Workers Press no. 1026

workers press

'HEAVY MOB'

MANHANDLE

BY

ALEX

MITCHELL

MINERS in South Wales and Yorkshire were yesterday urged to vote for 'strike or other in- action' when dustrial they ballot next week. Glyn Williams, presi- dent of the South Wales miners, said after a coalfield conference at Bridgend: "In my view we are heading for a national miners' strike! The 150 South Wales yesterday delegates unanimously to voted ask the union's execu- tive for a national strike other industrial or action in support of their pay claim. They agreed to hold INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY MARCH 20, 1973 • No 1026 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

THE TORIES'

PICKETS

ELECTRICIANS and building workers were punched and manhandled yesterday by the outside the St police anti-picket squad Thomas' Hospital site on the Thames Em- bankment. The specially-trained police heavy mob' com- overpowered the pletely and 100-strong picket allowed a coachload of scabs to get through the gates. Two nen were seriously beaten by the police that they had to be casualty de- taken to the partment for treatment. At meeting following the fighting tne

SUKINS

electricians appealed for tall from turn-out bigger London building sites today.

One speaker said: Even We police violence. This can't let it This is the third time in the recent weeks InaL newly-formed, anti-picket squads have been used arainst workers: Heading for a national miners' Friday, March 9, they turned up in strength a private wharf at Hull strike says Welsh president intimate cou dockers who were trying to stop the unloading timber registered a Dour. colliery lodge meetings national three-hour confrontation sirike throughout the action. The ballot result backed down area man loading should be known by the

JOU

ane was national action. stopped. March ST. We will be all out for • On Thursday, March 15, yorksnire aren a fight in support of our ineeting called for strike similar force went into Its 68,000 action from

USU

reasonabie onrewsoury demand, Shropshire when 24 build- Mr. willars members ало said. to stage a mass rally in workers appeared ing on Barnsley on Sunday. of They

NUM

210 charges. The executive Total last Friday ringed the township with rejected the An appeal for a one- roadblocks, circled the Cos board's oTer and strike in

SUDDO DI

makeshift decided to ballot mem- hospital workers was courthouse with time rejected. riot barriers and used dog week's bers in patrols in the main streets.

SEVEN

travelled from other At St mas' people vesterday of Britain to about pickets from Plymouth join arrested sites joined the pickets who many London have vesterGay when broke out as more than been the factory electricians who nave been 400 demon. gates since 1970, out on strike fighting for a people June Feb- 180 work. wage increase since outside Strated

WICH

Fine Tubes factory. walked

OUT

overa ruaryl. Trade unionists had pay dispute The strikers called for No 1026 4p

CIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

Two-to-one in battle of St Thomas' support following the extra use of a police-type coach to break through the picket lines last week. For yesterday's picket- smashing operation the police used two coachloads of police, and a group of mounted police. A man suspected of being a police photographer stood across the road taking pic- tures of everyone on the picket line. Shortly before the Laing's coach arrived, the police into bundled the pickets two groups on either side of the gate. They held them behind this wall as the coach drew up. As the pickets tried to break out to intercept the coachload of scabs, they were brutally punched and kicked. There were shouts of 'fascist bastards' as the lic TONY SOARES appeared at the Old Bailey yesterday on four charges of inciting to murder, to make a Molotov cocktail, to com- mit arson and to possess a firearm with intent. The charges arise out of an article in 'Grass Roots' magazine. The article gave instruc- tions on how to make a Molotov cocktail and a 'people's hand grenade. It tried to persuade readers that the use of such Another picture p.3 police punished the pickets.

The police arrested two men and one has been charged with threatening behaviour while the other has been charged with caus- ing wilful damage. The incident is a sign of the times. It is the clearest confirmation that the Tories now have their anti-picket squads set up and raring to go. Plans for the formation of these squads were into operation immediately following the miners' strike last year and they have been secretly trained on an inter- constabulary basis ever since. Workers now engaged in the fight for decent wages. in defence of their and rights must be prepared to meet the challenge which licensed thugs represent.

items amounted to self- defence after 400 years of black people being brutalized by the capitalist system.

In his defence, Soares said that there was no evidence to link him with the publication or the dis- tribution of that issue of "Grass Roots' which appeared in November 1971. At- the time Soares was working at the North Ken- sington Law Centre. The case, which has been in progress for a month, is continuing.

workers press

'HEAVY MOB'

MANHANDLE

BY

ALEX

MITCHELL

MIT KE

MINERS in South Wales and Yorkshire were yesterday urged to vote for 'strike or other in- dustrial action' when they ballot next week. Glyn Williams, presi dent of the South Wales miners, said after coalfield conference at Bridgend: 'In my view we are heading for a national miners' strike! The 150 South Wales delegates yesterday unanimously to voted ask the union's execu- tive for a national strike other industrial action in support of their pay claim. They agreed to hold INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY MARCH 20, 1973 • No 1026 DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMIȚTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

THE TORIES

PICKETS

ELECTRICIANS and building workers were punched and manhandled yesterday by the Squad outside the St police anti-picket Thomas' Hospital site on the Thames Em- bankment. The specially-trained police 'heavy mob' com- overpowered the pletely and 100-strong picket allowed coachload of the scabs to get through gates. WO mer were beaten by the seriously police that they had to be casualty taken to the de- partment for treatment. At meeting following the fighting the electricians appealed for bigger from turn-out London building sites today said: Even cans is the third time, violence. the recent weeks newly-formed, anti-picket squads have been used against workers: Heading for a national miners' Friday, March 9. On they turned up in strength a private wharf at Hull intimidate 2.000 dockers strike says Welsh president who were trying to stop the unloading timber by easierce labour. Allel three-hour colliery lodge meetings on confrontation throughout the action. The ballot sel backed down aret man eme loading support for should known allu Was national action. stopped.

NCE ST

'We will be all out for • On Thursday, March 15, a fight in support of our ineeting called for strike similar force went into its 68,000 and reasonable action from Shrewsbury JUSt acuon Mr. demand,' Shropshire when 24 build- said. to stage a mass rally in workers appeared ing on Barnsley on Sunday. of 210 charges. The

NUM

They executive Lolal Friday the ringed the township with last rejected An appeal for a one roadblocks, circled the day strike in oner makeshift decided 1o ballot mem. hospital workers was courthouse with riot and used dog bers harriers in patrols in the main streents. Ti"mas'

SEVEN

people travelled from other At St vesterday Plymouth of Britain to about pickets from arrested parts join joined pickets- many London sites wha have vesterda broke out as more than been the factory electricians nave been 400 people demon. gates since 1970, out on strike fighting for a une 80 Feb- outside when about work- wage increase since strated

LIC

Fine Tubes factory. ruary ers walked _out over a The Trade unionists had pay dispute. strikers called for No 1026 • 4p

CIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

Two-to-one in battle of St Thomas' support following the extra use of a police-type coach to break through the picket lines last week. For yesterday's picket- smashing operation police used two coachloads of police, and a group of mounted police. A man suspected of being a police photographer stood across the road taking pic.

tures of everyone on the picket line. Shortly before the Laing's coach arrived, the police pickets into bundled the two groups on either side of the gate. They held them behind this wall as the coach drew up. As the pickets tried to break out to intercept the coachload they • of scabs, were brutally punched and kicked. There were shouts of 'fascist bastards' as the TONY SOARES appeared at the Old Bailey yesterday on four charges of inciting to murder, to make a Molotov cocktail, to com- mit arson and to possess a firearm with intent. The charges arise out of an article in 'Grass Roots' magazine. The article gave instruc- " how to make a tions on Molotov cocktail and a 'people's hand grenade'. It tried to persuade readers that the use of such AT : Another picture p.3 police punished the pickets.

The police arrested two men and one has been charged with threatening behaviour while the other has been charged with caus- ing wilful damage. The incident is a sign of the times. It is the clearest confirmation that the Tories have their anti-picket now squads set up and raring to go. Plans for the formation of these squads were put into operation immediately following the miners' strike last year and they have been secretly trained on an inter- constabulary basis ever since. Workers now engaged in the fight for decent wages. in defence of their and rights must be prepared to meet the challenge which licensed thugs represent.

amounted to self- defence after 400 years of black people being brutalized by the capitalist system.

his defence, Soares said that there evidence to link him with the publication or the dis- tribution of that issue of •Grass Roots' which appeared in November 1971. At the time Soares was working at the North Ken- sington Law Centre. The case, which has been in progress for a month, is continuing.

Tuesday March 20, 1973

WHAT WE THINK

TORY STRATEGY

• And the THE MORE the trade union leaders grovel pleads with Heath for their state pay laws on them.

"indenendent hospital workers naves been and estre the more arrogant left isolated and exposed to the danger public inquiry' into hospital workers' This would not only throw back the work- Tory of defeat, just as the Post Office workers Their according aggressive government industrial action, pay. class, would also swing sections Last weekend, Edward to him, were in 1971. defeat the government and win their 44 f th middle class who could be

COLICS

was nor launcheon soroel won with Con- nearn neld talks at chequers the by a fight-firmly This means that under cover of whining tor Party chiefs including Lord claim, t merely draw attention to servative appeals to the government to relax behind Heath and create the conditions Carrington (chairman), the merits of their case'.

The Toror wicto then dam a macion.

of the Day laws lavoul As tila Clarao Cane senor olncials workers, the union leaders are in reality The Tories have nothing but contempt for from Central Office. Suchar Suesises Sie Keith fose ho, tas pressurizing intensuncallon or tien ruless into accepting Phase Two of those laws.

Social Keith Joseph, attack on workers' living standards and This was not a 'routine' meeting, as the made it clear that the inquiry basic rights. only Figures issued yesterday from the London Press hand-out Calmed. our a too-evel the All those consterator reformists,. CP Stalinists and discussion on School of Economics Tory election under strategy Drove moat Boyernment's corporatist-style state Pay refuse including preparations for possible Phase Two. wage increases will fall revisionists WIld raise une rapidly behind rises in the to election conditions : cost of living pontical leadershir Sual UnCL where down the Yet Mr officer for bring Tory government now for Bernard Dix, national is left confused and thousands of families. ure Cass , Larze secon the expose working class divided by its leaders. trade unions' membership will the Nationa Union of Public Emplovees The be driven into impoverishment.

ap teen by is tell d with the dangers. Isolated. Diece-meal actions and given And the Com- futile dissipate dakers orest one-day strikes merely The Tories become more and more This is what the Tories want to see. They fident these Morning Star' energies and help the leaders Party's play into their are standing firm on their state pay laws Tories. carried Feather's appeal under the head.

