Socialist Press no. 59

'FLEXIBILITY

SOCIALIST

PRESS

JONES'

MAY

DAY

The Editorial Board of Press' 'Socialist sends revolutionary May Day greetings to the labour movement of the world.

UNIONS

SCAB ON

AUEW

As we to press the go Heathrow 4,000 engineers are waiting to hear whether the Executive Committee of

AUEW,

is their union, the prepared to make their strike official. The men are striking in support pay which of a claim for shift pala to all they want see TO "You can have as much as

AUEW

regardless of members, grade, as a percentage of the basic you like under Phase Three One' the *radesman wage control-as long тате of grade. it's no more than you got last British Airways management time". now agreed to This was the sharp discuss have message of Labour Chancel- joint shift pay claim with all the involved in Engineering Healey's speech to the lor Maintenance but the other

USDAW

Conference last the wages sub-com-

UITORS

weekend. mittee refuse to discuss the details the type of the claim with the AUEW.

Healey spelled

OUL

of wages straightjacket the Liberal -Labour coalition government and

WITHDREW

the TUC leaders are planning to say this is because the They impose on trade unionists.

AUEW

withdrew from the The itself as straightjacket negotiating machinery. The wages a 10% proposed by nealey they will overall limit in actual earnings subcommittee say discuss submitting a Jomı claim over the next year. with the AUEW if the engineers people changing Because return to the negotiating machin- jobs, the widespread evasion ery and go back to work. wage controls by However it is quite clear that grades and the substantial sections does of industry (eg construction and the negotiating not represent the interests of any on piece rates not enancers! wage controls, of the workers it claims to nego- covered by the Every level except the tiate for. figure is always overall earles wages subcommittee (which has way above wage increases.

anyway is staffed by 5% limit for Under the

HOWCIS.

unelected, full time union bureau- earnings have risen by the crats 11% over the last year.

•TOT

the TGWU and the EEPTU. In other words Healey's call for At the same time, the Stalinists means another ceiling a 1070 on the wages sub-committee have 5% of the present done everything in their power to Limit on pay increases. prevent a joint claim being drawn up. Their overriding consideration But as a sop to the trade union is to stop an assault on Phase Two leaders, struggling to maintain the of the Social Contract, which i. round of pay poncy present exactly what a joint shift pay the face of a hostile membership, Cont'd, back page, col. 4 nearnrow maintenance men

CON-TRICK

Healey offered to leave the sleeves of the pay straightjacket a little bit loose. He announced that the govern- mlexiblewas ment prepared be TO on how the 10% figure was distributed. This notion of "flexibility" in along with the control, wage linked concept "orderly an return to free collective bargain- the main plank on ing is now TUC leaders which are their manoeuvres towards a Phase Three. When Jack Jones for instance, carefully-timed news gave beginning of conference this year's big union conterences, brought to the forefront the he misleading formula deliberately adopted at last September's TUC 'The trade unions never envis- conto lone to seei agreement eaged term stringent pay orderly return to free for collective bargaining".

EDITING

This coupled with speech some shrewd editing by the gutter press and television became the source source of movement antin the movement-and was twisted to give the impression Jones was actually opposed to a Phase Three! This was immediately seized upon by the Communist Party They announced on the April 20 Social day of action against the Contract that had now the light" and been "won "seen over" to opposing a Phase Three was picked up And this line

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

No 59 * April 27th 1977 * 10p A mass meeting of TGWU members at Heathrow-'blacklegs charter' keeps PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report.

Port Talbot electricians leaders.

Socialist Workers also by Party speakers that day. Yet while they spoke even was proving his complete Jones dedication o wage controls b

IGWI

presiding mass ove against the strike by scabbing British Airways maintenance engineers at Heathrow, and ship- ments of scab steel passing through Swansea docks to break EETU pay strike at Port the Talbot.

SCABBING

de Sones eyes and those onths enders scabbing at Heathrow, an orderly "return' tomorrow means mass scabbing today on workers in pay struggles. what is "orderly return", if not double talk for continuing controls? Free collective bargaining on the means no restrictions struggle between worker and drive up employer wages to • 11 defence of living standards. This is basic job of unions, though now contemptuously dismissed by every right wing union leader.

today of "flexibility" So talk in Phase Three yet another confidence trick by the salesmen ot wage control Now the Scottish and Welst TUC's.

NUT,

NUJ

and Tne

USDAW

conferences have swallowed the idea of a Phase Three, the government is emerging more and more openly with its requirements. There is no choice for the Callaghan government. texists planes flying. only through a coalition deal with the Liberal Party which stands for rigid wage controls. The Callaghan being -Healey leadership are preserved simply to allow them to impose a Phase Three acceptable to British capitalism. Should they fail, the Liberals will withdraw a general election support will bring a Tory government to power. succeed the But should they would remain even

COVERCIL

then at the complete mercy of the capitalist parties. This is why former 'lefts' like Benn who remain in the coalition cabinet and use their left' creden- call for trade union to uals backing for the government are playing the most reactionary role.

The requirements of working class precisely the al C opposite-a break from Ene coalition and a fight in defence of living standards and jobs through Social Contract. the breaking why This workers must that the left' MPs who demand Callaghan's oppose CraT take the lead in policies -nOW for an immediate break fighting from the Liberals. Those who refuse to do so in the name of "saving the Labour themselves government" are acting as a prop for the coalition There be socialist policies while Labour remains in the Liberals with tandem

NEW LEADERSHIP

Socia And to break the Contract there must be a fight for leadership in the unions anew forward prepared put independent programme for the working class-at the centre of which must be a sliding scale o wages in all agreements to protect incomes against inflation as assess ed by elected committees of trade unionists and housewives.

This policy must be linked to full support for every section of against workers now in struggle the Social Contract and for big catching up increases to make up for the erosion of real wages tha has already taken place Why you need a sliding p5 scale of wages..

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Page 2

ZAIRE:

FRENCH

PROP

MOBUTU

Mobutu's government was claiming weekend to be last recapturing the territory taken in the preceding month by the guerrilla army of the Congo- lese National Liberation Front in the mineral-rich province of Shaba (formerly Katanga).

If the Zaire army has gained any ground it must be largely thanks to the influx of help from his imper- ialist friends. French aeroplanes flew in 1,500 Moroccan and France

LODOS

services of crucial providing the military technicians including para- instructors and engineers and Mobutu's 15 possible pilots for Mirage fighters. This has been backed by British Foreign Secretary David Labour

NATO.

Owen, and by also been offered by Help has Egypt, the Sudan, Uganda (Amin last week), the visited Mobutu United States, possibly South Africa, and certainly China.

Thẹ Chinese spokesman at the UN last week accused the Soviet Union of organising the invasion of Zaire by mercenaries. The speed with which Mobutu's friends have rallied round testifies to the great economic importance of Zaire to imperialism (as a source of copper, diamonds, tin, zinc, and cobalt of which it has of capitalist world's 65% the supplies).

OWEN - HOD

CARRIER

FOR CARTER

British Foreign Secretary David Owen's eight-day, whistle-stop tour of southern Africa resembled Kissinger's flying diplomacy in more ways than one. It now transpires that the plans he put to the racist Smith regime in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) for a 'con- "tutona conterence were worked out in close consultation with the they Carter administration. and provide for the full involvement of tha US government all future of the future Mc OlaLi0s Zimbabwe. of From being the errand boy American imperialism in Africa, the British Foreign Office has now been being its bag-carrier. demoted IO Owen's plan is for a conference will which write a constitution directly, agreement on the main having been previously

HOUELS

reachet in bilateral talks between side and- •hen emeca respectively-Smith and his "moderaté" African leaders such as Mugabe, still NomO and who saim following the wnorg guerrilla forces. The L'S gorernmert calculates that through such sonterence It also points to the prevailing about the • fragility Mobutu's pro-imperialist regime. The concentration of its 40,000 in Shaba however will endanger Mobutu's control in the rest of the country. Antoine Gizenga, former deputy Prime Minister to Patrice Lumumba and exiled in the Soviet Union in lead the 1960's, claims to

TOW

army of the another guerrilla "Democratic forces for the libera of the Congo" (FODELICO) tion in the eastern of -Kiva province area around former Stanley- (the ville). politicians Duser

DACK

majority in the electorate.

that before _nev aldEncu long the obvious lack of very Nkomo and his 11k

CHLUS ASLOY

for a serious liberation wat may lead to their removal. and Mozambique With Angola nationalist and the governments, CIA-installed and fuelled Mobutu regime in Zaire under threat, the grip. of imperialism in bournerl Africa is seriously threatened.

Carter last week This is why asked Congress to agree a $100 million Zimbabwe Development Fund, one of the main purposes of will talcl

DWOCLCI

attitudes of the white colonial elite to black majority rule. Similar calculations underlie the approval of South African Premiet Vorster Owen (with whom discussed his proposals before taking them to Salisbury) for the plan, and the reaction of lan Smith himself, who compared it favour- with the ably at the weekend abortive Geneva talks. the same reasons the AnO ToT Zimbabwe Patriotic Front have roiced some opposition especially the

COPPE

BALZ

TIM

weekend to preside over the fourth The Zaire conflict has highlight- ed the role played in Africa by the Franco-African summit conference 1973, French French since which nineteen government. President Giscard and his Minister African countries are represented for of Cooperation, Robert and where proposals an anti uTAle V Dakar (Senegal) at military alliance' will communist the Io

WEILL

be discussed.

ITALY - CP

BACK POLICE

, "The killing of the police- and his new orders to the police, allowing them Settimio Passamonti to use their guns man much more readily. new, barbaric evidence of the As knows, Italy's point of extremism which has police forces (virtually all equipped been reached by subversive, riddled-more with firearms) alc than European apart armed gangs and organisations any SLaLE from Spain-with fascists and their in their attack on every form supporters of civil stability" In the last few years dozens of from the students and left wingers proclamation workers, extreme right wing? No, an official have died as a direct consequence Secretariat communioue from the of police violence, without a single of the Italian Communist Party on culprit being brought to justice.

last week, following

TNSUCY

The police forces, together with armed fighting between police and left-wing in and around the notorious paramilitary "carabin- students eri' and the inteligence services, KOme aVelSEv. Firearms first came into the have been the hatching-ground of a series of right-wing plots aimed at on the campuses six weeks SrunkIe establishing the sort of Junta which Police shot dead a left-wing ago. in the CIA imposed on Greece.

student on demonstration The national, reformist "road to Baly na Red city

CELIC VI

Italy's belt' whose entire socialism' put foward by the Stalinists and social democrats in decades Gomol dee been controlled by the Communist Italy is a death-trap for the working class. Partne role of the Stalinist leader- They already face huge cuts in their living standards as the trade ship, in seeking to shift the blame leaders negotiate sacrifice for bloodshed from the union away of heavily-armed after sacrifice from wage packets attacks by gangs the and social services to meet policemen onto the shoulders of will conditions for a $500 million IMF who not accept

SLU LS

loan to Andreotti's Christian Demo- massive cutbacks in education and criminal cratic government. employment, Ulle. police Workers nOW aso face violence on a massive scale, backed It forms part and parcel of their policy for the 'historic compromise by the approval of their own leaders. full-blooded coalition with the The lethal political role of the Christian Democrats, whose minor- Communist Party during last week only kept in government office by Communist Party absten- brings to the fore even more sharply the importance of revolu- tions in parliament. policies to meet the crisis- The Stalinists' lies also directly tronary for a sliding scale of wages and assist the government's attacks on benefits, democratically decided by now in the hanas ołs pro-bovietv anxious to 'defend". workers to match inflation.

