG

Despite substantial calcus. frequent interventions from a few individuals, this encountered no opposition and was

RULE 14

issue. As members of IS and Camden Trades Council Executive Commit- tee we deny the implication from Geoff Bell (Open 21/4/76): that we have stopped fighting Rule 14. Our tactics in Camden are geared to the peculiarities of Camden, yet they misleadingly mention these peculiarities and indeed have little appreciation of their shown significance. Geoff Bell for instance argued that Camden should continue dely- ing the TUC as Clay Cross defied the government absurd We support the idea of Trades Councils holding out where situations where and in will able continue they operating in defiance of the TUC.

Unfortunately Camden is not such No amount a situation at present. of windy rhetoric can hide the fact that whereas Clay Cross was solid Council is split down Trades the middle and the secretary doing the TUC's dirty work for it.

The secretary, Sid Gregory, a member, actively pushed the TUC to suspend Camden, making accep- tance of Rule 14 the condition of May11th delegate entry to He did this to weaken the meeting. left; left delegates excluding them selves would restore the majority which the CP/right Labour bloc once enjoyed. Accepting not an issue of price- entrance condition is ciple but a matter of tactics.

Treat- ing it as a moral issue would give Gregory the result he wants. And we need to be at full strength the May meeting to inside win already tabled to resolutions Gregory and to initiate a within the Trades campaign from Council against Rule 14. supports the

COUN

May 7th meeting but we don't accept counterposing a london wide campaign to the perhaps less glamourous local struggle. Support from Camden for a wider campaign Gregory and means removing inside changing the the Council. His removal would be a unpaid warning to orner bul call collaborate with the who WICLi TUC's anti-democratic manoeuvres.

left dele- Most branches with sateen Letter, signatories of thei "have voted to accept Rule 14 under protest as the only of now continuing the fight way against inside Camden Trades Council. Hopefully will have the we voting strength on May lith to insist that all delegates be allowed in; to remove Gregory; and pass the resolution foI joint action with other Councils leading to a national Rule 14 within campaign Trades Councils and Trades Unions. Yours fraternally, James Andersol Alaister Hatchett Nigel Siederer Reader's Letter housework". If the movement is to make real it will not be by a diversion gains, into the policies proposed at Leeds.

The call was for: "a minimal basis of agreement that will unite people from all parts Trade union movement in actio the movement and This "minimal basis turned out to be the slogan 'No discrimination ground of sexual orientation' on which offers absolutely clear political perspective, and went hand in hand with proposals for a "Gay Workers Manual'.

OBVIOUS

from was obvious the discussion that this will be acces- sible only to workers already actively engaged in political struggle and will do nothing to give firmer unrechon to prescli struggles or lu draw in other workers. It is more than a tactical error to ignore the SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday May 5th, 1976 We have received the following reply to the 'Letter to Socialist Worker Reply by Socialist Press.

We are very pleased that alter almost fortnight, and although issues of Socialist Worker have not printed the letter, three IS can be found to take up members the which refers. issues to the Although we have received létter too late for a full reply to the we feel sure that the points raised, original signatories will be able to do this in due course. It seems to us however that what authors of the reply precisely the fail to understand is what they take starting point - the peculiarities of Camden. So obsess- ed are they with the replacement 01 one Trades Council Secretary that they fail to see the importance of making a stand against the bureau- cratic machinery that massed behind him. It is always possible for oppor- tunists to find "peculiar' reasons for "tactical' However, retreats. in importance of the situation Camden is that resistance has begun and this can provide a starting point for a more general battle The manoeuvres of the Stalimists and the right-wing in Camden are an indication not of their strength but their weakness We will not achieve anything in this battle if we accept the natrow provided by enemies. terrain We will only succeed if we bring the democracy whole issue of union before all London trade union bodies, and indeed into the entire Labour movement. The issue of collaboration bet- and the the union leaders Labour the government to cut living standards of their members and supporters is now at the centre of the questions facing the working class movement. sent is caried section out the section consent. any trade union membership. Rule 14 is a small part of the efforts to gag working fight back the by class for decent living standards.

this is a matter of a None of particular Trades Council OI particular Secretary. Trade union democracy question principle and we must be prepared to take stand until actually compelled to do otherwise.

