Socialist Press no. 62

80% VOTE FOR

STRIKE

1,500 members of the National Union of Teachers in Oxfordshire have voted to take strike action to stop education cuts. This figure represents hedy 80% of those who voted and well over two-thirds of the member- ship. Yet in spite of their overwhel- ming response the NUT Executive is still not calling them out on strike. The £3,000 million cuts in public spending announced by the Labour government in the Spring of 1976 (on which 37 Tribunites abstamed, oniy to return swutiy to heel to vote confidence economic strategy) are now working their way through to the classrooms with devastating consequences

534 JOBS

Oxfordshire In the Tory Council plans to axe at least 534 teaching lobs trom a total teach- force of just over 4,000, as ing closing nurseries, well as GOWn slicing expenditure on books and other equipment by a quarter and cutting jobs of cleaner, office and dinner staff. These measures would make mittee" Oxfordshire 103rd out oI 104 education authorities throughout England and Wales (from mid-way designated an up the scale) in the league table of pupil teacher ratios. The

NUT

began the school year with a magnificent show of strength. half day strike last Tea ise September produced a demon- they would be. stration teachers and OI 4.000 Moves parents to lobby a county council strike action. meeting, and demagogic speeches from national and local leaders of COulLy the teachers' and other public National "the fight was indefinite only just beginning"

FEBRUARY

jobs secured. then took until late February year to force unprecedented those leaders to introduce any into the schools. more

NUT

ECIOCES

practice the reasons for the intro- union's duction over the past few years of new disciplinary procedures and of wage other bureaucratic measures giving appear Com.

A CHO!

hamca vac

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

TEACHERS'

...but NUT su leaders complete control over any fight against the cuts.

Firstly the county had to be "action area". Then behind a fight. members were balloted on retual area they have done this.

to cover' sanctions. It took merely of days when these in February for teachers to of forms totally ineffective from voluntary

HOW

then began towards strike action. At least three NUT branches out of the nine in the and Executive the Executive calling tor StrIKe organised unless the 534 teachers just big enough on temporary contracts had their pressure on the These resolutions produced an "achieved something'. surge energy from NUT National Officers who, proved once they had safely manoeuvred strike action off the agenda at the 1,700 voting conference caster (along with agreeing to Phase controls), needed be doing something

EXTREMISTS

WRECKERS!

WAGE

CONTROLS®

NOW! C

hold back

ECEVIT

A victory in the Turkish Oxfordshire in full force, organ- general election of Sunday ising special meetings and pledging the whole of the union's resources last 5 June for the Repub- This is the only lican People's Party (RPP), of Bulent Ecevit seems certain They launched another ballot as we go to press. which carried an Executive recom- mendation for a yes vote on three the results action-withdrawing Monday afternoon, the won 193 seats against 165 for the

ABUSEC

activities, action on class size, and Justice right wing Sulene seist rel. Having safely defused the anger fascist frustration of the teachers Party led by Turkes had 8 seats which had built up over the year, reactionary then sat back, Salvation Party, 19 obviously hoping for a majority However, other indicate that Ecevit use local authority the basis of fuller information, is so that they can be seen to have claiming to have 222 seats, only four short of an overall majority, Unfortunately for them, reality and certainly enough for him to somewhat different. form government the 2.200 members in the county having to rely on any other party.

In the big cities 1,900 returned ballot papers, with in favour of the been well ahead of all its rivals, with 27 seats in Istanbul against 13 for the Justice Party, 3 for the NAP and one for the Salvation Continued Back Page, Col 4.

Party while in Ankara 16 cente

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

No. 62 * 8th June 1977 * 10p

STRIKE

END HOW

STRIKE

TO

STOP

CUTS

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN ISTANBUL.

TURKISH POLLS

AHEAD

have been won by the RPP again.

9 for the Justice Party and 2 f the NAP. T smatt winesparies turive very small votes. Party, closely identifie Labour with the Moscow aligne Stalinists, which had 15 declared during the 1960s, received onl RPP had 18,000 votes, about 0.15% The Maoist Turkish Unit Party of 44,500, about 0.379 got We have as yet no informatio National Action the other candidates fros who because worKers partes, Islamic the electoral law had to stand: independents. reports The elections themselves wer himself, on marked by much less violenc than expected. Enormous numbers of polic and soldiers were to be seen the polling booths and some wer without also protected by members of th KrP and lett wing parties tro the RPP has attacks expected from the fascist was some fightin Continued Back Page, Col 1

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FRANCE Demand CP-SP Government Page 2 The enormous hostility of the French working class to the austerity plan of the Barre government was shown on the one-day general strike on 24 May. mobilisation that day The comparable only with the was strike wave exactly nine years ago in May/June 1968. Ports, factories, power supplies transport and nearly stopped for the day. Nearly ten million workers came out on strike reports in the and according to CGT union paper, as many as 2½ million were involved in numerous local meetings and demonstrations.

DEMONSTRATIONS

the usual There was not just in Paris but large huge procession centre of demonstrations in every population. the tiny port of Le Havre, 20,000 people, according on a demonstration, reports, were including dockers normally

J1UL

known for their militancy.

Marseilles, 50,000 marched At according to the local trade unions.

Bordeaux, 15,000 marched At and 100,000 struck while at Rouen 40,000 demonstrators, THere WElC as the last many national mobilisation.

IN BRIEF

CHINA

Reports from Peking reveal that a treaty of "peace and friendship" with neighbouring Japan wil soon be The treaty reportedly signed. contains contamony:* clause opposing by any country Asia-a veiled attack on the Union. broadside in further China's anti-Soviet campaign was last week when the Peking fired People's Daily of May 30 carried a "Zaire's hailing front page invasion. of Moscow-engineered routing

PORTUGAL

Figures released by the govern- four ment show that in the first this year basic food months of prices rose by an average 36%, com- pared to the same period in 1976.

Portugal's economic instability by its is compounded mammoth deficit, noW payments and by a › on per of two out of five recent refusal US congressional committees to to a $300 million loan approve Portugal.

PAKISTAN

Lahore High Court has ruled that the imposition of martial law is illegal. Martial law in the city had been declared there six weeks ago by the Prime Minister, Bhutto, in an attempt to check the demon- strations calling for fresh elections.

The ruling class will certainly be Pakistan's Supreme challenged Court, this development but bound increase to Ene between the opposition parties and Bhutto, as talks aimed just old three month resolving political crisis have begun. The having unrest 15 estimated at cosi Pakistan berween S300-400 million last according to figures

BOUCU

HE POLE DE LA DROITE CARDER LE

VER PADDET VOUS LE RENDER%

OIS MITTERRON!!

Mitterand of the CP and the SP). in Among the demonstrators What lies behind this enormous many towns were large numbers of not just purely in the police movement? trade union members grievances against the industrial force, mainly in Stalinist control policies of the Barre

CGT.

Most them dominated is also part of the trend "freedom but calling simply for were of expression for the police" but revealed local and elections opinion polls of the call for new some joined in the main slogans of policies and a real alternative.

the Communist Party and Socialist This underlines the treachery of Party- "Union, Action, Common Communist Party leader Marchais Programme!" (the reformist policy

ZIMBABWE

day Last week's five invasion of Mozambique by a Rhodesia's crack unit of has raised armed forces the chorus of howis from British and American imperial- ist governments. British Foreign Secretary David "grave Owen, expressed his

COLL

cern" at the "utter folly" of the incursion.

GUERILLAS

Needless to say, his concern did guerillas not to the extend reportedly killed by Smith's racists, Smith but arose because of his fear that the attack might: "break up the Anglo-American for a negotiated settle- initiative ment obviously hoped to prevent ment." the guerillas from getting their war But Rhodesia's attack was far effort off the ground by nipping A recent report from irrational. them in the bud. Smith's administration issued by may well have But this strategy shows that last April a net 1,034 Despite claims tht they backfired. whites left the country, European huge quantities of had seized bringing the total for the first four the and months of 1977 to 3,578. This compares with the 880 who

DENMARK

period last left during the same year. exodus has been This white coupled with increasing complaints from the remaining Europeans that Rhodesia is slowly becoming whites" concentration camp • tor government's incapacity As we go to press produc- the to defend them. Denmark's leading tion 'Berlingske daily b paper, the

EMIGRANTS

Tidende has still not recom- strike against menced after four-month The military

ZANLA

(the Zimbabwe shutdown caused by a redun- Liberation Army) National dancy dispute. attempt to assuage obviously an This is inspite of the fact that white fears, and to try to halt the backing of the Danish with flood of emigrants from Rhodesia.

the TUC, the social democratic party The timing of the attack 1s also and a huge press witch-hunt against important. The dry season of May deal forced the strikers, was has traditionally November May 21 through on guerilla marked an upsurge supposedly settled the dispute.

The deal, providing £2½½ million By invading Mozambique up to a 250 redundant and by compensate fifty miles, «Nance printworkers has been the centre of seizing the town of Mapai, as well controversy ever since. Mitterand Socialist _and of the Party in keeping a low profile on the day, thus deliberately keeping fight against separate of the present policies economic search for government with the political solutions which is posed in the working class.

WRONG

This is why the 10,000 leftists in the Paris demonstration were wrong to say as the Lutte Ouvriere group "Whether it's a government of the right or a government of the workers can only depend on left, their own struggles" or the LCR "Don't count on Mitterand! Don't count on Marchais!" The workers on the move will have to try and test their leaders the of further during course struggles and mobilisations that lie and the apparently inev- ahead

CP/SP

itable march a goyelicity order to burst the bonds of one day mobilisations it is through placing demands on these leaders that the necessary task of develop- ing a new leadership will begin.

Rhodesian forces have only been able to produce a few shotguns as signs of their "victory" reports from indicate that three Mozambique Rhodesian aircraft were shot down province to the north Tete east of Rhodesia, a costly loss for Smith's forces.

ESCALATING

Moreover, by attacking LANLA Mozambique, far within Rhodesia have forced the may regime into giving more Frelimo active support to the guerillas.

This attack. will by no means be the last in the fast-escalating war in Africa. But what Southern signifies is the increasing pressures- internal and external-Rhodesia now facing. will that pressure Whether manage to overthrow Smith's racist regime remams lo be secu One thing however is certain- a long, hot summer of breventive "hot pursuit" actions and strikes, guerilla raids is about to begin.

movement support raised for the the government printers, threatened to take the unemploy- of the unions ment funds fined over fl million in (already connection with the dispute) under state administration. Moves were in hand to force unemployed printers to scab on the dispute-under threat stopping dole payments. Last week management issued an ultimatum that if production did Monday, this not

TENUIEC

supervisory labour would be used, would police and proletion distribution of strike- sought for breaking editions of the paper.

if the seen realis Communist Party commalcu SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977

MEXICO

Trade Unionist Gunned Down On May 12, in Mexico City, Peralta Reyes-a Alfonso founder member of a univer- sity staff union and a leading Mexican member Party Workers Revolutionary (PRT)-was assassinated as he with his left classroom students. It is not difficult to guess who in Mexico should want Peralta dead.

government, Lopez Portilio's like so many others throughout the world, has been forced to resolve its attacking the economic by standards of the working living class.

AUSTERITY

In imposing his austerity plans he has been helped by the fact that most Mexican trade unions are tied the politics historically and by leaders his their bureaucratic "Institutional Revolutionary ruling Party the station the ballo paper at the last of Workers of the ''he Union National University Autonomous of Mexico were an exception, was leadership

WHOSE

dominated by members of the Communist Party and organisations to the left of them and which had organised demonstrations against government austerity measures.

As such, it had become a 'focus of opposition to the government.

Alfonso Peralta was a member of its General Representative Council. A leaflet found beside his body pointed to the involvement of the September • Communist League" is a supposedly Maoist This guerilla group which Terrolesen workers' the elements in movement on the grounds that they are reformists and police spies.