Hands. In lne last lew days.

will be forthcoming line 'Backing Grows for Hospital The Conservative for any section the working class be covernmen The Workers'. ASLEF leaders have bowed to this only by struggle to government is defeated and British threat and The truth is that while there is enormous make the union leaders call General

JOCK-OUT

VIVUSIL GUWI

called off the locomen's action. Strike to the political create and indus alone Lne class

TOT

On the contrary, the government and its these low-paid men women, the • The General ma condons tor rorcine the lomes tr and Municipal Workers' agencies are consciously staging provo- resign. This involves the construction of TUC has given them no help o backing Union, against workers with delib- after weeks of whatsoever. a revolutionary leadership.

milal acon And this General mcreases intention py Is members in the gas industry, has calc Tories' determination to force a show- We urge all those in struggle against the imposed a ballot on accepting Strike on the terms most favourable to pay down. isolate of groups Tories with offer within the them. government's state Dar ancillar workers or task of transforming the Socialist Labour law limits of fl a week plus 4 per cent.

Yet TUC general secretary Victor Feather he gasmen and impose Phase Two League into the revolutionary party.

With 'dirty floats' against the dollar Expose slave Credit system in grave labour in danger of collapse South Africa

BY IAN YEATS

TWENTY-SIX major British compan- WITH ALMOST all cur-

BY FOREIGN EDITOR JOHN SPENCER

lending the for ies were yesterday accused of using •roceeds rencies floating either long periods, exposing them- black and coloured workers as 'slave separately The float affect this selves this danger. or together Was Lne decsor Will Euro-dollar holders to move market labour' in South African factories.

particularly because against the United States could have allure into consider they It is here the the big multi. widespread repercussion be- dollar there British Leyland topped the list followed by Is now a safer firms raise their of nolaoly cause the close links grave danger of a collapse mok the exchanged that forced Rio Tinto Plessey, ver Linc, Joseph Lucas, between banks in the Euro.

the closure of international credit. This market is completely currency markets. Reckitt and Colman, Pilkington Brothers, March 2. beyond the control This could centre on the new of bank ICi and Barclays Bank. At a House of LyDO weeks inter- various Euro - currency … WO called the market Commons mut national Press Conference, national haggling have spokesmen which and consortium bank' has sprung has mushroomed Wildl Is more claimed that African workers were earning sulted in agreement to float last up with Mas sender Euro- the last 15 years

UVEL

resort' standing behind the malor currencies less than a quarter of the wages paid to currency requirements. from a size of $1,000m to against the dollar. Sterling, banks that take The large number of these whites. They demanded: almost 100 times as much.

the Italian lira yen and the last resort banks render and the This market will float WUse An ena to loans to the South African govern.

is someone who will step …sure source alone: between British companies operating there.

well and to Len the funds Ine nine Cl currencies will to prevent a spread the effects of a single No new investment. required for float together. being failure throughout conduct Now An ena to wnite immigration short-term banking world, above all in Internatona

CHISIS

1s Enrown able to cover its Massive media exposure of companies exploiting into Euro-dollar debts. commerce and Its operations back The the United States where the African workers. the dis- market, which is showing all Mar market on the the Euro- leading banks deeply ruption rela- setty a te can Apartheid Movement, Mi building-up to- market been involved said he would Euro- asking an A bol Minty. inter- borrowing short-term waras a crash. and national conference on apartheid, due to neer in month, take the so next Journalist tried in secret toughest possible against Conspiracy: companies payulls ovcily wader south Africa Mr Alex York Labour Not guilty Lyon-whose constituency in- cludes the Rowntree company, by Rhodesian regime of the firms named by Adam one

AFRICANS

FOUR

and two Raphael 'The Guardian called for whites pleaded an into the not guilti nquirs policy Pretoria yesterday on charges of wages of British Pressmen: He 'A select Tool conspiring to violent re- lucile committee set up here would not volution in South The Africa. have access to Africa. THE trial of Peter Niesewand, south . Bui February 20. Regulations last six are alleged to have planned

BY OUR OWN

South African Institute of a Rhodesian journalist accused February to bring arms, ammunition and Relations accepted this

CORRESPONDENT

kace She said he was in a small cell explosives secretly the obligation would of the Smith contravening provide detailed picture of with a tiny barbed wire enclosed as train real couL well regime's Official Secrets Act, quadrangle for exercise. He had guerrillas. The British companies.' conspiracy situaton alternative charges the under to do his own laundry and Churches have major began yesterday - behind apart alleged to have had its origins 1970 Act. The firs provides for the holdings in warders and a total many of Soviet the hrm: closed doors. Union, Britain penalty 25 years' the without the hour time week, named by Anti-Awartheid and Somalia as well as South imprisonment he had no contact with anybody minister, Mr David Methodist Defence counsel made an un- Africa. The charged oi a fine. and second for a else. Haslam, said: 'It is totally out of accused successful last-minute effort maximum fine of $20,000 (about Terrorism keeping the Act, are with the churches Drin £11,000) 20 years' Moumbaris nazisualt up Alexandre (34), from what

CIDICS

amend earlier

SECOND TRIAL

imprisonment, or both. naturalized born in amounts to slave labour. Australlan order that the trial be held in Egypt of Greek-French He churches Outside the Mrs. should use Callicid. Dublin-born William their Niesewand said the conditions of john shareholders Dustions her husband's were Mr. sti to be tried hedse ond information about the sournalsts nosey hold To canner pay policies of : British companies and international organizations tried under (45), and Gardener Sijaka (30), journalist to much

HIU1C

both the Transkei, and were cleared from the court.

Official Act of urge them Secrets Than They been

SINCE

CL10 jail where he was first held after Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration Moanza (34) and Petrus Mtembu cold Rhodesia's of Independence in 1965. (37), both of Natal. workers. being detained under

WIFE EJECTED

Spanish police step up repression

REPRESENTATIVE

The Palestine Liberation Organization Also ejected were the 28-year-

(PLO)

said that killing the old journalist's pregnant wife, Whilst SPANISH police have arres- those youth who have lations with all peoples Nonie his sister, Mrs. and westeri enviolals the ted 15 members of the outwer une solees Elizabeth Warden. Khartoum this month 'had noth- the Basque movement are im- quality of our own political do with the Palestine Basque ing nationalist army, the prisoned and persecuted, system.' Precisely what Mr. Niesewand Liberation Organization other

ETA,

in the Northern pro- alleged to have done is not

TYSONE

Don Antonio Garcia-Trevijano groups'. raestinian MIr known, Mr. Brendan Treacy, vince of Guipuzcoa. cians have been congratulating but especially Sourani, PLO's representatial Forte, lawyer, was diplomatic Cairo, said They also claim to have shot delighted: 'I think it's very good DireCtor Prosecunons. in established told a court hearing earlier this leading

ETA

activist, Eustaquio relauol. betweel that the on the 1 am in favous ot understandins month that he was Peking and Madrid. Saudi Arabian during good with ambassy near TOdO DIOCH the which thẹ diplomats were killed, Zumarraga. countries because that good the individuals Immediately, Civil Guard Don Fernando Herrero Tejedor, for carried out and world expansion' tne W aN 'calculated to be, or which might began struggle Sourani for Men. chief prosecutor in the Supreme Forte working owl.

WICK

been lavited be, useful directly is a harter on take wite dizabal who is accused of parti- Court, stated: questions Peking decorated by League talks with cipating the kidnapping of international relations, realism Prince Norodom Sihanouk with The accused industrialist Felipe Huarte.

the Roval Icaucis.

SUBUTT

anner order.

Picket squad wades in Right-wing Labourites

LAINC

BUILDING workers who waded into them. The elec- labour into the site in a police-style bus each day. A tricians, who have been on came to support striking much larger turn-out is ex- electricians the St strike since February 1, at ected on the picket lin Thomas' hospital site yes- had called for support to story by oday.. See leac terday were injured as a stop the contractors, Alex Mitchell and another special police picket squad Laing's, taking alternative • picture. Expulsion is the main remedy carpeted by parties THREE RIGHI-WING Labourites are facing disciplinary action

BY OUR

from constituency parties. They are Reginald Prentice, Shadow

OWIN

Employment Secretary and a member of Wilson's front-bench team,

REPORTER

and the 'friends of Taverne', Andrew Faulds and Richard Crawshaw.

Prentice, who attacked five London dockers while they were in Pentonville prison last year, has been Shotton delegation censured by his own branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union. The branch-at rans. NEC and the Parliamentary to see furnaces House, the head- POrt condemn this "cal- of the I&Gwu culated insult which quarters and the Labour Party- again shames the Hallic in Czechoslovakia suggests the union loxteth Une the Labour Party. should no longer sponsor The Taverne incident was him as MP. not the first time that Craw- The motion to oas passed ity 24

BY A WORKERS PRESS REPORTER

crossed local Shan Bas support Labour people. He backed votes LO ne 'In Place of

SHOTTON

gether our nigures and Prentice has dismissed steelwor- Strife' and almost brought the BSC. the branch's action as be- kers are done bye Labour govern- down said 'silly. Czechoslovakia ing, have been sponsored by He went ou voting with the in can't say I am *But bid to retain bid make the ories in a the union since 1957. , I have noperul because or tnell the Territorial Army. British Steel Corpora- negative attitude so far.

been told what I had never tion change its mind certain 'One thing THE THIRD Labourite in do and bother with his local consti- over cosures. - we wil not accer da cept sucn directions. end to steel-making in Prentice was among those tuency is Andrew Faulds, a three-man delega- Shotton.' the of right-wingers top Shotton at member of the actors' union.

