Socialist Press no. 68

TUC PAY

DICTATES

The complete contempt with which the rule trade union leaders view the decisions of their members is clearly shown by the sordid manoeuvres on pay policy policy in the run-up to this year's TUC Congress. All the signs are that those union leaders who failed to win of acceptance of a third stage wage control at their own confer- the ences are hoping for a majority vote at the TUC as the basis to impose the 12-month rule on their members. Adherence to the 12-month rule, along with arguments on the These "viability" the employer leaders currently the mainstay of these bureaucrats who are attempting to hold the line for the 5-6% limit on decreed Chancellor TISeS by Healey.

"ISOLATED"

These officials desperately need to be able to wield some kind of authority if they are to hold out any hope of stemming the present torrent of wage struggles convulsing industry up and down the country They hope to use the threat of being "isolated" from "the whole of the trade union movement" as a bludgeon to force their members to accept low wage settlements.

importance of the 12- month rule to the stand of union officials is thus far greater than the rule itself-which is becoming increasingly irrelevant as sections of workers come up for regular annual reviews. reject the

INSTRUCTION

dangerous. That is why the right wing dominated

AUEW

Executive has now defied the policy adopted at

TUC

national conference and swung to unanimous vote instructing native policy.

AUEW

delegates at the TUC to vote in favour of the 12-month So rule. In this way they seem likely 12-month rule, to

TUC

votes to transform a conference decis- wages controls lor an end to wage with the end cf Phase 2 (in July) conferences. into an extension of wage controls That under the 12-month rule. And it is why TGWU General SpretAru

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

REJECT ALL

the very issue of the twelve month end of the union's Biennial Con- terence, has now announced that against inflation. if the TUC votes to endorse the "We would abide by that statement, be insufficient. in making sucn a Jones speaks only for himself and The present for the gang of appointed officials who control the TGWU without slightest reference the membership-he begs no mandate last two years. from any group of workers.

determined to

DANGEROUS

hold rises power LO moves by top why show the policy peddled by the Communist Party in office. -of simply pressing the TUC to We cise situation company... firms out of business." agreements." "We will rule". 12-month rule-is so any attempt by dictate limits to the level of wage If this policy were generally claims. There must be no shackles adopted the danger would be that tree collective workers would feel bound by a Workers in struggle on wages must vote next week to uphold be given to busine the 12-month rule-with no alter-

TUC

complete opposition to all forms of wage control, complete oppos while of course we are in ition to the reactionary Lib-Lab favour of a TUC vote against the coallon the TUC we say removal of has no right to dictate policy on Callaghan-Healey Labour leader- individual unions, or shitor this reason the Workers override decisions taken at their Socialist League gives full support right belongs solely to to the September 5 lobby of the to come our or a'corner. lIwel TUC in Blackpool called by the to defy reactionary wage controls Campaign for Democracy in the to regain what has been lost in two years of savage wage-cutting policies and defend those gains Even if some undecided dele- gations do swing the TUC vote to bring defeat of the rule, this will policy of TUC leaders is to call on negotiatiors make no attempt to restore living standards devastated in the The Scarman report on the And union officials are clearly Grunwick strike has produced do all in their what the Government within the exactly rigid limits laid down by Healey, ordered-a sellout couched for fear of breaking the Lib-Lab terms that the leaders of Apex coalition which keeps Callaghan would find it possible to accept.

say workers must reject They did not have to try very hard. Even before the report appear- ed the only demand that the union was prepared to make was that Ward accept its he tact that its conclusions have Jones' Phase 3 been to support the management "Base claims on the pre- on every major 12 mOS of the against the strikers dimmed their enthusiasm. "We don't want to put Roy Grantham said: *We want to give the other fellow a chance "We must get incentive grind his face in the dust nothing schemes and new manning will be solved." "There never be victory. A draw is the best result."

abide by the TUC vote on the 12-month

LOW KEY

Not to be outdone Jack Dromey, Brent Trades Council's strike chimed "Everything will the TUC to played at a very low key for the next seven days to allow Mr.

to come out of his corner. We do not bargaining. WalL settlement, and we do not want to do anything that settlement more difficult."

must declare The two central questions are reinstatement and union recogni- tion and anything less outright concessions on these two the Gemane points by Ward must be entirely wage-cutting unacceptable On reinstatement Scarman says that Ward should be asked to take back full time employees "if at all practicable". Part time workers would be abandoned altogether.

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

No. 68 * 31 AUGUST 1977 * 10p

SCAB

EXPRESS

SCARMAN

BACKS WARD

the union-in exactly the manner that the TGWU allowed THF to buy off jobs in the recent hotel strikes in Grantham and Dromey are pre accept pared to deal

WICE

allows factor sin an or on a 1e Ward stick statement certain factory again-and that will ensure that some strikers receive a few pounds buy off after a year's picketing. On recognition Scarman asks

COECILSON

Ward only to concede the legal right to individual union recogni- point tion in place of full union rights has not Time and again Scarman plays down strikers grievances Ene suggesting they may be imagined and constantly assuring the management that the tribunal accepts their integrity The the conuenos blacking (illegal) and mass picket- ing ("allows violent extremists to participate"), the Gecerines appalling conditions as good, and treats the Asian workers with committee patronising disdain. be "As for the code published in June 1976. .. we doubt whether Ward many of the Asian employees read it or really understood it if the did read it. Some of them woul have been unable read to make a understand it. This is one of the problems of management with a workforce such as Grunwick's" Grunwick strikers should have than absolutely nothing to do with the Scarman report, except to learn from it that a tribunal set up to prevent victory in a strike will feed back exactly what its insti- gators wanted to hear. Those who say Enforce Scar man' are in reality saying 'Erforce Full time sackings

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

CHINA: HUA DIGS IN

FRENCH POPULAR FRONT

Order, discipline, stability and These words could be assoc- unity. ¡ated with, the conference of any Conservative Party. However, they sum up the policies and decisions of the 11th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held in Peking from 12-18 August. The speeches, amendments to the constitution and election of leading members all reflect the conservatism of entrenched bureaucracy Anyone who still doubts that the old party leadership jealously guards its own privileged position, need only look at the composition of the new Central Committee.

Nearly 80 of the younger, "radical" members elected the 10th Party Congress in 1973, as a result of the shake-up of the Cultural Revolution, have been removed, including a vice-president oi the National Assembly and two ministers.

MILITARY

In their place have been installed he old, mainly military men who discredited and removed in the Cultural Revolution. Among these are Lo Jiu-ching, che former head of state and Hsiao Hua. Most striking of all, of course, is the to the 3rd highest of the twice discredited

VOSILION

Teng Hsiao-ping. The

BRESENCEDO ELLITE

Central Committee are not far off 60 years old and the majority are -O or over. This conference was held to try and re-establish the authority of the Party and its most senior members after the expulsion of the "Gang of Four". The fighting which took place in many parts of the country, suppos- edly instigated by the Four, has now ended.

EXECUTED

The latest dozen supporters of Chiang Ching were executed in Anyang, Honan, on August 2.

The old guard needed to sieze the opportunity to legalise their leadership and to launch, under a cloak of legitimacy, Their attack on vestiges of independence and any anti-bureaucratic tendencies within the party. Singled out for castigation were the Young Communist League, the Trade Unions and the women's federations. Commissions of disciplinary control were set up and rigid of new members and hicculle suspected radicals carried Is to De out. Yeh Chien-ying, number two in the hierarchv. Defence Minister and vice-chairman of the party stated: "If democracy (inside lne parly) necessary, centralism even More so.

REINFORCED

Of the eight tasks set out from the Congress, the words "consoli- "reinforce" "reaffirm" jate" and recur time and again. The complete obliteration of the "Gang of Four" the put as zumber one objective followed by the need to consolidate the party; reinforce the apparatus of the state; have done the and to reaffirm central- revolution: ism, as wel as lne neca lo study lne world situation before putting into effect the factors necessary for building socialism. The new leadership does not have the stature nor the authority citicise or even question Mao and stih quotes from him profusely: Mao's thought is still spoken oi as the cement which binds party and country but things that carry the without real discussion, top either in the party or the country.

any hint of the need for indepen- dent thought have been changed.

The main participants met Peking on 20 July to share out the top jobs and to agree the lines of

WATCH WORD

policy. anyone suspects that this of democracy For example, the famous phrase breach has only used as the watch word of the 10th developed since Mao's death they need the 8th, Congress by the younger elements oniv look back to 9th and 10th Congresses. "going against the been All were stage-managed and the changed to "going against the tide followed the 1lth only same of revisionism' This pattern completely changes the That there have only been four context of the saying to emphasise party Congresses since 1949 itself the need to follow the party leader- the lack ship in its fight against opposition speaks democracy inside the Chinese CP The 10th party Congress in We learn that 35 are 1973, the last presided over by million CP members in China and Mao, 1,510 devoted itself to attacking, they were represented DV posthumously, phothumously revisionists and to delegates at this latest Congress of 20.9% Laules 1969 and the rest workers, peasants and 9th Congress likewise discredited Liu Shao-chi.

intellectuals. The 8th, held in two sessions in From this number 201 Central 1956 and 1958 only wads Committee members plus 132 alter- were eiected in which army personnel and technicians dominate. A Politburo of 23 full members also contains more than half military men.

REAL POWER

There are no women on the A popular front, according the The Politburo. five permanent Trotsky's analysis, is a political bloc the ones committee members are between bourgeois and working wield Teal powel class parties in which the working party and the state. of the bloc Hua Kuo-feng is president of the component cass Central Committee and head of subordinated completely to the state. and policies of its unexceptional He ls CA' bourgeois partner. head of the Yeh secret police. is thus an The popular Chien-ying and leng Hsiao-ping bourgeois entirely political together with Hua form the ation, constructed on the basis of a powerful ruling triumvirate.

whose cornerstone Li Hsien-nien and Wang Tung- Plug-annie the defence of the capitalist system.

hsing are two new vice-presidents.