Unless we act in this way on smaller questions, we not

WIL

prepare ourselves for the bigger struggles that lie ahead.

course we support genuine Stalinist attempts to remove bureaucrats such as Gregory, but we do not believe that the oppor.

"tactics" being proposed by tunist will serve the authors of the reply to further this aim. "tactics" and not the It is those stand of the signatories principled of the "Open Letter" which have provided for those pooling back from the fight.

way who actually come out as gay at work, so that the movement has as yet no mass base major area of our Clearly the in the activity must be workplace and the labour move- ment, but the fight in trade unions to end discrimination and victim- isation must be accompanied by a in the commercial gay campaign sector which the scene, where gays are already organised.

is not What gay workers need charters, slogans, or manuals, but a political programme of action to integrate their demands with those of all workers and to unite them in the struggle to achieve all these did not The Leeds conference It att this need. remains satisty urgent priority forsocialists to fultil what Lenin stated as our 'obligation in to be in advance of everybody bringing up, sharpening and solving every general democratic problem'.

Yours fraternally,

SOCIALIST PRESS, Nedecadey Sth May, 1976 COWLEY: mILITAnCY

RISES

Strike sold out The outcome of a strike the workers concerned - since one of them had challenged his work- called in the Cowley Assembly load on the Princess track - but Plant of British Leyland last moving them off they settled for week by the extreme right- their section. management this estab- wing Reg Parsons, convenor, HOr ate lishes an important precedent and was a setback in the struggle will be used to attack other workers against speed-up. who them with

PETCIEL

chal. Parsons called the strike, defence of two workers sacked by

AGA OT BACHIMKOAIARPRPII

ing offences, as a result of pressures arsing trom the growing militancy in the industry. At the BLMC Cowley Body Patsons itas way Plant the right-wing leadership attempt to break out of the isola- of the

T&GWU

received tion into which he has been forced in the Cowley plant. "partici- major blow at their The response to the strike was pation" when they activities the majority narrowly. won the vote to workers welcomed the opportunity "participa- continue to hit back at a management which on any tion" had been on the offensive for over committees by 31 votes two years. to 23 at a recent meeting of the T&GWU 5/60 Branch. Meeting after meeting backed the continuance of strike action This followed a smiliar decision until reinstatement was won.

by a much larger majority of the The

T&GWU

officials I&GWU stewards, but this stewárds

WCIC

right-wing brought and had been the first time meeting "participation" head off the moved quickly that attacked of militancy which had by a large number of stewards, with surge resulted. seven. voting da will d A secret deal was cooked up on large number of abstentions.

the Friday afternoon but not revealed to the mass meeting on

LEADING FIGURE

Monday. At the Monday meeting a return The convenor of the plant, Bill was obtained, the right- to work "partic- Roche, is a leading figure in wing claiming a complete victory.

ipation", he is chairman of the Cars It was then, after the return one of the Council. Planil, work had taken place, tual Enty

BLMC

pulled out then biggest in and removal agreed to suspension of the two men from their jobs.

of "participation' uation In other words the company had nationally. achieved what they set out to do.

The two votes took place only They would have prefered to sack.

VICTIMISED AFTER

TRIUM PH FIGHT

payment of full wages during the Following the 10-day that the Triumph's Canley an assurance go-slow dispute, at be increased productivitywould Coventry shop plant in future pay into account mn steward Jack Sprung has been and that the company negotiations. suspended on full pay. He is be open for MPs to books shouid charges of investment charged with conducting investigate wasted on extra supervisors.

camera team on "unauthorised" tour of the

OPPOSITION

plant. Even so there was opposition to As we go to press shop stewards go-slow from 1,538 calling off the are discussing the case. There must out of the 5,427 who voted. Many be a determined effort to reinstate workers have been further angered Sprung, who • has record of by management's refusal pay conflict with the right wing.

more than 75% wages for the period of the go-slow.

