[One day before the NUT conference passed a…]

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Saturday march

One day before the NUT conference passed a notion at Blackpool condemning authorities who did not expand nursery provision, delegates refused to discuss the one fight in the whole country effectively opposing closures. HAN The sudden outbreak of militancy in Fleet Street last week which stopped production of the Times and Sunday Times and prevented distribution of all d aily papers in the London Lon don area is a sign of the battles to come.

Newspaper owners are clearing the decks to cut jobs by up to 50% and union officials are preparing a new attempt to persuade their members to accept it.

Last week's disputes can be expected to grow rapidly in number as outbreaks of chapel militancy clash with a deliberate policy of management intransigence.

The major onslaught will come over new technology.

Already Rupert Murdoch is reported to have bought new presses in preparation for expanding the print run of the Sun and the News of the World Scab He has been preparing the ground for running an entire scab paper in America-no doubt with the hope of putting his lessons to good use on both sides of the Atlantic.

The particular disputes which stopped production last week reflected continuing frustration over wages and manning.

The Sunday Times instructed engineers to operate with a greatly reduced staff and no extra money.

When the workers imposed a limit on the number of pages they could manage they were locked out.

Management then said they had struck over a wage claim.

The intervention by Reg Birch, AUEW Executive member has brought defeat to the chapel.

They have apparently been forced back to work without any increase in manning on pay, although details have not been released.

Birch has maintained his reputation as the bosses' favourite Maoist.

The SOGAT handlers (who are also in danger of major attacks on manningwere also forced back to work without money after the intervention of Len Murray, although in their case talks continue.

Hatchet man

Q'Brien is unabashed by his role as hatchet man for the management. On a BBC phone-in on Sunday he said:

"I don't approve of anything that creates a situation where newspapers are not printed ..• "My own union made its position clear last year. They (Times members) were expelled from the union until such time as they agreed to abide by the constitution. I think I did the right thing".

On technology he said simply that it would not be stopped any more than King Canute stopped the waves but that it should be done 'humanely"

O 'Brien says openly what a comparative left talker such as NGA leader Joe Wade also accepts. The workers of Fleet Street stand in severe danger of going into battle disarmed.

Their militancy of course will be no defence against attacks by employers and union leaders alike.

Only a fully worked out programme based on the Transitional Programme can turn a defensive action on jobs into an offensive class movement.

The only programme that can be adopted in defence of jobs and living standards is one which points the way to the expropriation of the presses from the bosses under workers>management of content and production.

Work sharing on full pay!

Open the books! An end to Fleet Street's secrets!

For working class man ment of the press!