The present day Union of the Wano 1s somewhat of a myster up-to-date Left in rrance is an claim to whose most important of the popular front, verson Mao's bodyguard since fame is as comprising as it aoes an ailance the Yenan days in 1947. French Communist between the He played an important role in Party, the Socialist Party and the controlling the Cultural Revolution bourgeois Radicals. at Mao's side and was first elected In the past few weeks the Union Central Committee at the to the has been wrangling over 9th Congress in 1969. programme it should adopt for the Li of the Long 1S March-a general election next March and has been on the Central haggling which of clearly Committee since the 7th Congress reveals the capitalist nature of the in 1945. bloc He was a close collaborator of The debate which has managed Chou En-lai and is politically akin lo comone virulence or tone will to Teng. banality has focussed of content, He is a symbol of the stability centrally on what defence policy badly the needed in lelt to be the Union should adopt. attempts to develop the march of Ching to an industrialised

NUCLEAR

state with above all an efficient, Last May, after years of verbal modernised equipped with 4112l y apposition to Committee the nuclear weapons. Central Committee advocating the neo-Gaullist concept of the need for an all-round nuclear force protect France strike (i.e. French capital) from any outside attack. According the CP leader Roland Leroy, "It is necessary ... for the French to decide now on a policy of disarmament and for an indepen- dent defence for France, which will the maintenance of

ICO SC

independent strike force against all aggressors. key word here is "indepen- The which the CP mean a dence", by force with missiles nuclear strike pointed all directions-both at the USA and the USSR! The Stalinist policy of Chairman Hua which 'socialism in one countr None of the decisions about has oblined the French CP to seel these appointments poncies closer rapprochement with its the of course made bourgeoisie, thus ironically

WOIC

Congress, despite the performance turther along the road towards a compicte break with the or volng All these could just as well have Soviet bureaucracy. been announced betore the Congress took place. up de Gaulle's But in taking All decisions are imposed trom policy of the independen: nuclear Congress 1949 and the between Cultural Revolution. The first session took place the shadow of Kruschev's revelations at the Soviet 20th Party Congress and the 2nd session was preoccupied with the fight for development and the agricultural problems of Great Leap Forward. Perhaps it is only coincidence that the first after this latest tongress to visit China was Cyrus Vance, but it does sum up reactionary

MOTECSLIC

dull foreign policy so admited by the As Teng put it: "We need all the allies we can get to face the menace of the USSR This identification with the interests of the imperialist states national was emphasised meeting in Peking on 14 July on forcign trade The need tor more open import and export policy and the

IN CRISIS

Mitterand CP are obviously deterrent hoping to win some support from disenchanted Gaullists at next spring's election. , though, the CP's advocacy of an independent nuclear strike force has met guarded approval of Soviet leader Brezhnev, who sees in the phrase "independent defence for France" the possibility of a French with- drawal from

NATO

should Union of the Left power. Party leader Francois Socialist Mitterand has likewise seen this possibility and wants to expunge all the ot programme.

REFERENDUM

While claiming agreement with the call for world nuclear disarma- ment, he wants the question rench use of nuclear weapons to be decided by referendum.

Mitterand is obviously hoping that a plebiscite would reject the idea "independent strike an obliging France remain in NATO and thereby tied lo the USA. CP leader Georges Marchais has attacked ine rescrendum proposal "unconstitutional", has and begun drum up nationalist feeling for the revamped Gaullist idea of a france frec "from Fast or West" The political differences on the detenis question are real The new Chinese leadership importance of learning from foreign countries were the order of the day.

It followed closely on a Chinese trade mission to the United States Nothing, according to the in June Chinese bureaucrats is to be learnt workers stale, lat

USSR,

suffering under its own bureaucratic machine Hua announced that the USSR has "restored capitalism, reinforced the fascist dictatorship internally foreign and continued aggression and expansion." It is manifestly untrue, as the French paper Le Figaro has judged this Congress the that marks the end of an era of turbul- ence and uncertainty. The bureaucratic clique which rules in China in the other as workers states. ious balance which will be contin.

ually subject to turmoil until it is finally overthrown new political revolution, for which trotskyist party 1s needed Marchais a distorted reflect in way the of each material chaser party. The leadership of both the CP and the Socialist Party begin from the need to defend their own bureaucratic need policy of defending French capital.

For Mitterand, this Des achieved by participation in NATC and the maintenance of links with the USA must still Marchais -who

HOT

negotiate a position between his the Soviet bourgeoisie and bureaucracy-national defense best be accomplished by establish "independent" France ing an within the overall context of world detente There is thus no qualitative class difference between either side in the dispute-both are equaily independent antagonistic any working class policy. In the whole polemic there has been no mention from either sido of the independent interests of the working class. For that current arguments will not seriously jeop- ardise the unity of the Union of the That unity-forged on the basis of a programme acceptable to the be smashed only bourgeoisie-.can by resolute working class activity ained at breaking the working clas parties from their bloc with the bourgeoisie

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977

- WHY DOES HEALY

BACK THIS

DICTATOR?

Take a characteristically mess- Tanlc sımlar loudation. again under the sounume parases. CVJCdV and vou get a tair icture of the la- test depths plumbed by the British tradition of Bol- In lłs SevisT

NATOS

valiyat dence of the working class from the bourgeoisie, with the working class and revolutionary party playing the WRP and the Ceneral Peoples' Con- bilizing the peasantry behind it to Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (a newly tat Agust oth. if was hailed as "a major step forward in the limited struggles of the colonial peoples and the metropolitan work- Praists Needless to say, there was not sidp te, reborediy grosts, T oo life imprisonment or death in Libya acquitted in December 1974, were Gaddafi personally changed them of these were among the 50 in Bengh tesn Weil pbl l bmne . G anor . were students aceused of "terorist U'RP General Serretars Gerri Heair the university in April 1976 against government rigging of the student tasks of the democratic revolution

UHO CC S.

cannot be solved, nor even seriously But the alliance of these DOsedi other way than through an irrecon- cilable struggle against the influence month long romance with Gaddafi's of the national-Liberal bourgeoise .

mentioned neither this, not the fact ..the realization of the revolution- Libya ar ary alliance between the proletariat official Arab Socialist Union is pun- The Permanent Revolution crtical mouthoicce for Gaddatı thr gramme, the founding document of the Hourth International, in the sec- back on not only the Trotskyist permanent COlAITes ae volanon, but also the WRP's own history lutionaty domocratic programme, it is necessary to oppose the workers sky's fight against Staiinism it has been necessary for the movement to fight against the illu- td tEsa SOS Soreu y ward the demand for the bulding in the "national" bourgeoisie of the of a Trotskyist party to solve these taskis, the WRP leadership stand in to resolve 1he national and agrarian sharp opposition lo the interests of problems. One of the first struggles Libyan workers and pessants.

protsklist anusument

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

aienism" of Gaddafi. an turned back on W'RP's history Caddati bases his support for on the lot the Trotskyist demand for an inde- a demand which enables the active unity of Arab and Jewish workers amount to 9.6% with 2 seats on the automobiles, Miat also prodüce mili- tary devices and helicopters, which it supplies to, amongst other robber adaptations to the Libyan tldior implcitly disown their own history: prodecessors of the (torkers Press and the Nemsietter) had it tonsiderably different analy- Tes example the Morkers Press Judith drawn a British government loan to tuled by Coeral Ban ins seems like progress, then check the Hart intends to send

TINE

a TEG WE Banzer for other purposes (schools, that is hd y than a token gesture with nothing in common with the total economic tions, government buldozers have homes ot zU,UUU workers were forced to live in these

CEONIZ

African capital they have been sent a number of school students in a around by new constitutional proposals for an elected assembly and executive course are has left Holland without a govern- ment tor 3 months since the general elections has reached a new crisis.

Uyl finally abandoned his second attempt to form a calition govern.

"Details of this massive contri- bution to human thought were left a little cloudy. But Gaddafi did tell means that in our mosiem faith we Godi masquerading as a new cal breakthrough. lated and used ior evil purposes!"

Libyan bourgeoisie of the WRP's forerunner the Soc- ialist Labour League shortly after spoke on the one hand of 'building economic under-development, This is plainly the demagogy of a Bona partist duelb ule balance between different political promised by Gaddafi] can only be achieved by a real socialist revol.

ution. led not by nationalist army officers. but by a Marxist party Page 3

IN BRIEF

ment with the Christian Democrats.

This time the effort failed because of the Christian Democrats oppos the Dutch working class may now have to pay for den Uyl's wretched Communist Party's support Democratic government shows up in the CP's recent confessions about its membership figures. Membership of the Party has remained static fos mursi year since 19›l at million) while membership of the CP youth organisation has declined against the Tamil community of the ucmun strations in favour of Tamil indep.

endence. Many demonstrators have been killed and injured, a curfer imposed and shops and markets set on fire by the police. Tamil workers have responded with strikes which have closed down public services in somle Dorucn Cus talking military dictator, has based "anti-imperialism" on a demand for immediate American withdraw.

al from the Panama canal zone. He has now agreed with Carter that the US should retain control until ibe year 2000 after which it would still "right" to intervene if its imperialist deal (which has still to Although the WRP now adres to some (evidently secret) ideolag- has uttered no word of reservatic- Gaddafi's latest demagnz = whole people who are supposed : It is. Gaddafi said in a speect a Tripoli on March 8. "the tirs! :r= somewhat inconsistently that the first time in the histor! of ite world, power is in the hands a: :he im possible because all people i= tion and the "General Secretaris: : We continue ic samse is:se Is a Smokesc eg= Can the WRP Centiai C:m-m be so gullible? O: ate "tara =**2?

Trotskyism and io: ite esrat:

YOUTHS' RIGHTS FLOUTED

BIG BUSINESS BACKS SCAB PRESS

Page t The report of the labour move- ment enquiry into police brutality and the position of black youth in Islington has now been published.

(''Under Heavy Manners", 25p plus 10p postage from Islington 18 161, Horsey Defence Committee, Road, London N7). The report mainly consists of submitted to the chaence COl- mittee of enquiry Dy parents and the Defence Com- members 01 including teachers, youth workers and law centre workers.

It documents in a lively way the experiences of the Islington 18 and their families at the hands of the iaw: the systematic flouting of basic democratic rights by police, magis- legal aid solicitors Irates, alle the Judge, Old Bailey barristers, warders and social security officers; and the total failure of the services the so-called welfare state- social youth services, service, and housing-to provide for PHOTO. Andrew Wiard. Report even the most basic needs of young DaCKS.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Many the 22 recommen- by of dations made the members the the enquiry are directed at labour movement. branches, Labour Party trade and the Trades

TION

branches Council urged to call on the

NEC,

Labour Party trade union sponsored MPs and the TUC and Home Secretary to investigate the arrest and trial of the Islington 18 and to demand that: 1) the Judges rules for police conduct be made statutory; 2) the withholding of legal aid and bail by Highbury Magistrates Court be investigated; defendant's right challenge should the jury be matched by the right to challenge and 'conspir- 4) the use of 'sus' acy" charges by police Ene abolished; 5) harrassment the black police should community the cease. an extra £6,000 to Wanted smash the print unions. That is the urgent plea put out by the little- fringe fascists known around the Dowager Lady Bird- wood. Self-Help, and its sister grouping the Current Affairs Association, has private and put Oul angell, to businesses memo, connaential which have helped it in the past, appealing for funds. They say that they will use the up a second press in money lo set the south of England run entirely by scab labour, ready to help to bieak a strike in Fleet Street.

In addition the group will try to establish a mobile printing press to be used in towns such as Darlington which are hit by local disputes.

existence of such Clearly the presses would useless without be ¡he readiness of capitalists to use them but the letter reveals that several large given

ITIS

money to the fascist group in the 23L.

SECRET PRESS

Self Help publishes the British and boasts that the Garette press has been location of its scab lept a secret from the left for four sears. dated August 24, The letter, Fleet says-inaccurately-that was on the verge of being Street shut down over the Financial Times dispute. is to meet such an even- "It tuality as this that, with your help, our organisation came into being, and our newspaper printing works into whars stands by ready to go production of up to three million The suspension and investigation of officers two S1X and stipendary magistrates is called for and the open inspection of police stations by a committee of labour movement representatives.