BLOCKED

The dispute has many important being the lessons, the need the likes of During the go-slow which was temove by a dispute. over build MoGarry off and new spatked leadership. productivity payments blocked by the Labour government's £6 limit, This is all the more pressing at 8,000 Canley with organised production present workers manual workers) where it has been without control ot toremen resisted by right-wing innounced that car production wil attempts e phased out by 1980 T&G convenor Eddie McGarry to call off the action.

TRANSFERRED

Even when the workforce fixed returned management production levels it was only after a The Dolomite is being range balot, and agreement depended on transferred Solihull and other to models will either be transferred or altogether. Canley will IUI OuL become a plant producing engines correction and gear boxes. While it has been stressed by will be that there retraining, those wishing adequate. to stay with car assembly could be found Solihull, jobs and that at In the article in our last edition redundancies are "unlikely", it is entitled Sheffield Stalinists Attack also the that this all depends Jobs there was a factual error. on adequate finance from the NEB.

We incorrectly reported that Workers Triumph should Colin Taylor and Ian Thackeray extend their recent demand for a1 convenor and

JSSC

Chairman of MPs' investigation of the company Laycocks had signed an agreement "with to one lor à trace umon open the with management What are the real books committee. member- plans for Canley and its workers? ship". now learn that in fact 2½ We years ago such an agreement was obstacle to speed-up. But the factory cannot return to where was. Management have made a limited gain, but militancy has risen substantially. Once again the readiness of the defend its working class to conditions shown clearly in practice. Narrow win because number of important parts of the factory had pulled out of the "participation" committees.

This is a sign that the blackmail of the Ryder report is being rejected more and more on the shop floor.

Many of those arguing the case against "participation" are using "participation' such arguments only one traffic or that way is listening. The right- nobody wing are able to swing most of by saying things vil be changed. But more and more workers and the stewards are beginning to see real meaning of " 'participation" and with speed-up, lack connect it uc of democracy in the unions and the attack on living standards though state control of wages.

MAY 26

Support annual conference of The the NUJ voted on April 29th to support the day of action called for May 26th by the Assembly of Labour. This decision came the same day the decision of the as Ciyde Confederation and Glasgow Trades Council to They support. would also be organising a meeting of shop stewards to discuss what "including strike action" form the protest will take. Merseyside UCATT Already the shop stewards have taken a decision to organise a stoppage and demon- stration on that day and demonstration has been supported by the joint building unions on Merseyside.

BOILERMAKERS

The London District Commit- of the Boilermakers Union is tee and branches cirowansne stewards for support. Oxford the right-wing on the In Committee of the AUEW District voted down a call for strike action,

BUILDERS'

BLIND ALLEY

The result of the 7th National Building Workers Charter Confer- ence was the same as that of the previous six. The Stalinist dominated editorial board programme, put before the the conference was just same as that of previous years. Ou wages ther was no campaign to break state control of wages; on unemployemnt there was the usual Stalinist capitalism to reflate the economy and impose the reactionary policy import controls; and on the jailing of Des "Tenewed Warren they called fot the trade union move- activity by ment" The latter resolution is partic- ularly disgraceful - it doesn't even In the recent results of several ballot elections in the AUEW there have been varied results. In some areas the "Broad Left" candidates have made gains. In N.

for Divisional Organiser they unseated a right-winger Other Broad Left" victories Regional Officers elections in Scotland and in the North West where they topped the ballot in areas previously held by right-wingers. elections But right- wingers held their positions: in the for General

DATOR

Secretaryship, extreme right-winger John Weakly leads Bob Wright by 82,097 to 63,723 in the first round with 110,000 votes to be redistrib- uted. And in the Midlands, the right- wing made where they gains Left" two "Broad sup- the Birmingham West porters from Dsitrict Secretaryship and Divisional Organiser. From these election results it is balloting OralI 1A1T: postal system with the capitalist press again in the localities carrying lists Over 5,000 London trades unionists marched on May Day. All out May 26th of DC four members voted in favour of such action. The DC has decided to support the lobby of Parliament. The march and lobby of Parlia- ment will be starting from Tower Sence atren's tele only way to Warren's release. And the only "activity" it refers to can only mean more protests to Jenkins.