RIGHT WING

Yet bourgeois journalists that Peralta's enemies are suspect more likely to be in the extreme than the extreme left of right Already another Mexican politics. General Council member of his life Peralta's Union has had threatened and his house raided by police. this situation it is essential In that Mexican workers and students fight in the labour movement for a into workers investigation this events surrounding assassination and into the political credentials of the "23 September Communist League" No other force can be trusted to carry out this task is calling for an But the inquiry by the State, saying.

"our party demands an immediate inves- tigation of the murder, along with punishment for its perpetrators.'

ORGANISED

This is a demand for the police organised (who probably further into murder) to intervene "investig- the working class with . It is not surprising that this ations" demand should have won support of the Mexican Communist Party which believes explicitly in the neutrality of the State The PRT calls itself a Trotskyist Party. It was formed last September from a fusion of two of the three Mexican parties who claimed to be "United" Secre- of the tariat of the Fourth International When the fusion took place the that they announced parties everything disagreed on almost except the need to join forces.

Already, they have seems, found a fresh area of agrement- the demand that the State should

SPAIN Boycott June 15 election SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977

AUSLAND

, The 20th Irish Dail came to an end last week with by Prime announcement Liam Cosgrave that Minister elections were to be held on June 16. major parties contending The the present the election are Fine Gael and coalition partners, Labour, and Fianna Fail, which has been the opposition major party in lost the last election 1973. During that time inflation has risen by some 25% and over 12% of working population are unem- Ine ployed. Indeed, in Dublin alone where one third of the country's populat- unemployment has risen 101 lve, by a staggering 60% in the past 18 months. The coalition strategy for these elections is to try and divert atten- its record, and to tion away trom only force posture instead as the willing able defend the and South from (mythical) IRA attacks.

with this policy, the line in government has passed a series of have anti-republican laws which allowed Irish courts to send over /vo repudlicans to prison.

These laws include the Powers Act, and the Emergency Criminal

CLAW

which allows the Southern govern- On June 15 Suarez' govern- ment of fascists will make its major attempt to date to mask itself the forms of with bourgeois democracy. About 6,000 candidates will be the 350 seats in ne

COHESIRE

lower house of the national assem- 100 different bly nearly party labels. Candidates will be elected on a list proportional representation system multi-member constit- uencies. There are seven parties and electoral alliances which are presen- more than 25 ting candidates in constituencies and so have the right TV time and nationa • radio during the elections. The seven are the fascist Falange the fascist Popular Alliance, (led by Manuel Fraga), the Union of the Democratic Centre (an alliance of fascists, and Christian and Social Democrats led by Premier suarez), Christian Democratic the Popular Federation the Socialist the Workers Party Party, Socialist (the

PSOE,

the main reformist party) and finally the Communist Party. The constituencies mandered in favour of the rural areas in order to devalue working class votes and give maximum bene- fit to the government and other lascisl parlies. While other parties have TV and tadio time, the. Suarez regime still censors all controls and heavily news broadcasts. workers' Members of parties have been harassed throughout the RELAND election dilemma ment to try political suspects for committed in the North offences of Ireland. The opposition Fianna Fail have announced that they will repeal the former act and "reexamine" the latter, if they win the elections.

This declaration is a transparent- from bleate emeral ino find the liberals who find the those coalition's draconian measures a bit too severe, and an effort to hold on to the traditionally nationalist vote of Ireland's smail farmers.

Economically, Fianna Fail are reşine indy discredit the Car a ve forward putting programme of major tax and rates "employment cuts, creation scheme

WITE

aimed at creating 80,000 jobs by 1980. Not only are these vague promises totally inadequate to deal with the problems facing the Irish class, but highly working doubtful i rianna ral have any intention of putting into practice. For during the 16 years of their previous rule (1957-73), a whole spate of reactionary measures, cul minating in an amendment to the Offences Against the State Act, which allowed the courts to convict on the word of a Police Superinten- dant alone, were enacted.

On the question of the imperial- North of occupation of the Ist campaign by the state authorities and the bands of fascist thugs.

And there is stil no word from the government about what powers the assembly will have when it is doubt, therefore, There is no which will not be happening on June 15 is "Spain's first democratic elections for vears."

SHAM

But this electoral sham 1s a the Suarez regime to the great oftensive of the working Franco's death 18 class since months ago. It is, in the strikingly appropri- ate words of Lenin about the Duma planned by (parliament) the Tsar in 1905: a bait designed to draw from the revol. the people away The bait dummy ution. was a cothed in a dress of constitution Participation in the alism elections was not just a matter-ot- fact, simple performance of one's usual civic duties. It was the solemn of monarchist constitution. a turn from the revo_- the monarchist utionary path Social constitutional path. The (revolutionaries) were bound at that time to unfurl their banner of protest • • relusng le abstaining oneself and take part, holding the people back, issuing a an assault on the old regime call for instead of working. within the framework of an institution set up

¡INTERNATIONAL NEWS

The Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

Ireland, all three main parties are No agreed. likewise. more or less wins these elections who Inalter and the coalition look to have the "cross-border advantage just now, co-operation" is bound to continue.

The problems facing the Irish inflation class-rampant and mass unemployment; savage church-inspired restrictions on the democratic rights of contraception the and abortion presence of 15,000 British soldiers in the North upholding the Orange State there-these problems will not be solved by any of the parter squabbling for votes on June 16.

Fine Gael represents in undis- torted form the interests Ireland's bourgeoisie. In this they ably assisted by Fianna Fail, électoral base is the small wise farmers and shopkeepers of Ireland, but wnose poncies dre now mex enmeshed with those of tricably imperialism. The smallest of the three parties Labour, has completely subordin- ated itself to Fine Gael at every (by opportunity entering coalition governments in 1948-51 1954-57 1973-77), and has and merely served to cross the t's and dot the is of their conservative partner's thoroughly anti-working class policies. In certain areas the semi-Stalinist by that regime." Complete Works, Vol 13, (Lenin pp 31-32).

BOYCOTT

That should also be the task of revolutionaries Spain today a In campaign for the boycott of these elections as an offensive tactic in the battle to destroy Francoism.

(The Socialist issue nexI Press will carry a full report on the elections from our correspondent in Spain]. Carrillo Foge

ISRAEL

The political crisis ensuing His first major speech after his electoral victory was delivered to from Israel's recent general the semi-fascist religious fanatics of election, which the right- in Gush Emunim sect, who wing Likud party won 43 seats inhabit Camp Kadum in the in the 120 seat Knesset (parlia- occupied West Bank. , Begin declared the seems to have been In his speech, ment), provinces of Judea and Samaria to resolved-at least temporarily.

'part of the our countrv of The of exact composition ancestors" that they "will and Israel's new government is as yet remain integral parts of Israel".

unclear, but it is certain to be made benefit the up of representatives from Likud, Palestinian Arabs who inhabit these the National Religious Party (NRP) Begin declared thai and the self-styled reformist Demo- Camp Kadums" "numerous other Change cratic Movement for West will established on the • De

(DMC).

Bank. The former terrorist leader of veiled threats cannot be These Begin, Likud, Menahem also nas ravings. Far dismissed lunatic as announced that ex-Labour Defence from it, for almost 30 years ago, Minister Moshe Dayan, be 9 April 1948, Begin's terrorist on offered a post in the new cabinet.

Zvei Leumi- gang-the Irgun Begin has not backtracked on his slaughtered 254 Arabs in the village commitment to consolidate and of Deir Yassin. further expand Israel's frontiers.

The DMC are verbally opposed

GENOCIDAL

expansionist- policies, to their instead that territorial arguing this genocidal racist can should be made concessions armed only with accomplish this, order to secure peace. machine and handgrenades. guns But it is quite clear that Begin what is he capable of with an army will brook no opposition in this 43000 2,120 combat aircraft and some tanks-not mention further backing from the

USA?

Already reports have emanated republican Workers Party (formerly from

PLO

sources claiming that 1,000 Israeli troops invaded Official Sinn Fein) is standing over of Shuba in South candidates the village But their reneging the Lebanon last week. The Israeli army have denied this struggle in the North, and the dead but there can be no doubt end reformist policies they pursue charge, that they are already there

DATA

2110 An e

KOLI

more aggressive attitude in borde presents no alternative-even as a protest vote- for southern workers.

areas. And this policy can only lead Provosional Sinn Fein, the one to a new Middle East war.

Kuwaiti daily force actually fighting imperialism Even now the paper Al Siyasn is speculating o in Ireland, is not fielding candidates since it the possibility of a fifth Arab rejects participation either the Northern or Southern Israeli war this autumn. The hard shift to the right in administrations as long as Ireland is Israeli domestic and foreign policy partitioned. socialists prospect such In this situation, in makes the conflict a very grim reality. Within Ireland should campaien in tne working class for abstention Israel no political party out on a principled basis agains!

these elections, but should connect this to a fight for the immediate Begin's expansionist policies.

Nor can any, for all of thes breaking of the Fine Gael/Labour the minimum remain committed to the coalition as parties pIe Zionist State of Israel and reject condition for voting Labour.

utterly the right of the Palestinian Indispensable to such a struggle people to self-determination.

is an all-Ireland revolutionary party fighting for socialist revolution as As long as that right is denied the only way in which the tasks the Middle East will feature as ar world posed by Ireland's aborted demo- powder-keg cratic revolution will be solved.

politics.

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 As workers take up the struggle against these policies they are forced by the sheer weight of forces opposing them to confront Only with an understanding of the role of the political questions. 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 which go beyond simply trade union militancy to raise demands, 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 'workers' 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 deepen and enrich the movement's understanding of the history and the present crisis of the Fourth International as an essențial part of our initiative towards its reconstruction.

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

SCOTLAND CONFERENCE

ВР Hard on the heels of the universally now almost suppressed revelations that British Leyland ( operates "slush multi-million pound fund" illegal paying massive semi-legal bribes to cash secure overseas contracts, report has been published detailing the shady dealings of the state-controlled oil giant British Petroleum. The firm has admitted payments of nearly £1 million over the three 1972-75 years overseas tax to officials, politicians and agents. There is as yet no way of discor- ering how many unrecorded pay- Certainly ments nave been made. workers should note the deceptive ways in which many of the admitted have payments been accounted for. handouts were "commissions" described "distribution more vaguely, expenses"- though the firm admit some were classified as "repairs" and "car hire". o ther words, seemingly innocent labels conceal the network of behind the bribes and rake-offs that grease the creaking "free capitalism's of market" As with the British Leyland case these figures being brushed

NEW POLICE

ATTACKS ON

BLACK YOUTH

The full weight of the class system of law is being felt by 18 Islington youths the on trial at the Old Bailey. Not only prosecution, do the judge and police seem determined to fix the youths up "black muggers' and 'criminals' before they have been proved guilty of the charges in any way. But the defence lawyers and barristers ( also have fully shown their class colours.

Many of them before the trial promised to cooperate with the parents and youth in a co-ordinated defence and fight the to case politically. In fact their concerns lie with with the their careers rather than youths in islington. They fail to protect their clients from the abuse of the prosecution, and several of them even tried to their clients to plead persuade guilty on lesser conspiracy counts part of deal with the prosecution. On June 3 one of the youths gave in to the pressure, causing an

LANCOVI

For such 'defence' the barristers draw £60 a day on legal aid while the youths struggle for a pittance humilations cu the old Bailey humiliations Bailey prison regime day by day.

SOCIALIST PRESS

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HANDOUTS

REVEALED

run-of-the-mill by BP 294e "Everybody does it", management. The Campaign for Demo- Tory shout the press and other cracy in the Labour Movement spokesmen for the ruling class.

is holding a Conference But for workers confronting on plunging living standards policed by Union Wage Control ( and Liberal-Labour reactionary in Scotland Democracy on coalition in tandem with the TUC Saturday June 25. such revelations can only fuel their Sponsors conference determination to resist the tor the imposition of another year of wage include the Central already Scotland of controls. Federation Trades "agents" and Stirling and District While of Councils, droves tax officials, police, Trades Council as well as stewards corrupt and branch officers from the main customs officers, bankers and off public sector unions, AUEW leading executive cream tax- and free perks and back handers, the

TGWU.