Local labour movement organ- called to recruit are young people into their ranks that they may fight for their rights organised way and the Trades Council is urged to mount for apprenticeship calll balell training for unemployed youth at proper union rates. Workers Socialist League The throughout has fought unle closing down." The letter does not explain how the existence of the Press would allow this group to gather news or distribute the papers it prints.

the But clearly judging TrOIC direction from which Socialist Press the leaked letter) large received anti-union firms are prepared to put finance into the organisation.

Report of Islington labour movement inquiry campaign for demands such as these which force the issues into the labour movement. They contrast sharply with the of the SWP, which are policies restricted to calling on mobilise themselves for street demonstrations. demands are basic and straightforward but they were too strong for John Ward, representing Central Isington Labour Party and for Stalinist Ray Pinder represen- ting North London Teachers Assoc- iation, both of whom thought the whole approach to the report and the recommendations "t00 Birdwood calls in cash pledges to break news strike The letter continues: "The do start moment publishing an maependent news whereabouts of our paper the works are bound to become known . immediately we to the unions.. certainly shall almost have to contend with massive picketing and violence. possible We have made all SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977 Devlin crisis for

SDLP

In the last issue of Socialist Press we drew attention to the fact that the recent royal visit to Northern Ireland was part of a deal arranged Foot and the between Michael Ulster Unionist MPs at Westminster.

These concessions to the Unionists have tar not beer revealed, but they are no publicly less tangible for all that.

One party particular, Catholic

SDLP,

has sensed these and frantically changes trying to resist them. the Queen's visit Shortly after of the the Executive Committee

SDLP

announced that had accepted in principle a policy com recommending mittee report greater party emphasis on the so called "Irish dimension" report, to present party's general discussed by the September committee criticises the Unionists for failing SDLP initiatives, to respond to criticises the British government fo "let-things-drift' its the SDLP policy which policy-a sees as lcading to full integration with Britain; and it finally decides to relaunch the notion of the legit- united imacy aspirations Ireland-the so-called "Irish dimen- sion" Prominent SDLP leader Paddy Devlin has rejected the adoption of thus precipitating ponny. Black youth and anti-fascists under police attack in Lewisham a minor crisis within the party Devlin's action is not motivated political' of principle by consideration people clearly recognised Such concern for the Irish working class that a fight on even these reformist out of Instead he acting 15 demands would shake to its roots personal interest alone, for he now the uneasy of right sees the SDLP evolving into a rump wingers and Stalinists on the loca old nationalists- party like the Labour Parties and trade unions.

declaring, itself committed to It is their stranglehold which has Ireland while objectively obstructed the fight tor vears the partition of the preserving many of the issues raised by the country. is getting case of the slington 8. lo break before the rot sets in much further.

through their record of betrayal by The policy signifies no new fighting on these recommendations all; iundamenta change of utmost therefore the instead confirms that the SDLP's the appetite aaministering imperialist garrison in the north is as sharp as ever.

SELF-HELP

and the

CURRENT AFFAIRS ASSOCIATION

• country independent Controllers of the only newspaper printing works in the combines and trade unions Toe wores is equined win les own generalor and stands ready day and night to publish a daily newspaper if the nation: press goes on strike. Oficial Organ: The British Gazette

39, KESLAKE ROAD, LONDON, NW6 6DJ

Degent, Private and Contidential Meno on OUR PLANS TO COUNTER VIOLENCE WHEN THE FLEE SPREET CRISIS COME preparations for such an eventuality as we believe that it is absolutely essential that in no circumstances shop protectinian distributen.

be allowed should the Self Help claims that the short term option they have acquired on a second press in lne

COLLE

England will allow them to print token editions should their throw a bomb at works. The letter says: "This letter is being sent to past contributors of substantial amounts our funds, one It is this link with big business which rescues Self Help from the boy world to which

ITS

members gravitate The group organised an attack on the Randolph Hotel picket line in May which led to 34 anti-fascists The by being arrested by police.

contributions made business to such organisations must week Lady Birdwood houses Notting Hill be exposed and the only way •thi: leafleted is with a sustained calling for the carnival _be done campaign in the unions to end busi- banned, accusing the government ness secrets and open ths hooks of and local council of not being able

CAMPAIGN GIVES LEAD

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977 At its meeting on Saturday August 20 the Organising Committee of the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement set the date for two conferences centred on the key political questions facing workers in the coming period. More details on both conferences, and credentials (50p) are available from CDLM Secretary Kevin Lee, 44, Devonshire Handsworth Wood, Birmingham.

We reprint below the two statements issued by the CDLM.

CARWORKERS

CONFERENCE

has been weakened by A number of major issues now strongest, and collaboration face workers in the car and com- pancipation ponent industry. Major wage claims with the employers. Workers are leadership have been lodged in almost every strong but clear necessary if major wage settlements Some claims, such as at Cowley, be won and conditions are defended. are tor large mcreases ous cost ot living clauses and without The purpose of this conference strings. Other claims, such as at Longbridge is to the discuss in some detal and problems facing car workers make major concessions to which employers. the programme necessary on In number of parts of the to fight. industry strikes are *Catching up claims to regain in progress what we have lost since 1974.

which are being stubborniy resisted *For cost of living clauses by the employers. protect against inflation.

*Break the 12-month rule.

STRUGGLES

*Opposition corporate bar- gaining. *No In British Leyland participation with a major thrust is underway directly from management. *100% lay off pay. government try and end IMe *For nationalised car and plant bargaining and establish corporate agreement. In Fords the component industry. struggle for 100% lay off pay is still pending as well as a wages struggle.

Chrysler the company is trying The conference will be held at to enforce corporate bargaining and the Digbeth Sundav have opposed this 19 September commencing and submitted major claims. 11.00am until 4.00pm. Already wage Credentials be obtained

ELES

struggles are erupting. (price 50p) from Kevin Lea, 44, The leadership problems in the Handsworth Nevonshire industry component are Wood, Birmingham 20 extremely sharp. The shop stewards moverent, years the

IOT

one of

HEALEY'S DOLE

QUEUE GROWS

Yet another peak in of 13,591 overall increase 21,977 school this month-with after leavers unemployment 1,635,950 registered as out of work succeeded in finding jobs-meaning ad ult that -is a further confirmation that the nearly 35,000, unemployment orchestrated press clamour about unfilled vacancies "booming Britain" is a conscious dropped by 5,659. fraud designed to create. the climate for renewed wage controls.

SHORT TERM SCHEMES

For TUC leaders the figures can only be an acute embarassment. A Meanwhile some 307,000 jobs main line of argument for wage are now depondent control has for some time been that aid of government "price measures, could

WROW IL

WOINCES

including short term job creation themsolves out of the market" "work experience" and schemes now, wOrkers Have which carry a virtual guarantee of suffered unprecedented cuts in real redundancy as soon as they expire.

wages over last years,

TWO

These figures fit into a European unemployment continually scales picture new peaks. twenty of the labour force in the show Common Market is unemployed-a total of 5,680,000, 12% above last year's figure. Indeed in many ways the econ- Britain omic situation worse than this time last vear- inflation was 5% lower at

WICH

12.9%, and the figure for increases in earnings was 7% higher at 17%.

And in the filed of production, he figure for new housing starts over the last year is 18.000 lowe this year than last, at an abysmal 274,000.

STAGNATION

The only way

OUL

situation of stagnation decline and living plunging Stallialus socialist policy of nationalisation of the major industries coupled to a PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report A deluge of wage claims have been tabled by workers anxious to take immediate steps to regain the by losses inflicted them two of TUC-policed wage years controls. Although blacked out in most cases by the media, hundreds of wages strikes are : now progress every effort of the

TUC

despilt leaders to head them off.

But the TUC remains committed to wage controls. Though unable to formal support Chancellor Healey's 10% limit ultimatum, the TUC has set its face against any attempt to restore living standards 1974 levels, and workers SCCLUn breaching the 12-month rule.

LNEMPLOYMENT

ETEBUSANES

repay of WORK.

SEASONAL

IDB animat unemployed youth and adults at trade union rates and under workers control. Such a policy can only be imple- mented if the reactionary parlia- coalition between the mentary labour Partv Liberals and broken and the extreme right wing Callaghan-Healey leadership removed

BREAK COALITION

number of Constituency Labour Parties have passed resol- It IS

UDAS

essential that they mobilise maximum forces Party conference year's Labour demanding that delegates fight for In particular they must demand that the selt-styled left' MPs cease their support - whether tacit or open-for the coalition and its euts throughout the Lahour and trade

TO PAY FIGHT

Already both TGWU and AUEW leaderships have breached their own conference policy to strengthen the The

TGWU

stand. circulated officials telling them to uphold the 12-month rule-a policy specifically rejected at the union's conference only last month-while the AUEW is campaigning not for collective bargaining line free but for with conference policy, 'moderate' wage increases and 12-month rule of the The role the Grunwick and leaderships 1n Desoutters recognition disputes that they opposed to Shows mobilising against the employers. If workers are to win the large claims living they need restore standards and defend themselves inflation it against will only be through fight aguinst union officials, 'left and right wing alike The 'left' wing, bolstered by the Communist will attempt to Party for bolster the case claims of 15-20% as they have done at Fords Longbridge. Such claims and may sound large, but even if won in full they are inadequate to regain lost living standards. In negotiation they will be whittled down to real increases in line with Healcy's 10% limit Meanwhile the right wing will seck to ensure lilal wage struggle sabotaged are stalled, diverted and isolated. A barrage of fraudul- ent propaganda claiming that wage increases sackings and cause wik be churned out bi union officials, particularly in the public sector, aimed at persuading workers to tailor their demands to the profitability of the employer. In this situation the elements needed are a clear programme to regain and defend living standards and a leadership developed within the working class lo carly such a programme into practice. Trotskyism Today Theoretical Journal of the Workers Socialist League.

NUMBER ONE

Features include:

* POLITICS AND

ORGANISATION - A reply to the IMG on 'Faction and Party'.

* WHAT ARE THE LESS-

ONS OF CUBA?

Order Now. Copies 50p, plus 15p p&p from:

WSL,

31, Dartmouth Park Page i Lucas toolmakers vote to continue their pay strike.

The Campaign for Democracy in • Movement was the only the Labour rank and file organisation carrying consistent fight for the 0U1 breaking of Phase of wage

CONITOS

since last October it has developed a clear programme on the water for big calling increases struggle, protected from inflation through a of living clause providing

COS

automatic rises to compensate for the increases in the cost of living as determined by committees of trade unionists and housewives tron the wave of strikes wages already in progres. that the working class are prepared to fight. What is lacking is a leader- ship and a programme for these This is where the CDLM can make a major contribution. For this reason we are calling a Confer- October which ence bring together those in struggle on wages and discuss the role of the trade union leadership; the role of the government and the need to break the coalition and establish a government which will support the working class: tne attitude or ine lefts within Parliament and the trade unions; and the programme which should Want stas be fought. wage increases to regain l. ror what has been lost since 1974 2. For cost of living clauses to prolect against Italion For workers committees to assess a working class cost of living Support for 'strikes wage particularly by low paid workers.

Support strikes recognition such as Grunwick and Desoutters Call on left Labour MPs to LibLab break the coalition ani support all pay strikes.