LOR ROM

Steel Action Committee Czech is Equity. The visit une karlamenlary LaDoul will fly Ostrava to- Party of the Tory state pay laous favour He explained his tra-and-a-halt shour the final over- scen hour tan-

BSC.

ture to When Tory executive cem Turnaces une Employment meelng town's steelworks. On April 13 Shotton weekend. Maurice Macmil- secretary Earlier Action is organizing a national the had committee party lan inrew a party rank-and-file steel Geoff Hett said con- moved a unanimous vote of those had helped memocr the industry Bill Pren- tnat iney naa calculated the become law, censure coalose as concucr to discuss campaign that the furnaces would These three MPs consti- The went done cost £10m compared against closures, which Prentice tute a significant force week again Last expected cost showed lack sym-

LIVIN

LICI

parliamellary party Over 6,000 parable furnaces used in 50.000 jobs. opposed to con- the plight of the which 1s tor Dally Shotton this e country. men face tinued trade union links. orelnarv trade umonist woen redundancy. will gather to- They want break all he attacked ASLEF drivers.

with une ON the Tox- establish 'a centre-left party teth constituency party will which appeals to the whole Regd. unions meet of electorate' the MP. Richard Crawshaw. com- Theory is a was one of the Labour MPs plete denial of the history WARWICK UNIVERSITY has been chosen as the who Dick of the Labour sponsored Party, which 10060 venue for the first of unions which founded in conference laverne d Was parliament the trade independent unions to repre- have registered under the Industrial Relations Act.

Labour' MP. sent and fight behalf of The day after the About 50 small associations are planning to set up spon- the working class for SO- a rival 'TUC' at the conference tomorrow. Jack soring ceremony. claist Dollcles. Consistent shaw's management commit- with this his- Ogden, general secretary of the Union of Sales, passed by the local and 1e9 poss résolution tory parties Technical Representatives and Agents, who issued 'do a Taverne' condemn- unlons must ing his support of the 'anti- on Prentice, Crawshaw and the invitations, is hoping to form a Federation of Labour' Taverne Faulds-kick them out of Registered Trade Unions, It also urged the party's the party. Workers Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973 PAGE 3 TUC GENERAL secretary Victor Feather is to be rewarded for his efforts on behalf of the Common Market lobby by being offered a very highly paid job with the EEC Commission when he retires later this year.

Feather is a dedicated pro-Marketeer who has Feather and a group of been brazenly flouting staunch pro-Market trade Congress policy of boy- unionists were also discuss- EEC institutions how the ing to minimize cotting trade union opposition by attending one 'Euro- pean function entry. after an- Since then, he has in the last few other

• ACCEPTED

the presi- months. dency of the pro-Market His new job will be to European TUC. organize political propa- • ATTENDED the Hamp- ganda work among British ton Court banquet marking trade unions behalf of on Britain's entry. the EEC. This means he will continue to do what he is • PROMISED his future already doing, but receive employers that the TUC astronomical for salary an will have agreed to partici- it.

EEC

pate in institutions In Brussels, he will join within 12 months time other renegades from the under the leadership of the General Council regardless the service gone over to of Congress policy. the monopolists, like former Capitalism's main hope Labour Party secretary for the surviving coming Harry Nicholas, ex-deputy storms of economic crisis is Gwyn secretary Morgan, the Common trad- Market Labour l and one-time Cabi- ing bloc, which will be used net Minister George Thom- off the to fight American son. and competition Japanese Throughout the political and to orchestrate corporat- fight that has gone on over the workers' ist controls on the Common Market, been the movements in western Eur- working has class ope. hampered in its resistance Feather is acting to this corporatist union of as an agent of capitalism in advo- the big bourgeoisie by the cating trade union participa- Marketeers in its midst. tion in the

EEC

at a time Sixty-nine renegade Lab. when the Tories MPs are trying our were prepared to to impose a corporate state sell out the working class Tories stranglehold on the working by providing the class. with a majority in parlia- He and all the Common ment for joining the

EEC

in 1971 just when the gov- Market should be traitors could have been out of the labour kicked ernment brought down. movement.

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1-3: PAGE 4 Workers Press, Tuesday March

BY PETER JEFFRIES

The struggle of the Socialist Labour League against the Tory govern- ment's plans to destroy trade unionism have in- volved us in a continual battle against Stalinism and its subsidiary, the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions. This body has used all its influence consciously to under- mine and destroy a united fight by the working class against its common enemy, the Tory government. First the Liaison Committee advanced the fraudulent slogan "Kill the Bill' which tried to lull workers into thinking that the Heath government could be persuaded into changing its plans. new layers of Now, as workers enter the struggle, it aims to demoralize them trying to limit the fight against the Tories to a series of one- day 'protest' strikes. Here is only the latest in a long line of crimes and be- trayals by Stalinism against the British and international work- ing class. day March 20, 1973 The Stalinists have been joined in these activities by the group calling itself Inter- national Socialists. This ten- dency was founded, and is still by renegades from the Trotskyist movement at the time of the Korean war in 1950. They abandoned defence of the nationalized property the workers' states and Russia and China and advo- neutrality between US cated imperialism and the workers' in China and North states Korea. Their false theory of 'state capitalism' in the USSR was the result of the pressure of imperialism on people who had always fought, and still fight, against the Marxist method.

Tony Cliff and his collabor- ators have deliberately created confusion, allowing themselves to be referred to as some sort of Trotskyists. In fact their group is founded on anti- Trotskyism: they are confirmed centrists. This is what makes them capitulate to the line of the Stalinists in the Liaison Committee. Their anti-communism on the question of the Soviet state is perfectly consistent with their willingness to collaborate in the Stalinists' sell outs.

In a front-page story in a recent issue of their weekly 'Socialist Worker'— paper 'Mass Action Shows the Way' —they tell their readers: "The government insists that it will never give in to the No one strike movement. should be fooled by this empty bravado. The same Tory Ministers gave in no less than three times to trade union militancy in the last year after equally emphatic statements.

"They said they would never give in to the miners-and then they did. They said they would never raise their offer to the railwaymen — and then they would did. They said they never free the five imprisoned dockers-and then they dia.

"They can be forced to re- verse it [the anti-trade union law] if industrial action begins to bring key sections of the tar economy to a halt. What is this if not the com- Ha plete adoption of the rotten reformism of the Stalinist Liaison Committee? Nothing could be more deliberately designed to con- the working fuse and derail class in this time of great crisis. To speak of Heath's plans as 'empty bravado' is the most ignorant and dangerous stupi- ith dity. The more the capitalist ate crisis deepens, the more the 'state capitalists' run away from it and its revolutionary implications. After weeks of calls for 'mass action' and the crudest forms of syndicalist activity, we are now told that Heath can be forced to retreat and drop his This in the midst of plans. capitalism's greatest-ever finan- cial crisis, in which merchant speak bankers openly of a 'return to 1929'! There is not a single word, in this front-page statement, on the financial crisis. Naturally review of the there is no 'theory' of 'permanent arms economy by which leaders of this revisionist group sought to show throughout the boom that capitalism was now a changed animal and that pre- paration for power by the working class was referred to only by dogmatists and sec- the tarians. On an inside page Chris m- Harman is forced to say some- thing about the crisis. But his analysis is one which even the 'Financial Times' and the most naïve capitalist com- mentator would laugh out of court. "The crisis facing the owners of the British economy is simple,' Harman reassures any readers who might be worried pi- by the turmoil in Bonn, Lon- don and Tokyo. 'Any growth of the British economy leads to imports rising more quickly than exports and to a balance of payments crisis.' To reduce the crisis to a mere external payments crisis reflects the levels of ignorance and stupidity to which Harman and his friends have sunk.

Heath faces an international crisis which originates not in London, but in New York. Nixon has declared economic war on Europe and Japan. But Harman appears not to have heard the news. Typical of the method of the group to which he belongs, Harman • combines his ignor- ance with complete contempt for the truth. In discussing the rising trend of unemploy- ment after 1966 he writes: 'Meanwhile productivity deals were pushed through, forcing up unemployment.' 'Meanwhile' we must remind Harman that it was his group, along with the Stalinists, which actually advocated acceptance oI productivity deals, against the principled opposition of the All Trades Unions Alliance.

His political mentor, Cliff, had the following to say in his recently reissued book 'The Employers Offensive: Produc- tivity Deals and how to fight them': 'We must always start by opposing the productivity deal

The release of the Above left: The 'Kill the Bill' day Socialism if completely and then later, necessary, retreat to a position can try and get the best out of the deal can' we 216). A little later (p. 227) (p. Cliff tells us that the aim must be 'destroy the worst aspects' of such deals. a trickster with language, really means 'principled'] rejection of any productivity deal can lead to a catastrophic division be- tween the stewards and their members which will be eagerly exploited by the employer and may lead the end in to the acceptance of a far worse deal than was necessary? Today it is the same rotten centrism so blatantly expressed in these policies which tells workers that industrial action can force the Tory government to reverse' Its legislation against the unions. Together with the Stalinists, capitalists' the 'state make noises about industrial action.

and 'initiative trom the rank and file' in order to avoid the main question of uniting in the struggle to defeat the common Tory government. enemy, the They know that such a step forward by the working class thi ow reformism would into greatest crisis and its wreck for ever the comfortable co- existence of their own rotten with the reformist group leadership. According 'Socialist to Worker': "The strikes of the last few days have shown that the feeling exists among rank- and-file workers real, united action to break the government's freeze.' For the rest, they simply advocate more and more 'mass action' and 'solidarity', with 'joint committees' action and They point out that the so on.

TUC

will give no lead, but they themselves deliberately avoid the number one question of building alternative leader- ship defeat existing to the reformist apparatus. This is absolutely with at one their avoidance of the fight to force the Tory government to resign.

All 'Socialist that Worker' asks of the working class is that it should be 'united and resolute'. The working class has shown in every struggle under this government that it is absolutely determined to fight for its That basic rights. is not in question. United? Surely it the is existing leadership that stands in the way of unity. The poli- tical defeat of that leadership struggle is the precondition of the necessary unity. Instead of fighting for this alternative leadership, the IS centrist tails along behind the group actions of the working class.

In this way it plays the game of the reformist traitors, to tie the working class down to the

ANTED

level of capitalist ideology never posing the question of the of the power working class. It is for this reason, and not out of any 'leftism', that the IS never raises the question of Tories replacing the with Labour government, nor of how to fight for socialist policies when that is achieved. Centrism always talks 'left', worshipping 'mass action' and it always betrays when it the of comes to question power. This is the role of the IS group. What the 'state capitalists are now seeking, at every turn, to present the crisis facing the working class as merely a They are thereby wages issue. able falsely last to portray year's strikes as ending in a series of unqualified victories.