"unity' of all And, prevent violence and Calling for the CP leadership right-wing murders in broad day- 'anti-fascists' the light, workers' militias based on the backed to the hilt Interior Minister all trades the disband- that unions, (05gg2'S announcement wil public demonstrations in Rome are ment of the standing armr and the Socialist Press, Wednesday 27 April, 1977

ZAIRE:

events since 1960 1960 The Republic of the Congo gains independence from Belgium.

Patrice Kasayubu President. Prime Minister, (oacked Lumumba deputy by the USSR), Gizenga, Prime Minister. Belgian troops support secession- ist movement in Katanga province under Moise Tshombe. Lumumba calls in UN troops; Belgians leave.

Lumumba overthrown and arrested Army Chief Mobutu who Dy imposes temporary military rule.

1961 Lumumba murdered, probably with CIA involyement. Gizenga anti-Kasavubu temporary government in Stanley.

ville, later relois new constitution- al central government. 1962 Gizenga arrested. Government and UN troops take Stanleyville.

UN troops defeat Katanga 1963

KOLATAN

1964 Tshombe forms government of "'national unity". Beigian/ Amer- ican military intervention defeats new secession in Stanleyville.

1965 Tshombe dismissed by Kasa- vubu who is then overthrown in a military coup by Mobutu. 1966 Mobutu becomes perso nal dictator. Later forms People'S Rev- Movement (MRP) to olutionary back him. 1966-74 Mobutu rules through police state methods. backs imper- Africa, has close actions links with the CIA. "Mobutuism", the cult of personality, begins. ballot box esg islatve ns ety nm e elections ballot boxes. democratic method" of acclama- MRP wins tion at public meetings. 244 of 244! Major out Zaire defaults on economic crisis. debts. "Zaireanised" international firms handed back foreign to capitalists. Zaire aids FNLA (whose leader is married to the sister of one of Mobutu's Angola civil wives) in war. 1976 New diplomatic and economic agreements with South wealth Africa. Mobutu's personal estimated at $50 million.

IN BRIEF

CUBA

University Pepsi, and the of South Dakota basketball team, are coming back to Havana. senior Pepsi Cola executive of Americai was one of a group capitalists to visit Cuba at the invitation of Prime Minister Fidel Castro. Castro The visit follows by US One Congressmen and part oI Ine drawn-out but now more or less certain process of re-establishing diplomatic and economic ties between Cuba and the US oroken by Kennedy in 1961. Carter

CELULI

says that he would like Cuban troops to leave Angola but he does precondition for consder It a J1tu the resumption of normal relations.

And Castro ago stopped the withdrawal of the making American Nary from the Guantan of Caba a base the east

LUTU

TURKEY: NO SUPPORT TO

SPAIN: FASCISM LIVES

ECEVIT!

The hostility of the Turkish masses to the National Front coalition government has been expressed in the first election meetings of the main bourgeois opposition . party, the RPP. A series of meetings addressed by party leader Ecevit drew no less than 200,000 people. Ecevit himself by concluding a deal With the Demirel government for an early election has played a key role diverting, the anti-government struggles the workers, and preventing a collapse of the NF administration.

CP BACKING

Yet the Stalinist leaders of the Turkish workers are backing Ecevit, helping to gather forces to support his demagogic speeches about "democracy" This is in spite of Ecevit's vicious attacks on the "left". In one of his election meetings, he is reported as there are any communists in the RPP, just name them and I will deal with them' The main fascist party the NAP (National Action Party) has refused with Demirel's run Jointly This indicates that the bour- geoisie are determined to keep the card reserve, while for

TANAST

In now allowing Ecevit to head off a mass movement. The only workers party allowed to participate in the election-the Turkish • Party -is under

LADONT

continuous police harassment in a independent OtTE ally workers voice being heard.

ARRESTED

Sixty-four members were arrested for putting posters up proclaiming "let the flag of social- ism rise in Parliament' here must be no leu up in the struggle to remove the NF coalition government before the election. But in the election itself there must be no vote whatever for the bourgeois

RPP.

Instead workers demand TLP break all must the links with the RPP and put forward a socialist tc workers and peasants.

DENMARK

Collective Contracts be- tween Danish employers and unions have finally been im- posed by government legis- lation. After months of negotiations between representatives of the emplovers and unions had reached deadlock, the official arbitrator stepped worked out afu compromise. The balloted compromise was upon by the unions, who accepted who rejected it. it, and employers, The government then made into law, with the support of the trade union leaders.

ONLY 6%

The new contracts don't give the workers much-a mere 6% including cost of living increments. Employ- seemed to centre on as reskiance the new guaranteed minimum for lower paid workers of 29 crowns an hour (approx, £2.80). However this is not a basic rate- the employers will be allowed include bonuses to make up the 29 crowns. And it is a far cry from the minimum of 35 crowns demanded by the rank and file. The fact that the compromise was a sell-out by the unions was reflected in the low ballot figures: 45.7% of

TLC

members voted. ON For the second time this year sections of Spain's fascist military have been threatening to seize power. The legalisation of the Com- Party munist (following "disbanding" of Franco's National Movement) prompted the resigna- tion of the Navy Minister and of two generals in the "parliament", and an emergency meeting of the Supreme Military Council.

PROTEST

This last body finally reached agreement to limit its actions for nuw to senulng a strong protest to the Suarez government. According to the majority of the the the press, of protest 1. disapproval of the legalisation of the Communist Party which would nevertheless, in the national interest be accepted in a disciplined way, as fai accompli; "duty und underlining of the defend national unity the national flag, the institution of the and its IndICEY iculation two-thirds for acceptance and one- third against. A considerable number of 'yes' voters do so because they have no confidence that their "leaders" will lead a struggle even if they receive a mandate to do so. Four unions-among them one of the biggest-the Shop and Office Workers-didn't even give their members the privilege of voting, the union leaderships simply delivered block votes in favour. The Metalworkers, another big union, sent ballot papers to the members' homes in spite of a con- ference decision to hold the vote at general meetings where discussions could precede the vote.

In any case union members were deciding agreement in which their original demands not only didn't figure, but nad been dropped at the start by their negotiators who felt bound by the 6%o Incomes Policy decided by the government and its right-wing allies the previous August.

The newspapers appearing Unly since the beginning of April have been those of the workers parties, independent left paper co- operatively Stock run, the Exchange, (which isn't a member of the employers association. and is by the Social Democratic

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

But the fascist paper El Alcazar (journal Francoist war veterans) said there were two more points: the army's objection to the way in which, through the legalisation of the the government had degraded the person of the King.

4. the army's readiness to resolve eme future by problems which might using methods". This situation sufficiently tense for an army denial of the last points to be broadcast every half-hour on Spanish radio for a whole day! But whether or not they were in the message, there is no doubt that they represent the thoughts of a good many generals. The powerful and well-financed fascist Interior Minister Manuel Fraga has lined up fully behind the army.

CORTES

has also collected enough signatures to demand 4 sperial of the Cortes (the fake meeting parliament) to discuss the legalis- ation of the CP, which is still far from being accepted by the far right. Stalinist and reformist leaders have responded to all this by either denying that it is happening of cringing before it. press) and a few local steels produced by strike-breaking editorial staff.

SOLIDARITY

The rest of the country's press has been stopped in solidarity with the locked out printing workers of Berlingske Tidende concern, and to back up the Graphic trades for megotiations COnTACIS The Berlingske Tidende concern has co-opted its board

ONLO

outside cowboy who has deliberate- ly picked on the strongest organised workplace at the biggest firm in the branch. It is clear that a major struggle against the printing trades is in the offing. The lock-our workers have full backing by their unions, by the trade whole, and the working class. But unfortunately it looks as if the workers' leadership is bargaining away jobs as negotia- tions appear developing. The Stalinist leadership has proposed voluntary redundancy of 150 older workers over 12 months, coupled with redundancy payments (not a normal practice in Denmark, but used by the Stalinists to avoid a against unemployment at struggle B&W Shipyards also), and a "trans- to ease the move onto pensions from wages. Turkish bourgeois leader Ecevit at election rally Galvan, leader of the small but powers or how the government will active reformist Popular Socialist be constituted or even whether it Party said in a statement, strongly will depend for its survival on a reminiscent of the Popular Unity parliamentary majority. government in Chile: "he election will take place army has burried the under conditions where numerous prejudices of the war.. facets of the Francoist state remain becoming an army of professionals the nation and In the service The army and the police are loyal to the crown". untouched. Parties to the left of the The CP leadership, anxious not CP are still illegal. So are all the to cause any offence to the fascist independent trade unions.

generals cancelled its plans for a

BOYCOTT

mass rally to celebrate legalisation.

And as a symbol of its abject collaboration, The legalisation of 100 politica has shamefully 1L recognised the parties does not stop daily arrests monarchist than the republican national flag for political activities throughout and will display it at its election Spain. meetings. After three "amnesties" there are still political prisoners.

JUNE ELECTION

Under these conditions, and where the working class is showing The election has now been fixed itself ready beyond the for June 15 with a three week cam- constitutional straight-jacket paign beforehand. which the right and the reformists But it remains unclear what the and Stalinists want to hold it, we elections are for. The government continue to believe that revolution refuses resumesy will have any co theitent whether the aries should demand a boycott of the forthcoming elections.

WORKERS

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

The Workers Socialist League is a Trotskyist organisation fighting to build a revolutionary leadership in the working class to lead the mounting opposition to the betrayals of both left' and right wing Labour and trade union leaders and the Communist Party, as they attempt to enforce wage control, sackings, speed-up and public service cuts. As workers take up the struggle against these policies they are forced by the sheer weight of forces opposing them to confront political questions. Only with an understanding of the role of the labour bureaucracy and a programme to unite the broadest sections of workers in struggle can a way forward be found.

The Workers Socialist League is the only movement that sets out to do this, fighting consistently in the working class for transitional demands, which go beyond simply trade union militancy to raise the political questions to workers and prepare the forms of organis.

ation and the knowledge necessary for the struggle for socialism.