TROTSKYISM

TODAY *

WHY THE FASCISTS FAILED -

BEFORE IN BRITAIN

Page 5 in this Previous articles been concerned series have with the question 'How did fascists seize state power'. This one turns itself to the opposite question. Why did fascists not come to power in Britain? The workings of capital are inter- and the needs of national capital are international. How was it that capital did not require the fascist solution in Britain? The answer to this question will not be found in any notions such as British love of "justice" or demo- or British "character". These sort of bogus notions are swept in crisis, is capitalism, fighting for its life. For it is in response to capitalist Unable risis that fascism emerges.

io solve the endemic problems of slump and stagnation in the 1930s, capitalist classR could only the impose economic for survival by attacking necessary Germany, the working class; Portugal by Italy and 30213 i entirely breaking the back of the working class.

CRUSHED

In that situation of economic catastrophe, with bourgeois demo- cracy unable to maintain a stable social the "little men" crushed by the reeling themselves not wishing growth of monopoly, identify with the WORKeTS turned in desperation movement, and panic to fascism. farmers, Small shop keepers, lower profes- businessmen, sionals and the peasantry form the fascist from which social parties take their recruits These ¡ascist parties none the less served the interests of capital.

Why did these lavers in britam in such numbers towards nOT LUTIL fascism? There was course no peasantry in Britain and the small farmers also capitalist were tew in number. Despite the size of the petty bourgeoisie the ¿lass nature of British society was one where there were fewer of the kinds of social groups that fascism incites to action.

WEAKENED

the The answer question, however, lies mainly in two areas.

Firstly the nature of the capitalist crisis and the relation of class forces Britain were as not sucie l demand a fascist solution. It was , earlier possible, because of jefeat of the working class in the 1926 General Strike, for solutions to be imposed by the capitalists on working class greatly weakened betrayals by the earlier OT cadets. The British ruling class did not need to call the fascists to power to break the working class; the British ruling class could rattle the sabre of fascism but did not need to hand over state power to the fascists.

crucial But secondly, moments the British fascists were physically taken on by the workers and physically movement were halted on the streets. These events Lemand special attention today as once again street battles break out azainst ine fascists But before looking at the dram- of the rise and fall of climax we should see the fascists in Britain, in some more detail how the ruling managed without putting the :ascists into power. Britain at the end of the 1920s experienced the economic depres- world-wide. which was sIon Between 1929 and 1932 the British of industrial index 17%. Coal tell by production öutput in 1931 was no higher than had been 1n ana rol was down to that production

CONCLUDING OUR SERIES ON FASCIST MOVEMENTS IN EUROPE.

Atel Moseley inspects his 'troops' before the battle of Cable Street.

ment reached 3 million. In the 1933 the twelve months to June of merchant world tonnage of shipping showed a net decrease half 1,814,000 than this decrease being tonnage owned in tne uk. In many ways, however.

this crisis in Britain was less precip- itate than in other major capitalisl because British capitalism countdes had failed to achieve even the of the short-lived boom modest, 1920s. 1926. when the Following General Council of the TUC handed the working class on a plate to the government, British capital was able the most abject to operale will collaboration of the leaders of the Thousands of labour movement. militants in the factories had been sacked at the end of the strike and Tory government passed the the anti-union Trades Disputes Ael l MacDonald 1927. ihen. and Snowden betrayed the labour entering a coalition movement by with the Tories. What government was left of the Labour Party went to a catastrophic electoral down defeat.

TAMPERING

Government" "National The measures engaged working class As against ine commentator at the time put it: 'The of the National record Government is largely the nistory of a movement away from demo- cracy. The tampering with parlia- reorganisation mentary torms, of the police and their increasing free violence.s.the restrictons speech and assembly, the Royal body Defence Corps (a to deal with Territorial Army 'foreign agents' i.e. the left the (cutting the Unemployment Act dole and means testing), the Incite- Disatection act-oenio

INCIL LU

essentially ailunese fascist.. It is the good fortune of British By DI PARKIN straight away began to build a new which was to move rapidly right towards fascism. Like Mussolini he moved from the left to the far right supported finan-

MOSIC

cially by big business: to begin with by William Morris the motor manu- facturer, one of the fathers of what is now British Leyland, later by Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail and Evening News. Mosicy began building the action wing of his movement in his youth thugs were trained in physical combat Various intellectuals such Harold Nicholson and Oshert edge of Sitwell dithered Mosley's movement, not quite able to commit themselves nor to break from its horrid appeal. The New Party failed resound- ingly and Mosley moved to model his movement more closely on the continental pattern and came out in favour of that key aspect of fascist policy, the corporate state.

HARMONY

"A working precision and harrest ond every interest every subordinate individual to the overriding purpose of the nation.

He toured Spain, Germany and Italy honoured guest of Mussolini) and back Caine convinced fascist The British Union of Fascists. 1934 had 370 branches which by had 3 cons 5,000 active members conditions of membership loyalty to King, Empire and leader acceptance of discipline and pay- ment of one shilling a month.

Its themes its appeal to youth, nationalism, ism and anti-semitism. It relied on adopt a part of the needed authoritative fascist procedure. the politics of action, of marches and rallies in its able its has been achieve demonstrations -the partial subjugation of set up a corporate state moves purposes where the employers, workers and the working class without resort to consumers would be equally "repre glaringly undemocratic, anything without the trouble of dressing in sented: there would be no strikes no trade unions coloured shirts. and decisions o The Growth of the state would be unchallengable Rudlin, Fascism in Britain). Mosley dressed The movement, in its black shirts and black boots,

BEATEN

Jews- blaming them for unemployment. Yet there were those who There was. they said, a conspiracy dressed in coloured shirts and they beaten. did need to be pnys cally This was the movement that Mosley built. There were fascist bodies in of Britain prior to the formation Mosley's British Union of Fascists but it was this movement that was most significant. Indeed the history of the British fascist movement is as the history of one often Scull man-viewed by the bourgeoisie as brilliant but erratic, as a maverick could have been Prime who Webb the Minister. Fabian, described Mosley in 1923: "Here perfect politician

IS ENC

who is also a perfect gentleman.

This gentleman lead was lo marched through movemen CI the East End of London chanting "The Yids, the Yids, We gotta get rid of the Yids" and initiated and ordered the worst ot scenes thuggery seen in British politics this century. This was Mosley.

ARISTOCRAT

He an aristocrat

WOO

entered Parliament as Conservative 1918-- yet Harrow in membel by 1920 he had crossed the House and joined the Independent Labour Party in 1923. By 1926 he reached the Labour Party national executive MP became Labour Smethwick (having ironically been Birmingham Lady- wood). In 1930 he was defeated at the Party conference on programme of SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesdas 31 Auzas::4-- of Jews and Bolsheviks which must From the be physically fought. the Mosley movement engaged in physical violence against It was at the rally in its opponents Olynipia in 1934 that it reached it peak and revealed most sharply the dangers of fascism. Mosley stood picked out by a spotlight in the vast When repeatedly hall heckled anti-fascists thi audience he stopped speaking and turned on them and the spotlight they were beaten up Even a Conservative member of was parliament who shocked: "Men and women were knocked and were still assaulted and down kicked on the floor. It wil be a matter of surprise for us if there were no fatal injuries The extreme violence of the timid Mosleyites lead the Mervy! dithering calls the Mayor Stockwoods Lewishams of those days that "th.

fascist government ought to ban

PUERILE

The Communist Party, too, len the demands for th support to to do something government rather than relying on the strengtl working class. But as of the paper Militant put it jus Trotskyist before the Cable Street march "The methods with which th Labour Party and Communist Part: Mosley's propose opposing march are equally puerile. To ask ban th government to activities of the Fascists, the agent

TWIN VICTIMS OF

JUDICIAL MURDER

Red Flag over a barricade in Bermondsey.

Meetings to be kept orderly. Avoid capitalism, but to leave un- the activities of clashes, keep order: no excuse for hampered we, like

BUF,

working class, the are hooligans. If Mosley decides to government to enemies capitalism, must appear ridiculous him. Don't who recognises the march, (time too short to get a existence of the class war instead of disorder talking only about democracy.

"they shall not pass" policy across). It would only be a harmful stunt.

Nowadays the Communist Party Best see there if the march. ting presents the crucial battle in which march. the workers defended themselves in each biggest trouble will be to keep Cable Street 1936 as a a was order and discipline entirely the Party's idea. This is an unconvincing falsification. Such a party changed only 3 DIne days hefore the march after it was been totally would have

DOS LION

of keeping with the policy.

out Mosley had already been made by Stalin and the Comintern to class collaboration the workers of Fast London despite fascism through the line of the CP. "democratic" fronts the will The Mosleyites, with their usual bourgeoisie. was "progressive planned this the Stalinists refusal to the provocative march on October fight against fascism ciass 1936, through London's poorest which throughout the with its high proportion of 1930s strengthened the hand of the Jews, as a gesture of intimidation.

LASCISES.

The fascists were held out of the

SHARPNESS

East End at Gardners Corner by the 100,000 anti-tascists; and in concrete here is orner more Cable Street barricade battle evidence available on the role of the at Cable Street, some of the police surrendered to Communist Party in role initially very like une nas leaders in Lewisham on August 13, This enormous physical show of of avoiding the sharpness the strength was decisive for Mosley-the march was fight in the interests of class collab- unable to continue and the oration. unable to display The following letter was sent to MONeYLES member in the East End by that action and control essential to a CP the East London of the a fascist movement. organiser CP.

DECLINE

28.9.36 Dear Joe,

BUF

Mosley's From that moment the Arrangements went into a sharp decline.

It was A party meeting at Salmon march. the action of the working class on and Ball and another at Poplar, ie.

streets which halted march. to each end fascism, rather than gestures like the Public Order Act of 1936 forbidding the wearing of uniforms. not called Mosley's movement, by the ruling class was upon smashed by workine class awareness fascist danger; danger which was understood in a political sense not only for its racism but as the whole deadly menace to workers' movement. There could be no clearer lesson for today build ot the need to workers' defence organisations. The fight against the British Union of Fascists then, like that against the National Front today, is not just a battle against racialism; it the defence of the independence and of the whole material conanions working class. the this fight Transitional Programme the tourth International. opposing this line and "ГОГ similar positions, the recipient Joe Jacobs expelled from the CP and spent the remaining 40 of his life, first the years tater in Trotskyist and the anarchist movement. He died carlier this year. The letter Joc Jacohs published i kind permission of Solidarity. ther side. Fifty years ago this month two anarchists, Niccola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti became the victims of judicial murder by the state government of Massachusetts,

USA

It was seven years from the time of their trumped arrest on up charges of robbery and murder until their execution. During that a campaign for their release time mobilized support throughout the world. Niccola Sacco had been active in in 1918. strike workers

SIGH

Bartolomeo Vanzetti led long in a rope mill for which he strike was blacklisted, and at the time of his was living fish arrest peddler. the immediate post-war period the American radical movement was subjected to vicious attacks. In May 1920 Sacco and Vanzetti organised a meeting tc protest the killing, in a Department of Justice prison in New York, of Andree Salredo an Italian printer "suspected of radicalism' They arrested Brookton, Massachusetts, and framed for payroll robbery and murder.