The statement introducing the guillotine on Conference includes the following living standards of workers who produce the wealth is poised to points: "June descend-holding wage increases to and July are crucial under 10%. months for the trade union move- Leyland and BP, Lockheed and ment. Individual unions such as the Du Pont have been forced to open NUM, TGWU and NALGO will be holding their conferences to decide slight chink in the armour of whether to reject wage controls or which surrounds their wheeling day-to-day and to support a third stage of wages seamy policy. ucallllg every firm unionists

TOOLROOM

must demand the full accounts and files Struggles such as the Leyland opened the workers, the electricians inspection of elected trade union- toolroom British Port Talbot and the ists. Airways engineers show a growing In exposing the corruption and determination for trade unionists to waste which capitalism fosters, such defend their living standards.

commillees win pomt lo tre neca for However the TUC is still hoping the nationalisation of majos to get a Phase IIl by the back door.

industries under elected committees Jones, Scanion and Fisher fraudul- of workers' management, as part of ently emphasise the "looseness' of a a planned socialist economy.

third stage where everything will be possible. fooled by Nobody should be this. These same TUC leaders won individual of their argument unions for the Social Contract by emphasising the "safeguards" in the agreement. They have since used these so- of the But the determination youths and their parents to fight back is undiminished On April 29 they staged a picket outside the Old Bailey attacking the collusion of the barristers with the courts, demanding control over the defence and legal aid resources for committee to be able the detence to run a tape recorder in court, for instance. Outraged at the biased press for they have called reporting of Islington Gazette picket on Tuesday 13 June at 4pm.

The local NUJ has also invited Defence Committee speakers to its next meeting.

PETITION

Hundreds of people have signed the petition, which calls on local MPs publicly ana support the Defence Committee in an enquiry into police organising dealings with the youth and their parents. And many local trade union and Labour Party organisations, having heard speakers from committee have by now given their support. June 21 black youth were On Over 60 parents and arrested in the Lewisham area. teachers attended a meeting Dragged from their beds at 5 am, held in police stations, beaten up last Thursday in Oxford with and jointly charged organise a campaign to stop conspiracy. nursery closures. The case, using photographic As part of the council's and film evidence, follows the of education cuts 80 out of the City's attack the pattern 500 nursery places are threatened islington 18 teachers and six nursery Meanwhile of and four reports police assaults on black assistants face the sack or redeploy- continuing youth in Islington As the case of the Islington 18 Mothers of young children from all areas of the city spoke up about shows, the strength for a counter- the effects these cuts on an the and ottensive police their masters lies not in the courts already grossly inadequate service.

National speaker from the but in workers' organisations.

Union of Teachers gave a report on The local labour movement must support of local the overwhelming call to take strike launch an all-out offensive on teachers for a the police by out the action. she warned that

NUT

enquiry and acting on it.

aunounced that they leaders Support and donations to: "settle". for which The Islington 18 Defence Com- would terms only require the Authority to sate- mittee, 161, Hornsey Rd., London guard the teaching standards for On WAGE CONTROL called "safeguards" to give whole the hearted backing Inasslye attacks on the working class living standards pushed through by the Labour government. The Scottish Wage Control and Conference Union Democracy designed give •trade union activists a forum to organise alternative to incomes socalist policy. is a conference for trade organising interested in now to deleat wage restraint and defend living working class standards. From this conference it is hoped to wage a campaign in the Scottish movement for the policies labour the outlined in, programme action and to organise support for struggles such as the Laird Porsch strike East Kilbride where National of the members Union of Tailor and Garmet Workers are in dispute over equal pay and low pay. TUC has The Scottish not provided the necessary lead to the Scottish trade union movement.

Council Stirling Trades motion 17 at the 1976 congress the STUC rejected the opportunity to campaign for a working class altern- ative to the social contract.

The Stirling motion included points of the many of the CDLM programme of action.

In defeating composite A of this Yeet congress the STUC have been without a coherent position policy and are unable on incomes to provide Scottish workers with a fighting leadership in the next few crucial months. The CDLM Scottish Conference that provide activists bull Nurseries fight starts children over the statutory age of five. She pointed out the necessity for parents to give teachers their full support in their actions and to urge them to include other aspects the cuts such their demands. Other trade unionists sooke oi the need to fight the cuts in their entrery omerwise a victory nurseries might merely medi shifting the burden onto other sections. The importance of Trades Council was emphasised and it was suggested that the Trades Council could campaign to expose more to the labour move- intormation ment. Questions such why the council turned down a government provision nursery grant tor more and still pays for school last year places private schools wele raised. SUCIALIDI IKÉDS, wednesaay o June, eyri much needed lead and can begin to fight to see that next year's STUC adopts a fighting alternative to the Social Contract. The major issues confronting the working class, the Social Contract, wage control, the cuts, unemploy- ment, the struggle for equal pay and women's rights and the use of racialism to divide the working class cannot be separated from trend towards bureau- increasing cratic control by trade union the union member- officials over ship. Democracy in the labour move- is more than ever a crucial ment the class question working where it is the trade union leaders Labour government who and the policing policies which are are working class pay for making the the crisis of capitalism.

IGNORED

government The Labour constantly ignored Labour Party conference decisions in following its present policies. Without consultation with the labour movement they have entered pact with the into a parliamentary Liberal Party. David Steel, the Liberal leader has "Socialism is the_one thing this country is not going to have" The

CDLM

committed to fighting alternative to for as this through its policies programme of action. The conference is at 10.15 am; 25 June Cowane Centre, Cowane St., Stirling. All details, credentials and sponsorship forms Stewart Magen. Phone from Glasgow. Carrington St., 041-332-8728. Part of the CDLM March 27 Conference in Birmingham The agreed that meeting an umbrella body be co- set up to the campaign across the city and local committees be set up in each area to canvass the streets to estimate the true demand locally Io1 nuIsery provision. A warning note was sounded on this however by Jenny Bancroft who led the unsuccessful campaign two ago save a nursery yaais school in North Oxford. She said: "We did all this-and it certainly exercise-but the necessary was a council chose to ignore our inform- ation. We must direct also into the unions-especially the

NUT,

NALGO

NUPE

have Direct forms of action such as dumping children on the council's doorstep nurseries _anu осирушь land voted foi when the time came!

NEW HOSPITAL IN

SOCIALIST PRESS,

Wednesday 8 June, 1977

CLOSURE

ROW

A brand new £25 million hospital, due to open next stands to bring year, now but to the nothing misery people of Oxford. has taken The hospital, which build, is the second five years phase of a massive scheme which planned was originally extend the Oxford Health Service, with its main centre on this site non-elected, undemo- the Oxfordshire Area cratic that it Authority has announced has no money to open the hospital unless it massacres the rest of the health service in the county.

the 472- Latest collidles provide bed hospital, the major accident unit for North- amptonshire, Oxfordshire, Bucking- and Berkshire cost hamshire £4 million a year to run.

But even to keep it closed wil the health authority at least cost £300,000 a year in security, main- tenance and minimal heating. That is without putting 31L21C patient. Anderson- "no support". Oxfordshire Area Neither the Oxford Health Authority nor the Region has any prospect of finding a fraction of this money out even of its budget. government has refused to 1 ne Equipment make a penny available. has now been stopped from going into the hospital. The John Radcliffe II is designed to be the only hospital in the area for accidents and open and surgical emergencies 24 hours a day. This is how the commissioning the sees officer of new the present over- conditions crowded Radcliffe Infirmary: and X- *Conditions in the labs level. scandalously condemnable The technicians are having to eat off the their sandwiches bench where they work on urine samples because there are virtually no rest rooms and washrooms close to the laboratories. In the X-ray department radio- graphers trying to look at film are falling over patients in wheelchairs waiting to have their X-rays done).

AHA

considering two 1. Leave the hospital alternatives: for the next ten shut-probably Open million. hospital and finance it by closing Churchill the Hospital general hospital for chronic illnesses the Slade Hospital (infectious and Rd. skin diseases) and the Cowev Hospital (hospital for the old).

WORSENING

Either option means a drastic worsening of the health service. The old hospitals are maucquate of major injection

WALTOLE

funds. The intention was not, however, hospitals but close these relieve the pressure on them. Out of the 470 beds at the John Radcliffe II, 250 are supposed to be over and above what was already available.

available. Other parts of the health service in the county are also being hit.

what are the In response to this union leaders town trade wine doing? of Last week leaders the Public National of Employees-the• biggest union the local health service-called off the only action it had planned to take-a protest day of action'.

"NO SUPPORT"

George Anderson,

NUPE

and a member of divisional officer the Communist Party (as well as a non elected member Ene Health Authority), claimed there was "no support" for THe IRO Socialist Press has been unable to discover the slightest attempt by other

NUPE

Anderson any officials to fight for action. first that many NUPE members in knew of the county ot the day action was when they heard it was called off. Another appointed trade union participant in the AHA-Les Davis- preferred face bleak not to "Let us have all the figures choice: involved in opening even a quarter will put the of the hospital and

HOUNSLOW

WORK-IN

AGAINST CUTS

Hounslow Hospital workers been in occupation for have nine weeks in opposition to Local planned health cuts. NALGO branch chairman Carl Brecker outlined their struggle in an interview with 'Socialist Press. "Two years ago public expen- diture cuts were announced by the government. When the last round of cuts was announced it became clear that the health service would come under attack. The new John Radcliffe Phase II.

NEGOTIATIONS

Up till that time negotiations through the were District Consultative Committee of the unions. this point the unions But pulled out and we began to build up an alternative structure, through trade unionists and other But Joint Shops Stewards Com- the forces determined to fight against That was about 15 months the cuts are beginning to demand back. more The next stage came when the District Oxford and backed Trades Union councu-llas union inquiry demanded a trade into the project. This inquiry must now press ahead. Questions which should be asked include: Why the Area Health has NOTe Authority been starved of money

TRADE UNTER

to open the hospital!

COUNCIL

What further cuts are already being planned in the secret com- health service mittees officials?

PRIVATE BUILDER

HOUNS OW HOSPITAL STAFE WORKI

Why did the contract-originally estimated at £11.1 million increase the to more than £16 million to private building contractor alone?

Why were design blunders in the Phase repeated John Radcliffe exactly in the Phase II building?

Above all what health provision Health Authority told the Area should be made to restore all the District Management Team that the cuts and expand the service to a books would have to balance, and satisfactory level? that there would have to be a saving Such an enquiry can become the on a standstill basis, of £717.000 centre of full-scale campaign cuts in in one vear these massive 'Good housekeeping', "rationalis- Oxford, and will direct towards the possible save question of strike action ation' might key €200,000 The remaining half- force a reversal of these policies at million would be accounted for by local and national level.

cuts in actual services.

ASTMS

health branch is The For the first time the JSSC went already on record as demanding the launched onto the offensive. We union launch national strike action our campaign. to stop the cuts. This fight must be The Area Health Authority told health service pursued District Management Team to the backed by the local and with proposals.

JSSC

up labour movement.

PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

national and local, must be particularly The leadership of NUPE, pleased with their Hampshire day of action on June 1.

Paul Dunn-claimed the one day Local

NUPE

official-area officer "made a significant impact' and to have been 'a great protest to have Workers could be excused for wondering what he was talking about, however: some sections, such as the 200 ambulancemen, took indus- Although trial action (in this case by dealing with emergencies only) most public services were hardly affected at all.

marched Only 400 demonstrators, mainly students and teachers and the NUPE delegation was noticeably small Southampton through (perhaps Paul Dunn's remarks related to this fact).

It is clear that the blame for this non-event lies with the union leader- breaking out over the cuts and when struggles ship. Al d poult unemployment, the working class is looking for a lead.

NUPE were in a position to give a lead. For it was only six months ago, their initiative that workers demonstrated Instead of building on the class unemployment and cuts in public services.

strength and willingness to fight, the NUPE leadership embarked on a compain doriad to divide and demoralise the memhershin.