As a result we have been at the forefront of struggles against the cuts, against wage control, for unionisation, and against redundancy.

We have done more than any other tendency to fight the introduction of 'warkers' participation' in industry.

And we have strongly supp orted the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement, which has set out to show the link between the reactionary policies of the Social Contract and bureaucratic dictatorship in both the unions and the Labour Party. But our practical struggle for the continuity of the principles and method of Trotsky's Transitional Programme is in no way a task con- fined to Britain. It requires an attention and involvement in the struggles of the working class internationally, and the fight to recon- struct the Trotskyist Fourth International.

So there has been a consistent drive within the WSL to deeper and enrich the movement's understanding of the history and me present crisis of the Fourth International as an essential part of of initiative towards its reconstruction.

We urge all readers who agree on the need for revolutionary eac ership and the demands we put forward to find out more abou: ine WSL and join our fight in the Labour movement.

Page 4

DAY OF

DIVERSION

The April 20 'day of action' the workers. Stalinist- was called_by the controlled Liaison Committee the Defence of Trade for banner. Leyland Unions and the

SWP

Stewards Conference to divert exhibited struggles now from away taking place against Phase 2.

The Communist Party wanted to government put forward an alternative policy to Labour those who want to fight the Social toolroom Contract. Their line is trying to put proud pressure on the TUC leaders not to accept Phase 3. toolroom had The Communist Party turned the day from a one-day "day simply strike OI action". This meant that less than actually 50,000 worker WeIt involved in any form of industrial action. The organisers also organised demonstrations in various parts of none of which big. In fact the demonstration very big. In London could only be called a 111 flop, with only 2,000, motor and with AUEW frame-up engineering workers, predominating, marching banners almost silently.

SINGLE SLOGAN

march itself the only by Parties, slogan put forward by the CP and 'Social Contract Out". others The call for support for Port Talbot and Heathrow workers was every police only put forward by the WS and where

IMG.

The

IMG,

however, the attacked. contented themselves with saying This "Smash the Social Contract" and calling for the TUC to "get off the labour made solid whreas the WSL centred on fence for strike action the necessity against Phase 2 and in support of strike by The hunger Republican Provisional prisoners at Portlaoise jail in South of Ireland ended the in its seventh week. Fourteen men had till then been refusing food, among them Daithi O'Connell, former

IRA

Chief

COTI

Mallon, former Staff, and member of the IRA Army Council.

"he condition ol the men was quite serious-how serious no-one knows for sure, since the Fine Gael- Lahour coalition government in the South refused throughout to release information, and consistentiy prevented anyone from visiting the

DEBUIND

The hunger strike was in protest at the barbaric conditions prevalling in Portlaoise jail. In particular, the prisoners were "strip end demanding searches", method of Prison control waic involves suppug a prisoner, examining his genitals and probing his anus in an enort to discover explosives! resists, a prisoner nels punished with contine. SOlitary being locked This means

ID CHIL.

that baretoot in a cell walch nas furniture at all during the day, and ment's only a mattress at hight.

propaganda. Yet Visitors to the lall nave repressive heen strin-searched. and nave olen strikers been obliged to wait several hours be seen. before Drinkis Call marched All in ail. a clear baller fortnight emerging of vindictive and constant destroying aimed at morale within the Provisiona prison. The Free State government, discuss addition, refused the hunger and strike, prevenlieu whether independent

VITORS

ITOIN

and Port Talbot Airport had returned to work. No sound was audible from the He 2 WRP members holding an ATUA leadership

UNICE

didn't mention the offer of strike About 150 people attended the action Dy which public meeting mittee in support the completely anti- which strikers political stand of the SWP.

The dropped. only person to even mention the was Jack Sheldon, a

NO BLACKING CALL

Party and member The steward seemed docks he had fact that Prevost, longtime of the chaired the meeting at which the member never once mentioned the in Birmingham to have imported workers need

DEMO BACKS

'FRAMED' 18

Two days before the trial of the 18 Islington youth facing Merlyn Rees, of conspir- charges acy to rob, a march of 400 through Islington demanded police force. One speaker in their immediate release. rally declared: The lively march was supported being made Labour local a number crisis, branches and union have back it! We political groups including the WSL.

It demanded the lifting of all the charges and expressed its protest at staged apainst backs in the station in area youths had been the said they must Islington. from the local backing The movement must about four each organisation taking part in the workers' enquiry into the behaviour of the police.

IRISH HUNGER

STRIKES ENDED

to an end. But of the prisoners. Yet the instead middle-class their demands. recently stated that ment, but merely ditions in the jails! While absolutely inhuman conditions in immediate the political south: and for Party participation government intent British soldier in Ireland lite. The government also managed to questions silence the Irish press by threaten- action óf with a law cannot be passed las which effectively a security criticism of the govern- domination policy" is IRA Fein despite the government's the measures, substantial Three weeks ago, 2,000 people Portlaoise jail; with the Free State regime.

later 5,000 marched in The task in reland Dublin; and in the North, on Easter issues Ine Sunday, some 40,000 took part in Portlaoise hunger strike, commemorate draw the correct and the 1916 uprising, and in support Clusions, mobilisation of the Irish of republican prisoners. class in It is not clear as we go to press concessions ally huing the hunger strikes South

SHE CANALS CABINETO

CRAFT SHOP STEWARDS

COMMITtE

UNITY M

steel blacked on the docks.

didn't attack the toolroom Ian Morris, the airport steward and of far from putting forward a position course of leadership said that even if they money he thought toolroom didn't win the airport that they could get a guarantee

O1 LIC

has the

OCCI

ITOm shift pay increase as would pay a Social as the

DUVE

finished, The meeting was wound up Eddie John Deason who showed the SWP steward, IS and

SWP

as usual tail-ending the CP, had not been criticised from begin- blackleg The local Labour Party must in particular fight for the removal of the minister of the Liberal-Labour government respon- sible for the racist activities of the (Report) the concluding "Black people tl V scapegoats of the and will not we are going to fight She named a number of trials which the police had lost out of hand, and lose again trial is expected to last months considerable amount of taxpayers

TROTSKY

In Defence of Marxism Writings on Britain (3 vols) On the Trade Unions what was required to win the full demands was a mobilisation of the Irish working class in support Transitional Programme leaders Provisional Revolution Betrayed consistently refused to do this, and contented themselves with appeals to a non-existent liberal Permanent Revolution "pressurise" the Southern government into granting The Spanish Revolution Ruairi Bradaigh, Secretary of Provisional Sinn Fein, meant any conflict with the gove do not Problems of Everyday Life want better con-

LENIN

supporting the prisoners' demands for an end to Left Wing Communism Portlaoise, socialists in Ireland must agitate for What is to be Done? of all release prisoners-North and an end to Labour State and Revolution in a coalition tracing the Provisionals from Irish political Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism by the the Portlaoise prisoners The April Theses divorced from struggle to rid Ireland of imperialist The Three Sources and Compon- O'Bradaigh's remarks that Sinn ent Parts of Marxism does not want a conflict with cannot get

DOCTACIEL

round the objective fact that even a minimal Improvement I pulsun conditions demands sharp conflict is not to Significance of the Transition Programme raised by the but is to The Fight for Revolutionary Leadership political con- Perspectives for Work Among Women....

to proceed working All available from Folrose Books, order to defeat imperial- and its allies-both North and SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

Part of the April 20 London demonstration ning to end. He said "Jack Jones is beginning to hedge his bets. Maybe we won't have a Phase 3" So the day ended on the note it with-confusion sown by Nated the Communist Partý and their that they hangers-on. Contract which Recent meeting to support Islington 18

BOOKS

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Fourth International:Problems and Tasks. . .

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SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

Why you need Workers have no need to be told that the Social Contract has been a vicious attack on their living standards.

But it is worth pointing out that the value of the take-home pay of workers has been slashed historical precedent in this no country. Betore took ottice biggest fall in real wages ever recorded had been a 5% drop in the economic crisis of 1857-120 years ago! the Social Contract has managed to do workers' more relative damage to employed ability to maintain their living standards than even the economic cataclysms of 1873, 1921 or 1929-33 damage? The Just how much government's official figures showed that over the year up to February 1977 workers' average gross pay had gone up 11.4% while prices (at least the way the govern- ment calculated them) had gone up 16.2%. That meant a cut of almost 5% in the value of gross pay.

But the cuts in take-home pay have even 6%) because as nominal (about wages go up, a higher proportion of pay is deducted in tax.

TAX CUTS

If Phase 2 is not broken then by July the annual fall will have gone up to about 10% (or 9% if Healey ever brings in his conditional tax But horrifying though it is, that is not a full measure of the price of the Social Contract. "he cut in real take home bav from the highest that it point reached before the Labour govern- its controls ment orouent in has so far been 14% and by July if Phase 2 is not broken it would be in gross pay. 19%. This means living standards cut by one-fifth-that is the record of the last 2½ years of Labour govern- 20%.) ment. over But even that underestimates the effect of the government's policies standards of living because who system. workers employed. But

UNEMPLOYMENT

paid and The growth of unemployment under the Labour goveinment to already reached. nearly 172 millen meals clat liost families hit working. Class by unemployment have suffered living standards of much drop workers, more than these figures show.

And all workers are hit addition- ally by the deterioration of the health social services and education. necessary These figures suggest the very additional minimum wage demands which paid by the should now be taken up fully ne First of all just to restore real the evel it had

TORY

reached before the Social Contract, woud increases now on average of 17-18% proof.

GMC SLAMS

COALITION

The GMC of Portsmouth CLP has passed a resolution which indicates the kind of The support which is building up for to programme a turn which can defend the rights of of workers. and conditions "This

CLP

the condemns coalition deal with the Parliamen- of the tary Liberal Party: We call on the NEC to convene a special conference of the Party struggle. to discuss a programme of socialist policies on which to fight a General Election and to elect a leadership to fight on that programme".

The which now goes resolution, to the NEC, must become the start of a campaign in the Labour Party to force the lefts on the committee meeting. make a stano on tis question Part of this campaign should be a John of wages

PORT TALBOT

E.C.

PRINT OUR DEC

ELTPU

ORT

END TH

SOCIAL

CONTRACT

(And for every month of Phase 2 that passes this figure would have to go up; by July it would be well elected committees would do no more than cover the cut in real take home pay automatically plus the elect of the income tax that is only average- workers especially the low some skilled workers would need a good deal more than this just to get back to positions

INADEQUATE

But, in any case, for millions of the highest levels reached before the Social Contract were pitifully inadequate To provide all workers with even a decent basic living standard it is also large put for the claims These wages would then have to protected from being whittled away by new inflation.