Heath's plans, as we in the SLL have alone insisted, go far beyond mere wage-cutting plans. The legislation now on Five.—The International Socialists point book, the statute together government can be forced to give in. with the of the emergence The fight was limited to one most reactionary trends in the t: Tony Cliff, leader of the International top layers of the state very machine, are a preparation for On this same page, his thor- the destruction of trade union- oughly opportunist position on ism as it has been known in this very question for which Britain for the last century. Harman wishes to blame 'in- This can be capitalism's only creased unemployment' - is the answer to now raging clearly expressed: even more economic crisis. 'The alternative to maintain- We have to say bluntly to ing an inflexible [Cliff, as ever these smug revisionists: it is a Workers Press, Tur gross lie and deception to paint last year's strikes as a • series of straight 'victories'. ' How be when the Tory can they government remains in office, thanks to the open support it receives from the trade union and Labour leaders? All the wage gains that were made in last year's strikes have more than been wiped out in savage price increases. Meanwhile the Heath government is now armed with Draconian laws ready to be employed against the working class. The government survives because the working class is still dominated by traitors, whether 'left' or 'right'. But this the 'state capitalists' will not and cannot discuss. Their front page contains not single mention of the abject and spineless collapse of every 'left' single the TUC. on Neither these 'lefts' nor the 'state capitalists' have had the political to courage answer right-wing miners' leader Joe Gormley when he told the 'lefts': 'Either fight or submit.'

'state capitalists' The not merely refuse to expose these 'lefts'. They spend every moment actively covering up for their dangerous and thor- oughly treacherous role in the working class. In an editorial statement in the same issue, 'Socialist Worker' The respon- says: sibility falls to the real left wing. The groundwork has to be done at the grassroots.'

There is no ambiguity here.

Turn away from the unions.

Let the 'left' traitors off the hook and demoralize the work- ing class with blind rank-and- file activity which separates the most advanced workers from the rest of the working class and teaches them absolutely nothing. No serious socialist :OI worker should be under any illusions. These are the for- mulas for those who at the first big setback for the unions in the struggle against the Tories will be ready to leap forward and denounce the unions as finished'. For this is exactly the position which the revisionist groups hold in re- lation to the USSR. For them the emergence of Stalinism was not a setback with which the working class would have to deal, but a total defeat for Russian the Revolution. Just as they write off the powerful Soviet work- ing class, which certainly has yet to have its hinal say in the fight against the Stalinist bur- eaucracy, so they are preparing to write off the working class and its organizations, particu- larly the trade unions. The other side of their rejection of the ability of the working class to resolve its crisis of leadership is a cring- ing, middle-class support for Stalinism. Their editorial ends with a call for the creation of Coun- cils of Action. 'A call from this month's conference of the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions for the setting up of such councils would be a great of action step forward. Every effort must be made to push the vacillat- ing leadership of the Liaison Committee into giving the lead.' Here we see a blatant and tail-ending unashamed of Stalinism. This most counter- revolutionary force in the in- ternational working-class move- ment can be forced 'into giving the lead', according to IS.

As every worker engaged in the fight knows, the entire struggle against the Heath government has involved the with the most bitter. conflict Liaison • Committee at every turn. It is only in this fight that the ATUA has been forged into the important body which it is today. In any case it is crystal clear Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973 PAGE 5 that the 'state capitalist' con- ception of Councils of Action is completely opposed to that for which the ATUA has fought. What these vacillating centrists want is a fraudulent gathering of 'lefts' of all stripes in which no political or theoretical principles are ever thrashed out in struggle.

'We are not speaking of meetings of representatives of political groups' ', they say in a crude swipe at the SLL. 'We are speaking of committees of genuine [!] representatives of trade union Here the 'state capitalists' only prove once more that they learn absolutely nothing from history. For the history of the working class is littered with examples from Spain, Germany, Britain, etc. of the creation of Councils of Action, or soviets, which because of the absence of Bolsheviks to struggle inside such bodies, led to the most tragic defeats.

Cliff and company are here the hoary only resurrecting old 'theory' of 'soviets without Bolsheviks', a theory for which the working class has paid a bitter and bloody price. What the 'state capitalists' want are not Councils of Action which will prepare for power, but Councils of Action which are controlled by the Stalinists and used to destroy the struggle of the working class for power.

As if to underline their determined hostility to Bol- shevism, they include an article by ex-Trotskyist, Harry Wicks which purports to deal with the role of Councils of in the 1926 British Action General Strike. Wick's piece is the most vulgar form of eulogy for syn- dicalism and spontaneity. His 'analysis' fails entirely to 'mention' either Stalinism or that the strike actually ended in defeat! 'In the days preparatory to the General Strike of 1926 ...

the revolutionary left and rank-and-file Minority Move- ment campaigned in earnest for the trades councils once again to transform themselves into councils of action.?

Wicks ignores in the most deceitful manner the fact that by 1926 the Minority Move- ment, an organ of the Com- Party, munist had been almost entirely destroyed by Stalinism as a revolutionary in- strument. From 1924 onwards, part of the theory of as 'socialism in one country, Stalin had forced • the British Communist Party into increas- ingly craven support for those 'lefts' in the TUC who were members of the Anglo-Soviet Trade Union Committee. It was because the Party had no political independence of "lefts' such as Swales, Purcell and Hicks that in the General Strike it fought not under the slogan of 'All Power to the Trades Councils' (as Wicks tries to pretend to his readers) but with the slogan 'All Power to the General Council' (of the

TUC).

By 1926 the Communist Party had been destroyed by Stalinism. It was able to learn no lessons from the 1926 ex- The right wing was perience. able to launch a vicious witch- hunt against what was left of the Minority Movement after 1927. Wicks is deliberately silent on all these matters. For him the lead given by the Minority Movement was of 'inestimable value' , just as today the Liaison Committee (which is, of course, a complete degeneration com- pared with even the Minority Movement) can, according to 'state capitalist' conceptions, be forced into giving the lead'.

Trotskyism has nothing but contempt for such positions. As the political crisis becomes ever sharper it will be neces- to step up the fight Sary every brand of against re- visionism on all theoretical and practical questions. Such a task is inseparable from the building of a mass revolution- ary party.

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973 - Richard Briginshaw, general secretary NATSOPA.

BY ALEX MITCHELL

Since coming to office Bank robbers in Britain long using phones ago gave as up government the Tory a means of communication-if has increased the amount them! they ever did use There the slightest of phone-tapping by the is not doubt that the large increase secret police. in phone tapping is being used 1, Robert On February almost exclusively against the Carr, the Home Secretary, re- labour and trade union move- telephone vealed that 1,250 ment and organizations on the issued in left. tap warrants were 1972 the Metropolitan This directly against to runs London the policy laid down by Police who cover pre- That's almost three vious governments in relation alone. warrants each day. to phone-tapping. This is double the number The Birkett Committee The war- issued two years ago. stated that it was Home Office phone-tap- practice rants authorizing to issue warrants ping last for a month. If no- 'only in case of really the thing worthwhile emerges the serious crime'. Normal investi- warrant is not renewed. It is methods must have gation however, that the been tried and failed or must known, police have long-running war- be unlikely to succeed if tried, telephones and there must be good reason some rants which the Home Office renews to think that an interception few would result in a conviction.

formality every as There is no evidence at all weeks. The enormity of the in- to suggest that the huge in- creases can be gauged from in the of number crease 1938 fact that between phone-taps has assisted the the number fight and 1956 the average police against serious of warrants isued to Scotland crime. Yard was about 130 In the latest issue of his a year. This means that the 1972 fig- union's journal, Richard ures represent an increase of Briginshaw, general secrelary 1,000 per cent on these of NATSOPA, warns that the d increased secret earlier times. surveillance Home Office has long by the police directed The is insisted that the only person against the trade unions.

authorized to issue warrants Briginshaw says: 'It is fair is the Home Secretary himself.

to assume, the basis of on This tradition has of the been com- years experience by undermined by the general labour and trade union pletely government. It is now known that telephone- movement, that any Secretary of State is habit and tapping is a able to issue the appropriate general procedure by govern- authority. Which means that ment agencies. It is as certain Carr but ten other not only as can be that the telephones Cabinet Ministers have the of every major trade union in power to let the secret police the country are permanently tapped by some process. The listen in on your phone. Peter Burden, the chief technicalities, as well is known, have been raised to crime reporter of the 'Daily Mail, revealed recently that a high level. It would be interesting to authorization is often sought after the tap has been placed.

the of compare percentage Burden stated: 'Throughout telephones that tapped are the country police officers visit within the trade union move- Post Office "intercept" ment by the authorities, the their agencies, with the offices and listen to tape num- re- cordings of phone conversa- ber tapped within Conservative The police Party organizations-the Eco- tions. can get any League part of the conversation type- nomic and similar written. right-wing organizations-and is 'Phone-tapping authori- it would turn out that the Home Secretary. whole. work of the Special zed by the But the police Police is based upon a are putting in sus- political so many requests that the job picion or original "sin" being present with ordi- being delegated other is to people officials. nary and particularly 'Sometimes phones the working people this are in Tories being tapped before the Home Sec- country and all time innocents' retary has seen the authoriza- Only But each is rarely does proof tion. request ultimately seen by him.' that the police emerge are The police try to cover up using their sinister tapping methods. Such a case was late their large increase in the use of phone taps by saying it is last year involving journalists on the to hunt bank robbers and the 'Railway Gazette'. In September the like. This is utter rubbish. 'Sunday Times' published a large article on a 'Blue Book' pre- pared by the Department of the Environment on plans for British Rail. This confidential document revealed that the Tories intended slashing the rail network : with the loss of some 25,000 jobs. Within days plainclothes detectives from Cl Depart- ment were interviewing the reporter involved, Tony Dawe, and the editor, Harold Evans.