INNOCENT

It is now accepted that they the were innocent crime although they have yet to receive a The Massachusetts state reported in the governmen' was (20.7.77) to Times be about to announce that Sacco and Vanzetti were not given a fair trial. As this article is written it is reported that the Massachusetts State Senate has voted 21-14 to condemn Governor Michael proclaimation which declared August 23rd "Sacco and Vanzetti Day" While the Liberal and Conservative wings of the American ruling class battle over the memory of two of our most famous class warriors we should direct ourselves ot the sacco and tne Vanzetti case. It should be a source of great pride to the present day Trotskyist movement that one chief ot ine founders of our movement, James P.Cannon, played a central role in the campaign Sacco and 10 Have Vanzetti from the clutches of their would-be murderers. At that time Cannon was one of the leaders American Communist Party and Secretary ol an organisation set up to defend prisoners-International class wat Labour Defence (ILD)

MASSES

correctly the Cannon bel essen to depend first and fore- LICESSILy most on the workers movement.

"There is a higher count than that of the solemn reprobates who decreed the death of Sacco and Vanzetti. The labouring masses of America and the world have faith in Sacco and Vanzetti. It is time now appeal finally to the masses. is time for workers to say their WOrd In the January 1927 issue of Labour Defender of the ILD) Cannon outlines two contrast- ing policies the defence CanDalan. 'One policy is the policy of the It puts the centre of class struggle. gravity in the protest movement of workers of America and the world.

It puts all faith in the power of the and faith whatever in masses While of the courts. the justice favouring all possible legal proceed- ings, it calls for agitation, publicity.

demonstrations- -organised protest national and international on scale. "The other policy is one of of the "soft-pedal' "respectability, and ridiculous illusions about 01 "justice" from ine courts or le It relies mainly on legal enemy- It seeks to blur the proceedings. issue of the class struggle. It shrinks "vulgar demon- the noisy of the militant workers strations By KEITH WHITE and throws the mud of slander on them." waited under the of the executioner shadow were quite clear as to which policy they

ILD

favoured. in a letter to Ine Vanzetti wrote: "I am one of the old guard who appreciate and approve the solidarity and have been solidarity with all..

.. Only the revolutionary workers, the and people, life preedom. can give The of solidarity campaign caught the imagination of workers Europe. throught America and In every large city in the USA protest meetings were held. In New The commitiee which decided Sacco and Vanzetli had had York 18,000 people attended a meeting at Madison Square Garden.

Resolutions poured into the office of Massachusetts Governor Fuller Leaflets, posters, buttons articles ran into thousands. Eugene pionee DeDs, Ine great American issued call to socialist action which proved to be his final public of the support oppressed acl An indication of the scale masses. of the campaign can be seen by the that in evening baton fact wielding police smashed up 20 pro.

Chicago alone In times the reached At movement strike proportions. Support came from the labour in Britain Germany, movement Italy, France and the USSR After the Mass. Supreme Court decision to reject a defence appeal for a new trial Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to die on July 10th.

"Such slender legal Cannon wrote resources as yet remain musi . But the real hope must utilised now be placed in the protest move- May the workers

TECHI

1927) In the last months the defence committee had to contend with a Militant whole action by the workers forced stays of execution -a tactical ploy on the part of the authorities to take the steam out of the protest movement.

convenient bomb series explosions allowed Governor Fuller "irresponsible to the nature" of the friends of the prisoners. Police action, such as that des- cribed above, was stepped up. Threats against all foreign-born workers fromCongressmen Johnson designe: Mcies sitt step on liberai suffer paign included the suppression "=3 series of sympathetic articles by the "New York World'. Cannon drew the class by nature campaign ruling class in a meeting held May 13th in Chicago "We say to you, our friends and our chairman, before they turn on the switch, that the real aim is not only to burn Sacco and Vanzetti in the electric chair but to burn the labour movement of America."

• a la bipaning by ben sa We must always remember that the law does not stand above classes but is designed as an instrument of The methods used the ruling class. by the ILD in the Sacco and Van zetti campaign serve as a basis fos Use the fight today courts

QUI

but start from the where you can mobilisation of the workers.

Agents of the ruling class within the labour movement will seek to diver the movement compromise In the October 1927 issue of LD Cannon lashed the official leaders : who had of the labour movement fought the militants and in the case to Fuile to leaSar Coand Vanzelt of the AFL leader Green who were innocent of any crim: life sentences instead of execution As we know now the campaig to save Sacco and Vanzetti talles But if the Massachusetts State Gor- ernment thought they had silences Sacco and Vanzetti on August ?!.

1927 they were wrong. As James P Cannon wrote two days after in , their names will live forever, for the electric current that killed them has burned their into the hearts names permanently of the toilers of the world. Thei miserable executioners will be buried in oblivion while the names and struggles of Sacco and Vanzetti still remain a stirring guide to the an inspiration to the masses oppressed everywhere" Cannon's words have stood th Whenever test of time the of pressed face the violence of capital the name ist courts and "justice Vanzetti are evoked Sacco and That is a testimony to the courage shown anarchists and td campaign waged in the type of defence

Page 8 Nuclear power plant in West Germany Savage attacks on anti-nuclear

ATOM POWER

protestors France have given prominence to struggles against capitalist plans for Never reactors. These struggles have erupted in a

LUDDITES

wave ot massive demonstrations on an lternatond sead. Biggest was on July 14 SO in Bilbao in Euskadi, Spain, where 200,000 demonstrators rallied against the proposal to transform drew attention to the dangers of the Basque nuclear Into d fast-breeder reactors and zone and in particular to halt the the unsolved scientific problems in of building the Iberduero power their use-problems disregarded by station in the outskirts of Bilbao. capitalists in their dash for profits.

the march But the answer to the problem is reported to have featured a contin- to nav more and not less attention gent of Westinghouse workers - the to nuclear energy While we call for main company involved in building to construct full oralas the new power station. fast breeder reactors scale as In West Germany a whole series Windscale in Britain, we call for a actions against proposed and massive programme of research to axisting nuclear power stations have be financed by the government supported taken place, each by under workers contro in order to thousands of marches, resolve the new problems caused by FBRs and the unsolved problems And in the United States, technology. caused by existing opponents of nuclear energy this Such a fight cannot by entrusted Spring staged a sit-in on the site of fickle hands of the "eco- 2 new Plan under construcion al freaks' and petty-bourgeois radicals ' Scabrook, New Hampshire.

PABLOITES

These protests have been greeted

LETTER

from uncritical acclaim the Farloites the US Socialist i rkers Party, who in a major two- the article paper ... l Wairant have announced blanket - prosition to nuclear power of all Overtime Bans "The fight against nuclear power is an essential part of the fight for afe working conditions." The behind this and argument is clear. The reactionary SWP has for years drawn its forces principally from liberal-democratic based on the radical campaigns rather than the Import Controls right for programme and leadership and a ithin the anorganised working class.

They see the forces drawn into the anti-nuclear around Liverpool campaigns as more grist for this 1.8.77 zill. Dear Comrade Editor, I am writing to take up a couple

ADAPTING

of points in your report of the T&G Conference (SP No.65). And since the characteristic of Firstly in report of the your "win" Pabloism is that it seeks to unemployment debate you quote, by adapting

OWI

with implied support, a resolution Frogramme to this level, the SWP Executive to calling for the T&G has gone overboard on a Luddite "give all official to support chee. nopmg lo draw a mass move branches, shop stewards commit- sent in tow. tees and groups of members in the "The antinuclear movement has fight for a 35 hour week without the potential like the anti-Vietnam loss of pay, and for official over- har movement-to win over ine American people Le Dis While fully supporting the bulk "people', working ¡notice not of the resolution it is my view that class, It can do so it its positions the call for overtime bans to fight are clear and it tries to involve as unemployment is incorrect. Among people as possible in its man! call this to build a mass movement' supporters ai b social leading contact The SWP goes on to insist that dul yukale customary let and, providing their workers government would shut down Cover or Ir Durcl every cracy,, the SWP. plant inherited the The logic of the demar! is that a =rotts-first capitalist system.

certain amount of work is done as overtime by people in employment.

DEVELOPMENT

If these people refused to work Nowhere does the SWP article overtime then the employers would have to take on workers from the i for the necessary demand a development of nuclear dole queues in oraer to get ine work done and thus, at a stroke, workers under contror. Irraj the whole of atomic science thousands of new jobs would By John Lister that com prise the bulk of the anti- nuclear protest movement It is a task most centrally for the calling workers control to be imposed on processes present monopolised by the capitalist class and its state machine up the records of these Open power plants and the books of the Expose the private suppliers. capitalists' scorn for safety. Expose the dangers of existing processes. But expose also the possibilities of advance beyond this point once science is set free from capitalism, and need to approach the these fields of knowledge objectively and not with the frenzy of the enraged petty bourgeois. fault of greedy workers and nothing at all to do with the anarchy of the and the daily be- capitalist system, trayals of the trade union bureauc- racy which refuses to lead any tight The demand is, of to defend jobs. reformist course completely as 1s the bulk of the SWP's demands.

Have the SWP given a second's workers thought as lo many hours of over- working SO time? It is obviously in an effort to combat the steady erosion of their living standards that has taken place under the social contract.

Overtime working will only de- if substantial increases crease basic pay are won, that can restore standards to pre social con- living tract levels. Such increases should have escalator clauses attached to ensure pay rises to keep up with in- As for the question of providin

WOIK

gramme of useful public works at trade union rates of pay and under trade union control must be fought for. Secondly, in your report of the "import controls' debate you quote, again with implied support, a Cox- delegate who stated that entry "cheap foreign labour" was a myth

PRESS GANG

Minority Rule The Press has stuck diligently but with increasing difficulty to its task of denigrating the working class upsurge over pay. section of No sooner has workers been caugnt in ne wilder ing fire of its editorials than two more jump up fully armed in its place. It is not surprising therefore that Fleet Street, radio and 1V hanted the 'rebellion' Longbridge at as a liberating army. In jubiliation the Press threw caution to the winds. No more would the angry tramp of workers be outside the heard window. We were on the verge of a when the production new dawn lines run non-stop and the only noise that can be heard above them are the sounds of militants being ted into the power presses and the workers chants: "'Less pay: longer hours"! whirlwind that Robinson and his Stalinist companions reaped was of their own making. aven as they called a strike workers' demo- cracy was treated as a commodity.

But even with this unprincipled and disastrous leadership the true voice of Longbridge came over loud -and clear--a two to one vote favour of the first all-out strike at the factory for years. This majority ignored was the tress. or treated counterweight merely Robinson's ridiculous 50-1 majority. The Sun called it a victory over Communist leadership, the Sunday Telegraph an assertion of common and Sense olay worker. the Express thought it went further still "All honour and credit to angry led by paint shop Hill. Ronnie who

WUJACI.

converged on the office of the head due to advanced technology and roove that cheap subsidies, various clear labour st that foreign from being a myth is far The duty of British workers is to the struggle of workers support internationally to improve their wages. However, some the devious fake-left MP's and bureau- crats (not that all of them aren't devious some extent) pose of import controls as a gesture support for exploited foreign work- as some form of blacking • 10 This bogus argument must be com The strength of the pletely rejected. lies at the point of working class Unemployed production. workers have no power to light low wages, while employed workers have the ability to strike or apply other sanc- tions. To throw them out of work.

import controis whal do, would be to take this would power from them. Yours fraternally, D.J.

