Regain and Defend Living Standards (WSL National Committee statement)

PAGE 3

REGAIN AND

DEFEND LIVING

STANDARDS

The by the ships complet control the fac Chancel enforce we are point Britain. Most fundamentally. the demolition of the carefully laid plans of the TUC to impose a rigid Phase 3 indicates a political in by the working class parallel • the 1966 Seamen's strike-the first mass struggle by the working class against a Labour covernment ,tical defeats suffered WU and NUM leader- week reflect the rejection of wage the working class. in e of these developments lor Healey's attempts to wage control confirm that now at a decisive turning in the class struggle in last -and which The 1974 mass. a miners' strike, ctive hostilitu wage down In of Ph alread doubt controls led of the Heath the wake of ase 3, a was y opening u that section to the bringi government. the destruction jes offensive is p. There is no after section of to bu workers willnow their chance to m last two years of real wages. The readiness ctrinalo in nird seeK To seIze ake up for the vicious cuts in of demands is shown by the scale of the mobilisations in support of the Grunwick strikers, and the tenacious blacking action by postal workers in defiance of UP leaders, employers and courts And at the same time defeat of Jones at the Ti Conference has clearly shakei authority f the union bu rkers to F thaca the

SWU

a the reau cracy a I levels and challen its abili o sabotage and dis through reaucratic decree struggles of their members defend their living standards.

But it has not removed t room for manoeuvre. Rather, has forced them to tur increasingly to utilise the le talkers and the Communist Part to assist them in headina off an ut hey lave not slackened he iron determination of Healey and Callaghan to press ahead with their alliance with the Liberals, and impose wage restraint, if necessary without the formal support of the TUC. They have drawn closer to the Liberals to set themselves free of pressure from the working clas whether through the unions, through the Labour Party itself.

At the same time the govern- ment is aware it can count on the energetic efforts of TUC leaders to stiflo militant wann etrunales hv y means at their Scanlon has already anr that the AUEW will upt 12 month rule' and annual agreements. More dramatically, the leadership has violated the vote of this month's cor by circulating full time any isposal. ounced old the honoul

TGWU

specific iference officers eturn to g is to end of intorming inem inat une free collective bargaini begin only after the existing contracts. The TGWU confe this position and unfettered collective as of August 1. It is with these moves in mind that Healey has made it clear that the government is prepared to press ahead without any formal deal with the TUC From the governm wage claims in the p ill be resisted; rigid ill b mposed, and ith t CBI, Healey ence rejected voted for bargaining ent ubl ca 1.37. nd, all sector limits orking I back divertin wages. Already bridge Stall ships have TGWU vote basic increa 15%-20%. diverting militant struggles on milit aal 559AE ords and at Long- dominated leader- hed in after the submit claims for of no more than Even if such claims were won in fuff they would still amount to a substantial wage cul under present inflation. And workers are clearly prepared to fight for much bigger claims The sole purpose of these "responsible" claims is to take the steam out of the wages movement by arguing the need to keep the employer viable. We say that the priority must be the restoration of the living standards of the working class to 1974 levels, and the defence of this through linking wages to the cost of living through a sliding scale of wages. The defeat bureaucracy possibility o and casued the future coalition deal. suf possibility of an agreed Phase 3, and casued Liberals to question 93892 tion Lab

PA

YISM

employers i down wages. And from the union bureau- cracy will come continual stalling the watering down of legitimate claims, the sabotage of official and unofficial action and unceasing efforts to shackle the working class to the requirements of a crisis-ridden capitalist system.