Page 5 challenged these and put counter-arguments. proposals involved closi The hospitals-the Hounslow two Hounslow Chi Clinic and two wards at the sou defen Middlesex. committee was set up at each of t hospitals. Their job at that t monitor the situation their hospital. meetings involving We held staff members-union and union. All the unions grew in t period. The next stage reached was t realisation that what the hospi workers did could not, on its ou save the hospitals. the We launched cave through Hospitals campaign local Council of Action. The Tra Council recognised that the pri attack on public services in this a of London was going to be on 1 Health Service. We took our campaign onto !

streets nalgo As the rest of the area similar attack, we set up under Area Joint Union Committee.

At the end of the consulta 9-stewa period-on February indust and hospital workers workers took over the meeting the AHA. As soon as the item came ul the agenda we sealed off the de and prevented any discussion of the proposals.

The AHA postponed the cussion of the cuts until Febru they went into when session and the decision for clos was made. The Council of Action and Defence Committee mel al they and resolved that prevent closure. for the

WCT

Preparations one to two months. We y took into March before they were re On 24 March the actual clo dates announced. Wale March we announced the worl We immediately organ the Council meetings Action and the Defence Commi to explain wnal a work-i me This was a totally new con at that time. We iny tion speakers along from the EGA EGA film. showed the heavily on the very experience. The vast majority of the signed the resolution saying they would not accept any tran from the hospital. Trades Council went to The other West London Trades Cou and to the Greater London As ¡ation of Trades Councils On 5 May

NALGO

made official, so action 11 did NUPE. The official date for closu 31 August. July and August wi the teally hard months. Picke starts from July 1. The ambulancemen resolved to move pati not without the agreement of the 1 Shop Stewards Committee, and unions concerned have blacked disconnection of equioment."

HOW MUSSOLINI FELL

Page 6

TALY:

The fascist takeover was not vitable. It could have been Ipped by a policy of united ¡defence from the working had shown itself which strikes and factory the cupations of 1919 and 1920 strong and be immensely termined. lead for such a policy could have been expected from the of the Socialist armist leaders

ELY.

But such a policy was presented Third International under of Lenin and leadership tsky. words, however, did not ¡heir the Italian the mass king class. because of the that was of the main leaders of the Italian Communist Party Bordiga. Bordighists opposed the rational's assessment Their ultra-left position in foreshadowed the ways period" of Stalin in policy have such #hich was to consequences in Bordiga rejected the analysis of International that fascism was He regarded it as a reaction to a ly when the working class move- retreat inat Ene all the organisational Italian representatives at the ATrO

24UPS

onwhere in 1921 and 1922 and

RISKED EXPULSION

Gramsi. until 1924 who was on the Political Bureau of the that argued strongly embers should fight alongside Ite Arditi: and meziers asked expulsion Dy the continuation of our series of articles under the general title 'How Fascists Took State Power'.

German Communist Party was later that before the fascists argue, the reformist could attendu politically socialists must annihilated. no demands were As a result. placed on socialist leaders except the implicit demand of self-annih- ilation. CP election manifesto of The 1921 said that: must from "Every worker now on be persuaded that his class will only be able to advance Italy over the dead body of the Socialist Party, and that it is not possible to defeat the bourgeoisie without first clearing its putreiying the field of class from struggle."

LEAD

In these ways the leadership of Communist Party, the the Italian one force which could have given a fascists, lead against the contributed to their unwittingly success. The battle was not over when Mussolini became Prime. Minister. most important Though the ministries were in his own hands or those of other fascists he was still only the leader of a parliamentary coalition. Opposition parties, elections and Major trade still existed. unions were still to be faced before crises the fascist dictatorship was finally established. The most important crisis came in 1924 when Giacomo. Matteotti. the leader of the reformist Socialist.

Party (which had split in 1922 from "Maximalists"), kid- Serrati's Was and murdered by fascist napped thugs. Mussolini, still pretending to was play the constitutional game, momentarily weakened. A decisive lead might have toppled him; but again, none came.

ABOLISHED

From then on the establishment dictatorship the democracy rapidly. Parliamentary was formally abolished in January 1925. By 1928 the workers' parties were illegal and their leaders dead, in jail or in exile. Communist Party Only the managed to maintain a clandestine 1927 the Labout organisation. Charter abolished the right to strike and eliminated tree the Socialist General though Labour had Confederation actually dissolved itself before this.

A year later the fascist "unions" were also effectively dissolved.

Mussolini's This was part of general aim to destroy fascism as a mass movement and substitute for it a state dictatorship. There had been several purges of the party but only possible after 1928 when the independent workers' organisations had been smashed. In that year the nity of pat *as desires SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977 Mussolini fell from power twice.

1943 when The first time was advance of the British and from Sicily armies prompted the fascist Grand Council to censure him and the King, have him arrested and replaced with a government of non-fascist but extreme right wing politicians and military officers. staged German army dramatic rescue of Mussolini from his mountain top hotel prison and Hitler installed him for a lullie! 18 months as a puppet dictator in Nazi-occupied Northern Italy.

By this time Italy was once again in a state of virtual civil war which intensified with the

SHOWED

the leader- armed resistance unaer ship of the Communist Party.

When trying Germany in 1945 Mussolini was captured and shot by the resistance with his mistress and and one entourage strung up by the feet in the Piazzale Loreto in Milan.

situation once eisted in taly. The leadere Mussolini with Hitler. more existed in ship of the working class was now This, the second article on fascism in Italy, is the hands of the Communist Party. But Palermo Togliatti, its leader, returned from exile in Moscow in 1944 to implement Stalin's order that no revolution was to be made in Italy. Once again the Italian working class was handed over to the bour- geoisie as the CP joined an anti- front government fascist popular with the bourgeois Christain Demo- crats.

MINIMISED

When the fascists had been strong the CP leaders had minim- construction counter-revolutionary the threat and held to a sectarian aloof- united ness. from the

WOIRCIS

watt front on the Now that fascism was point of destruction the CP leaders exaggerated dangers to lustuy

CILS

an intimate collaboration with the foreshadowed bourgeoisie which today's "historic compromise".

Although actually we equate Bordiga's ultra-leit refusal to follow the correct line of the Com- munist International on the united front with the craven subservience of Togliatti to line of "peaceful coexistence" result was the same in both cases.

The task today is to construct a leadership capable of falling neither ultra-leftism right into wing opportunism. The theoretical groundwork for such a leadership is to be found in the struggle to found International in 1938 the Fourth and summed up in the method of the Transitional Programme.

by Bob Sutcliffe Partisans fight fascists in 1944.

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21- TER

Klara Zetl

FIGI

FOR

SOCI

There are many heroes of our revolutionary history, but ments of the working class and Individuals are important in so far as they aid the development of periods of struggle both there and figure in both the Second and the illegal, she had to flee into exile to There, in 1889, she attended the Founding Congress of the Second oppression question and her position on women became her most important contribution to the Marxist movement.

OPPRESSION

She was indeed one of the first.

to give the question of women's involvement oppression and political action .a fully Marxist interpretation. Her view was that women would continue to be oppressed so long as they were cut off from the world of work. The fight for women's right to treated to not be work, "priestess of the hearth" was very And the direction of important. them into unions was a question socialists had not come to easily- and indeed many left wing currents of struggling for it even fight shy today. "Above all, the Socialist ought to know that economic dependence is the basis for independence Just as social slavery or liberty subjugated by the male worker 1s the capitalists, so is the woman by the man, and she will always remain in subjugation until she is econom- Work ically independent. for indispensable condition economic independence." see beyond She was saw the solution to who those women's problems through reforms such special Captansi protection for women at work.

"The unwholesome

CONCE

quences of female labour : ..will with only disappear along the capitalist process of production."

Klara Zetkin's arguments are the bedrock of today's Marxist view on

EMANCIPATION

that the emancipation saw ane of women would only occur with a fundamental change the econ- of society and omic Fun lace in the conduction, production, domestic labour is the including only solution. Klara Zetkin argued this position in the women's paper Die Gleicheit

Clara Zetkin (right) taking the salute on Lenin's Mausoleum, 1924, with (left to right) Voroshilov, Trotsky, Kalinin and Frunze.

We reprint below the text of a letter from the Greek Communist Internationalist League, clarifying their attitude towards discussions with the 'United' Secretariat of the Fourth International (USF1) and its national sections and sym-

TER

PART ONE OF AN OCCASIONAL SERIES

OF ARTICLES ON LEADING WOMEN

REVOLUTIONARIES.

BY DI PARKIN

ALISM

Germany from 1892. This paper theoretical high and political level. Zetkin waged a constant struggle against the revisionist leadership of the mass-based German Social sided with radical Democratic Party. minority in the split of 1916.

Along with all their other attempts to turn the party from a

INTERNATIONALISM

path, these leaders revolutIonary tried to depoliticise the paper and For, allied with a position which make it more "popular. connected the struggle of women In carrying through this fight to with independent struggle of Tine maintain the theoretical level of the Zetkin the working class, Klara Zetkin paper, was providing rein- took a position of internationalism forcement for Lenin's struggles on the 1914-18 war. against the attempts by SPD leader The of hostilities also opening basic Marxist Bernstein Ievise opened hostilities the inter- principles. national socialist movement and led the of the Second to majority

LENIN

International betraying Marxist principle. The Social Democrats of France Zetkin, along At the same time German and bermany betraved the working with other leading Social class and voted war credits for their Democrats, provided considerable ruling class. material assistance in the launching The Second International was of the paper of Lenin's supporters, dead as a force for revolution. Klara They helped provide Zetkin, along with Karl Liebknecht printing organised secret presses, and her great friend Rosa Luxem- Russian type, and other essential bourg, left the SPD and joined the independent centrist grouping Zetkin carried the struggle

USPD

Bernstein's reformist against Liebknecht "We ioined war. said: positions into her analysis of the the

USPD

in order to drive them road to women's rights. She [the centrists] forward in reach of adhered firmly to the perspective our whip. that only class struggle could win these rights.

YOUTH

And argued she for suffrage Zetkin also saw the importance on the grounds that the of organising working class would never win its youth in the fight against war. Youth was: political battles dulu "the most reliable force to keep without the help of women.

a high us in a continuous intellectual and

SHIR

political Gleicheit moral development, to prevent (us from) resting paid off when the majority of its or wasting. At the

OPEN UP

DISCUSSIONS:

RECONSTRUCT

THE FOURTH

INTERNATIONAL!

side of the adult fighters ..

.. there have the willo risk and no dare who younger elements must She wrote volumes arguing against the war from an inter- And nationalist position even during this difficult period her fight was not womens yucson abandoned. In 1915 she organised an Inter- Womens Congress national Berne. This provided the first from England, Germany and France could meet one another, and was the small forerunner of what was to become the Third International.

For this endeavour Klara Zetkin was arrested and spent the rest of the war in bad health in prison.

COMMUNIST PARTY

In 1917, Zetkin welcomed the revolution in Russia enthusiastically formed German Communist Kommunisten. The revolution Russia had an enormous impact on political struggle in Germany.

the working class in the 1920s brought pathising sections. We believe such discussions, From the Secretary of the Com- munist Internationalist League to Socialist Press: Comrade Editor, We were informed that members of the IMG claim that the CIL has sent a certain letter to the USFI, with unknown content. We would like you to publish this short letter of ours, in order to put an end to every unfounded claim. If in this, we will we succeed certainly help in the work for the the Trotskyist regroupment and Trotskyism, movement, петр the only revolutionary current our time, more generally.

The atmosphere of rumours is certainly alien to Trotskyism and is fit only for places where diplomacy prevails. We never had any correspon- dence with the USFI or any official delegate from it On the contrary, have decisively we rejected an informal suggestion, that we should United Secretariat apply with unification proposals.

Our stand is determined by our with the Workers agreement League Socialist for common of our position towards the USFI and for common actions nationalism in that period.

