Jones Joins the Spivs

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It was natural for the Crown Agents to turn towards Jack Jones. Anyone who can make the size of his members wage packets shrink so quickly must be in the right line of business.

show such readiness to step into the scandal-racked offices of the Crown Agents?

'New opportunities'

The £1,000 a year salary will do little to compensate loss of his £7,500 TGWU salary.

clue can perhaps be found in his Richard Dimbleby Lecture on BBC2 last week.

'Retirement should not be the end of living. It should be the beginning of new opportunities, new experiences, a joyous existence in fellowship". . It was one sidelight of a speech in which Jones made it clear that his legacy to the trade union movement has been to knock fresh nails into the coffin of its indeendence.

More understanding On the one hand he appealed to the CBI and the Tories for more understanding. On the other he attacked militants in the trade unions.

His theme-concilation, arbitration, collaboration'Frankly, there are too many strikes-all of them have a reason, but many of them could be avoided by more discussion or conciliation. If we are to expect reasonable treatment from employers, there is surely a strong case for us to show tolerance and concern for the public...

"I am not suggesting that we should abandon the right to strike. • but I do believe that there is a need to reduce the number of strikes by finding alternative ways to resolve our differences' This goes beyond Jones' natural wish to boost the collaboration industry from which he earns a further £2,870 a year (ACAS and the National Ports Council).

He has a genuine hatred of clear class lines.

strongly deplore physical attacks on the police or anyone else-the sort of incidents that took place outside the Grunwick factory should be avoided at all costs -so I welcome the setting up of the Scarman inquiry'.

Parcelled up

The class struggle for Jones is to be parcelled up into committees, dissipated on Joint Councils and prostrated before 'independent' arbitors.

The outcome of a dispute is irrelevant-the sole aim is divert the feeling it.

It is no use condemning a strike unless you put something in its place-something which allows the grievance to be ventilated and the case to be properly presented, with the prospect of impartial exammation and possible solution round the corner.

1 ask the questions: Is the strike the only way to fight? Can't we fight by discussions, by intelligent argument?' Complete answer Jones' speech is a complete answer to those that say Scarman had anything for Grunwick strikers, for those who say 'participation' is anything other than a chain round the neck of the working class.

AC Jones has long since renounced the working class and his attempts to straddle class lines have proved futite.

His arrival in the world of international speculations, his *Joyous existence fellowship' with the lists represents a vessel arriving at its harbour.

in capitaleaking natural