The idea floated by some Labour ministers of using an amende price code to forbid neroscoe sferihutar t0 the amended price wage rises outsi target shows 1 le government hey intend of economic inflation and intimida those wages. But policy satisfies de he he governmen perspective o They intend to use the threat na se use t laos, Sat figh ki tin reat ring to for the has nobo ley-Cal atal lagh law- in Healey's propo: of cobbling toge vaguest agreement -though they w uphold the 12 mon *To the ma members faced wi erosion of living sti cuts offer nothing. *And the Torie the ruling class as have no real Callaghan's ability latest move by the But nor are nfide it of their ntain the present CO unkey to see sals any chance ther even the on wage targets ill attempt to ith rule. Iss of th the indard Union constant s, the tax 5, together with a whole, clearly confidence in to control this working class. the Tories own ability to situation Suddenly aware of the scale of militancy the would confront from and toppl the working el union rights e the Callaahan ass on wages should they covernment the Tories obvious divis ranks. From right s ago ion ave swi 18 S countered their owi 19E n all out of trade in which onslaught on unionists ten nearly every

TOI

off y Iront-bencher demands for was sounding legislation to restrict picketing, and regal action against the postmen. the Tories have wilted away to the level of Whitelaw's pathetic appeal for Rees to seek a voluntary "code of conduct" on picketing. Indeed Labour minister Boo in promising new laws on pick ing, now stands to the right many Tory statements Even the extreme within NAFF have from threats of civil against the Cricklewood to sneaking around the ate at night posting illicit The Tories had clearly nght wing descended actions postmen country mail. plann to use Grunwir their preparati bid for power. Yet now they are visibly faltering in these moves and pulling back from any call on the government to resign-even after the disastrous Labour showing in the Saffron Walden by-election.

Thatcher herself issued no call for a general election even at a mass rally of 15,000 Tories in Blenheim last Saturday, showing that the Tories are all too aware of the new situation. The central question confronting the working cl that of leadership. The efforts of union leade Teft' talkers and Stalinists will to divert the spontaneo militancy and strength of t working class and to preserve t coalition government to use Grunwicks as a set-piece in ins to set-piece an all-o now is We must bring right into the wages struggle the need to remove Healey and Callaghan, the open spokesmen of the ruling class within the labour moment, and to establish a government based on the interests of the working class. For three months the left' Labour MPs have diplomatically refused to acknowledge that the coalition government exists.

Now they have all greeted with approval Healey's proposals for continued wage cuts-fooling themselves that th s represents a leftward turn. In fact the Labour 1 only moving closer int with the Liberals to tr weiaht aainst the wade eaders are o alliance irow their s struggle. may be he The "Labour lefts" prepared to posture Grunwick picket line. But they are not prepa I for extended postal bl anv wav develon the or enden class, ruggles alone of the align th work emsel 158. en- with une strugg Social Contract ar coalition governmen There must be a 1e trade unions bour Party for the and break the he he 258 in the that Labour огеак trom Healey and Callaghan and the coalition government and take upon themselves the task of establishing a socialist programme for the next general election.

n this way their left' postures can be exposed in the course of the class struggle, and the way opened up for the construction of new leadershi within the working class. We call for a bby o the September Congress of the TUC with the demand that there be no undercover wages agreement with the government; no 12 monti rule; and full support declar for any ctio of the worki class in st gle. ed bu se rug 8.7.77 Tur zine Leagur

NUME

For 31, Da Londo kish language theoretical maga of the Workers Socialist EH 3 Currently available.

more details, write to WL, rtmouth Park Hill 3 nore mout NW5 urrently ails wr ark Hi 1H Again advance this perspective clear programme mass moverr most central polit Eloa to 83823°9 crucial direct towar issues In the wages debate at TGWU Conference a ci struggle was carried through to direct the main attack or platform and to put forwar‹ the the wages as a conscious alterna to wage controls A third of the voted for this policy that it is beginning mass response. Our role in developing pay struggle is therefore cru the government wields conferer indicat to draw threat of raging ana chaos, our reply is that wages can only be defended by linking them to the rises in the cost of living, as assessed by elected trade union committees. Wherever this policy is adopted we advocate the development of prices committees, to establish a cost of living index independent of the biased figures quoted by Healey. As st uggles for these demands develop, we must aim to draw together the strength of all sections of workers in struggle through the fight for councils of action rooted in this mass move- ment. In line with call for a recal Campaign for Labour Movem as soon as possi As a block the struggle to living standa Callaghan-Steel As shrass this perspective I conference of Democracy in ent to be conve ble. across the path regain and def rds comes government the