Klara Zetkin had to suffer in this period not only the defeat of the German working class but the counter-revolutionaries of both Lebnecht and her friends

INTACT

Rosa Luxembourg who had joined the fight with her in against Zetkin's fina! letter Rosa Luxembourg expresses their close- ness rooted in struggle. "Will this letter will my love still be able to reach you? O Rosa days! I see before what me clearly the historic greatness and meanings of all your actions, but knowledge things my these cannot still the urgent demands of my heart. I cannot overcome terrible worry and fear for you personally." Following this first period of defeat, KPD took the an ultra- left turn in 1921 and attempted a putsch-a premature and disastrous bid for power Zetkin was one of the first to oppose this terms similar • to 1n "Because of revolutionary im- revolutionary section of the working class came into collision with the rest and tried mechanically as it them into struggle" say that this attempt was completely unsuccessful in this party actually ruin this if approached seriously, can be of value as a part of the reconstruct the Fourth International as the democratic centralist world party of socialist revolution.

on this level. This was and still is out position, without any vacillation. The members of the

IMG

possibly refer to some of the many here Greece the section of the USFI, the LU

OKDE,

OI sympathising USFI organisation, KEM We have many times asked these comrades discussions because we want to try and agree with them on principles and on a revolution- An agreement on programmine principles would certainly create for our unification the possibility supporters the

USE!

in with Greece. Nevertheless, we repeat now what we have stated in the past: we proceed to a uni- do not wall to lateral unification in Greece, even if there should be agreement-some- thing that is neither simple nor easy, we must add. We do plan to move independently of the WSL and our American comrades. Not because of any metaphysical respect but for very real and agreements, concrete reasons. We are interested in the Fourth International and not in the building of Trotskvism in a rage This party was in fact to become not only the biggest and broadest based, but also perhaps the Stalinised and impotent Communist Party. Its bankrupt leadership left powerless the growth of fascism, which Zetkin had sharply as a profound danger to the working class. Zetkin spent her last years in Russia-an old Bolshevik, ill at ease with Stalinism. ЕРІТАРН Her statement in presenting the Women's Theses to the Third Congress of the Communist Inter national is perhaps a good epitaph for this key fighter for women's rights and socialist revolution: "Whenever the question of the taking the Com arises. munist Parties must consider the great danger the revolution represented by the inert, uninform- ed of workers, masses housewives, employees, peasant liberated from the women, not influence of the bourgeois church and bourgeois superstitions and not connected in some way or other with the great liberating movement communism. Unless the masses of of women in the east and west are this movement they drawn into stronghold inevitably become the of the bourgeoisie and the object of counter-revolutionary propaganda.

fight to single country. Lately we have sent two letters, one to me do one cal and another to the KEM (sympath- ising organisation), with the same before and with the PIU DOSdIS request that they accept a dele. of to national gation the conferences of each of the organ- isations. The OKDE informed us in retro- that they had sent spect the ot translation our enter United Secretariat. They had of course the right to As your readers must well do so. understand this is somehow different from having letter to the USFI. Moreover, let us add here that of the USFI, in its the section conference, rejected our proposals two-thirds discussion by majority. impossible arguments us was for to the understand the against immediate comrades opening of discussions towards the unification of the Trotskyist forces, despite hard efforts on our part could

IMG

Perhaps members give a better explanation to you.

Yours fraternally,

Page 8 Letter: Dear Comrades, your readers will be Most of of the terrible repression the Chilean Military unleashed by Junta since their right wing military that toppled the government coup Salvador Allende Gossens on of 1973. September 11,

BOUNCIS

were shot or subjected to a torture routine at the hands OT different branches of military intel: ligence. many met their deaths in Also concentration camps. The dull thud of General Pinochet's meat cleaver continued until 1974 when torture forms of repression and more systematic with the became formation of DÍNA (National Intel- ligence Directorate).

GESTAPO

was the coordin- DINA's task ation of the various military intel- ligence branches into a text-book

DINA

"proved" tortures competent and of the military plus the Patria y Libertad (Fatherland and Freedom) ¡a fascist para-military organisation.

There are also few prima- donnas like H. Tuane a psychologist and "academic" doing research into plus a few psychological torture, Brazilians who came to practical fame with their use of dentists'

DENTAL SERVICE IN CRISIS

TIME TO

STOP

THE ROT

Anyone who has tried to

NHS

dental treatment get knows there are problems. The of private dental majority working class atients are who are unable to get cople the NHS treatment they are apposedly entitled to. And when they get in to see the working class children are dentist. likely than middle classR •ViC children to have their teeth pulled lout instead of filled. The problems in other words are completely tied in with the oppres- sion of the working class. This fact Socialist completely escaped the panel dedical Association's ot speakers at sparsely attended The Future of ¡Dental Services' last weekend.

SMA could only suggest new form to make lesigning a patients aware that it is up to them to find out if they are being treated ¡rivately or on the NHS! Certainly the problems are The dental daunting. SerVICe completely unlike the general prac- titioner service in the NHS-in rich a patient has certain rights a a member of a doctor's 'list'.

a dental patient you have rights. No dentist is obliged see you, no matter how serious pain you are suttering. the dentist's It i entirely al ¡discretion whether you your OI daldren are taken for a course of treatment. And his obligation the moment he gets your igoature on the lengthy form that narts the end of the treatment.

if you are in Eren agony the next day he is not required ever to sce you again. obie to do sam work at his only treatment he is only discretion as necesata to make you adequately dentally derelop hours an outside even while

CHILEAN PRISONERS

drills to break | people's teeth in Brazil. The CIA is also believed to have acted in an advisory capacity, with Walter Rauff, an old German Nazi leader to complete the spectrum.

SOLIDARITY

1976 saw a shift in the Junta's tactics of repression thanks to inter- national solidarity actions which exposed the regime's barbarism, and some of the Junta's friends became increasingly embarassed notably the President of the United States. Thus in January 1976 the Junta Butcher Pinochet. a decree, "protecting human passed then disappeared rights" it received its reward in May of that year when US treasury 50% nad 'sdisappeared. Readyes "disappeared". Readers Simon granted $90 secretary who would like more detailed infor- Further million economic ald. mation about this should obtain the indirect aid was lecelyca nougu pamphlet, "'Chile's Secret recent US financial institutions making a the grand total of $1.8 billion.

Prisoners" from Chile Com. Human Rights: 1, mittee for From then the Junta on, Cambridge Terrace, London NW1.

towards a developed a tendency In March this year eight young two-pronged method of repression: Chilean workers were arrested in first, secret prisoners, and second prisoners on trumped up charges of Santiago. Their • names are: Fernando Espinosa, Ulises Galardo being common criminals, thus reducing the official statistics for Eliseo Abally G, Eugenio A., M, Quilodran C, political prisoners. Bizama Roberto Vazquez D, Raul Jimenez prisoners have Chile's secret than R, and Mario Victor Leivo Castro.

the norm rather become were handed over to the isolated cases. In January They 19/4. 37% of prisoners who were arrested

DINA

and savagely tortured for familiar problem of finding emer- gency dental care. Dentists are paid on a piecework Every the

NHS.

basis unique filling, every item of treatment has its agreed price. This is negotiated by the British that Dental so an "average dentist, working a 35- dentist, hour week with six weeks holiday deriving 90% of his a year work will earn income from NHS the 'target salary'. This arbritary figure is calculated from the notoriously low estimates be found dentists' tax to on returns. The target salary also incor- 56% to pay the dentists' (rent; practice expenses, wages; the produce to equipment, etc), target gross income of over £18,000 per annum. * Less than 40% of the population atten a dentist on tea eart London has one dentist for every 2,000 people: but Hartlepool has The National Health Service has no control only one for every 9,700.

over dentists-who cost £40,000 each to train.

* Dentists operate a piecework system. There is no quality control over their work. So doing rapid shoddy work with old-fashioned equipment in with underpaid assistants increases the dentist's dingy surroundings prOnly 200 out of 13,800 Dentists belong to the Fluoridation Society.

Only i in 8 regular attenders at dentists' surgeries are taught how to clean their teeth to prevent disease. Even regular attenders keep their teeth only an average six years longer than non-attenders.

for this reason, they have tended to The result is that the faster dentists work, the corners take a back seat on the fight for mole they cut, the less they pay for staff the most basic preventative even and equipment, the more cash they measures. Tooth decay, which particularly make. affects sweet-eating children could And the other side of the coin is that as more patients are forced to sensible ventine by establishing eating habits and by seek treatment, and the private Yet spent on NHS fluoridation of water. while of hours been work falls year by year, the price of doctors have extenslycly involved in fighting to cut cigarette each item of treatment is increased to ensure dentists still make their advertising, most dentists seem to tolerate the damage done target salary"! happy children's teeth by advertising Dentists as a result have a rested Rowntree. Cadbur and in the Datinuation of irom Mars. four days, at half hourly intervals throughout 24 hours. The wives of who were also prisoners the incarcerated, were threatened with raped by the torturers in being front of their husbands. of these young men Inspite being accused by a major Chilean of political newspaper the Military Fiscal prisoners, handed them over to the anonym- ity of Santiago's civil prison.

As your paper has had a much more consistant position on defend- ing human rights than many papers with many times your resources we hope that you will once again give practical assistance in publishing the names of these eight young men. ion of Public Empho as nal Employees has Union Public acted swiftly in attempting to gain as to their further information treatment. We hope all your readers in the through their labour movement, trade unions, political parties, Students Unions or Solidarity Com- they exist will mittees publish these names so that the will know that the outside is aware of their barbarism they and that one day

JIG USI

account for their crimes in full.

Nick Beeton Hackney and Stoke Newington Labour Party. And only 200 dentists have even to join the Fluoridation bothered Society-while even less are actively fighting for fluoridation.

Figures show that most dentists are also allowing gum disease to rob their teeth. Patients Only one patient in eight who attends a dentist is given

THALEUIL

tions as to how to brush their teeth to reventle tod sush elementary payable for such elementary preventative measures. What is needed to ensure that the dental service is made available to those in need of treatment is a full-scale attack on the professional of the

BDA.

This monopoly requires a programme that will: 1)End all health and cuts Massively expand the education. force of trained dentists and those the basic able to carry out work needed for pre- educational ventive medicine. 2) Eliminate the piecework system and substitute a salaried service for dentists administered under the control 8, elected trade union committees.

3) An and private practice SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977

PRESS

GANG

It's been a long time since Fleet Street has been so free Unabashed by doubts that the cast at the National Theatre might not fit the roles assigned them, the Management wanted to remove a agreements to sink to the The Daily Telegraph in a long, concentrate on the real issues-the Cooper) is fat, (Konrad steward he strides about the *As concrete complex on the South Bank, he has, words in the Julius Caesar (one of the current productions) the "Jean and hungry look" of a Cassius of whom Caesar said "such men are dangerous".

full treat- Fredericks gets "former ment understudy -confirmed Trotsky- nude review. ist" and even his attempts to avoid speaking to the Telegraph are seized on as evidence of his evil intent.

Under pressure form the press to some kind of statement produce the strike went to committee nearby cafe and drew one up. They needn't have bothered. The the Telegraph statement is described had clamoured for thus: "It was signed NT Strike Com- National mittee, and headed Association of Theatrical, Tele- and Kine the vision Employees, men's union which has incidentally condemned the unofficial dispute.

of the was in traditional left wing couched jargon, describing the manage- action as a campaign of ment's harassment." Other papers dealt with it more briefly but no less viciously. In the Daily Express it was "Theatre Absurd"_"Enter left, the far Kon Trotskyist boss илоП Fredericks On the day the strike ended the "Curtain Express headed its Down on the Strike Farce".