EDITOR'S REPLY.

Comrade DJ is correct to point out the dangers of seeing the call SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977 steward. They knew where shop their enemy was. Mr. 'When one remembers affiliation Robinson's 26-year-old to the Communist Party, and looks shambles ambulatl which a great British company has been reduced. one marvels at how much has been endured by such people" The Sunday Telegruph described Hill as "the man who has become folk-hero Britain's latest and found space on their front page for an interview with his wife, testify.

ing to his principles , among which arc apparently a lack of interest in "politics or unions" and a refusal to take on the role of shop steward Even in this piece of left bashing Mrs. Hill was unable to keep reality out altogether. "We are sick of all the publicity suggesting that car workers are all highly paid and grasping.

Ron only £41 to £42 a brings home about week." confrontation The actual between the workers and Robinson lovingly detailed every paper. Details of what workers satd and did actually found their way into the headlines This contrast to sharp events when workers are striking or demanding that their officials take Then called they are "mob" or a "minority of politically motivated wreckers" Gone too was the fetishisin of If a minority of workers had demonstrated in favour of a had strike-if a minority actually walked out in defiance of the result of a two to one vote to stay in the Press would what a field day then have had Now, the ligures became msg The Press had found the nificant. voice of the working class that they wanted to hear. Minority rules Workers were implying that the Socialist League advocates such a position. The reaons we are opposed to because it overtime working diverts from the necessary struggle an adequate basic wage, and in for this way subjects whole sectors of workers intensive even HOrt exploitation. We gave a favourable reference to the resolution calling for official overtime bans because, short of the full offered the programmil 5/293 Branch resolution (which wi quoted), this was the motion that came closest to offering a course of action rather than a form of words on unemployment and the 35-hour week. The article stressed that while Jones and the

TGWU

Executive had verbally backed the 35-hour demand, they opposed this ШеРК second resolution aimed at winning it. We would agree with comrade DJ on the need for solidarity with workers internationally, and stress also the other side of this: the need break from any concept that British workers and British "common" have employers "national" interest fighting

TWO SHOOTS FROM

SOCIALIST PRESS, W'ednesday 31 August 1977 The inability of the Communist Party to offer workers a lead indep- endent of the TUC bureaucrats in General Strike 1926

BRITISH

brought a profound setback to the British CP. But far more serious was the Chinese defeat inflicted the Party result of the Stalinist policy of dissolving walnese Communist Party the

LALO

party

DOUTZEOIS

Kuo Min Tang, led by Chiang Kai- shek. For Stalin, Chiang's opportunist "support" for the USSR was worth more than the political indepen- dence of the Chinese workers and wasalits. But of course as soon as it suited Chiang he changed course abruptly, and turned against the Communists, slaughtering them in their tens of thousands, and forcing the remain- der to retreat into the countryside.

LEFT OPPOSITION

The only opposition Stalinist concept 'socialism in one country' which was the basis of the Chinese policy, was Trotsky and the Left Opposition who anticipated the defeats that occurred. Within Russia itself, the dangers warned of by the Left Opposition also emerged. The Discons peasants (Kulaks) whom Stalin had nurtured beran to assert themselves and began to challenge the hasis of staging grain strikes in 1928 and 1929.

Stalin who had opposed planned approach to the problem of the Kulaks was forced to take a sharp turn to aspossess tals newly- emerging capitalist class, and force through massive nationalisation.

In the process millions of Kulaks and others were killed, and crops and livestock destroyed on a devas- tating scale. sharp lurch leftwards I ne Russia was parallelled by a similar switch in the line of the Communist Social internationai. parties country were denounced "social suddenly fascists' than the - worse tascists themselves.

HITLER

Trotsky and the Left Opposition fought this particularly turn, in Germany where the ultra-left Comintern line threatened to split the working class in the face of Hitler's fascist offensive.

Trotsky's answer was to develop the tactic of the "united tront' through which the CP should the Social delane leaders form a united front against Alter "No common platform with Social Democracy or with the leaders of the German trade unions.

No common publications, banners, separately, but placards. strike together!" "Eurocommunist" CP leader Berlinguer-Stalinist bureaucrats are subject to a dual pressure.

SEED OF

STALINISM

arguing that it was better for the Chinese Tang, open fascists power- stemmed from Stalinist per- TaKe because the CP's would take over "socialism spective country". after them. Hitler did take power in When Popular Front 1933 all the workers' parties were directly to the defeat of massive decimated. sit-in strikes in France; and of the It was the complete lack of any Spanish revolution. opposition or reaction to this cata- was this period which first strophic defeat within the leader- emergence within the ship of the Comintern or its parties Comintern of clearly parties that Trotsky and marked nationalist tendencies in

TICU

Opposition to declare that Stalin- conflict with the requirements of isin had now transformed the the Kremlin: Comintern "As from regards the ex-Comintern into a counter revolutionary force.

its social basis, properly speaking, is Now was necessary of a two.fold nature un the one hand it lives on subsidies of the independent revolutionary parties of a new international. Kremlin, submits the latter's This position was vindicated in commands, and, this respect 1934 and 1935 as the Comintern every ex-Communist bureaucrat is trom extreme ultra-leftism the younger brother and subordin to the right ate of the Soviet wing opportunism of bureaucrat. On the other hand, the various the Popular Front with no change of leadership and no criticism of its machines of the ex-Comintern feed previous line. from the same sources as the Social Democracy, that the super profits of imperialism.

PEOPLE'S FRONT

The growth of the Communist The social democratic parties Parties in recent years, their infil.

tration into the ranks of the petty-

LOBE

WeTE weeks fascist before as "social were bourgeoisie, their installation in the suddenly accepted, along with state machinery, the trade unions, "progressive sections of the bour mumcipanties, eIC., geoisic" "people's have strengthened in the extreme into tront' alongside the Stalinists.

their dependence national This policy, just like the 'social imperialism at the expense of their Stalin Kremlin leader Brezhnev "Today predict with assurance the inception of a new The growth stage. of imperialist antagonisms, the obvious proximity of the war danger, and the equally obvious isolation of the USSR must necessarily strengthen the centri- fugal nationalist tendencies within the Comintern. Each ot its sections wil begin to evolve a patriotic policy on its own account, stalin nas recon ciled the Communist Parties of imperialist democracies with their national bourgeoisie This stage has now been passed.

The Bonapartist procurel played his Henceforth the Communo-chauvinists will have to worry about their own hides, whose interests by always Incals coincide with "the defence of the

USSR".

(Trotsky, Writings 1938-39, pp.

71,72,73.)

DUAL PULL

The effects of this dual pull on the CP bureaucracies country were only beginning to The develop at that point. dominant force was still the Kremlin bureaucracy developments soon showed in august 99 Sta ook e bureaucratic notion of 'Socialism in Page 9 Hitler This meant that from 19394 Communi the position Parties was that the war. The CPs supporte imperialist their strikes and opposed bourgeois governments But when Hitler invaded Rus in 1941, Stalin promptly allied v: Britain and France. Party Communist immediate the reversed course In "alter countries every CP now supporte the war as a 'People's War' and gat support to bourgeois govemment opposed strikes, and enforce speed-up.

WOUND UP

In order to show his suppor the status quo the "allies 1n Stalin wound countres Comintern in 1943 This of gave course weight to the pull on the CPs frco bourgeoisie in daci national The resolution dissolvi country. the Comintern actually describe. the international acting as "a dr on the further strengthening of th national working class parties But when Stalin, , Roosevelt an Churchill came together to divid.

"spheres the world into influence", the Communist Partie task defending agreed status quo. the 'capitalist' sphere CPs disarmed the working class an where necessary entered coalitio governments with capitalist parties In France this meant providin ministers in de Gaulle's governmen and voting for arms to back impe ialist wars in Vietnam and Algeria.

Italy the monarchist government. "Soviet' sphere of influ In the ence the Red Army disarmed an broke up upsurge revolulonaly Communist Partie wale entered coalitions with bourgeoi and even monarchist forces.

Only in Yugoslavia (designate 50-50 in the 'spheres of influence deal and in China were lne con munist Parties forced to go beyon the bounds proposed by Stalin, each case these CPs took care tha the working class was kept unde sne poncal control. In 1946 Churchill made a speecl at Fulton that opened the 'Col War'-stressing the irreconcilabilits of capitalism with the nationaliser property relations of the USSR The US launched the Marshal Aid Plan aimed at bolsterin capitalism in war-torn Europe. Par of this plan included the remova CP ministers from government in Italy and France.

CONTROLLED

With this increasing Stalin the go-ahead for thi gave controlled, bureaucratic process o socialising the means of productior in the "buffer states' of Easterr Europe In the course of this extentior of the property relations prevailin in Russia, Stalin needed to establist complete bureaucratic control ove the national Stalinist leadership installed with the backing of the Red Army. This was why Tito when Yugoslavia set out to forge link: with the CP bureaucrats in othe 'buffer' states, i and stood ou the economi demands being placed on the buffe: states by Stalin, he was promptl denounced bv the kremiin ass 'fascist' and even a 'Trotskyist'.

This clash between Tito and Stalin had a marked impact or workers' struggles in both the new deformed workers' states, and advanced capitalist countries.

But …Con munist Party-including the British Communist Party-supported Stalir against Tito, and repeated all the Kremlin slanders against him.

Despite this show of subse: vience Stalin launched a massy: senes of purges the Easterr CPs, Europe rooting out possible support for "Titoism'-an; element likely to stand out agains: complete subordination to Kremi- dictates But the problems within Russia

SINOSITA

development still buildir. were up-not to be fully seen until afte Stalin's death in 1953 The next article will examine the effects of Stalin's death and mi relationship splits berween national Stalinist bureaucracies and the Western CPs. which British CP is only one.

INDUSTRIAL NEWS

Pagi i:

EPS STAY OUT FOR £15

Strike busting bid falls flat 700 members of the TGWU at When the coaches arrived they almost empty. Only a liny Export Packing Services in Banbury near Oxford have completed their handful of workers had responded to the strike breaking move.

third week of strike action for a On Wednesday management £15 per week pay claim. tried again. They made an offer of The for Brides terrap and £5.15. For this they wanted sork British Leyland of reduction in the labour force Chrysier. 47, tightening up on rest periods Last week was a week of threats and an extension of the working and pressures from management.

weck from 38 hours to 40 hours.

It started on the Monday with It this offer was not accepted, Grunwick-style bussing a massive they said, SaLK move to break the picket line. labour force first and then close Management sent through the which would paying each details of So coaches and scores of pick-up redundancy moncy. mass meeting last Thursday 20 mile radius covering a rejected this ultimatum with only round the factory. 13 votes in favour of the offer, and Workers were told that if they the strike continues dis not report for work on Monday The management's bluff has now would been called. Preparations must he permanently closed. made to meet this threat it it 15 They were advised not to travel carried out. do work in their own cars out to The plant must be occupied it it use the coaches. is closed and workers in the motor morning everything industry approached to ensure that ass ready. A hundred pickets were the work is blacked until the plant the police were 07 thü gate and is re-opened, all the те- clear there

LUI

alle instated and the wage claim met in ecaches. "vl! Jaguar's £20 strike Stewards representing striking uation of the secure earnings plan Jaguar workers voted on August 24 ¡drawn up to compensate for the switch from piecework to Measured not to meet for a further 2 weeks.