And that means a demand for a sliding scale of wages which would make wages inflation-proof and tax

OXFORD CUTS

FIASCO

then meeting", member of the WSL speak. the previous week to amend or vote bureaucratic coalition on the document (which had been of Communist Party and right drawn up by right wing) Power blandly ignored wing installed in the leadership Trades Oxford Union

LILICC

TGWU branch. Council last summer following These the disaffiliation by the TUC against old Oxford Trades Council has once again shown its complete opposition to any cation workers Thursday public meeting to discuss "opposition" to by refusing to let Alan Chairman the cuts in social services spending- attended by a mere 124 instead of 1,000 predicted by the organisers- the speaker

HOSL

cratic methods yet of controlling a Branch. the uproar Power. Trades Council

OUR ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT LOOKS AT

INFLATION FIGURES. IN

THE CONTEXT

PREPARATIONS

FOR

GOVERNMENT-TUC

STAGE THREE OF WAGE CONTROL.

a sliding scale ЕЕТРЦ MEmBERS A sliding scale means that any also to offset the effect of increases in the rate income further rise in prices (as monitored oI national insurance deductions.

not by the state statisticians but by Against even these demands the of trade capitalists flinch in horror.

unionists and working class house- must be immediately and S% next year, they "the (that compensated by vampire-like thirst for profits) can wage increases which are sufficient afford. That is why the wage struggle which is now imperative, and which held back only by collaboration of the Labour govern- ment (now Liberals) and trade union leaders, must be ready to turn itself into an all out fight against the capitalist sysicil

OPEN THE BOOKS

The books of the bosses must be opened. Those that can afford to pay a decent wage must be forced to do so. Those that can't must be nation- alised without a penny of compen- sation and managed under workers' Callaghan - proposed limit 10% "knew the political makeup of the refused to let any After having refused to allow a special trades council meeting held the Stalinists and the amendments from the 5/293 amendments set out IC make the document into a fighting Social Contract, calling for national strike action against the cuts and support for local sections of health or edu- was able to force through the vote taking and claim that the document had Power avoided the amendmenis been the accepted by Thornett, Meanwhile, teachers in the area of the 5/293 Branch on the whole were not moolised speak and propose these positions, for the meeting because it was held arguing that he had already allowed in the school holidays. from the 5/293 They be are following branch

NUT

and confusion demanding the which followed. with large sections organise strike action if temporary Page 5

LPYS

OF A

IGNORE

LIB-LAB

DEAL

Judging from speeches from the 'Militant' dominated plat- form at this Easter's annual conference it would have been hard to guess that the Labour faced Party was with an enormous crisis. The effects of the toolroom strike, and the continuing strikes at Heathrow and Port Talbot against wage control, forcing the right wing Labour government into an open alliance with Liberais, junior party of the employers- this major issue facing the working class at the moment was not tackled.

RESOLUTION

This was not through our lack of trying. Composite resolution 35 including a Sheffield LYS branch by Socialist drawn up called Press for the supporters, support for, organisation of, strike action against wage control and for catching up increases linked to rising prices, relating this to the fight for the removal of Callaghan all Healey those alie allu responsible for the Social Contract.

of the overwhelming majority delegates-'Militant' supporters- refused to debate this resolution and quite happily went seriously along with the platform's recom- mendation to reject it. alternative? Resolutions Their like the one from Gateshead East tax, and LPYS demanding Callaghan imple and that ment socialist policies leaders-the very people responsible major attacks on for, say, is all working class living standards, their to sabotage any attempt to trying break Phase 2-campaign for free collective bargaining after August!

SLIDING SCALE

the class supported But other 'Militant' called the on

TECHNOIS

CYCI

Labour government and TUC implement demands like sliding work sharing and scale of wages open the books! The fact that these policies will only be won by working class in conflict with these fighting for their bureaucrats with removal, for a break the Liberals and for alternative call leadership, developed and tested in the class struggle itself was conven- iently missed.

DECLINE

The declining size of the LPYS Conference from 1500 last year to 1200 this testifies year 'Militant's' bankruptcy. Unless a new leadership is built

LPYS

the which youth into the unions and the Labour Party to fight for socialism both lett against the bureaucracy and right this decline will continue The the •Ler: alternative Action' talk shop of the Workers Action, Red Weekly, and Chartist supporters, was a lanure at toe frontence tractanise in rese from ranks 'Militant" supporters since it die not take up the most pressing protiers they face.

COALITION

A WSL leaflet however centret on the fight against wage control the It dealt with and coalition. 'Militant's' pro-Stalinist policies Power the trade unions and their complere refusal to fight on the shop 1001 for their paper demands 1o: a sliding scale of wages. meeting. The leaflet aroused much zer was still being interest and and discussed the day after sets This initial small success zus te balloted developed defimize resolutions support gained дет: Executive conference i the LPYS is 1o gros and 227= of Lot remain a

REVOLUTION

1871: YEAR OF THE

PARIS COMMUNE

age 6 In drawing the lessons of the revolution and counter-revolution in France between 1852, Marx that 1848 and wrote pertected the [state] political upheavals machine instead of smashing it.

The meaning of this, he was later to explain, that destruction of the bureaucratic- vas nilitary apparatus of the capitalist state.

precondition for every real people's revolution" The first 'real people's revolution' in which this precondition was met occurred in Paris in 1871.

Though its deficiencies were many, its weakness apparent from the start and its life short, the Paris was the first prototype of the workers' state. It was destroyed after two months in an obscene orgy of bourgeois vengeance - but not before it had lived long enough to establish fundamental lessons which all later proletarian revolutionary movements have needed to learn. And its very occurrence heralded a new epoch in world history - the epoch of capitalist decay and of the proletarian revolution.

The declaration of the Paris Commune on March political 28 1871, was the highest poll upheaval in France which followed the defeat of the French army in the war against Bismark's Prussia and the abdication of the Emperor Napoleon III.

Louis Bonaparte had declared himself Emperor in 1852; this was an example, as Marx remarked, of the of one great Characte history occuring, speak, LO 'the first time as tragedy, the second as farce' Ill's Napoleon reign, like his coming to power, had been a carica- ture of that of the man he claimed was his uncle. While the first Napoleon was the conqueror of Europe, Napoleon III was consistently unsuccessful diplomatic dabbler messy intrigues around the world.

He had involved France directly or indirectly in a long string of wars from the Crimea, from which he emerged with slightly less discredit ill-fated than the British, to the French expedition Mexico install the Hapsburg Prince, Maxim- ilian, as Mexican Emperor.

At home Napoleon Ill ruled through zig-zag policy of political and rePreSSIOn "concessions" form of the largely mock elections and plebiscites. But his elections nol placate the republican enough to bourgeoisie and his repression was not enough to prevent the rebirth working class political organis- of disaster of 1848. ration after the The rapid economic develop- which took place during his reign had increased the size of both working class and industrial bour- geoise and diminished the relative weight of the peasantry on whose Napoleon support had come TO was But by the end of the 1860s lawyer even class had begun to abandon him. His political days were officials) before he trated the final crushing blunder of his foreign policy-the war with National Prussia. preparation German Behind the war lay the growing challenge to the French bourgeoisie by from the rising, increasingly nation- On 21NL Germany, ( by ruthless led the Bismark.

WAR

The Bismark was looking to France, the successtil war against The continental leading retreated western Europe, finally Germany unify under Prussian leadership and to establish German political ascendancy Europe all in fell swoop oilt were Napoleon allowed himself to be basic drawn into this plan. disappear, crisis which rich precipitated the war was a dispute resulting from Bismark's plan German prince to the imstall vacant Spanish throne. Bismark duped Napoleon into a Hor declaration of war. But it was not a popular war and soon became universally unpopular as Napoleon led the French army to lack of supplies. catastrophe. It was the shameful rout of the And the Battle of suffered French forces at Sedan, which convinced everyone bombardment unfit to Napoleon rule. which that was When the masses took the to of Paris demanding the streets The Emperor's they abdication They encountered no opposition. forced the unwilling "left" deputies bourgeois of Paris republic. Napoleon and his hated Empress Eugenie fled to England. Fearing a revolution. the French agreed provisionai struggle Givenment of National Defence Gazers Trochu. including "the the one of the latter. Gambetta, became who Minister of the Interior.

After replacing all prefects (local of the previous regime, Gambetta took a fateful decision.

He increased the size of the Paris 360,000 Guard to expected for the attack on Paris (which September 25 was completely beseiged by Bismark's army).

Gambetta left October Paris by balloon to become Minister of War and organise the relief of Paris from outside. reconstructed republican armies won a few victories but were at length pushed back. provisional government Bordeaux and resis- tance was confined to Paris where the Prussians intended to starve the capital into surrender. Condition inethe bose ed city abominable. Food and commodities began the though somehow managed eat _ to continue lo the expensive restaurants.

SHORTAGES

the workers and petty- bourgeoisie, shortages, inflation and semi-starvation were general. Unem- ployment grew rapidly as industry and commerce ground to a halt for January Paris weeks of heavy three guns 400 killed and wounded many thousands. workers were prepared to fight against Bismark's invaders, but not on the terms demanded by the of the Govern- leaders ment of National Defence-namely oftensives followed fodder to preserve the propertief the ruling ere.

revolutionary Parisian workers. siege, therefore, the for 'national defence" These attempts put down by constantly Inreatence lo translorm itself into social revolution Trochu. The fallen statue of Napoleon,

FRENCH

"Workers, of the social structure. What have we asked for? Free, lay and complete education; of the individual; etc." Trade Unions, March 23 1871.

'Dual power competent worker. a special type of state ...

similar moves in Lyons, Marseilles and again on January 19) hopeless and Toulouse. the Prussians bourgeoisie had discarded attempts Napoleon but now stood in terror seizure of power by before the working class.

were brutally It was time to make peace with the invaders. A three week truce forces loyal to was agreed on January zz to allow for elections "'of" Canhatta nut down time SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

"Citizens, Our mission is at an end. We new and rightful representatives..

Citizens, Remember that the men who will choose from among your ov yourselves and suffer the same hard Beware, of the ambitions of concerned only with their own a are indispensable. Beware, too, of wind-bags wit speech, a rhetorical effect or a wit else. And avoid those whom fortun are rarely disposed to considering ti We are confident that if you f have achieved an authentic people tatives who will never see themselve National Guard, March 25 1871.

This article, the first of parts dealing with two the events and lessons of is Commune, the Paris the continuation of our series of articles on the history of revolutionary France which began with the 1789 Revolution. We went on to examine the Napoleonic conquests, and then to look at the processes involved in the 1848 Revolution. We have fought and have learned to suffer for our egalitarian prin- ciples. We cannot withdraw so long as we can help to lay the cornerstone The organisation of credit, of exchange, and of production co-oper- atives in order to guarantee the worker the full value of his labour; The rights to assemble, to organise, to a free press as well as the rights Municipal administration of police, armed forces, sanitation, statistics From election wall-poster of candidates for the Commune presented by the International Working Men's Association and the Federation of .. is of the same type as the Paris Commune of 1871.