Theatre's long "The National Washbasins will farce finally close today." quoted GLC Arts piece Committee Chairman Bernard Brook Partridge, as saying: "I was elected to be

JUL

for industrial bottomless PuIse The Mail and the Guardian also 'funnies' ran vicious about strike. This campaign was unusual in one respect. It was partly as a result of the mauling-and the press marks that appeals to dollars and were being forfeit-that the union officials felt able to move against the strikers, threatening to sack the union (a move them from which would have been followed presumably by them being sacked from their jobs). Wilson, General Secretary John of NATTKE said: wanted "The strikers nothing surrender. short of unconditional No management is going to tolerate that. The National Theatre gang with its liberal pseudo headed by £26,000 a year director Peter Hall, , big name scabs and a seemingly determined strike leader- ship provided the right conditions for Fleet Street to find themselves a pantomime demon king. Perhaps the saddest quote came from Michael Bryant, the actor who plays Lenin in State and Revolution at the National. From the back of the remarked: crowd he meekly There doesn't seem much we can

CAPITALISM BLOCKS

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977

STEPS AGAINST

'ACTS OF GOD'

Until recent years generally which attaches much priority to with this work. regarded fear and But it has been the Chinese, "acts of god", mystery as making use of 100,000 workers earthquakes are now beginning throughout country to be much better understood monitor continuously for signs of scientists. This is opening by earthquakes, have made the first two successful predictions of up the possibility of improved damaging earthquakes. methods of avoiding large The most impressive was that scale destruction and loss of which occurred near Haicheng, in life. Lianong Province in February, 1975. minimising the conse- Key to quences of earthquakes is work

EVACUATION

towards accurately predicting them, combined with a readiness to take As a result of mass evacuation measures to cater for the health and from the area very few of the one social problems that earthquakes million who lived in the people killed, bring. earthquake walt important in earthquake despite the fact that the town was

MOHI

prediction has been a new concept completely destroyed many for analysing the structure of the factories were badly damaged.

The Chinese make disaster to the immediately underlying immediately preparations layer. earthquake response This called plate prediction. tectonics, sees the upper layer of People are re-housed in simple the (the 'lithosphere') earth shelters they are helped to CO.- divided into small of struct themselves, and medical and semi-rigid both rescue teams are organized. Import- plales move relative to each other, and relative due antly, tiancial losses underlying layer (the do fall earthquake not 'mantle'). individuals. This contrasts with what

EGG SHELL

expected to California happen in should the US government issue an These plates can be likened to earthquake prediction in the near fragments cracked shell "floating" fluid TuTe on the more Immediately, the sale of earth- contents of the egg-which are not quake insurance policies would be of the the deeper layers banned and property values would earth. fall to about half their pre-predic- 99% of all earthquakes occur tion value. of movements at plate because Property speculators would step boundaries. and encourage panic selling of earthquake zones are on the most order to make nute active plate boundaries. profits when property Thus earthquakes most 41 C after the earthquake. common in the mid Pacific region Many of those affluent enough and in a zone stretching from the to leave the earthquake area would Himalayas into central Asia and probably do so. China, and westwards Factories would and close Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey and parts businesses move away so that many of the Mediterranean. of those left behind would become The development of the notion unempioyed. of plate been tectonics has oniv With dwindling financial possible since the setting up in the would be unable to resources they 1960s

UTSI

WONG WE

afford even a short stay away from of network stations containing home during the most dangerous instruments to detect earthquake period unless they sell any property shock waves. they might have at giye-away prices.

These developments were accel- erated by the desire of the military

WRANGLES

detect underground nuclear LO distinguish explosions and them earthquake Whether the from earthquakes. not there would be occurred But for detailed more legal wrangles over complicated predictions of what time and where who was responsible earthquakes are to take place much of loss prediction. conomic more elaborate monitoring Earthquake scientists are already needed. such disputes, involved There are at least 15 different threatened with for legal action tell-tale which indicate Sens lowering property values by a false is approaching. These earthquake earthquake prediction. cuanges In Tone At present, however, earthquake height and distance between survey prediction is full of uncertainties as points; tilting of the ground, witnessed by the false alarm given changes in the frequency of smaller Haicheng, an at едісл наке tremors; changes in electrical resis- China, in 1973 when buildings had lence ol cne grouna, cnanges in tne to be evacuated bitterly cold emission of radioactive gases from and the recent weather. underground water; changes in the Chinese failure to predict the Tang- lever and taste ol waler Wells, shan earthquake which claimed per- haps as many as 750,000 lives: But should the worst happen, it

MONITOR

is important to realise that the cost Obviously to monitor all these of strengthening structures to with- factors is a huge task. Japan is one stand the effects of a large earth- of the few quake, when considered in the light

BY OUR SCIENCE

CORRESPONDENT

of the cost of reparing the likely earthquake damage of the and of injuries, deaths, costs disease, loss of production capacity and environmental damage, trivial. For multi-storey steel and rein- forced concrete buildings the extra cost would vary from about 5% to 20% of the present construction cost. small one or two storey Even masonry buidings could be similar- ly strengthened to resist structural cost of about 15%- damage at a 30% of the basic construction cost.

A good example of the contrast in earthquakes of response different and structures how

COT

earthquake disasters affect workers far than the peasants

HUIC

bourgeoisie and rich landowners is given by the experience of the large earthquake Juatamalan February 1976, which was felt over an area of at least 100,000 square kilometres, claimed than more 22,700 lives and injured more than at least fl, mints estimates tota.

76,000 The principal hazard to life (as in most earthquakes,) was in the collapse ot structures At the time of the 1976 earthquake there were no laws governing building codes in Guatamala and it mandatory design to nOL structures to withstand large earth- quakes. Most and mid houses wi houses which wood and collapsed under the slightest 88,000 such shaking. houses destroyed in the vicinity of Guata- 435,000 mala City alone and people were left homelss.

families The bourgeois of Guatamala lived in better designed The myths of the "patriot- ism" of the British working class were well shattered by this compassionate insight into the shop floor of the Wool wich Arsenal where shells and ammunition for the 1914-18 imperialist war were manu- factured. Prior to the outbreak of the war the Arsenal functioned with a small worktorce producing a smali т1a18 output of ammunition by obsolete technology. The slaughter in the trenches of France by British, French and German imperialism required shells hitherto unprecedented quantities. For example in 1915 in three days of shelling the British forces used as much as in the whole of the Boer War. These increased requirements meant the wholesale recruitment of female labour into the since male workers were sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.

Recruited from domestic labour jobs as servants to the bourgeoisie where they earned 5/- a week, the £4 offered by the Arsenal was a sufficiently big enough carrot.

Far from these women "doing their bit" for British imperialism they of course leapt at the chance of increasing their standard of living and that of their families. By 1918 Wool- 27,000 women worked in wich Arsenal. this, however, They did at health. enormous risk to their constructed houses firm and foundations which were not seriously affected by the earth- quake. modern büildings Large, designed to be resistant to such as the new Finance Ministry Building Guatamala CitY is contrast was no where more were completely undamaged.

acute than in the vicinity of the Rio gully Barranca steep-sided which forms the western boundary to Guatamala City. A road bridge, cited as a shining example of earthquake resistant design, crosses inis guny near an where workers and area were forced to build mud ployed and adobe houses perched on the very edge of the gully. After the earthquake the bridge but the houses was undamaged collapsed and destroved were their thousands with great loss of life and numbers of injuries.

"FIRST AID"

Aid er the caehas ke shused to was used to rebuild the communications linking the interior with the sea, to ensure that material the US needed to

WOMEN AT WAR

A REVIEW OF "WOMEN AT WAR" SERIES, 'THE ARSENAL GIRLS',

BBC 2 SHOWN ON MONDAY MAY 9. By GILL BLACKWELL even, of course, risk of death.

On the other side of the Thames the Silvertown Explosives factory blew up, causing such enormous devastation and loss of life that the details of the enquiry were covered up for 50 years. The most dangerous jobs in the Arsenal-in the ch suer unded B which surrounded were each water to reduce spread of fire and off all explosion —medl and changing into "clean metal area" garments to lessen the risk of sparks. The job entailed a fortnight about system of two weeks filling shells and two weeks weighing TNT since exposure to the explosive was extremelv dangerous After two weeks their skin was yellow-they tanned were nick- 'canaries'-and they were named issued with two daily pints of milk and given frequent medical examin- ations and blood tests. The working conditions were appalling with 12 hour generally shifts-7 days a week. were no tollet facilities for the fact women-a which employers argue in prevents them taking on female labour-so and had men women different shifts throughout the day for the common facilities.

was continuously Speed-up demanded-the blackmail of "think of the boys at the front" being a convenient weapon. However this was not achieved easily, and the • workers Page 9 Unscathed after the Guatamala earthquake, the finance ministry building- import from Guatamala could flow Meanwhile, workers, again. and peasants the unemployed remained homeless. A balanced approach to the reduction of earthquake possible must include the widest of the technology of both • LE and of the earthquake prediction engineering of earthquake resistant structures. Scientific other workers and must organise now to draw up safe land-use and building codes.

They for the must press immediate strengthening potentially dangerous existing especially structures, high Tise offices and flats, dams, houses, etc They must demand to oversee the implementation of these measures.

At the same time workers and peasants must establish their owr earthquake defence committees to prepare to meet their food, water housing and medical requirement will even more felt in the aftermath of an earth quake than betore. The struggle foi these will bring rights however, workers and peasants into con flict with bourgeois ments and must form part of against

HOIC

sti 881l capitalism. many anecdotes to tell of manage ment being ridiculed and evaded in their efforts discipline to Many of the workers were mothers whose children were cared for in the creches provided by the Arsenal. Children also slept in the their mother: shift. This of worked the night course was a widespread practice ir both imperialist wars for capitalisn nurseries when they concede required female labour.

CYNICISM

The cynicism of this move is o course revealed by the tiny fractios of those nurseries which are avail able today for working mothers.

the end th the problem for the bourgeoisie wa how to force these women back to their old jobs as kitchen maids an‹ parlour maids. The women of course preferre the wages and conditions of bein organised work force unior appealed their trade leaders. Lloyd George offered them fl each severance Their unior pay. leaders rejected this and led a strik and a march to Guild Hall-demand ing-25/-!! With this complete sell-out o by their union leader. their jobs the capitalists got the women ou of their factories but the womer chose the dole rather than go baci to domestic | h017

INDUSTRIAL NEWS

: GRUNWICK LINES HARDEN

Fire Delegates to the Brigades Union's Annual Conference overwhelmingly Executive's supported their recommendation to reject Phase 3 of the Social Contract, and to go forward with a claim for large rises based on a job evaluation document the EC has produced. The EC said that also. they would hold a recall one-day confer- ence to discuss the results of their This 'left' position prevented a resolution from firemen for a £10 increase plus a calling cost of living clause even getting a seconder from the 200 delegates.

The EC argued that their claim could an increase of much more than £10! angry mood of firemen the with came 1T110 conierence delegates quoting some of their members working a 48 hour week and still drawing suplementary benefits. By putting on a 'left' face the EC also managed get the conference to endorse a reactionary move that they had made before They started. comedice actually barred two delegates from the conference and sent them home. The delegates-one from Essex and one Strathclyde-were trom accused of lending their names to you don't like rulings leave the Conference.

With these characteristic words, FBU General Secretary Parry Terry attempted to rigid bureaucratic enforce control over this year's Trades Councils Conference. In the first ten minutes, discus- sion on a motion against the Social Contract ruled out of order. was Parry that with stating was policy"- which "against

TUC

apparently is seen as inviolable.

When the mover asked for the matter to be put to the vote Parry him (which threatened to name would have meant his expulsion Rule 12 of Conference proccuuIe)-

APPEAL

the As business moved on to Trades Counciis Report, the Oxford Trades Union Council delegate took up the issue of the disaffiliation last year of Oxford Trades Council, and challenged the refusal Trades Councils Joint Coordinating any appeal Committee to allow against John But Power, right-wing the Oxford president of Trades Union Counci-a trom Oxfordshire CATC-thanked the the TCJCC for refusing to hear the appeal. However, on resolutions put at the Conference the platform took a series of body blows, with the majority of delegates rejecting their recommendations. defeats First these OI was In Law opposition to the Criminal Bill, the proposed outlines of the new Crimmal frespass Act.

Seconding the motion, Mick

FBU)

(Aylesbury Five, stressed that the Pentonville jalled pickets only freed

WELL

FBU WITCH-HUNT

an organisation called the "Rank and File Firefighter". leaflets of this One of the organisation had a photograph of the Essex delegate Terry Segars, addressing a rally of Essex firemen, held to fight the cuts. When the Executive demanded they the spank say whether supported the and Firefighter" neither delegate denied it, and they were both sent home. Neither of their names was on the leaflet, their nor wee addresses. The victimised men simply did

ACTORY

CUPIED

The Greenwich occupation.