In a statement to the Press, Evans said that he was threa- tened with the Official Secrets Act. The scenario then moved to a little known publication 'Railway called Gazette' edited by Richard Hope. The police became convinced that 'Gazette' was the source the of the story which had created wave of indignation among a railwaymen. Hope began to notice funny things happening to phones at his office and his home. He complained in the Press and• on television that bugs had been placed on his phones. "There certainly is something very sinister going on, he said. There certainly was. Two days later a journalist on the 'Gazette', Chris Bushell (25) was the victim of police har- assment. They called at his home twice. They mentioned details of Mr Bushell's private life which they could only have learnt by listening in to phone conversations. They threatened to pass on the in- formation Mr Bushell's to friends and relatives. A reporter from the 'Sun' said: 'Mr Bushell claims the remark indicated to him that the detectives would bring to light his close relationships with certain friends unless they received more helpful answers.' Mr Bushell was so dis- tressed he had to be taken to the home of the deputy editor who believed there was a real danger that Mr Bushell might commit suicide. Another dramatic turn came in the House of Com- Mr Leslie Huckfield, mons. Labour MP for Nuneaton, asked Heath about 'the mon- strous and sinister witch-hunt on the Press' He went on: "There is a strong suspicion that a tele- phone call that I made to the "Railway editor of the Gazette" on December 1 was tapped. " After the Attorney-General, Sir Peter Rawlinson, had given a defensive and evasive answer, the Opposition leader, Harold Wilson, piped up: 'You will recall the prime ministerial directive in 1964 that no MP's phone was to be tapped. Will the government give a similar directive on the phones of the British Press?'

In his reply Rawlinson said: 'I would repeat that nobody is immune from investigation if the police feel there is a proper matter to investigate.'

In other words, the Tories will tap anybody's phones- including the leader of the Labour Party-for their own purposes. The issues raised in the incident 'Railway Gazette' sent a shock of disquiet even the members of the among judiciary. An editorial in the 'New Law Journal' said publi- cation of the document did "little more than confirm that British Rail was in a mess. Its publication did not breach national security. 'Yet what followed smacked more of the over-reaction of the banana republic dictator- ship than of sensible and cool, democratic government.' In the event, the Tories and the police backed the and the Gazette' 'Railway were ex- onerated. But the experience was a salutary one for mem- bers of the National Union of Journalists who were abruptly faced with the fact that 'public service journal- ism' was now illegal and could lead to criminal proceedings.

The telephone tapping goes hand in hand with other de- velopments in the police force: • The arming of police. The introduction of a national police computer.

The tormation ot anti- picket squads. • The increase of recruitment to Special Branch and other departments of 'political' the police, i.e. bomb su udu Special Patrol Group (SPG The joint training of police ґ a the army with handling 'national emergencies'. • The increase in the amount of funds made available to the police to recruit and pay in- formers in the factories, uni- versities and the media. The Tories are desperate to force into a car footing.

their corruption-ridden They know that although they have fleeced legally working class of many of its basic de- mocratic rights-—the rights to strike, to picket, to negotiate increased wages, to organize only in which te working class is physical controntation deteated can carry these laws into effect. As shown at the Pageant of working-class history at the Empire Pool on March 11, workers and their families won't surrender their rights to It's just not on. the Tories. The working class today stands undefeated and deter- mined to hang onto all the gains that have been won in two centuries of courageous struggle against the ruling class. In other words, the phone- mail-openers, tappers, spies and Colonel Blimps, together and with the asset-strippers money-lenders in the Tory government, seriously believe. the they can turn back the tide of history on the world's most powerful labour and trade union movement. They have another think coming. Nevertheless, the parting words of NATSOPA's Richard ant Briginshaw are worth record- ing: 'Last, but not least, the trade union movement at all levels, based upon the work- ing. people of this country with their experiences of our rulers over a long period of years, should polish up their counter telephone tapping procedures on the basis of the understanding that all their phones are tapped. [His em- phasis.] 'And the mass of the people in this country should be told that if they want to keep any- thing to themselves so far as their private lives are con- cerned, then they should work on the basis , that has com- mended itself to the working people over all these never use a telephone years...

Workers Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973 PAGE 7 Telephone-tapping In some cases, the phone on zUCs with official approval in every being tapped is relayed directly but seldom has it country, to an operator who can record been laid bare so completely as and note what is being said.

in France. A recent article in As French equipment appears the weekly 'Le Nouvel Obser- to be somewhat out of date, vateur, obviously an inside when this is done it is not job, gives sensational possible to identify the other some details. party to the call, Moreover, Strictly speaking telephone- only about 200 lines can be tapping is illegal in France, but dealt with in this way. the government has admitted Most tapped calls are simply that it goes on 'to protect the recorded, checked from time state and the public interest'.

to time at random The technical basis for municated to the Minister or France telephone-tapping in official who has authorized the was laid down by the Gestapo The apparatus tapping. avail- during the German occupation able in the provincial towns in 1940, when all the telephone is less advanced. exchanges in Paris were linked The anonymous author of to a building near the In- the report says that the work valides. Successive French is carried on in an atmosphere governments have kept it in of tension and rivalry between operation and a special team different branches of the mili- of technicians links lines up services. tary and civil There which are to be tapped. is resentment because influence The building in question, is used to permit highly-placed 2b Avenue de. Tourville, is but jealous husbands to record closely guarded by members of the telephone conversations of the three armed forces and the their wives or businessmen to gendarmerie. It is by spy on their rivals. body called the Interministerial A good deal of the tapping Control Group and only those is, of course, political. Oppo- in of a special possession sition politicians and journa- To identity card are admitted.

lists, trade union leaders and enter the where the rooms left-wing militants have their tapping goes on a special key phones tapped as a matter of is necessary. routine. This part of the building is Use is also made of more under the direct control of sophisticated methods of listen- Military Security. Here the in, such as micro-nails wires from the main telephone inserted in the walls of build- lines are attached to tape re- ings or fired by air gun. These corders under the control of enable conversations inside the specially-recruited civil ser- building be to monitored in vants paid from secret funds neighbouring buildings or which come from the budget from vehicles. Telephones can of the Prime Minister. also be transformed into The collected, tapes are microphones which pick classified and stored under the up conversations going direction of a General, Eugene even when the phone is not in use.

Cailland. assisted by represen- tatives of the civil and military Devices of this kind have The staff is been widely resorted to in Italy security agencies. not big enough, nor are there by the police and security check sufficient machines, to permit services to the all the conversations recorded conversations of leading poli- during the day played ticians including Prime be the back. Minister himself. A Rome magistrate investi- worked closely with Signor gating a major telephone- Walter Beneforti, a former tapping scandal has issued a head of the Milan criminal for the arrest of police, who was arrested a warrant former Italian secret his alleged service fortnight ago for in the phone-tapping agent. part The scandal involves the case. tapping of phones at the pre- Beneforti is the eighth per- sidential palace and intercep- the in- son to be arrested in tion of calls to hundreds of vestigation. The others are politicians, trade unionists, five Rome private detective show business personalities chiefs, a telephone company and even some businessmen.

official and an unidentified The Aless- former agent, They are variously char- man. Michele, turned andro at up ged with theft, suppression of • the office of the investigating mail and violation and frau- evidence. magistrate to give dulent interruption of tele- He asked to but was wait, phone conversations. subsequently disappeared. Police believe he may have It has that the emerged closely been kidnapped in the latest organization, connec- the of a series of mysterious de- ted with fascist groups, velopments in the case. bugged the President's phone Michele, once a member of an estimated 70 per cent and the Defence Ministry's of phones at the presidential coun- ter-espionage network (SID), palace.

REVISIONISTS SLANDER THE RCL

PAGE 8 Workors Pross, Tuesday Marı Part three of a series on revis Bala Tampoe and the Ceylon Mercantile Union did not support the 1967 devaluation strike, the International Marxist Group tells us, because the leaders of the strike 'had no serious perspective for a struggle'. Presumably, therefore, the IMG tells workers in Britain that if a strike is called by people who have 'no serious struggle', perspective for a they should scab on it. actions are called If limited by trade union leaders against the Tory state pay laws, will IMG urge workers not to take part because their leaders have 'no perspective for a struggle'?

Yet that-and exactly that—is the excuse put forward in the IMG pamphlet 'Ceylon and the Healy School of Falsification' for Tampoe's conduct in 1967: There is another difficult problem to get round for its author Mr Jaya Vithana. At the height of the 1971 repres- sions when some 16,000 people were arrested (note: 16,000 not 3,000 as Vithana claims) Bala Tampoe was allowed complete freedom of movement. Only one leading member of his Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) was arrested.

The IMG pamphlet claims that not only Tampoe but other leading trade unionists were sday March 20, 1973 on revisionism and Ceylon by Jack he left free because the Bandara- naike government was afraid to take on the working class.

It names, however, only three: Watson Fernando, Sene- viratne and Prins Rajasooriya.

What are the facts? Of the three named, one— Rajasooriya-is the assistant- secretary of the LSSP(R), so his freedom strengthen's our argument and Vithana's, not and another - Watson Fer- nando, a leader of the pro- Communist Party - Chinese was arrested. Vithana cannot be ignorant of these facts. His claim is a miserable, lying evasion that We are also accused by the IMG of saying nothing about our own co-thinkers in Ceylon.

But we say a great deal about them. The Ceylonese Section of the International Committee of the Fourth In- ternational is the Revolution- ary Communist League and its youth organization is the Revo- lutionary Communist Youth.

Unlike Messrs Tampoe and Rajasooriya, four leading mem- bers of the RCL-Wakkum- bura, Sisira Jayasuriya, Kirthi Balasuriya and Wilfred Pereira —were arrested and released working-class only after demonstrations. While not a single LSSP(R) journal was touched by the Bandaranaike regime, nine other newspapers were banned 'Kamkura These included Parath', ', 'Tho'lilar Seydi' and 'Virodhaya' published by the , and the 'Tharuna Satana' published by the RCY. Many RCY members were y Jack Gale. jailed in a witch-hunt which, far from leaving trade union leaders alone, jailed over 4,000 of them. Even members of the coali- tion parties were jailed-like Vasudeva Nanayakkara of the LSSP. N. Sanmagathasan—the leader of the pro-Peking Com- munist Party-was also arres- ted and many, many more. But not, repeat not, Bala Tampoe.