Most of the meeting of approx- imately 300 consisted of discussing the fight against the 'lump' which, although correct, must go alongside within with the ponCs 11& ]\ * which workers defend their can living standards and jobs.

of this The Stalinist leaders rank-and-file movement are leading workers up a blind alley building and their actions only complement those of the leadership of the build- ing unions who ere going along with all the attacks of the Labour

AUEW

Postal Ballots Aid Right Wing "moderate" (right-wing of the candidates and witch-hunting th opposition - is a major weapon o the right-wing. With their policy of refusing t organise resistance to state contro wer aid tho dro dea and the wages leadin supporters of the "Broad Left" lik witch hunting of the capitalist press with Wright, they atite paicy which milt out in any way an alteri . militants cout fight to win votes for. While of course we urge our ow members and to vote fo the "Broad Left"' candidates in th next round of elections, the neces bot 'Loft" and ight-vig con alternative sity "Broad didates becomes clearer. The only candidate who stoo against the "Broad Left' perspectives was a WRP membet i the elections for Divisional Organ iser in Coventry where right-winge Jim Griffin was elected to replac another right-winger. Griffin 10,383 while the

WRP

member, came second

WIKILE

of ahead four othe

VULG

candidates; a clear indication tha the within

WUTKUR

looking for an alternative.

ROYC

Hill assembling at lpm and moving off at 2pm. All WSL members and supporters should get strike action where possible and should support the local demonstrations or the national lobby and march.

Stalinist industrial organiser Bert Ramelson:

Page 12 means •motions on Union leaders.......cont'd from Page 1.

why democracy and independent action are now under attack throughout the trade union movement; in the AUEW, Scanlon and the NEC order members to dation; in the NUT new rules are expel members disobeying Exec- while the TUC The leaders, of course, attempt

WORKERS SOCIALIST

LEAGUE

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Liverpool to Defend Jobs Our Programme and Wages Tom Halls Tavern (formerly The Strand) Near Pier Head Brunswick 2.30pm May 26th. Skelmersdaie Our Programme to Defend Jobs and Wages Tuesday 25th May at 7.30pm Quarrybank Centre, Ormskirk Rd, Skelmersdale Coventry Fifty Years After the General Strike 7.30pm. Wheeday Mav at Lanchester Polytechnic Room 7128

ASTMS:

Jenkins offers words not action No motions on specific prob lems like abortion are included.

Both wage controls and import - Will resolution of three composite motions for and controls motion against. of But if the past record the ASTMS leadership any- thires verbal opposition ain they will express verbal any form of wage control only to toe the TUC line.

ACCEPTED

So far, regardless of firm con- ference policies for free collective bargaining, the Jenkins leadership has completely accepted Government cuts in the living standard of their members.

No on the prelim- inary agenda included the neces defend sary policy of a fight to a sliding living standards through linked to scale of wages clause the rising cost of living.

But it is crucial that ASTMS forms delegates reject all and the control expose wage capitulation of Jenkins on these On another key area of policy - the fight against redundancy and some careful unemployment the Standing compositing Orders Committee has "lost" an and two resolutions amendment assault their to cover up The £6 limit (which democracy. real take home pay by has cut ten per cent in a year) was, they ay, a "great achievement" for the trade union movement. They "accepted" by the Claim it working class. huge in living " accepted" has been standards only in the sense that no leader- been given for a fight ship has back. At every level the bureau- In these ways the leaderships members with growing contempt.

None of the TUC's negotiating committee has the slightest man- date for the agreements they are now trying to make in the name of millions of workers. Even when union conferences attached conditions about increas ing social services and measures to ready to do a deal to cut wages with a government whose policies have enormously increased unem- and whose declared aim is to cut The only way to fight for the independent interests of the work- ing class is to reject all forms of conditional social contract, OI unconditional. The growing resistance in the labour movement to wage control must be built into an all-out fight all talks about wages between unions and government.