Trades Councils revolt the Grunwick's dispute could be

UPW

won only the the and EETPU would take action instead of cowering before threats of legal injunctions from the NAFF He showed how the Bill would allow legal against pickets or workers occupy- ing their place of work. The motion was opposed by the platform, who argued that among the "good points' of the Criminal Law Bill was the fact that it limits for to three

CONSOLE

in jail! The motion was months carried. motion calling for wage be consolidated supplements to under the Social Contract and toI "more flexibility" in future wage negotiations, was seen by delegates available battleground as the only against the Social Contract.

Many speakers opposed the motion stating complete opposition to the social Contract as a wole The motion was massively defeated.

When the Bullock Report came The last fortnight has seen a hardening of battle lines in the Grunwick dispute. On the side of the union bureau- this involves the

APEX

cracy, Conference's Annual no move towards taking absolutely escalation of APEX's involvement save a 10% levy in the strike, of funds support the strikers. No strike in resolution support. No condemnation of the TÚC for refusing to bring its weight down on the UPW and other unions not denounce it and therefore this meant that as union representatives they were giving their name to rank and file organisation the leaflet The "crime" called for apparently was that it strike against the cuts-a action policy the EC opposes. They claim because strikes are unnecessary altnough tnere nas deen a dop m personnel, nobody has been made redundant. The action of barring elected delegates from a union conference precedent and dangerous must be strongly fought. up for discussion many delegates strongly opposition- spoke participation demanding not control management but

WOTKEIS

over industry. Ken Graham from the platform should not argued that delegates vote against a motion "just because the platform supports it.

TORIES

He claimed those who rejected themselves Bullock would find "allied with the Tories and the motion heavily The was

CBI.

the right wing of defeated-with course voting in favour. For the bureaucracy, therefore, though explicit motion was no passed against the Social Contract, Trades Councils Conference must have come worrying sign of the hostility of trade union- ists continuing TUC-policed wage controls at all. On the side of the management a of harassment has been campaign rekindled. One of the leaders of the strike, Mrs. Desai, has been arrested with and charged tireatene behaviour after one of the Directors drove a car into the picket line and levelled abuse and personal obscenities at those in his path.

In the eyes of the law any resis- such tance to attacks constitutes behaviour" "threatening especially it you're an AsIan. On the side of the strikers there is more determination than ever to win defeat the not onlv

STEEL SIT-IN

SUPPORT CALL

The occupation Re- at the discovery of management-kept Steel Services in inforced dossiers on leading mutants in the factory and on job applicants, and Greenwich is now in its exposure of the involvement of It began when fourth week. the extreme right-wing Economic six workers were sacked, and League, and the Special Branch, in seven suspended, as a result providing information on 'extremists'. of the whole factory striking in support of the

NUPE-

FILES

called 11 May demonstration against the cuts. The workers' opening of the files also starkly revealed collab- The British Steel Corporation, oration between management and of which RSS is a subsidiary, had.

the ISTC-one of the unions already announced plans to close the plant, but it was only when -at the time of a safety workers occupied that they strike earlier this year.

Tone discovered detailed plan for During the present occupation

ISTC

officials the have been small substitute factorv in Enteld which would use equipment from busily sending telegrams telling the Greenwich plant. the strikers to return to work.

This Despite this co-ordinated plan had not been strikers mentioned in any of the closure the opposition are standing firm calling for and "consultations'. This came at the same time as support from fellow steelworkers and other trade unionists They received very quickly backing NUPE workers i trom SE London from a and even hospital in Sheffield. They are calling for full black- ing on steel reinforcement rods at building sites, London's and on movements of rods to the South S FACTUr East.

PIED

This means they are asking for support from dockworkers in in London, and from workers other plants (Sheffield and New- port) of the reinforcing section of

BSC.

SUPPORT

*Resolutions, messages of sup-

PED

port, and finances should be sent to: Mitchell, Branch Secretary 24, Rd., Kentmere London SE18. Nuneaton sacking strike The sacked man had refused to Half of the 50-strong work- stack goods in a van driven by a Universal Vacuum force at while manager from another firm Coatings in Nuneaton walked the driver himself sat chatting in defence of and was instantly dis- out last week the office, missed with no chance of union a victimised worker, who had representation recently organised the factory The two shop stewards sought for the TGWU.

TGWU

bringing in District Official Ron Marsden, who rapidly concluded that they stood no chance of winning. The stewards would not leave the matter there, however, and last Monday called a strike which was 25 of the supported about by totten management but also the mainly women workforce. impotent union bureauciats whose There is no doubt that manage- "good ideas" frequently are ment (who laughably claim to have With nothing short of sabotage made a mere £68 profit last year, labour continuous moyement while driving Jaguar cars) are deter- support on the picket line, and a mined to resist the strengthening of that winning awareness hold down the union in order to depends on the initiative and indep- wages. of the strike committee Men earn a basic £39 for a itself the next month promises to 40 hour week-while women who bring real progress not final work side by side in assembly work Even with the money are paid a mere 49p an hour- -giving the NAFF behind them, Grunwick a take home wage of £18 for a 40 management had better not count hour week! on winning this one.

TGWU

Full official backing Monday June Mass picket, given at once to these 137 00

HEALEY SPELLS OUT

PHASE 3

It's Phase 2 for a second This is the reality that year. Denis Healey emerged when put forward the government's wage Phase line on controls at the Nottingham- side shire miners' gala. that the govern- Healey stated ment's workings were: with 'extremists' the assumption that "based on Even as a whole, the nation's earnings so on, do including overtime and more than 10% in the next not rise round." The That is exactly the same as Phase ally,

TOT

All the trade union leaders have General in regular talks with been Union. They have all known government. the government's this was position from the start. talk of flexibility and All the differentials has been nothing but a was unchanged position; cover lor an that there must be a definite limit.

How the small amount available be kept. Basnett, distributed be can, arranged 'flexibly' Even the talk of 'self-financing' prices and productivity deals is left vague to budget. leave open the question of whether this is included in the 10%.

The It is in this light that we must for an of the recent union wage look at some conferences and meetings.

At the NUPE conference a resol- opposing Phase 3, whatever ution was defeated the TUC decides on, by a 2-1 majority. The EC's motion that was adopted shows pay the union whole way how

TANE

is acting in terms oI bureaucracy manoeuvres and contempt for their membership. included the The resolution words: has not "The government of the social honoured Pall contract" and therefore went on to: of wage form "reiect dIly control". But as soon as the resolution was Fisher actually used it passed. using the support argument that it's not wage control you reach an agreement witn your employer or with the govern- ment. was great hostility from There maintenance engin-

AUEW

Heathrow eers The action in industrial resumed of their pay support claim. meeting on Friday At a mass 4,000 workers voted 3 June, •ine the for an immediate overwhelmingly overtime ban and a 40 hour strike until their claim was each week conceded by management. The negotiators reported to the British Air- meeting that although ways had increased their offer the previous Tuesday, they withdrew it a few hours later, insisting that the engineers should reduce their claim in order to enable negotiations to The position of the five nego- the claim tiators was Enat involved for shift pay increases of between *33% had been endorsed British 20% and Heathrow engineers attend a mass meeting.

continuation the conference to Fisher's position Contract. but the manoeuvre was successful.

It was carried by a 6-1 majority.

At the APEX conference a resol- Even the equally ution was passed supporting a rhase dominated Iron 3 amid a mass of talk about price Confederation controls, reduction of taxation and represents 112,000 members, called productivity deals. This went along- "orderly" for an resolution witch-hunting conditions for a Phase 3 of produc- stopping any special payments to the Labour Party unless they dealt tivity differentials. the leadership nere unsuccessful in trying to oppose a resolution calling for a restoration This resolution of the cuts in public spending.

committing that union to a numeric- most important, 3 and a resolution opposing it was the right-wing, was lie defeated by 104 to 17. conference of the 926,000-strong Workers and Municipal that the clear coming out quite evenly Phase 3, against supporting Phase 3 are calling it an Despite the fact that this union is dominated by the right-wing "orderly return the The still necessary resolution passed to contain a mass Delegate Biennial of conditions-none of which will July, million votes General

GMWU

becoming clearer. Secretary, called for more action on The week took a unanimous decision summer a relationary to buck an calls animous vot standards must be Living maintained, he said. resolution. adopted called several resolution Communist Party. "orderly return" to free bargaining-which More than 100 NUJ members for working England to fight for a agreement. Echo, agreement trom October that all

NUJ.

That agreement has Basnett Heathrow action restarts by the Executive Committee of the the total AUEW there was no way they were prepared to reduce the claim.

of the latest withdrawal action offer can only be seen as further provocation by the British Airways future, the near negotiators management. the mass meeting, there formula the management have been able to there the men, offer it, and so the reduced offer is question going to be paid. totally inadequate. doubtful, however, There is remains government will tell British whether the action the men intend that the shift to take can win further concessions from the management. Each shift will strike for eight Contract. hours each week at a point where shift system, of wage because of the round will lose British Airways 40 con- August, it is will secutive hours of maintenance men none of the day shift are the and since in the action 3. keep managed to Halways defeat the would inevitably for support to eering industry. Workers leaflet distributed at mass of the Heathrow engineers.

The support workers in Maintenance a victory members, And the indefinite AUEW claim is paid in full.

After 11 weeks of bitter struggle of the Social against employer, the striking and the press, Talbot electricians voted wing right Friday for a return to work.

and Steel Trades described The decision "almost total surrender" conterence, which Tory Press-but it is clear that the return and listed electricians not so

WCC

defeated as betrayed by a conscious restored and

EETPU

intervention officer Edward Linton-who fought opposition to a for a return unanimous strike committee recon mendation to stay out. passed, was convener Electricians' Phase told Socialist Bevan factors had combined to produce the vote for a returr As the union votes line up it is conferences meeting had been The mass for and poorly attended; Linton had while all those series of forward a assertions and promises", which he to have extracted claimed importance of the TGWU BSC management; and, in a stage- Conference managed move he had been able to which commands nearly two announce that payment of a £120

TUC

the award 170 arbitration held up as strikers, Executive Committee last Contract" had Social sanctioned by the Department of Trade. unanimous committee strike of the members pressed for Linton's promises to be con-trick, rejected workers to stay out for the original across-the-board demand NUJ strike for closed shop owners-Westminster newspaper out Press-sent North the editors that they were supposed to in Newspapers the closed shop resist Darlington and Durham have journalists. letter-to all come out on indefinite strike The from the Press editors closed shop the director of "drew their attention" to Herbert. Chapel officers of the Northern House of Lords against the closed speech Lord {Gibson - In the Evening Dispatch and a series of weeklies won an informal shop editor last their new The letter-a members of Westminster Press policy to encour- age scab organisations-concludes: staff would be obliged to join the "It also, in could, be useful in helping now been circumstances, broken a matter of days after the to reassure editorial non-members of the Nut, who be under pressure, that they will be supported by Westminster Press.

not advocating * am give should necessarily spread circulation provocative) but it is said to there on the record as a measure of many of their aircraft flying during our determination. is likely shutdown, North of England chapel- The that they will be able to keep most overwhelmingly which voted strike after a well known anti-union of their services going through this sub editor had been drafted in and Even if the dispute is settled in promised support from the manage- a further and whole mice of Westminster Prese taking ment-is stumbling block is the fact that the current offer does not accord to the demanded still remains the of when the money is no doubt that the Air- we paid under Phase 2 of the Social with the union conferences lining up for a fresh controls after that the unlikely like aminder Phase full settlement under of Supporters arrested The only way the men will get pickets Randolph Hotel picket line their money is if they take on and Social Contract. This trying to prevent appealing mean from breaking fascists wider sections of held a strike, particuarly in the engin- demonstration outside Oxford League Socialist Magistrates week's last pickets appeared meeting argued for the men a variety of charges. to call on the Leyland toolmakers Then they marched to the local who received nothing as a result of TGWU offices demanding that all their stoppage, to strike again for costs and fines should be met by their own demands and in support of the other TGWU members alone might just the Fogineer British and have a chance of being supported.

of section of the 39 pleaded guilty Two Airways, all of whom stand to gain

AUEW

obstruction for the *025 each with E10 costs. The other must also be fought for. 37 have denied the charges, ranging one shift per week from obstruction to assault and if strike action must be replaced by the courts live up to their record until the action fines of more than £1,500 are on

PORT TALBOT

SELL-OUT

for working new plant, increases but had been defeated. officials "These officials have no interest Port Bevan, ankuch more coma need 3-2 last "Much could have more been gained if the men had listened as to the strike committee instead of by the their national officer.' that .to agree went much successful blacking of strikebreak- steel by would ochers ing imports national railwaymen have and enabled them to win the strike.