The Bala Tampoe who took money from the CIA, the Bala Tampoe who organized scab- bing on a strike, the Bala Tampoe who honoured British imperialism and an ex-Nazi, the Bala Tampoe who sits on the International Executive of the IMG's parent body, the Unified Secretariat - is the Bala Tampoe who was allowed freely by to speak and move the Bandaranaike regime when the leaders of other working- tendencies class were jailed and witch-hunted. No amount of IMG white- wash will cover that stark fact.

That is the incontrovertible truth beneath Vithana's lies.

Now we come to some real slanders — directed at the genuine Trotskyists by Vithana.

Workers Press, says the IMG pamphlet, depicted the JVP movement, which bore the brunt of the Bandaranaike repressions, as a 'petty bour- geois' organization and blamed it for the repressions. We defy Vithana, Joseph Hansen (who has maintained a prudent silence since the Unified Secretariat's official statement) or any other re- visionist distorter to show us one single line from Workers Press which blamed the JVP for the repressions. When the full-scale war against the JVP was launched by Mrs Bandaranaike and her Stalinist and ex-Pabloite allies in April 1971, Workers Press carried a Political Committee statement which declared: "The task of British labour (lies in) intensifying its struggle against Stalinism and frustrat- ing every attempt to supply arms to the reactionary regime of blood, lies, hunger and misery which masquerades as a socialist united front.

'Despite our differences with the petty-bourgeois, Guevarist policies of the JVP, we appeal to the trade union and labour movement everywhere to demand of the Soviet govern- ment that its planes and pilots withdrawn and that Mrs Bandaranaike's regime release all political prisoners and stop all executions immediately' (Workers Press, April 21, 1971) In a series of articles which began on April 22 we de- 'death without nounced the trial and bloody repression of and peasants' workers' the movement' in Ceylon. We declared: "The students and peasant youth who have taken up arms against the coalition's betrayals are stub- bornly continuing their fight— they have widespread popular support against the regime.'

Example after example can be quoted. On May 21, 1971, we carried an editorial Free All Prisoners And Press in Ceylon.'

FICT

CHARGE

Tampoe under the banner of his union, the Ceylon Mercantile Union. Tampoe refused to sup- port the 1967 strike against devaluation. Our record is there for all to see. It is a deliberate, cynical lie to say we placed the blame for the suppressions on the JVP —a lie that any IMG member can check out by consulting our Press. Yes, we did politically char- acterize the JVP as a petty- bourgeois organization. That is not to detract from their cour- age nor from the support they must be given inside the British labour movement against the Bandaranaike government. Should we avoid insisting on Marxist analysis of a tendency that is in struggle? Or should we, as the Unified Secretariat did, pronounce the JVP to be a Marxist-Leninist organiza- tion? Without the construction of a Trotskyist Party in Ceylon, as part of a Trotskyist Inter- national, there can be no vic- tory of the workers, peasants students of Ceylon. It is not only our right, but our duty, to analyse all poli- tical tendencies from that standpoint, to support those who fight imperialism and its agencies, but to support them critically, insisting at all times on the construction of the in- dependent revolutionary party.

This is what the youth of Ceylon need and deserve. They certainly deserve much more than they got from Bala Tampoe.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

CHARTISM 1842

The name of Ben Brierley is probably mainly known today in the Manchester area through the pub which is named after him. But in his lifetime he was well-known in the area, as a popular writer and humorist, the author of a number of short stories and of the jocular and witty 'Ab O'th' Yaites Dictionary', supposedly ponned by 'Ab', the weaver who was at the centre of his humorous anecdotes. Brierley himself was weaver, and although chiefly a humorous writer, he had known serious times in his youth, when the weavers and Manchester workers other played a big part in the strug- gles of the Chartist movement for working-class rights.

In his memoirs, he recalled that he and his friends turned to literary efforts after the Chartist movement had de- clined. But as a lad, he had witnessed the movement in its 1842, and its impact on workers in his neighbourhood: 'In 1842, four years after I had left the factory, the "great strike" took place, an event which some of our neighbours had been expecting a long time before, and were, in their way, prepared to meet. During the years, Chartism four had been rife, and the strike was its culmination. 'The "Northern Star", the only newspaper that appeared circulate anywhere, found to its way weekly to the Cut Side, being subscribed for by my father and five others. Every Sunday morning these sub- scribers met at our house to hear what prospect there was the expected "smash-up" of taking place. It was my task to aloud so that all could read hear at the same time.' In this way, then, the work- ers tackled what they recog- nized as an essential task, that educating and preparing of themselves for struggle. That workers' the Manchester aspirations were, although a naive, little nevertheless revolutionary is also shown by Brierley, who writes of the way they were thinking at the time: thousand "Ten pikemen would sweep England through, and Holinwood would furnish a contingent of at least a thousand.' workers The Holinwood were not content to daydream about this prospect. Brierley tells us: *Besides reading the "North- ern Star" on Sunday mornings, my Saturday afternoons were occupied by more arduous I had to turn my work. father's grindstone while rebel- liously - disposed amateur soldiers ground their pikes?

Maybe Manchester the workers who spent their Satur- sharpening day afternoons naive. Certainly, pikes were the Revolution they were pre- paring for did not come, al- though they later won, by means of the labour movement and organized struggle, many of the rights they were fighting for. Today, these same rights are being attacked by the Tories.

• although much of Ben And writing Brierley's humorous is now badly dated, it is his accounts of his earlier life and the struggles he saw which today become relevant and alive. And this time, we are going to win.

EXOTIC

HAMBURGERS

Mr Ainsley Cole, proprietor of the Old King Cole restau- rant in the City of London, is worried about the ham- burger. feel the British public has too often been misled over the hamburger. Rela- tively few people have been served a true hamburger, he says. Cole is about to change all that. He has been recruited to Allied Finance and Insurance Service, which has a stake in everything from men's cloth- ing to property. In prepara- tion for his new job, Cole and his wife went around the 'globe-trotting'. world The result includes a num- ber of exotic dishes: the Axtec (with avocado and red pep- pers), the Cossack (sour cream and caviar), the Iberian the Athenian (pimentos), (aubergines) and the Sun- downer (from Australia, gar- nished with a fried egg).

How successful Cole's at- tempt to popularize the ham- burger will be remains to be seen. The price of each ham- burger will be about 80p!

Where is Britain Going? Paperback 37Łp • Problems of the British Revolution Paperback 35p • Lessons of October Paperback 60p In Defence of the October Revolution Pamphlet 15p Marxism and the Trade Unions Pamphlet 25p Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International Pamphlet 10p Postage: 10p per book, 5p per pamphlet.

Order from: NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS 186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG

TELEVISION REVIEW BY JOE H

Play for Today: 'Hard Labour'.

Devised and directed by Mike Leigh. Produced by Tony Garnett.

This was one of the most depressing plays seen on television for a long time. Superbly devised and acted though it was, the play must be considered as liable to feed anti-working class sentiment. It presented a powerful pic- ture of one side of life-the helplessness that can accom- pany physical and emotional poverty. But the one-sidedness itself created a problem. By telling only part of the story, the play was in danger of inspir- ing a very biased response.

working does The class suffer, but it also fights back.

By leaving out this potential for development, 'Hard Labour' left something out crucial for understanding the working class. The characters, though real, become unreal through being placed in an unchanging vacuum. "acceptance' by the The working class of its degraded existence is relative. But be- cause there was nothing to contrast the Thornley family with, the subjection appeared to be absolute. Therefore, although pain- fully accurate in one sense, the play was in fact a distor- tion. The makers' intention was presumably to win sympathy for the lot of the poorer sec- tions of the working class who are locked in a life of misery by bad conditions and educa- tional and cultural backward- ness. Instead, the play was in danger of provoking contempt for the individuals portrayed because of their passive accep- tance of • their wretchedness and down-troddeness. The hopelessness of the life of the Thornley family living in a northern slum was totally convincing and a con- siderable artistic achievement.

Five minutes in the company of the whining cowardly bully = 3 == •3. Workers Press, Tue!

/ JOE HARPER

(Clifford Jim Thornley Kershaw) nightwatchman, was enough to make us realize how Thornley (Liz Smith) Mrs became such a crushed wretch after 30 years of it. So convincing was the scene of Thornley making his weekly convenience of his unrespond- ing resentful wife's body that it was literally nauseating.

But the Thornley children, in-laws, workmates, and neigh- bours were all equally de- moralized or degraded in one way or another. Not a positive spark anywhere. But in such an assemblage of working-class characters, is it likely that they would all be uniformly dejected? SO Should not such a cross- section reveal other aspects of working-class life if it is to be truthful? truth is that while The working-class people are crushed by their conditions, they also fight back and show a resilient capacity for cour- age and humour as well. Having so tellingly made the point about how difficult it is to live a decent life in such wretched circumstances, is it not also relevant to ask why things are the way they are, and do they have to remain that way? The makers are, of course, in no way obliged to write to a pattern or be tied to any compulsory list of things re- quired to be mentioned. Works of art cannot be made that way. But it is valid to ask the writers how they arrived at this very pessimistic view of working-class life and where they think such an attitude will lead The questions are worth asking because the play was too powerful to serve as a mere reminder for any middle- class viewers who might nave forgotten the fact that life at the bottom is in some ways as squalid, brutal and degrading as it ever was in Dickensian Britain. One could have enormous pity for Mrs. Thornley silently suffering a life of skivvying at home for a pig of a husband; skivvying at work for a mean middle-class woman who doles **** ress, Tuesday March 20, 1973 PAGE 9 Jim Thornley, played by Clifford Kershaw with his wife, played by Liz Smithin the BBC play 'Hard Labour' which was screened last week. a shilling tip as Mrs T out polishes a table-load of silver; and then getting exploited by the local church when sister calls for a contribution.

But so abject was she in her acceptance of being mute abused by her husband, and being fobbed off by the priest with five Hail Marys when complained about her she plight, that she nearly turned into being just a symbol of oppression, a partly card- board, partly vegetable figure for whom pity was in danger of becoming contempt. This was even more true of the rest of the characters.