The fundamental characteristics of this type are: (1) the source of power is not a law previously discussed and enacted by parliament, but the direct initiative of the people from below, in their local areas-direct 'seizure', to use a current expression; (2) the replacement of the police and the army, whch are institutions divorced from the people and set against the people, by the direct arming of the whole people; order in the state under such a power is maintained by the armed workers and peasants themselves, by the people themselves; (3) officialdom, the bureaucracy are either similarly replaced by the direct rule of the people themselves or are at least placed under special control; they not only become elected officials, but are also subject to recall at the people's first demand; they are reduced to the position of simple agents; from a privileged group holding jobs remuner- ated on a high bourgeois scale, they become workers of a special 'arm of the service, whose remuneration does not exceed the ordinary pay of a This, and this alone, constitutes the essence of the Paris Commune as Lenin, The Dual Power, April 1917.

assembly which could produce a legitimate new government to sign a tinal armistice of February The elections produced a vote for peace at any price. Gambetta, though personally elected saw his policies of "nationa rejected and left the country

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

will now hand over your town hall to till serve you best are those whom you n ranks, who lead the same lives as hips. he newly rich. One and the other are vancement and will always think they • prefer words to deeds. For them a icism is more important than anything has favoured excessively. The wealthy e working classes as their brothers...

›llow these suggestions you will at last 's representation and found represen- ¡ as your masters" Town Hall [signed] Central Committee of the The new assembly thoroughly right wing. It contained large monarchists. majorily Nevertheless republican, 1l was a opportunist, Thiers, 0O111C2 who became Chief Executive of the new state Thiers, whom Marx called 'that monstrous main task wanto crush the Workers gnome, movement whose strength was con- centrated and whose loyalty to the new regime was very much in doubt.

DEATH SENTENCE

He decided to do this by strong measures. August Blanqui, a leader of the October insurrection Paris, was senlence to deal 1n his absence. Debts in the form of promissory which had not been paid notes, during the siege, were ordered to be paid forthwith; and rents, which had also been suspended, were to be paid at once. These measures further alienated the Parisian working class from the Thiers government (which had now moved from Bordeaux back to Versailles though it still dared not return to Paris). fears of the ruling class centred around the fact that the Parisian working class was armed, naving been incorporated into the National Guard.

RELIABLE

Thiers, therefore, replaced its commander with a more reliable' figure. And then on March 18 he sent his own troops to Paris with orders confiscate the 400 heavy guns which were in the hands of the National Guard. The remove

ALICIO IO

line cannons was met with mass resis- Lace. I he women were first in the the soldiers. arguing with

OM MUNE

their officers By the middle of the morning of March 18 Paris was seething with At length Thiers' soldiers did turn against their officers and shot three of them dead. The rest fled and so, on Thiers orders, did the remaining sections of the central government.

They left behind them a political was instantly filled vacuum which by the elected Central Committee of the Federation of the National Guard, the representatives of the armed masses of Paris The Central Committee resolved to hold power only for the few days required to organise elections.

But elections to what? Most of the Central Committee wanted to establish Parisian municipality only to that of other eg italent French cities.

AUTHORITY

But the masses had more revolu- tionary intentions-the ment Commune, namely under government which they have full authority over WONd justice and the Pich and the administration schools and hospitals and taxes and, in short, (as Lissagaray puts it in his famous history the Commune) OT political form allowing them work for the amelioration of their condition". Marx and Engels had strongly warned their supporters in Paris against any precipitate and sarily suicidal action while the war Prussia against and concued before the revolutionary political organisations of the working class had sufficiently built Deen up. But once the decisive battle was forced on the Parisian workers by the actions of the bourgeoisie, Marx and Engels gave their unconditional support Commune to the and enticised its leaders for not The crowd drags off the guns of the National Guard London march in support of the Commune "France is going to be reconstructed. The workers have the right to find and to take their place in the new order of things which is being prepared. The responsibility of the republican-socialist party must be put forth.

The revolutionary socialist candidates stand for: a. The existence of the Republic not to be called into question under any circumstances. b. The necessity for workers to have political power.

c. The overthrow of government oligarchy and industrial feudalism.

d. The establishment of a republic which will guarantee political liberty through social equality-by handing over to the workers their tools of production, just as the Republic of 1792 distributed the land to the peasants." From election wall-poster of the 43 candidates nominated to the national assembly by the International Working Men's Association, the Federation of Trade Unions and the Delegation of the Twenty Arron- dissements, February 8 1871. (29 of these candidates were later elected to the Commune). In fact the firmness of revolu- Hall) before they have been made'.

tionary purpose was shown by the 'At Versailles-the Assembly: working masses of Paris, after six all the monarchists, all the great internal bourgeoisie, all the slaveholders and external treachery, prompted They yelled, 'Paris is only a rebel, "History the Central Committee a band of Mary to declare: has no nessparable example of such great- brigands'. *Between Versailles and Paris-a This is borne out by the account few Radical deputies, all the of the events by P.Ó. Lissagaray, mayors (in Paris), many adjunts. who was journalist Paris They Liberal

COLORECO

the bourgeois, that commune sacred herd that the Versailles fought invaders, makes all revolutions and allows all escaped, and later wrote his History the empires to be made. Despised of the Paris Commune which rec- by the Assembly, disdained by the eived the approval of Marx.

people, they cried to the Central Lissagaray wrote: Committee, 'Usurpers!' and to the Assembly, You will spoil all.' " "On stood out hin bold relie.

the 21st, situation The extreme weakness of the • At Paris- Versailles government in and the the Central Committee, with it al massive pressure from the people of the workmen and all. the genero L Paris soon showed plainly that the and enlightened men of the lower movement in Paris was completely The middle class. Committee said, incompatible with the authority of 'We have but one object--the elec- the government in Versailles.

Everybody is welcome to co-

LOEK

with but we shall The onerate movement was a potoltion Page 7 A scene after the bourgeois revenge the and one which Borrell. increasingly saw itself in class terms as a movement of the working class against the bourgeoisie. Dual power had been established and the scene was set for civil war.

"a was, Lissagaray wrote, spectacle unprecedented the world's history-the greatest_ town of the European continent in the hands of the proletarians".

"illegal' elections went ahead and two days later the Commune was officially established. The new body which had 90 members, was to be both a legis- lative and executive institution. The members subject to were to be recall by their electors at any time.

The done by setting up nine separate Commissions consisting of members of the Commune. Out of the 90 elected members 60 regarded themselves as 'revol- utionaries' of some kind.

The rest were mavors. Liberals bourgeoisie. and Radicals of the 24 of the representatives were the rest of the Manual workers, popular representatives came from the liberal professions (doctors, lawyers, and puoncists). The leaders of the Commune, at least in part, realised, in Marx's working that 'the words simply lay hold of the ready and Hidut stale macinery wield it for its own purposes' The Commune began to destroy that of its first machinery. One standing was to abolish the army The National Guard of which all adults were to be members became the only organisation permitted to carry arms. The police were made account- able to the Commune. Church and state were declared separate; religious propaganda outlawed in state schools and al church property was declared national property

AVERAGE WAGE

All state officials were to be paid no more than the wages of.

skilled workers. Through these the measures working class of Paris created a new form of state. Marx's remark during the siege now became even more relevant: the struggle of the working capitalist class has, class with the thanks to the Parisian fight, entered the affair phase. However å new may end, from this time we have attained a new atte of orld-wide signiance, and

Page 8

TELEVISION REVIEW

CHOICE OF EVILS

Choice of Evils, a television provoke more action against the Nazi occupation. play by Jim Allen (author of Apart from the Nazi officers 'Days of Hope') is an attack the plot, the play Metedly lu collaboration of the on the consists essentially of four charac- Catholic Church with fascism ters-Pius XII (unflinchingly indif- during World War II. ferent to the fate of the hostages since anything is preferable for him During the Nazi occupation of the of communism): Italy Pope Pius XII signed a 'non- spread Maria Cinelli, a resistance fighter; interference' agreement (concordat) the priest, Father Borelli, who acts with Hitler, as he had done with as a courier for the resistance; and Cardinal Volpone, sometime resis- representative on vil baller accus friend of Cinelli and Borelli.

thousands of Jews were deported from tav and murdered in con-

MITIGATER

centration camps by the Nazis.

for the Nor did the Vatican have any- Volpone thing to say about any other of the Vatican to intervene to mitigate the 'Choice of Evils' is Nazi vengeance and save about such an incident. tarnished image as collaborator in One day in March 1944 a bomb genocide. the resistance kills 33 He speaks to Pius with the words Nazi soldiers. of "liberalism distorting on demands of his resistance friends.

And he speaks to Cinelli and Borelli Italian hostages (10 for every dead in the words of the Pope.

1S But his attempt to persuade the The Nazis make sure Pope that for the Church to inter- make protest might vene would actually undermine the

MEDICINE FOR

THE MASSES

"Away with all pests ..." An account by an English surgeon in People's China. By J.S. Horn. Hamlin, £1.75. Published 1969.

REVIEWED BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

This book is not new, but The harmful effect this system has fresh ma have stridition tending to producé an a relevance as unequal and uneven struggles break out in defence qualitv of care between different of the National Health Service areas is only hinted at and left in Britain.. unanalysed-as indeed are many Its value as a book is that it gives other contradictions Maoist of an alternative Health China. an example Service which is run for the good of

DISCUSSION

the majority, where knowledge is not confined in the hands of a few Inspite of these shortcomings this book should be widely read as al-powertul consultants but is the property of everybody who works discussion issues basis of on hospital, and also the concerning most workers patients. technological society, not just those The problem of the monopoly in the NHS. of technical expertise being held by The Chinese treatment of members and agents of the syphillis good particularly classes which of example or tne reaistribulon impinges on many fields of produc- knowledge. To combat syphillis in a country large as China was a daunting

LIBERATED

task But armed with the fact that This book shows that the health is related to social conditions development of an advanced tech- and social conditions were nology is possible if changes improving, the health workers' fight liberate also become the peoples' TAe Vast could knowledge and expertise possessed fight, and it was therefore possible the working class, which to win. uadervalued and underutilised by a As one worker, who was part of bourgeoisie bent maintaining the *iblicity campaign for the need their power through the control of syphillis, said, to be treated for knowledge. "Comrades, we're going foward to The book gives no attempt at a Communism and we can't take this There poitical analysis in any way.

rotten disease with us". is only the most cursory discussion To combat syphillis, which is far of important such as the

JULILO.

from controlled-let alone wiped national organisation of the health out-in the Western world, nospilals. historica analvsis was presented to decidad the priorities in the state- workers and peasants with ine ment of at ince es which was simple questionnaire ten adopted First National questions to help people identify Health Conference in August 1950.

mis is very different from themselves possible case. These four principles are: the *Health work should primarily elitist "education campaigns" and are the masses of the labouring half-hearted provision of preventive people. screening Chief emphasis should be placed country. the prevention of disease. fostered Close unity should be

NO PROFIT

between traditional and There is no profit to be made Health work should, whenever from treating such diseases-who appropriate, be conducted by mass will pay the bill? apaigns with the active partici- And the bill is always large if, in nation of medical workers".

the conventional bourgeois manner,

PAYMENT

expensively trained people have to organise the programme Payment for services provided to After all, i deal bee workers must not influence of communism by Pius callous dismissed The Pope is waiting for US disdain. imperialism to replace the Nazi invaders as the Church's ally against communism. Volpone's attempt to get And Borelli to sign a denunciation of the bombing in order to save his life receives only scorn and contempt.