Such blacking had been actively officials of all unions opposed by

TGWU,

concerned-EETPU, Wyn ASLEF and NUR. Press three The matter is not over, however.

"We have fought them hard outside the gates. We must now fight them We won't hesitate inside the gates. to let all hell loose if our demands put "outrageous are not met", , said Bevan. would like through your "We thank rank and paper to workers throughout the country for their magnificent support".

The Port Talbot strike both in and its eventual con- of the its tenacity pointed both clusion has strongly "against the of the working readiness been to the class to fight wage controls, and the ruthless determination officials to maintain it.

had only be This contradiction can resolved by the building of a new and for leadership the workers' in and the Newspaper Society.

On the first day of the strike the scab editor joined the Institute of Journalists whose members are now breaking strike well into their Westminster routine. The NUJ has now a fight on its editorial make the which could Nicholas hands at Kettering seem week struggle small beer. aims of the immediate union must be: Win solidarity action from print of version workers in Darlington. copy reaching Stop all agency the papers. certain Call for supporting action from other Westminster Press chapels.

executives or good The not omens

ILICY

group chapel meeting to be held in London in two weeks is to consider will be supporting that we given, but the NUJ President, John wide- against Devine, is already arguing (that might be the Press putting pressure Association. A meeting held between officials of the NUJ and other print unions succeeded only in delaying the start to So far no of the strike for a week.

has been given by print union sign are prepared to leaders that they

NUJ

members help the Darlington and Durham win Meetings against hotels betrayal 39 the the cards. Oxford Trades Council has s the on fund but all GW up a defence members should demand that ne Self Help responsibility takes union the defending those arrested.

300-strong

COUNTRYWIDE

Court, when the The Campaign for Democracy there on the Labour Movement is pressit ahead with a countrywide series meetings on the lessons of the hot strikes. Wednesday Ju Birmingham, Corner 15, Australian bar St. Hurst St. and Bromsgrove 7.45pm. Sheffield, Thursday 16 June.

London, Wednesday 22 June fined were 7.30 at Caxton House, St. Johr WaLiverpoway. at the tea tuly July Hot 8.00 pm Mount Pleasant.

BLCONVENORS MOVE

Page I2 A fresh move to stamp out plant-level bargaining through- out the British Leyland combine and substitute cor- porate-level negotiations has come from the wages sub-com- mittee set up by the Confed.

in March of this year. of The committee, composed selected Leyland conveners, was set up as a basis for a return to work 3,000 by toolmakers who struck for four weeks in February demanding negotiating separate and parity with top-paid rights toolmakers. Its tunction was to review the wage structure within Leyland. Its recommendations, backed up by threats of closure from Industry by ist meetiny are , we were adopted a meeting of representing manual grade workers in the 36 plants of Leyland's Cars Division on Friday May 27.

Central to these recommenda- tions was acceptance that the right to bargain wages at plant level will ended not later than November 1979. "strings" to the As so-called deal, the voted demand staff status for manual conceded within the

ATKETABA

two year period and that incentive schemes, negotiated at plant level, be introduced. The conveners have no intention of sticking to these demands. They will be more than willing to see management or reduced to vague promises for the future. Leyland management have looking for any case been the chance to reintroduce their between

RPP

and Justice Party supporters and were from Hatai and Soke. In reported however, general, this was much less than expected. The comparative peace of the election was in contrast to many of the events that preceded it.

Since the massacre at the workers demonstration in Istanbul May Day there have been many attacks, mostly by the NAP on supporters of Ecevit and left wine tannes On 29 May a coach carrying acevit shot at by unknown assailants. In Ismir Airport on the same day Mehnet Isvan, a senior leader of the RPP , was shot in the leg by a gun which later proved to have been in the hands of a police- man. Alter only getting about 10,000 to his final mass meeting in Istanbul I June, Demirel then "personal and secret" signed letter sent a to Ecevit warning him not to hold his final meeting on 3 June, and giving the place where group of "illegal Communist-terror- ists" would put themselves to shoot at him. Ecevit went ahead however. The

SOCIALIST

PRESS I

BRITAIN

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BARGAINING

benefits' infamous 'fringe docu- ment decisively rejected by workers in January this year. That offered staff status in return for no-strike clauses and new disciplinary policed by management and conveners. The demand for incentives, as well as assisting attacks on manning designed levels, to allow conveners to argue that an element of bargaining • has been retained. Fear of the membership on the shop floor runs through every move the make. They conveners now defeat they the heavy when they suffered in January voted 3-1 accept the penalty clause document. see it thrown out by a massive majority.

ts is cically wny ne meelug of conveners was timed to take place the day before the ten day spring holiday shutdown. And the meeting to negotiate the deal with management has been arranged for June 10, days atter the plants reopen. This effectively means that not only have the conveners gone over the heads of the members but there is no opportunity for opposition to be organised in the plants.

TURKEY—ECEVITLEADS POLL

Turkish Labour Party allowed the bourgeois RPP its allocated time and 300,000 place, and

WYCL

according to came reports an meeting, the final election rally of the RPP Whatever the results of the final electoral arithmetic, it seems most likely that Ecevit, inheritor of the mantle of the bourgeois revol- ution Kemal Ataturk, will be in government shortly He will bring with him the hopes of many millions of Turkish unionists workers trade and peasants to whom he has promised credits. But Ecevit is not the leaders of a workers party or a workers move- ment. of big The party capital and international imperialism is being replaced by the party of the native bourgeoisie, which is also incapable of solving the immense political and economic problems that face Turkey. With unemployment at just over 2,000,000, 18% and a foreign payments debt approaching Crisis point, Ecevit, like will the others, have approach the IMF with cap in hand.

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TO END PLANT

Despite these manoeuvres, the Union battle must now begin. branches, stewards committees and sections on the shop floor must be mobilised to reject this deal.

conveners have conceded 1ne the major plank management 1n Do the hands of be s of the hands shop (who are vulnerable to the pressure of the membership) and place it in the hands of national officials who can sell out from a greater distance.

The struggle to defend plant bargaining in Leyland has a long history. Soon after coming to power in 1964, Wilson's Labour government showed its commitment to capital- ism by declaring war on workers' living standards. So called "wage drift" was iden- tified as the main problem facing by the Royal Commis capitalism sion headed by Lord Donovan The cause of this was identified as the growth of the shop stewards' which, based on the movemen. militancy of the working class, was taking advantage of piecework and bonus schemes and the right to bargain at the point of wages production. To tackle "left" this, fake Barbara Castle was given control • Continued from Front Page.

He will without question, intro- duce policies of austerity and cuts in living conditions. He will not have the opportunity now for a foreign adventure like the invasion of Cyprus which marked his last pera m governmical lo lake away attention from these problems.

However the election campaign has shown clearly that the Turkish mid en are bundreds of thousands hundreds of thousands come to the meeting. but strikes leadership the of the Stalinists of the DISK federation are now stopping halt of the car an over three quarters of industry the production of refrigerators and washing machines. These struggles will now be called off by the Stalinists and other workers leaders who have falsely told the working class that they can rely on Ecevit for democratic rights and economic

UNITED FRONT

There must be a fight in the Turkish labour movement for the independence of the working class in its struggle to defend jobs, wages and basic rights. The demand for a united front of workers' parties must be put for- ward an essential step in the building of a ship necessary to achieve socialism.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 8 June, 1977 Longbridge convener Derek Robinson, leading advocate of corporate bargaining. of the Prices newly-created and With the publication of the Incomes Board and George Cattell Ryder Report, corporate bargaining the Rootes was brought from in was retained as a central thrust and Motor Corporation to make use of seen as key to the long term control his experience in introducing of wages within Leyland. Measured Day Work there Management 'participation' com- The giant piecework plants of mittees were enlisted to speed the Leyland (formerly BMC) were the process. national pacesetters on wages, and This is why the latest conces- the prime target. sions on corporate bargaining made After initial an success with by the 200 conveners is so valuable forcing Measured Day Work 1n to management. Corporate bargain- (after the sell out by the officials would be blow, not only of the AUEW and TGWU of a six against Leyland workers, but of independent weeks strike against MDW against the in the right Cowley Plant) the action on wages of the whole work- Assembly faced ing class. company resistance to the breaking down of established agree- This is why a campaign against ments and to the standard the new deal must be launched at rate required under

MDW

Clu. system.

TEACHERS' STRIKE VOTE

Continued from Front Page.

sanctions and 1,500 voting to non-cover sanchions in detence of strike. the permanent supply posts in the The immediate response from city, and in Southampton, similar the Executive to this result has sanctions have now been enforced been to plead for more talks with to stop the redeployment of 59 the Local Authority, which has teachers into jobs in Hampshire.

agreed to receive a deputation of National Officials on June 9.

So long as the bureaucrats are They that can section have announced confident that they lunch time activities will off cease cuts fights and make local from Monday June 13 throughout deals they able be to the and the size demagogic about the size of their Class

COLINEY

action will begin the following strike funds and the importance Monday. of maintaining educational stan- But the real question is why, dards with an 80% response to a call for But wherever of a group strike action, the Executive still members cuts loose shows does not use the only • determination to fight weapon like School, which Little Ilford the Exec-

LADOREDOM

their utive loses no time in handing coalition government and willing Tory allies in the Town suspensions and so showing out Halls will take seriously?

its true nature. With five weeks until the end The demand must be in every of this school year when the all-out strike area lot immediate 534 teachers on short action all the •term against contracts will lose their jobs, the cuts with the demand that the National Officers still argue that a Executive turns this into national gradually escalating programme of strike action-no deals but the call for the educational budget to be disruption will stop the cuts.

obviously the expanded to keep in line with on calls Local NUT cards. already announced what they will The trade union movement organise "settle for" must parents to demand "open the books" at the The last thing both the Lib-Lab government and the

NUT

Town Halls to expose to the Executive want is an Oxfordshire working class the reserve funds, strike which will supported funds ete and the be congency made by the supplying anu grow throughout the county where the firms. same

VICIOUS

cuts are on the agenda. left MPs wing Labour In throughout counties the must lead a campaign to break country fights against the cuts the present coalition with the different Liberals and to fight for a general are beginning ways and over varying issues. election on a platform of socialist Birmingham For example, policies with leadership a new the Local Authority is threatening elected at a special recall Labour to sue some teachers for taking Party conference. £3000

FUND

SINCE THE LAST ISSUE of Socialist Press we have received a further sum of £391.00 towards the £3,000 special fund to launch the weekly paper. This' means we are well on the way to our first £1,000 with a grand total of £767.50 received to date.

donations workers £24.90; workers DS and SS £50; RE £5 see we are dEnis response me alus countle calm dalar Monthly Development Fund. The target for this fund is £600 a month and yet in May we only received £477.37. Since this fund is essential or the running of the paper, comrades to take very we urge al seriously the fight to raise the full amount each month.

We realise that with two funds running simultaneously this places great stress on the limited resources of our supporters but the raising of this finance is essential if we are to have the weekly paper that is so central to the further development of our work.

The June Monthly Fund has got off to a good start with a total of £154.60 received after only four days.

All donations may be sent to: Socialist Press Special Fund 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NWS 1HR