Day Work 1974) which also expired in April. has most closed a week claim. Management have so far offered the Radford plant the 5% Phase 2 and due under Coventry-only the tooiroom and indeed sent a letter to the work- the staff are working. force detalling their mention this payment in the

REFUSED

September 1 pay packets. With only the toolroom Workers at Radford refused to strike or laid off they alone will get setile under Phase 2 in April and this rise. the present claim includes a contin- At the Brown's Lane plant

WORKERS

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

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

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

As a result we have been at the forefront of struggles agairst 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 moverent's understanding of the history and the present crisis of the Fourth International as an essential part of our initiative towards its reconstruction.

We urge all readers who agree on the need for revolutionary lead- Jaguar workers have reluctantly voted to accept the 5% they refused to settle for in Apri-but only after manoeuvres by right-- a series wine stewards

CLAIM SUBMITTED

On from holiday returning Brown's Lane workers found that Radford had submitted the £20 claim There was a clear opportunity to following forge unity by Radford lead Not wishing to expose them- wind stewards argued selves against taking a vote on the claim at the shop stewards committee and a decision was taken to put it to a meeting with no recom- mendation. To the dismay of the right wing the mass mecting voted to support the £20 claim. Faced with this difficult position the right wing submitted the claim and approached the shop floor with strike notices a proposal to posl within five days.

LAY-OFFS

There was no strategy to win the strike put forward and with the Lucas strike Know cage tal would lead to layoffs fairly soon the mass mecting voted ally way against a strike The right wing were triumphant and gained a majority due to a large number of abstentions) for putting the management's 5% offer to a further mass meeting.

In face of this sort of leadership the Hiccus ve accept tie 5%

LEADERSHIP

Several davs later the letter arrived from management saying paid on

LITE

monty september 1 anyway. Brown's Lan • now a o cuc eq ne cuca strike. The lack of leadership al Brown's lane IS Radford where again no strategy for winning the strike has been put forward. To date there have been no mass were taken at section mcetings) and

LAW'S

THF

BETRAYAL

After six months the strike at Trust Houses Night Out Forte theatre restaurant in Birmingham is over. The strikt, over union recog- nition and the reinstatement of a EPS pickets outside the plant last week

LUCAS

STRIKE

STAYS

SOLID

Lucas toolroom workers over- whelmingly threw out the latest offer from management at a mass Birmingham despite a meeting in plea from AUEW bureaucrat, Terry Duffy, that this was management's last offer. was for a f3 a week ine oller rise, and a £100 cash payment for loss of carnings during the dispute The toolroom workers are stick- their demand £5 minimum increase their bonus. As part of the package, manage- ment were proposing an "alterna tive self-financing bonus scheme' whose details were to be worked out by a working party, including representatives from the toolroom.

INTIMIDATION

The response by management to the overwhelming rejection of their offer has been to try and intimidate the toolroom strikers, and set other against them, by

WRIKCTS

threatening that there will have to sackings because, they claim, Lucas will lose its position as the main supplier electrical com- ot ponents to the car industry and acrospace Clearly management are worried by the effects of the strike.

Despite British Leyland stock- piling before the strike began, Wilkinson, an fixecutive Director of Lucas. has been quoted as saying that supplies to the motor industry Sare drying up and there will be sunstantial lav-ofts. Alregol • workers engaged in thi SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977 waitress ended in the same bureaucratic sell-out as the two carlier strikes at THF hotels in Oxford and Sheffield. Like the strikers at Oxford and Sheffield the Night Out strikers were forced to accept a cash settle- ment as the only "realistic solution.

McGuire, Pat V5 110/30 ation began the strike, does not even reclive a casn sellement. her case will go before a tribunal, where she will almost certainly lose.

Morcover. the vote to end the strike and accept a cash offer was while McGuire was atlending a funeral in Ireland and unable to be present The blame for the defeat of the strike rests entirely with Alan Law, Trade Group Secre- the Regional tary who took _ personal charge of the strike from its early weeks.

From the time he ended the selected blacking he was organising of

THF

establishments the Birmingham Law had done dild • 1ha1 he had any

SHOW

intention of winning the Night Out strike.

BURDEN

On the other hand there were plenty of signs that he found the strike a burden he would rather be rid of. In the latter weeks of the strike Law continually refused to see the strikers on the grounds that he was "too busy" although he was never too busy to mast statements to the press His office even refused to the branch stamp to strike fund collection sheets, arguing that Alan Law dhd like appealing for not "charity" Atter demoralising the strikers for months with his stonewalling and his refusal to organise any Alan Law was able to bresent the seli-0u1 deal he nad hatched up with THF as a realistic" settlement He went so far as to describe the deal as a 'victory', although clearly the victory lay entirely with Trust Houses Forle, aided who and abetted by the bureaucracy of the defeated

TGWU

this three attempts to organise a union in their establishments

BOOKS

THE TOOLROOM STRIKE

AND THE FIGHT TO END

WAGE CONTROL

Brings together of analysis struggles against Phase 2 with a full account of the Toolroom striké the mass action that brought down the Labour govern ment and brought the Lib-Lab coalition to power. Also includes the programme of the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement. 25p plu 10p p&p.

LEON TROTSKY

THE TRANSITIONAL

PROGRAMME

Founding programme of the Fourth International, published with a glossary and introduction.

30p plus 10p p&p. Available from: WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill London NW5 1HR. been laid off: while lay offs at Vauxhall will occur shorlly Tooiroom stewards are presenu black considering i campaign to alternative supplies of components.

Such blacking dion ignonti!

BEHIND LONGBRIDGE

FIASCO CORPORATE

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977 Forced into a corner, the nego- tiating committee at Leyland's Longbridge plant called a strike for Monday August 29. Then as soon as a few hundred confused workers-nothing like the thousands claimed by the press-

BARGAING I

marched on the office of convenor Derek Robinson demanding the strike De caled oll, ne cayeu Ill Robinson, a Communist Party member meekly protes- told Ine torsif you want us to call it off, we can." But he was far from dismayed at this result. Socialist Press has made As clear, major objective for Leyland management is to push through corporate bargaining, from shop LaNC

COILLIUL

away stewards and place it in the hands of the union bureaucracy.

Joint Working Party, posed of management and union bureaucrats, up for this sut purpose Leven acement broduced a document, as a result of the dis- Working Party,

LANCE

TO e bring which are designed in corporate bargaining; an incentive which would scheme with each speed-up, LIL CaSE worker's output being raised from an average of 8 cars a year to 15; and also included the fringe benefits and penalty clauses thrown by every Leyland virtuany plant last January.

20% CLAIM

the it was basis of these proposals that Robinson and the Longbridge negotiating committee Longbridge workers demonstrate against the Social Contract cartier this year, drew the wage claim for the The claim was in fact for only When management flung it back 20% (as against the 47% the press at him and said that they have claimed) which on an average prepared to negotiate separately wage of £65 is a rise of only £13; it with Longbridge, Robinson had no also included incentive payments, alternative but to call a strike.

modelled management's Robinson found himself caught UW1l proposals for increasing speed-up. between

LWY

The only resistance to this claim management with whom he has when it came up on the shop stew- worked hand in glove and whose

SWP

ards from objective of corporate bar- Committee Calle members but Robinson was able to gaining he openly supports; and the oppose their inadequate alternative pressure from Longbridge workers, of £20 'too conservative" pressure Robinson has walch because it even fell short of the likened, on several occasions, to a committee's clain boiling pot which threatens to boil which, together with the produc- totals approximately management

LIVILY

palis, wnen relused lo £31. negotiate there was a spontaneous Robinson then duly lodged the demonstration by workers Longbridge claim with management Thursdav who leit the tracks and

HEATHROW STRIKE

LEADER VICTIMISED

Under from both pressure British Airways management and AUEW officials, Jack Gatsky, the senior steward who led the Heathrow engineers strike has now been victimised. Gatsky was originally suspended and then sacked by the airline for Report. comments he made about safety standards at British Airways after their fleet Tridents were grounded for checks when cracks were discovered in the wings of some of the aircraft. mecting of engineers voted unless he was lo striKe reinstated. But union officials to eager avoid a strike pressured Gatsky into accepting management's conditions These were that Gatsky acknowledged his incom- comment safety Jack Gatsky DelenCE LO standards; that he would be sus- Gatsky subsequently had second pended for four weeks without pay thoughts and appealed against the and that he would be moved from

SEEDSON

was. Coust accepted work, thus losing informed that he had snit work to uay his steward's position. management's conditions and that the suspension stood.

HASTILY

The oiner steward facing disci- of the shop plinary action, lan Morris, has now meeting hastily stewards, suspended weeks was convened that many of them did without pay for remarks he made not even know about it. the full after Gatsky was disciplined.

ALFH

He is stil! working pending his officials led hy Regional Orticer Chollerton *is aping that his com- persuaded the stewards 10 call ori

/ INDUSTRIAL NEWS

WHO

FOR

marched on in the pouring rain demanding the right to negotiate. Meetings each heldi section at which stewards put strike to the vote Workers voted on strike action to force manage- negotiate: but Robinson ment lo chose not to call a mass meeting.

MAJORITIES

shift, there were Un the dav majorities favour of In assive In action. Robinson then went on television claiming there was a fifty to one majority in favour of strike action. This was major mistake because the night shift had not of another steward and a reply to a political attack on members of the shop stewards' committee by Chairman of British Airways and had nothing to do with the question of the airline's safety Seals. There is no doubt that this sell-out shoddy of Gatsky has weakened trade union organisation amongst the maintenance men who still have not received a penny of their shift pay claim over which they struck earlier this year The government has made it clear that the men will have to wait until January under the 12- month rule and that even then they able will only an overall increase of 10%. Only a fight by the maintenance men under a strong leadership against the 12-month rule and the "guidelines" will government ensure that the men receive not only their justified shift pay claim but aiso a substantial increase in pay under their annuai review.

Due to a lack of space the article on left groups and corpor ate bargaining has been held over to a future issue.

GVEN A BOOST

yet voted, and it gave management an ideal opportunity to intervene a decisive the way SLIKe Cau a letter They handed out to In this letter they every that made claimed they an offer to Longbridge workers What they were referring to was their document which came Working Party out of the Jou which was still being negotiated Ull In addition, the wage increases they were offering were strung out over two vears They were able to out point quite correctiy that their offer was basically the same as the Long- bridge claim. "the claim presented by the Trade Unions at Longbridge emb- odies all the principles contained in the Company's offer... This created state of con- fusion. Workers thought that they had been conned by Robinson and the stewards.

NOT MENTIONED

Why hadn't management 's offer been mentioned before? Why were they going on strike if their claim different what was no from management anyway were offering?

also appeared that manage- were prepared to negotiate.

ment Not surprisinglv the voting on the night shift swung the other However, way. on sections where stewards were prepared to explain the issues carefully sizable for strike action minority

YOLUS

were recorded still overall a sub- There was stantial majority of two to one in when the lavour or strike action voting ended - with 8,889 in favour of action and 4,979 against.