Both as a presentation of the events and as political symbolism But Jim Allen's play is a success. for all its power fails the play satisfactorily to resolve a dilemma common to most efforts to put drama to the service of revolution- ary politics.

PROBLEM

This is the problem of combin- ing naturalistic emotions and political symbolism the charac- ters of the play. In 'Choice of Evils' the symbolism is so clear that the fail to "live". This characters partly weakens the ultimate political purpose of the play.

Allen tries to show how Borelli's would betrayed by primpies selves. Yet in China, workers have ensured there is now no syphillis.

medical The description research in China again provides an with contrast interesting our society.

INSULIN

young research workers attempted to manufacture insulin-and succeeded-inspite of their old trom opposition professors, said it who wasloo problem difficult for them. The description of their enquiries and their use of the simplified dialectical method some of Mao's writings, to develop their usettl Investigations example of the unity of theory and practice. This is quite different from the a capitalist work of students in country who, in the author's words 'cram their heads with layer empirical knowledge and dogma to pass one exam after another" research in country will reflect the socialist needs of workers. China therefore leads the world in research and treatment of trauma the injuries suffered by and peasants-while South spends example

ATTICA

research funds on heart transplants to patch up decrepit, over indulgent white capitalists.

NO NEED

China shows return research nor treatment methods Stalinism. That is because Borelli and the politically led by the Communist Party and Stalin was to betray the struggle against fascism to prevent it from developing revolutionary

DEAL

• Volpone reveals therefore that as a senior Vatican diplomat he knows of the deal which Stalin had made at the Tehran conference to divide the post-war world with imperial- ism into pre-arranged spheres influence. He predicts the post-war settle- ment-the Stalinist betrayal of the Greek revolution, and the return of Party Communist leader Togliatti to arrange a coalition government. But this crucial political point lacks dramatic credibility, and the revolutionary interpretation history has less force than it should have because there is no character suitable to express it.

REPUDIATION

The Volpone arch-opportunist merely uses these facts unsuccessful attempt hammer Borelli into signing his repudiation of the bombing. And as a result the words come.

over confusingly. But despite this the play is powerful. And the fact that the authorities of the Church were sutficiently frightened by it to suppress its performance for SiX years is some testimony to its truth.

drug companies or protessors.

the descriptions of team And work given in the book demon- wealth of knowledge the which all workers can contribute to the productive process. The ward cleaner observes the patients with as much perception and for longer than doctors flitting in and out of wardrounds.

Which consultant has ever asked his or her opinion? Workers in a factory know the faults and strengths of the machines they use but which design engineer utilises that experience?

ELITE

valuable working This knowledge is so often dismissed as 'old wives tales' by the chosen elite of "specialists", when, particuarly there is more and more evidence that in some circum- stances the old ways are as good if not better than the new alternative expensive technological ways.

And for this reason the main content of the book-the question- ing of established bourgeois notions of medicine and of workers' control -is of particular importance today as workers fight NHS cuts and hospital closures, coupled with the growth of private practice in all fields of medicine. While the interests of capitalist private profit and proper medical for all come increasingly into care the method of Marxism conflict, and the fight for development of science and technology can be shown to be SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

PRESS

GANG

Something to stop Jones coffin It was a dangerous way for "Daily Mail' readers to start the week. They as a group, to uncontrollable outbursts of fury, frothing at the mouth and savaging workers with furled umbrellas.

t was theretore asking a lot ol self control to splash across news that the the front page the Social Contract had been assassin-

BURIES

Twice as large as life the head- Buries line blared "Jack Jones Contract". the In base all le missed the message this was topped "Union with a strap line reading: chief Pay admits: have failed" For those who had the strength to read on the news looked grim.

There was Jones, the architect of Contract, the Social apparently washing his hands of any more of the same. Dreadful memories began to stir that this man had once been public enemy number one Yet is not quite what seems. The story started firmly enough Social Contract has failed" «The Mr Jack Jones, its principal archi- tect, , admitted yesterday. "It had not curbed inflation, nor had it cut unemployment" But from this promising beginn- ing the death agonies of capitalism slightly less dramatic TOOK ON a hue. The devastating alternative Jack Jones was announcing to a shell an 'orderly shocked word was return to free collective bargaining'.

on about from the miners and other workers no alternative other tiar concede a return to orderly collec tive bargaining in the hope that this I prevent huge demands". Jones the political realist, is bowing to overwhelming pressure building up within the union move- ment against the Social Contract" yielding to this fact announcing for the umpteenth time that he intended to ignore it.

SCOTTISH TUC

The Times thought that hopes of Phase.

III

had been dealt "severe blow'. But in their account of the speech Jones made on the eve of the Scottish TUC the paper blew the gaff on his motives.

Far from ending the Contract Jones was trying to get the Scottish TUC to support it. 'He is seeking support from the Scottish TUC...

for an extension of the understand- the unions and the ing between Cabinet policy but the pay prospects are not good" As it turned out, of course, the prospects were good enough, despite

TGWU

the delegation taking Jones at face value and support the miners' voting motion. Encouraged perhaps by the real the substance of Jones' remarks

TUC

Scottish voted for another year of wage controls. "We do not want whole series of massive massive strikes that demands and could the economy", said Jones. So the Daily Mail can relax. Jack Jones was not after all burying the Contract. He was giving it the kiss

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

Socialist The Labour League-forerunner of the now degenerated Workers Rev- olutionary Party-played major role in the mobilisation of national action against the 66-70 Labour government's infamous anti-trade union Bill "In Place of Strife" in 1969.

With important industrial power in sections of the docks and the car the SLL industry, able not only to be the major initiating force 1n the strikes and ototests in the spring of that year, but was able, in a principled way, to propose unity action with the Stalinists-a proposal which forced them to fall in behind the SLL initiative for a one-day token strike on May 1 of that year. In order bolster up their conviction that unprincipled blocs and adaptation to all and sundry are the way to fight the Social Contract, the International Marxist Group attention

IU W

t uls towards falsifying that history.

RED WEEKLY

This is done in an article in Red Weekly of 17 March, in which Anna Larkin writes: "The ATUA and the SLL, far from leading the massive opposition to 'In Place of Strife', attempted to sabotage it. The CP called a strike and demonstration for 27 February 100,000 1969. Over workers came out-despite SLL.s opposition the to it". (Page 4). She goes on to argue: "It was this action, not the call Workers. for a strike on 1 May Press lin fact the SLL had not yet Workers Press: their paper launched was the Newsletter!] the following day that was the soringboard tor the May action".

RECORD

But the historical record of the

SLL

the Party Communist anu shows that things happened very differently. In January 1969 the SLL called

BERIND NEW ATOM POLICY

PROFIT

Convenziona CaHaghan, пашеа welcome proliferation Amongst a series of well- publicised Presi- statements, dent Carter recently made an open to tions. announcement on US domes- tic nuclear policy. technology He proposed to defer indefinite- Britain, ly the commercial reprocessing spent and the future uranium recycling of plutonium (a widely nave material nuclear war- USCAr TOt projects heads); and to defer the date of problem. the commercial introduction of Fast "fast breeder" are ICaCOS WICA fuelled with plutonium. consume. up these proposals Irawing Carter was no doubt strongly influ- enced by the report of recent study, funded by the Ford Founda- tion. reactor-which Its authors, including a number of "liberal" US scientists and econ- stations. omists (among them Harold Brown, The Carter's Secretary of Defence, and Joseph Nye, his deputy Under- Secretary of State), urge him and of take precisely this course of action.

DICCNRT TeACISTO They recommenda- Dase TaeiT tions on Iwo lactors. Une is the commercially enormous cost of world reprocessing spent uranium-based tuels from supplier conventional reactors obtain T.O reactors. JanLoniuTt auer advantage. The other is the cost of develop- ing fast breeder could curb COM mATC12 reactor. has soared wnlen

LOUHETTES

$2.000 millica to $12.000 million technology in the pasi em j=ars.

SLI'S FIGHT FOR

UNITY IN

ACTION

LEayp HA

•SERVICE

FROM

LABDUR

SLI demands on left' MPs to remove Wilson.

for a demonstration to demand that To counter the trade union leaders act against the proposals of the Labour govern- ment. The SLI chose February 23, utive was in four days before the TUC met in national strike Croydon to discuss the Labour gov- government to keep its hands off ernment's proposals. unions"-on the the

CARTER-FISSION FOR

there are larger reserves of uranium them access was previously uranium they need to realised-sufficient to fuél a major teactor programme grammes. for several decades to come.

Prime Minister others, could curb the attempts of other allullesl Ilal the Carter proposals as countries to initiative echnology and force them to main CIlEl JS-designer nuclear weapon tain material and the attendant hazard by ICaCLOIs of nuclear war. However, they are access to less charitable interpreta- uranium they need to fuel their existing conventional reactor pro- Most of the other major nuclear h dllillco such Recently, counules, have much leading US nuclear contractor, has

UUUICI

prospects than the US of adequate defaulted on nearly 80 contracts to supplies and thus

GUDDE

_oowver developed fast breeder enriched uranium circumvent of this supplies nuclear fuel have reached Europe breeder reactors can since last July. Exports produce more plutonium than they They could make those been halted by Carter pending the countries which have access to this introduction technology much less dependent on conditions for its sale. uranium needed to cimched fuel the US-designed conventional available to them. Under the terms forms the heart of the Non-proliferation 70% of the world's nuclear power they could legally block the move- of spent InENE US is a long way nuclear fuel to reprocessing plants behind other countries, especially Britain, within the country either the technology of reprocessing used the fuel, or abroad.