Trade unionists should wall paign urgently foI conferences to call to account these leaders and to adopt a programme - including a sliding scale of wages and social sharing on full pay - which can defend wotk- ers against inflation and unem- ployment. (from Charing Cross Tane Thameside Branches) calling for a work- policy fighting employers' attempts at voluntary or compulsory redundancy.

They also in this way eliminat- ed the linked call in the Thames- side Branch for the "opening of the books for inspection by trade Instead a composite resolution on economic policy steers a vague

CONE

most blatant suppression of motions is in the section head- of approximately thirty of them one motion - on Education Cuts on the final All twelve motions calling for the defence of the Health Service agenda. In ASTMS bureau- private

THROK

and catastrophic cuts in the NHS, posing the prospect of the collapse of the service in any meaningful form, "priority"! motion calling for of of the House the replacing democratically Lords with Publication Fund Fund officially closed on May Publication we 18E received a further £36.80, making a grand total of £530.80.

With more money still on its way have acheived a very satisfactory conclusion Fund. Together with an encouraging response to our first book The Battle for Trotskyism this means we can now proceed to publish over the coming months a series of books and pamphlets dealing with various aspects of the current as wel as the Dona Sanon In order to further develop the now be raised to £600 a month.

supporters and readers struggle to raise this sum, starting Park Hill, London NWS IHR.

RULE 14

CAMDEN TRADES

COUNCIL DEFENCE

COMMITTEE

PUBLIC MEETING

Friday 7th May at 7.30pm Small Hall, Conway Hall Red Lion Square, London SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 5th May 1976.

Clive Jenkins speaking at the TUC. Left phrases a speciality.

being carried out in every NHS elected second house in their view.

hospital! apparently is a priority.

The excuse given for excluding most of the NHS motions will no

LAST YEAR

existing policy but the differ- doubt be they "reaffirm conference ence this year is while certainly At last year's policy for the defence of the NHS reaffirming correct policy, many motions are calling on the leader- was adopted. It called for the ship for action - not words abolition of private practice both Oxford Health Service Branch inside and outside the Health strike Central injection of finance wants action; Service, London Medical, a conference of and a sliding scale of state expen- Health Service members and Health protect the while Service from inflation, and the Trade Union 'enquiry London Medical calls for an active setting up of elected Trade Union campaign for industrial action to committees to look into the day put an end to private practice.

to day running and finance of the Health Service. But since the passing of this motion the NEC has done nothing

CHALLENGE

to defend the NHS. The Conference Annual Report

NHS

has just one paragradi on ASTMS con- which says there "might be Delegates at the cuts, have vital Merseyside and fight "to problems" ference must questions like the NHS. included London! in the agenda, and challenge the The officials blithely ignore the fact that there are problems leadership's scandalous inaction nationally; there are proposed against the cuts - which violates closures in most areas and cuts are linion policy. Spain ........cont'd from Page 1.

The latter have been allowed to hold several meetings in Madrid permitted to hold an open con- which representatives of Congress showed up (which claims 20,000 supporters political line of Felipe leadership of the PSOE do critical of Collabeatleadersholicies UGT Secretary General Nicolas Redondo carried the Congress, but not by a huge margin. In spite of declarations that the union should be 'indep- endent" of political parties, the mands of emere of the ste major posts were all kept in Gonzalez leadership like The theStalinists have condemned Arias Navarro Arias' latest policy speech.

But both parties have reacted ced to long periods of imprison- with bewilderment to the growth of repression; their emphasis on Fraga is still, however, trying a wedge through the peaceful struggle amounts to to drive the Spanish attempt to disarm Democratic Coordination DY CP and left-wing working class. But the militancy separating the of workers on May Ist shows that the Socialists and parties from that will be a hard thing to do.

Christian Democrats.

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