Thornley, although he is made what he is by the soul-destroy- ing existence of being a com- pany flunkey and having no horizon other than a few pints of beer each week, is never- theless so unsympathetic as to be an object of hatred. The son is a wet blob, mar- ried to a caricature of a house- jumped-up proud, nagging, wife. The middle - class more indepen- daughter is dently-minded, but plays no role. The workmate/chief night- watchman is a slimy creep; the butcher/drinking companion a cipher; the neighbours all miserable. None of these things are surprising in themselves. All of them are not unusual in the working phenomena class. But is there not a danger in lumping all of them that together in one play, and in showing only these pheno- mena, that the audience could write off the working class as being too pathetic to bother about? In attempting to draw atten- tion to the human waste caused by the capitalist system. 'Hard Labour' runs the risk of reinforcing prejudices about the lower paid by relent- lessly stressing the abject con- dition of this one family. Leigh and Garnett may have achieved the opposite of their intention.

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973

BBC 1

ITV

REGIONAL TV

231 11.00 9.30 Schools. 10.30 This week. schools. us nickory house FA Pinky and Perky. 12.40 First report.

Lunchtime with Woran, 1.30 farm. 2.00 Harriet's back Jammerdale in town. 2.30 Good aiternoon. 3.00 About Britain. 3.25 Kate. 4.25 Junior

6.00 NATIONWIDE.

showtime. 4.50 Magpie. 5.20 l dream 12330 Can 400 C

WESTWARD.

FILM:

British co. of Jeannie. 5.50 News.

TOLLOW

6.00

TODAY.

6.40

CRANKDADA.

6.00 gonh 8.30 7.05

SOUTH

SEAS.

life.

WHISKERN

New Leaiano s got a real cod 9.00 NEWS. Weather. S305e bering machine 9.25

7.35 COOL MILLION.

PORN MARCHING

Assault on Car 0.00

HOMN!

Gavaloni, James farentino.

talk abar the ricar 25 Weal 2.00 SO IT GOES. Free Fall.

28 mens. about peopic

10.15 FILM

10.45

I. NOW ALIEN.

MIDWEEN.

Ine

LATE NIGHT NEWS.

10.30

DOCUMENTARY:

"GRIEF'.

11.30 bridging Death.

HARLEC D

Dail oxford. of Ripon

WRESTLING.

IL•SU FRUFLDDIUNAL

5.25 howard 1001 32.U0

MEDICINE

¡ODAY.

16.d Abse. _ TO Dannie Weather.

BBC 2

world action.

9.00 POT BLACK.

Play school. Open as above except: 6.15-6.30 it isest.

WORLD

Report

TEI

VISION

6.40 TAd BreaKSHER LOOK. Bed Samuel Becket *Beginning End Samuel News

OPEN UNIVERSITY.

7.05 MacGowran.

SUMN AN

weather.

10.15 LEAP

WORLD.

MINI

THODARK,

7.35

CONSCIOR

30.45 8.05 SATERLINE. Power, Sail and Weather.

11.20 NEWS EXIRA.

Friends make £130,000 available to clear debts Big names 'nobble' the Poulson case

THE

POULSON

affair saying that here was ime doubt in legal circles that been mysteriously has the of overtones political wound All the up. Scare e architect's £130,000 debts quiry are at an end. be are to paid by In particular, the "parlia- said be of mentary group anonymous to among those yet to be dealt friends. the hearings, With at will that News the money remain closed except to the has been handed over to police' the creditors will send a There can be little doubl sigh of relief through the that there has been a deal upper echelons of both the between wo major nobble' the Tory and Labour Parties. partics lu that there will It ficalls This became clear after no revelations Turther Anthony Crosland, the about gifts and handouts to Minister, public figures. Education 'Mr George and a mysterious The prospect of further Brown' (apparently not Lord

MUIR HUNTER,

names being mentioned Qc •.. No George-Brown, the ex-deputy case seemed a the certainty at last hearing. Manes January, were when, in truck- leadel une Dartyl named in January. which manifested load of fles was removed balon Still to be explained, how- from offices previously self in a Bar Council inquiry occupied by John. Poulson into the QC's conduct. ever Poulson Is ine involvement Although the Mr Pontefract. the council ex- Dan Smith, There Mr the so-called reported Hunter. were onerated Mr Newcastle' 1,347 separate bundles handling of the case appeared in the haul which drastically of both papers alter when it triena Harold Brown and had been March 5. re-opened Dreysly 10l Labour's Chief Whip Robert a full dav's brought to tne attendon Insterd Mellish, Mr Muir Hunter, OC, for proceedings, the case was Was retained the the adjourned party in public creditors. after only a few assist a General Rections during 1964 understood that nOUrS relauver interrogation bank- among this material was the

COT

the controversial 'parliamentary rupt. For the his services file' which revealed And the case is not to party he was made first head reopen until of the Northern Economic names prominen

DOLT-

cians who did services for The fact that anonymous Planning Council assisi have paid off Poulson architectural donors Poul- the and debts east. Cal Only When made rumours that Smith o unter strengthen apparently still known the existence of the is trying to bury someone engaged day-to-day

POULSON

of files, the new set at least case. consultancy O1S never be opened. Telegraph' The 'Sunday one prominent ex-Minister in companies in Northampton. said the other day: Ine Labour government went see Harold Wilson Loyal of both Stationery Office printworkers admit with connection the Conservatives and Labour Parties have helped roulsun to tale said he was Poulson's funds. They believe the *London man'. bankruptcy hearing is unfair

PRINTERS

Her other northern MPs, the

I WO

Majesty's Stationery both members of the Shadow business tne world a Office Press in Weald- Cabinet, were also implicated.

syndicate has negotiated Workers Press hạs learned settlement stone, Middlesex, fear making £130,000 that there was an immediate they may be faced with Poulson's under for plans creditors. massive redundancies. national cer torerner derween Labour reorganization and Tory managers at the 'Contributions Shop have been stewards of HMSO print (ShODS. House Commons. of made the National Graphical Asso- The government hollowing they be dis- ciation have issued put forward Las Winor proposals closed.' discussion it was cece to statement saying that to completely reorganize launch anti-Hunter cam- The article concludes by 400 belost nine

TODAY'S TV

WOW MID AND 9.30 920 203-

town yock london. Weather. or 710.31 9.00 London

TY LIES

4 ondo Whicker: London. Licke Today Cose Lected Lond London Crossroade- e1$2.40 on 120 metai His 'parllamentary file' may fear for jobs binderies and the Weald works will be hardest ni has spokesman Atlantic House,

OICE

and refused comment.

SLL LECTURE

SERIES

The Socialist Revolution in Britain Os- (nr Manchester) Langley Community Centre Middleton 4 p.m. Sundays: March 25 April 1 and 8 Lectures given by Cliff Slaughter (SLL Central Committee) Socialist Revolution The In Britain: 1. Political tasks facing the British working class. Marxism and the revolutionary role of the working class. Lessons of history the working the of class in Britain. 7.05 The 2. of capitalist roots crisis: Marxism and the contra- dictions of capitalism. Britain 5.50 and the world crisis. 3. The state and revolution. 7.35 Reformism and revolution in Britain. The fight for democra- tic rights today means prepar- ing for working-class power.

Basic reading: for transforming Perspectives the SLL into a revolutionary party: Marxist Analysis of the Crisis.

1.38 Problems of the British Revo- lution (Trotsky) . Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth Inter- 9.00 national, Communist Manifesto.

'Forward to the Revolutionary Party! DAGENHAM: Tuesday March 20, 8 p.m. Barking Co-op Hall, Fan- shaw Avenue. BRIXTON: Tuesday March 20, Control Room, Brixton 8 p.m. Training Centre. EAST LONDON: Tuesday March 20, Festival Inn, Crisp p.m. Street Market, E14. ACTON: Tuesday March 20, 8 'The Rocket', Churchfield p.m. Road, W.3. TOTTENHAM: Wednesday March 21, 8 p.m. Bricklayers Arms, Tottenham High Road, nr. White Hart Lane. WOOLWICH: Wednesday March 21,8 • p.m. Castle, Powis Street, SE18. READING: Wednesday March 21, 8 p.m. General Union office, Kings Road. 'The battle against the Tory pay laws.' WEMBLEY: Wednesday March 21, 8 p.m. Copeland School, High Road, Wembley. SOUTHALL: Wednesday March 21, 8 p.m. The Library, Osterley Park Road. HOLLOWAY: Thursday March 22, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, Seven Sisters Road. HACKNEY: Thursday March 22, 8 p.m. Parlour Room, Central Hall, opp. Town Hall, Mare Street. LEWISHAM: Thursday March 22, 8 p.m. Deptford Engineers Club, New Cross Road. SLOUGH: Thursday March_ 22, 8 p.m. Community Centre, Farn- ham Road, Slough. STEVENAGE: Thursday March 22, 8 p.m. 'Red Lion', Stevenage Old Town. WILLESDEN: Thursday March 22, 8 p.m. Labour and Trades Hall, High Road, NW10. WANDSWORTH: Monday March 26, 8 p.m. Kings Arms, High Road, SW18. 'The Fight against Stalinism'. BRADFORD: Thursday March 22, 7.30 p.m. Room 1, Centrai Library, Bradford. MIDDLETON: Thursday March 22, 7.30 p.m. 'Assheton Arms'.

LIVERPOOL: Thursday March 8 p.m. YMCA Main Hall, head Mount Pleasant.

UPW chiefs accept

LEADERS OF

200,000 Post Office workers have accepted Phase Three of the state pay control laws in advance and are preparing evidence for sub- mission to the Tories' Pay Board, des- pite the TUC decision not to co-operate with it. This is the latest turn in the policy of total capitu- which lation seems to have gripped the Union of Post Office Workers its since special conference in Feb- ruary. Tom Jackson, UPW general secretary, told the conference that there were only two alternatives facing the trade union movement: massive, all- out industrial action to 'change the government's mind' on pay, or a new bid to strike a bar- gain with Heath. The unions

JACKSON

.. On road would lose a confrontation, he to capitulation. claimed. said, and there could be no

NOTHING

of promise exceptional treat- under Phase Three ment either. Two days later Jackson and His parting shot was that the the heads of five other was going stop who have lodged a £5.50 claim the Office Post levelling-up the with the Post Office were closeted of young earnings workers this with Employment Secretary agreed in the year as Hardman Maurice Macmillan. report of 1971. He gave them nothing. There The reaction of the

UPW

would be no exceptions to Phase however, executive, was to turn Two of the pay laws, Macmillan the other cheek, or rather to go

PREMIER

Edward who at the last election which the Prime Mi pronounced in favour ister was seeking a Heath was attacked in of cutting public expen- the squeeze on scathing fashion yester- diture, bids today fair must act as day by Mr Ernest Bar- win the title of big to incentive. spender of all time? 'Some rett, president companies w of the Heath had done a eventually Engineering Industries complete about-turn on selves in extreme di culties, he added. Association. prices and incomes. He said that nothing It was futile for t He said Heath could in the Phase Two Green government to foist t win the title of 'the big Paper would encourage total blame for rampa spender of all time'. the expansion and in- inflation on the unio "The same Mr Heath vestment in industry "True, they do bear

BY DAVID MAUDE OUR LABOU

TEACHERS MEETING

LONDON DOCKERS are be- Victory to the teachers! ing threatened with a disas- Force the TUC to call trous trade loss from the port a General Strike! if they carry out their deci- Make the Tories sion to withdraw from flexi- resign! ble working practices in two weeks' time.