This could plutonium-based fast contracts being If this technology is not made instance the one proposed between available the Japan and Britain, centred on the on market US development the of as of 50% of the world's processing plant. uranium has a distinct commercial These be seen not as any progressive move The US, pursuing the Carter line, by Carter, but as just the beginning the attempts of other of a heightened struggle between acquire fast, reactor leading and force them to main- tot DOWerS LS-designed marker in nudlear fuel

L CLOSZ

By Di Parkin were to meet, February 27.

MORE NEEDED

The Newsletter replied: "We agree with this decision so far as it goes, but it does not go far Much more than a one-day enough. strike will be needed to halt this government" (Newsletter, 15 January 1969).

And on January 21 they stated: "This demonstration, 10 with the lobby trade executives proposed by utuusl rary are mikic January On 25 UT/ reported the calls for action from London union branches day. The texts the motions leave no doubt that it was the SLI which was moving them.

SLL

members successfully for a stoppage in the Cowley car plants-a decision which was later ist Party, announced that his exec- sabotaged by the withdrawal of the favour of a 24-hour AUEW from the action. "compel the to on February day the TUC AnO Political Committee of the statement made a aua eses "every urganlsa lon, local, of the Communist Party, and to every individual member".

UNITY IN ACTION

It was a clear and principled call for unity in action against the anti- UnUn awsi "We are supporting the national demonstration against lation called by the to the enriched Union Alliance for February fuel their The Communist Party existing conventional reactor pro- announced support for a token strike on February 27.

We have said in The US, pursuing the Carter line, that if such a strike is seriously we will support it. prepared, acquire fast reactor know that militant sapporla fatories cilgi e isola ted conventional support to temporarily denying members fight to the enriched them. But it is essential that workers coming into struggle betrayals Labour leaders' Westinghouse, the gain confidence in the fight for a socialist alternative. That is why we have stressed with 441101 thorough preparation fuel, and no effective action, which US-manufactured of such material have new terms and

TRADES

The US has a further sanction Treaty US-manufactured

UNIONS

which affect reprocessing

ALLIANCEI

negotiated-for Windscale the events should therefore capitalist nuclear control of the world and tech Page The Newsletter Prepare for June 5: ¿London- 15,800 marchers Force T.U.C: to call Determieed to t

GENERAL STRIKE

dall-ailon lans

UNLESS UNION

LAWS DROPPED

nre fii 40,000 out Meeting demands general strike Car men

LBYE C BET

Main thrust of SLL policy - general strike action.

working class will learn how to use its industrial strength in the political struggle. We propose therefore that a date set-we provisionally suartnt April 21-by agreement, some six weeks ahead, to which our joint efforts would be directed for a national stoppage: engineering and motors, in the docks, in mines and throughout industry.!..

These workers will gain confid- together ence to fight if we make a definite union towards UNITY IN ACTION the Com- ster the most vital issue facing the working class". the Newsletter (emphasis in original) The 3,000 strong February 23 for this

SLL/ATUA

demonstration branch London passed a resolution in the following terms. moved

SUPPORT

"We support every strike action age nna thnwhi te Pay orndeallised of organised workers for massive national 12 the strike against the White Paper and

SLL

the Wilson government". The February 27 demonstrations national and were a large affair. Nearly 3,000 lobbied in Croydon. Yet the bigger demonstration was in Liverpool where 35,000 struck and 7,000 demonstrated the Star) (according to Morning following a call by Liverpool Trades Council. ein theerpoot docks? Who moved the motion strike the legis- Larry Cavanagh of the SLL!

The SLL at that time were the AI rades 23. major force in the Liverpool docks.

Where then in all this is there has shred of Larkin's one-day evidence for slur of sabotage and opposition? the Newsletter Larkin goes effectively argue that the CP were the major We force May behind the workers in mobilisation. This too, is untrue.

Immediately after February SLL changed their proposed the support date for joint strike action with the CP from the rather arbitrary 21 April (which opened the danger of after the the CP merely çhoosing a differen should arbitrary date) to the more obvious and difficult to avoid date of May And it was this initiative which for was later followed by the CP, as we the will explain in our next article

INDUSTRIAL NEWS

Page 10

NUT: HANDS UP FOR THE

DOLE

unemployment is Teacher now 20,000. This figure will double in September. Chancel- Healey's spending lor cuts have led to a drastic decline in resources available for use in schools. On top of all this teachers living standards have along will those of' working class as a the result the Social Contract. Against this background an observer at the National Union of Teachers

(NUT)

Conference Easter could be Eastbourne over forgiven for believing he had stepped into a fantasy world.

Despite a flood of resolutions from local associations calling for more militant policies, the majority of the 2,000 delegates raised their hands time and time again lot the do-nothing proposals of the membership with full rights to Executive. Jobless teachels. The tone was the very The conference also marked a set on first day when a 5% pay offer under further stage the erosion democracy in the NUT. Phase was overwhelmingly accepted. Teachers from Little Ilford

20% INFLATION

School, some of whom lobbied the conference, to receive Several speakers

DONELCU

support against their suspension that this £1-£2 after meant from the union for participating in stoppages for most teachers during a one-hour strike. when inflation will run at Even more sinister, the Exec- 20% at least. utive gained support for the intro- But these arguments lell system, with all its calbotations pe duction type stony ground in the absence of any being offered by the aerialive Tory press interference in elections platform. and ballot rigging, replace the On the third day of conference method present of voting at this support for wage control found logical expression Executive was given the go-ahead to negotiate a Phase 3 of the Social Contract. Thus the NUT became the first union accept 'guidelines' laid down by the TUC-with all its jargon aimed disguising wage- cutting-'flexibility', Plallica return to free collective bargaining' By the narrowest of slender etc. Still, there majorities and after a major was obviously some disquiet that the Executive had failed to 'maintain and improve" tary, Morgan, teachers' living standards National Union of Journalists instructed by the last conference. fell for another year of wage The result of all this was a verbal controls at its annual confer- pledge that a Special Salaries Con- ference would be held before any ence in Ilkley. new deal was accepted. It then proceded to indicate an immediate desire to tear those

EXPERIENCE

controls apart. Past experience will tell those The crucial vote went 149-141 teachers who oppose wage control to support an amendment tabled by that there is now a need to send the Central London Fleet Street resolutions trom local associations branch and by the National Execu- to ensure that such a conference tive calling for a "planned return" to free collective bargaining.

does in lact malerlause On the questions of jobs, spend- Morgan, lor whom this act of ing and class sizes, an solidarity with the newspaper cuTS Executive memorandum was accep- owners was lis swan song, argued ted stating that the union's 'action strongly that a "planned return" policy (!) be kept under constant would save lower paid members of review. the union from a "free for all".

Every amendment to this, which But the vote was swung, not by smelled of militant Newspaper branches even action Society (not a single speaker representing the lower paid, but by on will "left' even mentioned strike action) paid moguls of Fleet the highly was opposed by the Executive. Street, London Radio and Man- The worthies entrusted with this Chester. task were of course ex Communist Little wonder that they should Party hatchet-man Max Morris and nor be averse to anotner year of fully paid-up Stalinist Sam Fisher.

controls. It was revealed at the Their betrayal conference that Fleet can be" seen Street had the wording of the memorandum all found kinds of individual itself. "Action' is restricted to cases solutions: where any member is made redun- In one national paper through- dant on a compulsory basis.

out last summer NUJ members had been receiving £3.20 per shift "hot

ACTUAL CUTS

weather money"! Not counted of There is no mention of "natural course against the Social Contract.

The feeling of the conférence wastage' or voluntary redundancy- the ways in which teachers jobs against wage controls was shown are actually being cut. an overwhelming majority wHen sell-out of unemployed voted _to wages aramst teachers was confirmed in the Exec- rising prices. Conference also voted for wage utive's successful opposition to later move to grant free union rises of up to £30 a week for Max Morris meetings. As the working class moves forward against the Social Contract the cosy debating circle atmosphere of the NUT will be rudely shattered and the need for a clear alternative to this betrayal will come forward.

Such an alternative must now be struggle for prepared around the socialist policies coupled with the NUT affiliation to fight the

TOT

Labour Party. This demand is central to posing break Irom "liasing' with Tory and Liberal MPs and making a development towards an independent political solution for teachers alliance with the mass of the working class.

NUJ: PHASE 3 -

BUT ONLY JUST

provincial journalists-indicating the members supposedly helped by wage controls wanted no part in them. The national executive argued st East Midland Allied Press is of East Midland Allied support of the five month strike at Kettering would lead to The had journalists already 'refused' to support. Conference decided otherwise. Two NEC members were dispatch- ed to East Anglia to call out the scattered small chapel members. Within 24 hours the result was known Almost all of the 100 journalists had obeyed the call.

The conference called for an end to deport moves to and Hosenball and to

HEEC

imprison two journalists and source under the notorious section 2 of the Official Secrets Act.

NOT ASHAMED

But after Morgan again rose to defend the NEC inaction over the deportations and arrests ('I am not ashamed of a liberal approach") call conference rejected condemn the NEC The NEC called a day of action in which they suggested yet more telegrams to the Home Secretary and a march, which they said might not dose When Philip Agee spoke to the conference who now accepts that his deporta- tion is going to happen. Since the centred asking campaign supporters of the state to rebel against its actions it is not surpris- ing that Agee now accepts that he will have to go. For events to turn out otherwise demands no less than determined

EGA LIVES

ON- SO FAR

Yet another date scheduled for the closure of the Eliza- beth Garrett Anderson Hospital came to nothing last Monday 18 April as a mass picket of hospital workers and supporters from all over London assembled outside the hospital. all Thus in spite of the of the EGA work-in,

WEAKERNE

this tactic has now resulted in no three postponements of less lian closure and kept the hospital open for more than six months.

the Even more important, example of the

EGA

workers in occupying their hospital has now been taken other hospital l0 by workers fighting closures including those in Hounslow. Thus the EGA is still the centre of the fight to defend the NHS in London and it is this fact which has led the NHS unions to organise a conference oi their tunior bureau- crats at the hospital next Friday. This move designed to co- the inactivity of ordinate union officials relies on the prestige of the

EGA

credability. work-in lor Yet the conference was ised at the EGA without the know- ledge of the stewards and NUPE the leadership of the

WORKERS

at Rolls Royce originally voted to strike on April 20 and put out a call for a local demonstration. In the face of decisions by the major factories in the area (especially the Leyland plants) restrict "action' to delegations to demonstration and Rolls Royce decided to call off strike. Instead a brief factory gate mass meeting was held which voted against the Social Contract and then went back to work. Arce strike action by NUJ members. But that is a question that none of the union officials want to raise.

Agee is shipped off they will wave their liberal handkerchiefs and settle down to write to the Home Secretary once again.

BUILDERS MARCH

IN JOBS FIGHT

thousand building Several workers from all over the demonstrated in Midlands Birmingham on April 20 to against the Tory protest Council's plans to close the Direct Labour Department.