However, because voting took place section by section those who were opposed

SECLIULS

strike did not feel action the mass meeting pressure would created have to accept that they were a minority.

AUEW

STRIKE

VOTE

250 AUEW stewards from all over Sheffield attended a special meeting on August 16 called to dis- cuss the union's position on the 12 month rule and on Scanlon's circu- lar endorsing it. of feeling This show forced Stalinist District Secretary George Caborn to promise letters and reso- lutions in a bid to reverse the posi- tion of the AUEW Executive.

from floor Discussion showed overwhelming opposition to the 12-month rule and support for immediate strike action.

In response to this the TASS Osborn Had- senior steward from field, a supporter of Socialist Press £10 claim submitted uctaneu loe by his members. which is linked to demand it: wages. Eventualiy 3 resolution falling on the District Commitree "to cal an all-out stoppage on September TUC was for a lohhs üt the passed with only 3 atstentions.

Despite this indication of rank and file pay militancy all eyes main on the manoeuvres c: Ca- born •who seans aircady to be pre- paring to dimt down on the is month rule issue Page 11 The feelings of the majori! were shown when a number of pro- tests took place against calling oil the strike, But when Robinson spoke of his decision he made no reference to postponing the action - simply say ing it was off. found Robinson may have himself having lead a strike but he cannot have been entirely unhappy with the outcome. CyCl though, course of climbing in the down, largely result othe leadership, of he lost own errors some face Management's campaign for corporate bargaining, a campaign which he has supported, has been given a boost. In our view Robinson's collapse the entirely wrong: strike •Wan should ahead. In an! gone lave event the problems flowed from his contempt for the membership

UVIE

in failing to for strike prepare action with a mass meeting.

Steps must be taken to retrieve he stewards meet to adopt a principled claim A clear statement must be maue rejecting corporate bargaining.

And the call must be for strike action to force Leyland to negot- iate with the Longbridge committee

NUJ CALL

BLOCKED

Leaders of the print unions have blocked a call to extend the strike at North of England Newspapers throughout Westminster Press.

They refused to allow Evening paper journalists to join the three month old strike or to call out their those

OWI

areas The three month strike for a closed shop has reached deadlock and Westminster Press management are digging for a long fight. Last week they spent more than £3,000 on a glossy brochure attack- ing the closed shop for journalists A copy was sent to every worker in the firm-at their home address- with a first class stamp At the same time a less well pub- licised company document was revealed instructed which local editors on how to block NUJ claims for 'house agreements' giving better local pay and conditions

SELECTIVE

It gives detailed instructions to refuse across the board pay claims - offering instead selective rises for company chosen staft-and to Ie ject calls for fewer hours, sabattical leave, or manning agreements.

remarks regretfully: "The law... denies employers a convenient method of ridding of trouble the company makers after industrial action." The than embarassing confirmation of the political fervour with which West- minster Press opposes the unior operating effectively tor journalisis It underlines the immediate need to step up the three month ols strike at Darlington as the Westminster Press group chapel has proposed The National Executive oi := NUJ meeting last week took i*e oi weak kneed attitude out what the print unions these:: about such a call. At the Printing

ILC

c: the ... O Brien. Sagar and the others made inaz predictable decision They were not prepared to 1: the strike to spread The proposal is to be disruses again at the

TUC

and Soreta: all NUT members = Press urges Westminster Press to jein the er=s in Blackpoo! on Sepiember !:: 0de ae and von implemen: the semestic sensic= dithe NUT members israires

OWEN PLOTS TO PRESERVE

GRUNWICK CONFERENCE - CP

DIVERTS FROM BETRAYALS

Page 13 The British-American plan for Zimbabwe has leaked out a few days beiore the proposed Scuthern African British by sales TOlE Foreign Secretary David Owen and participation Carter's UN Ambassador Andrew Young. It is a clear plan for the preservation of imperialist rule.

Its main provisions the conicience. disarmament of the guerrilla liber- "temporary" ation armies, the installation of a British admin- take over from Smith

SHOE LO

would downer elections under the "protection" of * United Nations army to take over the maintenance of law and order From the present racist army which "Nkomo injection of American money to . buy off the whites. This plan should be rejected in guerrilla its totality the masses of Zimbabwe who can expect nothing from "protectors' Bishop but treachery like Owen and Young. Socialist Press has consistently argued the need for labour move- ment support for the struggle of be the liberation movements Zimbabwe but has warned of the leaders of these that the movements may treacnerously seize opportunities to compromise V11 with the imperialists. The This danger was apparent in the whole The anniversary conterence in the strike support of Grunwick strikers could have produced an important oppor- tunity to draw the lessons of the struggle so far, and to plan action for the next state of the fight. Instead it proved no more than a tronted by. stage managed side show by the 'left' and their Party bureaucratic friends, who covered up the labour leaders' of left demagogy. smokescreen This was inevitable given that the

APEX

was organised by the conference South East Regional TUC and the tion. Regional

TGWU

London Com- mittee. the Despite this it revealed massive support for the strike that The exists in the working class. This was shown not only in the high number had no of trade union organisations repre- sented, but also in the enthusiastic Typical ovations given to the speakers from

SOCIALIST

PRESS

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IMPERIALIST RULE

of the leaders ZANU and ZAPU (which together comprise the Patriotic Front) in last year's imperialist-sponsored Geneva week the danger showed itself again when both ZAPU leader Nkomo and ZANU leader Robert Mugabe were both reported as saying they would not oppose the British-American plan if it were implementtu Immeciately.

PLAN ACCEPTED

reservation made of the disarmament but appeared army accept the rest of the plan.

Meanwhile in Zimbabwe itself.

Muzorewa and the Nolabaningi Sithole have sharpened their competition to do an altern- ative deal with Smith who seems to Atrican Prime sordid certain remaining manoeuvres Minister after next week's "general election" among the whites.

Muzorewa seems to have been and peasants of Zimbabwe.

outmanoeuvred by Sithole who has captured some Muzorewa aides.

ZANU

and Bishop has dismissed the national committee of his committee, Mahmood Ahmed and Jayabeen Desai.

But it had already become clear that such support was not enough mass picketing to overcome the leadership that the particularly supporters of the strıke were con- the

AUEW

picketing Desoutters and behind the Cricklewood post- mens action had forced Grunwicks been on strike l? boss, Ward, and his NAFF and Tory same principles, backers to hand the initiative to the and UPW bureaucracies who were intent on defusing the situa- same key demands.

HAND PICKED

procession of hand-picked Stalinists who spoke from the floor whatsoever of intention the August 8 mass picket.

pointing this out. The

TGWU

of Party Communist duplicity was the contribution by Trust Houses Forte * blacking. recognisung lnal nypocusy ana not wanting to be let out o £1.50 £3.00

WOIKIE

Cass €6.00 behind the strike. £2.10 £4.20 €8.40 Grunwicks and information about the Workers deaf ears. the Lewisham NF march). Vance, Owen and South African Foreign Minister Botha.

National Council. These only establish new obstacles can will almost national liberation certainly further expose the irrele- building of socialism in Zimbabwe.

vance of these meddlesome priests And the British labour the problems of the workers ment support these by pursuing an uncompromising supporters

ZAPU

against the Cantall must now demand that their leaders schemes of Owen and the Labour completely reject the plan which Party leadership. The strikers at Sheffields THF George Anthony from the AUEW North London District Committee.

5 months on his otel doorstep His impassioned plea for all-out and blacking without a scrap of support from to close Grunwick had a hollow ring, Plannery. to the delegation from The sharp contrast official strike double-talk was the from Archie Sinclair, Assistant Sec- This north London factory has of the Cricklewood detary branch who bitterly weeks for the but Anthony who actions of Norman Stagg and his is their District Secretary, has con- union executive. The organisers' anxiety sistently refused to fight for these tect the bureaucracy was brought Eric Rechnitz from the TGWU clearly in the out most Regional Committee, recalled the Chairman Jack minutes. Stalinist from Kent NUM called on mass struggles to tree the Penton- ville 5 dockers in 1972. He did not meeting to endorse the say that Regional Committee had committee call to the blacking reversed a unanimous vote to back and the restoration be mass pickets to plattorm speaker

APEX

had had the nerve to refer to the An amendment from the floor prolonged strikes for union recog called for Jack Jones of the TGWU, nition by TGWU members against (the other union directly involved) to second the resolution was ruled The defeat of those actions in out of order by Dunn Sheffield, Oxford and Birmingham When a

TGWU

strike member was due entirely to TGWU leader- mittee asked to ship's refusal to organise effective the amendment,

DULILL

DII

Dromey, self-styled retused to allow nim Only a political understanding of to be the keynote of the conference leaders can explain the con- the act, Tribune Group MP Martin tradiction voiced by Flannery assured everyone that the "We are drowning in support; but starving for action!" of were The Grunwick picket line.

A Workers Socialist League public meeting in London-How to Win at Desoutters-survived twin threats recently. Dromey urged strike committee members not to attend-a plan that fell on Next the pub where the meeting was due to be held was visited by the National Front. The publican and his family were threatened. Police told him that any trouble would be on his own head (five days after protecting The WSL would of course have gone ahead, preferably without police SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 31 August 1977

CAMPAIGN FOR

DEMOCRACY IN THE

LABOUR MOVEMENT

LOBBY OF THE TUC

We and cal on all readers supporters to rally on 5 Septem.

ber at 11.00 am. in Blackpool, on the following demands:

*TGWU

and AUEW accept conference decisions. *No to the 12-month rule.

unemployment! For a *End programme of public works.

*Stop all sackings: occupy and demand work sharing on full pay.

*Regain and defend living standards: wage claims to restore 1974 levels with cost of living clauses. *Full-scale blacking of Grunwick by all unions. * National • strike action force a halt to all cuts in social servites *TUC must break Lib-Lab coalition. £3,000

FUND

and the move- imperialist Urgent action is needed if we are to reach our target on time!

With only one month to go we are now only two-thirds of the way towards our target of £3,000. This money urgent y needed for the launching of the Press in weekly Socialist October. With workers up and down the country prepared to take on the government's 12-month rule own doorstep 'guideline' and 10% a weekly Socialist Press will be an indis to the fight pensable weapon in contribution for a new leadership the unions based on a programme

UPW

that can defend workers' living attacked the standards. All readers and supporters are urged send donations and to pro- help us raise our target on time.

Among the latest closing Dunn, a contributions South are London £93; car workers, strike a £31.50; Birmingham £17; Leeds TUC for Coventry £5; Hull €5.50; £33; of PC £10; AG £2: "a principled moved by IMG member" £1 The total received since the last gsue was t226.10 giving us grand total date £1912.18. Donations should be sent to: com- Socialist Press Special Fund raise 31, Dartmouth Park Hill Jack London NW5 1HR spokesman, 1917 ... 1977 Mrs. Desai- To commemorate ine bour Anniversary of the Russian Rev- olution the WL has produced a five colour silk screen . print of poster for the Red during the Russian Civil Layairy First Jack War. This poster is available from local branches of the WSL, price f1, or from

WSL.

31, Hill, London Dartmouth Park NW5

IHR,

plus 25p price pap AL proceeds to the Socialist