WEDNESDAY

Employers of the 8,000 men

MARCH 21

in the port's enclosed docks 6.30 p.m. issued the threat yesterday Norfolk Room afternoon after being told by Caxton Hall officials that there was union Caxton Street, SW1 change the dockers' no in decision, made almost a fort- night ago. ORPINGTON and SIDCUP Meanwhile in Hull, earlier followed dockers Council of Action yesterday, the pattern set by London and Liverpool and accepted pay

DEMONSTRATION

offer based on Phase Two of the Tories' laws. state pay control The London dockers say they • Halt rising prices and rents.

will withdraw from flexible wor- king practice- laid down in • Force the Tories to resign.

Clause 12 of the Devlin 'moder- nization' agreement in the • Elect port a Labour government -because of dissatisfaction with pledged to soclalist policies the employers' £2.60, Phase Two and to restore democratic offer. pay rights. The offer itself, however, has • Victory to gasmen, civil serv.

been accepted along with similar settlements ants, hospital workers, teach- for tally clerks and ers, railwaymen and men working on the riverside car workers. wharves. If Clause 12 is abandoned official union

SATURDAY MARCH 24

with backing on April 1, the employers Will refuse paement ors se f26y Assemble: 10.30 a.m. Corner of Were it abandoned simply as Cray Avenue Orpington and the dockers' a decision High Street. men lay committee, it is likely they would wait a few days to crawling back for more punish- ment. When the TUC General Council went to see Heath on February 15, Jackson attempted to put his case for exceptional treatment to him direct. No response. Then he wrote it all down and sent it to the Minister of Posts and Tele- communications, the far right- wing Sir John Eden. Just before the special TUC on March 5, the Romford and Upminster postmen's branch of the UPW passed a motion reject- ing government interference in pay claims and calling for non- co-operation with the pay laws.

ADOPTED

This fairly mild policy, which did not even go as far as the TUC General Council a few days later, was adopted by the London district council and forwarded to the national executive.

In reply, Jackson claimed that 'no at union headquarters one would disagree' with the call for non-co-operation. He argued that his conference Prime Min- grave responsibility for seeking and their repeated refusal • on profits of all co-operation and selfish dis- the pursuit of their own sectional in- npanies will terests... them- But few doubt that treme diffi- government policies have helped to fan the tile for the flames, Barrett told a to foist the Press conference in for rampant Leeds on the eve of the the unions. association's annual ex- hibition. y do bear a

R LABOUR CORRESPONDENT

see what the actual effects on working were. Although the employers say decisioare extremely doosers, decision seriously', they are clearly leaving most options open in the hope of a deal with the unions during the next two weeks. HULL DOCKERS voted by an overwhelming majority to accept a wage offer of £2.65-but went on to City Hall only between 50 and 100 voted against the offer.

Acceptance was recommended to the meeting by local Trans- General Workers' port and Union official Brian Barker.

There was unanimous rejec- tion of a recommendation for the establishment of a supple- mentary register, which would allow recruitment of 'casuals' on a week's notice. 01-720 2000 01-622 7028 Workers Press, Tuesday March 20, 1973 PAGE 11 SOME 258,000 workers seem certain to be involved in strikes and lock-outs in Den- mark tomorrow. It will be the biggest labour conflict in the country since the general strike of 1936. and other statements calling for 'more flexible' approach from The issues at stake include the TUC to the government had for women, special equal pay been •designed persuade the wage increases for lower paid to TUC to try and negotiate a much workers, cost of living increases, better deal than is at the moment holiday pay and the length of the offer to trade union working week. on movement. TUC, which represents The 900,000 wage-earners, I have some has Post ofice about the size tot the been talking threatened to call out 153,000 of its members and the employers bill [in other words, about pay have threatened to lock out an the £1 plus 4 per cent Phase Two additional 105,000. guideline] and other related In addition we are pre- matters. Social Democrat Prime Minis- paring a document for submission ter Anker Joergensen, a former Pay Board in relation to the to trade union leader, says: The Stage Three.' strikes must run their

UNTA THAMES GAS BOARD'

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SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, APRIL 14 & 15, WINTER GARDENS, BLACKPOOL PAGE 12 Workers Prass, Tuesday moves ALL DIRECT workers in the assembly plant at British-Leyland's Cowley factory, Oxford, walked out yesterday when man- agement put in industrial engineers. The spontaneous walk-out occurred when industrial engineers arrived simul- taneously at all five depart- ments in the plant. Last week the company warned that in furtherance of its Measured-Day Work scheme, these special engi- neers would be brought into the factory to overseer work.

Letters were sent to all employees explaining why the company was going to intervene. A subsequent mass meet- ing decided to reject any attempt to impose indus- trial engineers on the shop floor. Today day shift workers will turn up at the normal hour. If the engineers are still in their sections, a further walk-out is antici- pated.

MANAGEMENT

St at James's Hospital in Balham, London, south have totally failed to intimidate ancillary staff back to work. The big hospital's staff, who have been out on strike two weeks, for more than circular letter were sent a asking them 'most sincerely to return to your normal duties at the usual time on Monday, March 19. But yesterday workers simply handed these letters to their shop stewards and formed a large picket at the gatehouse. The letter says: 'The pre- To further their propaganda committee yesterday invited the To photographs to show 'hardship' 1o

SATURDAY AN

Tuesday March 20, 1873 BACKING from miners, engineers and steelworkers is hoped for by hospital work- ers in the Yort shire area, who plan a mass demonstration through Sheffield on Friday afternoon. hospital workers' The industrial action campaign, which was yesterday affect- ing 850 hospitals nation- ally, is being waged par- ticularly strongly in York- shire at the moment. Five hospitals in the Barnsley area are out for a week. And 26 hospital laun- dries are being kept closed at any one time. On Friday, 30 hospitals will be pulled day of the out for the demonstration. Across the country, a total of 261 hospitals was totally or partially hit by strike action yesterday. Four hundred workers at a top London teaching hos- pital are to strike from sent situation at St James's Hospital is becoming critical.

Many patients in need of in- patient treatment are not being admitted and as result some of them are be- ing caused unnecessary hardship' This is not correct. The committee has strike gone out of its way to provide the cover and finest emergency to keep the casualty depart- ment in operation. And because some patients —not regarded as serious cases-—have been sent home, the care of the remaining patients has been increased to top efficiency.

FIRE

ALARM

against the hospital staff ed the Tory Press onto the premises.

dship' to the remaining staff.

AY AND SUNDAY, APRIL 1

Thursday for five days, an- nounced the main hospital union NUPE. The strikers -porters, domestics, laundry and Mary's catering staff at St Hospital, Paddington-form hospital's two-thirds of the ancillary staff. "There is a possibility that Mary's will be closed, St said NUPE branch secretary

SALFORD HO

staff the St James' management mises. They deliberately contrived Don Steadman. "This hardening of attitude about because come members feel they are being treated with contempt by the government and Sir Keith Joseph, Secretary of State. 'Services for the very seriously ill will have to be covered by the people the management have got left.'

MANAGEMENT COMM

FORD HOSPITAL

SALFORD hospital workers yesterday welcomed a bid by their union to escalate strike action. It's about time this hap pened,' Arthur Craven, drivers' shop steward at Hope Hospital, told me. He was commenting on a circular sent out to trades council by National Union of Public Employees organ- izer Ken Barrett. 'People talk about the uniting. working think it's about time the unions and the union lead- ers united, he said. The Hope drivers have been on strike for 19 days and they were joined yester- day by kitchen and stores The hospital management refused to allow the nurses' kitchen to remain open despite a union offer to keep it going. deliberate attempt to turn the nurses against us.' Driver Graham Briscall said: 'We must have all-out strike action straight away.

will impress Nothing else Heath.' Ken Shaw, another driver: "The TUC leaders are just sitting on their backsides hoping the strike will go away - but will not we weaken.' Bill said: I Bradbury think it will come to all-out action soon. The strike miners will be out and this will be a big blow in our favour?

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GUERRILLA STRIKES are to be staged by civil servants at Civil Aviation Authority airports throughout Britain this week. And according to union leaders they will dislocate communications, cause delays and cancel aircraft. The staff affected are teleprinter operators, air traffic control assistants and clerical staff, who, along with their fellow civil servants, are battling the Tory pay laws.

First airport acion began at the Preston, Lan- cashire, control centre late last night. This morn- ing the radar units at Manchester and Lindholme, Yorkshire, will be hit. Other units expected to be affected by selective strike action are London's Heathrow airport, the air traffic Drayton, control West centre at Middlesex, Croydon communications centre, Glas- gow airport, Prestwick airport, and the Prestwick control centre. Small numbers will strike in the different units at different times. The total number is 150 Meanwhile more than 300 girls at the National Savings headquarters complex at Cow- computer Glasgow, yesterday decided to strike for a glen, second week after a recommendation by their union. Civil servants at Southend, Essex, also extended their strike for a further week.

From next Monday civil servants in Northern Ireland are to introduce an overtime ban, Brendan Harkin, general secretary of the Public Service Alliance, which represents 22,000 government em- ployees, said yesterday. At the St Stephen's Press, south London, where 16 CPSA members have already decided to strike for a second week, union representatives are still

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