Oxford Teachers Strike

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reformist allies.

To fight now on unemployment is not to get workers or bureaucrats to agree with the 'Right to Work' or to a 35-hour week (even Jones talks about this).

NEW LEADERSHIP What is necessary is to tight politically for a new leadership in the trade unions which has a programme that gives the working-class a way forward.

The IS policy only disarms workers and the unemployed as to what is necessary, ie just demonstrate and chant these age-old trade union slogans, break Labour Party meetings and get publicity for your slogans. This method has even gone so far in order to get publicity as getting John Deason, at present on £2,500 bail, to organise in front of TV cameras, the breaking up of the Tribune pre-TUC meeting.

DEFENCE

Despite these clear differences with the IS's campaigns, we call on all WS members and supporters to organise in defence of these 'Right to Work' marchers who are, being attacked as part of an attack on all those in the labour movement who are opposed to the policies of this Labour both on the window and outside.

The lady in the opposite house said she thought she saw them try to get in the house. She reported to the policeman that they were white, 18-20, young.

But nobody came to see the fingerprints of the 27th though they had told us not to smear them because they wanted to photograph them."

This inactivity on the part of the police has been the common feature to the many racist attacks and incidents that have taken place in Leamington since the wave of racist hysteria in June.

Two people were put in hospital by an attack as they walked home from a party; no charges were brought.

SMASHED

When five racist youths attacked a bus crew in August only one was charged.

Shops and houses have had windows smashed, yarious indivuals have been attacked, spat upon and abused, without any activity from the police.

Yet the police have been quick to exploit the Gautan murder as an excuse to harass the immigrant population in the working class areas of Leamington.

They have set about not tracking down the young white thugs responsible, but gathering information on immigrant families, their time of entry into this country, and other personal details.

Although unable to deny the existence of the two youths (who were seen by witnesses near the scene of the killing) the police pretend to be dumbfounded by the Over 4,000 teachers and others demonstrated in Oxford on September 21st against the £5 million cuts package proposed by the local Tory Council as part of the Labour government's spending cuts.

This turnout epresents tremendous advance into struggle from a group previously hostile to action.

Yet demonstration and protest is not enough to avert this attack on jobs, conditions and educational standards. What action do the union leaders propose?

PONTIFICATING

1,000 of the demonstrators crammed the town hall, only to hear a selected battery of trade union leaders strutting and pontificating. "lack of motive"

The local paper reports them as feeling they can only "speculate" as to why the youths entered the house. No such doubt exists in the mind of Saudhu or the Asian Community generally.

They reject such farcical explanations as "suicide". "family problems" • and "theft" . Saudhu pointed out that:

"If they wanted to steal anything from the house, my mother was wearing her jewelry and money was on the table which they never took."

The establishment of workers' defence groups in Leamington is clearly the only course that can prevent the intimidation of immigrant workers by racist thugs.

A centralised and widely publicised organisation would enable a speedy concentration of defence guards at the scene of any attack.

DANGEROUS

It is the task of both black and white workers to make any fascist or racialist offensive a dangerous one for those involved.

What could be done is shown by an incident in August, where, at meeting, , was above all concerned that the meeting finished in time (for teachers to get back to school!) not in further action.

unique occasion; there has never been anything like it before, and it the County Counci behaves sensibly, there won't be anything like it again."!

NUT President Alf Wiltshire did not add much to this barren picture apart from stressing that the proposed cuts were "in excess" of the government's guidelines.

This line, aimed at disarming political opposition to the Labour government, was taken up by rightwing Trades Union Council President John Power (recently installed in that office by the TUC officials who had bureaucratically disaffiliated the old Oxford Trades five • minutes notice, ten people were mobilised to prevent the fascist National Party distributing leaflets. They were quickly driven from Leamington's main street and have not been seen there since.

It has been the consistent position of the Workers socialist League in Leamington that workers defence must be organised as soon as possible.

DEFENCE COMMITTEE At the June Trades Council rally against racialism, and at the wellattended meeting atterwards, the WSL advocated workers delence committees, pointing out that no reliance could be placed in the police (as the reformist Indian leaders had suggested).

Although a provisional committee was elected, it never met, owing to the prevarication of various organisations, including the so-called 'revolutionaries' of the IWA (GB) (Naxalites).

But if the wave of racist violence that has swept the town and led to the vicious murder of Mrs Gautan is to be ended, then the immediate establishment of joint workers defence is vital. Power But the policies so far adopted are inadequate to the task. They must be combined with the fight for a sliding scale of education spending, and broadened to include joint action, with all puble sector and social service unions affected by the cuts.

To develop this joint fight it is important for NUT members to campaign for one-day strike action und NUT contingents to join with CIVi Servants (CPSA), NUPE and NALGO on the mass lobby of Parliament called for November 17th.

WHus

S810 saretut e The June demonstration AT A MEETING called by the International Socialists and the two Indian Workers Associations on Sunday October 3rd the following motion moved by the WSL was passed unanimously by the 60 people present 1. That a Leamington Defence Committee be set up to organise the defence of immigrants and their property and the meetings and activities of working class organisations against attack by fascists and racialists.

2. That the committee be composed of all those prepared to actively participate in defence work and that it shall meet once a month.

3. That an Executive Committee be elected representing all those immigrant, trade union and working class political groups involved (on the basis of one representative per organisation) which would prepare in detail proposals for the running of defence in this town and would be responsible for the day-to-day organisation.

This Executive Committee to be responsible to the full defence committee.

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"UNIQUE OCCASION" "This," Steadman said, "is a