The department employs 400 men and wil be biased out mail through 'natural wastage'.

One council told Socialist Press: "The department covers a wide area and they can it very make uncomfortable for those who want to stay on.

Alongside 'natural wastage' they'll try to 'encourage' people to leave. We see this as the first step to slashing the other departments".

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday April 27th, 1977.

work-in have been told they will though be welcome even their General Alan Secretary Fisher, will be making his first visit to the hospital. Fisher This belated attempt to bring full time officials together union (only the ASIMS delegation will contain lay members) on the ques- tion of the cuts comes as a response the first

CLASH

meeting of (the organisation formed by NHS build an all- shop slewaus London body to fight the cuts in of any such initiative the absence from full time officials.

Suspicious of the motives of full time officials, CLASH has called for a lobby of the full-timers' confer- ence to call for an end to one day protest actions and to demand an all-out strike against the cuts.

SUPPORT

Although supporting the one- protest called by London NUPE on May 11, CLASH points that more and more workers realise that one dav actions ofte no challenge to government policies and so only lose a day's pay for those taking part. to Health workers urged are support the CLASH lobby at the EGA at 9am on 29 April. London NHS stewards are further urged to

CLASH

attend the next quarterly conference to be held on May 4.

from: Details can be obtained Colin Kenny,

CLASH

Secretary, Department of Virology, St. Mary's Hospital, Praed St., London W2.

JAGUAR SANCTIONS

SANCTIONS (including two one day strikes) imposed by 100 fork lift truck drivers at Jaguar, Coven- try, in support of their demand for regrading have been met by management with thousands of lay- offs. There are something like 5,000 at present laid off. "The work done by the Direct Labour Department will be turned over to private contractors. I think that the lories will come up with the idea of Council Departments competing with private contractors -having chanci work»put in tenders for The workers have set up action committee to campaign for support. They are demanding no closures of existing direct labour schemes and no 'natural wastage'. Each job should be filled by union members -thousands of are unem- Whom ployed. Support has come from workers Sandwell Direct Labour the Department who have recently won battle to the one being a simiar fought in Birmingham.

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Page 12 Mass movement grows against Bhutto Only the frail loyalty of the rights of workers and regime of inflation and rising unem- Pakistan keeps now army ployment. Prime Minister Bhutto in Working class support for the anti-Bhutto campaign power. create mUSL of fears among the reactionary leaders Against the growing wave of the opposition that the move- to his regime Bhutto opposition martial law the ment might get out ot control.

declared are pleading banned all This is why they major cities, press oust reporting of opposition activities or desperately for the army statements, arrested all the oppos- Bhutto. ition leaders, and prepared himself army however seems hesi- The tant before taking power because of its memories of the disasters of This follows massive daily street of rule from which and its period demonstrations police guns have attacked, causing 1958 to 1971. the loss of over 250 lives in the six

CONTROL

weeks since Bhutto's victory in the rigged elections. is not totally isolated: Bhutto opposition has also called he nominally controls in the cities one-day general strikes successful an armed political militia which is and launched a campaign of civil part of his Pakistan People's Party, which includes the disobedience traditionally had And has ne non-payment of taxes. support in the rural areas where the vast majority of the population

OFFERS

the live, especially from stil This is despite Bhutto's offers Zamindars, the rich peasants.

the provincial elections to re-run movement is still prescul if and, opposition almost entirely confined to the big majority, to dissolve parliament and cities. hold a new general election.

The political situation noW the He has also responded to of the to contain many National Alli- scouts opposition Pakistan of a civil war or a ingredients ance's Islamic fundamentalism by military coup. gambling. alcohol and banning class and poor The working But this has not quelled the lose from this peasantry can only demands for his resignation.

situation until the fight is taken up The PNA opposition is led by extreme right wing Islamic forces.

platform includes Their In alli calls for compulsory Arabic lessons, no votes for women and amputa- tion for persistent thieves.

working But increasingly the joining the urban class has been petty bourgeoisie and unemployed on the demoristrations, not because they support the PNA programme but through total disillusionment

AN DEELLO.

CRUSHED

Workers remember how in the of "socialism" Bhutto name crushed the movement OI occupations which helped factory bring him to power in 1971, going

MAY 5 POLLS

Such a development will herald If apathy was running devastating cuts in social services, candidates in the coming local health and education, and are the council elections they would responsibility nsabity leaders and the take both the stand a stong chance of out- wing "lefts' who refuse to fight to remove right victory. them. That is the conclusion to be When the question of a vote for from the canvassing work drawn the local elections is Labour in which is now feverishly attempting linked to the question of a fight to to repair the electoral damage done the Callaghan-Healey drum out by the three years of wage-cutting, clique, there is widespread and social service job slashing working class wrecking carried out by the current response coalition voters. Caliaghan-Steel Unless such a fight is developed "I know Labour is the only the central political QueStIDIt working But leadership the mass party for the working class. why should I vote for it this time?"

be class organisations wall resolved. the most For this reason we call clearly it this hostility to And vote for LABOUR in the Tory which, Labour's policies for a local elections-and all-out brings the near certainty leadership and hat the Tories will take controi o: struggle

JOI

London Council and a socialist policies to be taken up in the Greater for the building of an independent political leadership to unite workers poor peasants on a socialist and programme. This is the only real alternative "choice" between to the present stark Islamic reaction or Bhutto's class repressive masquerade policies which "socialism"

NF GETS

PAST

DEMO

About 1,000 fascists from the National Front with the full protection of the police and horses, cordons, vans paraphanalia, were other allowed to march through the borough of North London 23 Haringay Saturday on April. for their cam- In preparation

GLC

forthcoming paign in the elections on 5 May, the NF decided to bring people from every part of provoke the country immigrants of this area who are mostly from Cyprus and the West males. About 2,000 counter-demon- "Duchett's assembled strators in open space in Common' small front of the tube station at Turn- pike Lane. turn out included a large The North London proportion Parties, some trade Labour Stalinists, unionists and _a tew with IMG contingents. together Immediately next to this, behind a large cordon of police, the fascists assembled. Meanwhile around the on the High Street, about 500 other anti-fascists assembled at the begin- fascists were ning of where the likely to march. This was the only group, which had a serious chance of doing anything beyond protest- ing at the presence of the fascists.

characteristic Eventually the noise of demonic drumming could Then the fascists came. be heard. and The police Were

I CYU US

Many individ- outnumbered. their ual demonstrators broke cordons and hit out at the fascists.

was suddenly full not The air only of shouts of 'racist scum' bu also with ine rea gow or smone bombs, flour bombs, eggs, banner poles and anything else that came to hand. A number of individual demon- strators were arrested at this point, but if there had been any kind of coordinated plan it would certainly possible to move out have been the onto ine roao and prevent fascists from marching. left The demonstrators were feeling hoarse, frustrated and deter- mined that next time a comparable of the labour move- mobilisation organised so that wolla be the fascists did not pass.

T&G STEWARDS

ATTACKED

In unprecedented an example of bureaucratic rule, 5 Regional the TGWU's No. Committee has withdrawn the shop stewards credentials from four stewards victimised the by management last August in Leyland's assembly British plant in Cowley. The disciplinary action followed the regional inquiry last December into the management's attack on the four stewards Since that time the Regional bureaucracy has been declare the results of the inquiry.

This has meant that the stewards have remained unrecognised for the past nine months. was instigated in The inquiry order to end the strike which had a week and a half continued for support of the after stewards the management's action. that now be seen an Lail inquiry called to investigate Lie actions of management was used to put the stewards on trial.

According to the press-the four not seen the have still stewards Inquiry Report-they were charged with calling a meeting of members "designed to discredit the District the Secretary David and suckle Senior Steward Reg Parsons.

Cont'd from front page. claim would represent. It was this same consideration for protecting Phase of the led Reg Contract which Birch, Maoist of the member AUEW Executive Committee with responsibility for civil aviation, to repeatedly appeal for a return to WOrk Meanwhile officials from 16 other unions on the airport signed "blacklegs the now-infamous charter" in an attempt to main- tain British Airway services in the face of the industrial action.

w nat nostly taere is alone members of the other unions to the engineers action is largely by their artificially cultivated leaders while is evident that the electricians in particular are come out Water pressure lo support On 21 April a mass meeting of voted to return engineers work if negotiations set up at the instigation of ACAS between the AUEW and the wages mittee resulted in a satisfactory shift pay claim being agreed between the unions. But the wages sub-committee immeidately reverted of position no negotia- previous tions until the "retured

AULW

to the fold' and the strikers went work, and so the talks back to never took place. A stewards meeting the follow- Saturday agreed recom ing to of the mend continuation stoppage to last Monday's mass strengthened meeting, and picket on the Monday morning.

FEARS

There had been fears that the stand shift, who to gain day nothing directly from this dispute might begin to drift back to work.

Socialist Press, Wednesday 27 April, 1977 Press reports indicate a substan- tial shift in the TGWU bureaucracy towards open political witch-hunt- in The the report is quoted effect that the young Asian worker stewards and the 5/293 who the Branch set protect was a used by "politically motiv- ated" people. It is also clear that the inquiry report contains details of a further attack on the 5/293 Branch and on workers the plant. militant the local press According to "radical changes" in the structure the plant are ot the proposed.

AUTHORISED

The Oxford District Committee is to be authorised to carry through Lucou Coales •Oxford The Mail confidently that all branch officers

DICUICES

will in future be elected by ballot vote on the shop floor instead of at present. branch meetings as at Such will be met with moves bitter workers

NOSLAILY

who well remember the Carvig up the 5/55 branch three years oi ago after Alan Thomett was victim- "reorganisation" which the setting up of the resulted in present 5/293 branch. w wiard, дороги Counter demonstration against NF march In the event virtually no-one crossed the picket line and those who did soon decided to come back our dan the mass meeting only At 20 of the 4,000 strikers voted resolution to stay out against and send the five negotiators with Reg Birch to a meeting of the union's EC to ask for official backing. There is no doubt that official backing would strengthen and the financial strike burden as the strike enters its fourth week. But whether the strike is made , the central issue official or not, With the remains Tane talking of government now will Phase III where settlements 5%, the only again engineers, even if they won their claim from British Airways, would have to wait until at least August 1978 for their money unless they are prepared to take on and defeat the Social Contract. As a WSL leaflet handed out at Monday's last mass pointed out: - No return to work until the shift pay claim is paid in full by British Airways management.

- Demand the AUEW National Executive makes the strike offical immediately; no more promises.

Dismantle the bureaucratic negotiating committees. For new which are answerable - Convene the BA Combine Com- mittee to mobilise national strike action. • Call on other workers, in partic- ular the toolmakers who have to act on support, • promiscu their pledge.