Workers Press no. 684

workers press

EMERGENCY DECLARED

POWER LEADERS RETREAT

TORIES OUT

TO SMASH

MINERS

BY ALEX MITCHELL

BY ACCEPTING a 74 per cent pay deal, the leaders of Britain's power workers have deserted the miners and agreed to wage-cutting.

The pay settlement, in line with the 1 Tory 'norm', nowhere near compensates for the 15 percent increase in food prices alone since the Heath government took power. Power workers and their families are today at least 7 per cent worse off because of the settlement. Leaders 115,000-strong supply the power ot were strategically and powerfully placed to workers With wage-cutting burst the Tories' policy, proverbial flick of a switch they could have joined the miners in creating a major fuel and power crisis to force the Tories to a General Election.

After five months of fruitless negotiation anel endless threats overtime bans which never materialized, the leaders accepted what amounted to the original offer. Voting to accept the Electricity Council's miserable down the middle- votes to six. electricians' and from the a wo ucsoudLors Workers Union were in favour of acceptance, while ine rigat-wing general Workers' electrical delegate, three transport union and two from the engineers were against I ne Chapple, casting of electricians' vote the leader a former Communist Party member, succeeded in having the offer accepted.

Chapple showed his fear of the tide of militancy and solidarity with the miners when he told press- Monday night that there may be Some unofficial stations. 'In some cases we won't settlement. In a major editorial be able to the message across, he said t the •Daily Telegraph', yesterday the of the Tory Party. VoIce With the power workers off called for troops to be used to the the agenda, Tories break picket lines Wakes can nOW unleash Telegraph' I he sdys. fight against the miners. The plainly, Can- first step will be the declara- not simply stand aside while the of a state of emergency. situation continues to deteriorate;

LOR

Yesterday the cabinet's Emer- une ume may now nave come to gency Committee met under the resort to emergency powers in Reginald chairmanship of order vital supplies to maintain Maudling discuss regulations and services. uncer use decaraton. IT tne government takes emer- Employment Secretary Robert gency powers troops and military Carr will both sides wehicles could see be used... the The Tory separately today to explain campaign for Dress troops in the coalfields makes latest measures The capitalist the possibility of major newspapers have been quick to press home national stoppage in Britain more on the cards. cae davantage or te power pay INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 1972 • No 684 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

•BUILDING

WORKERS.

CHARTER

NO

BUILDERS LOBBY

FOR £30 WEEK

ABOUT 80 delegates reDresent- ing building workers from many major Britain towns talks National the London yesterday. In The union claim is for E30 for 35-hour week, and three was listic a lad Lobbyists also placards califor for an end to the "lump' decasualization of une industry. So far the employers • 4р UARY 9, 1972 • No 684

E SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

EDWARD HEATH'S statement to the Overseas Bankers' Club that 'firms are not going simply to re-engage all those who have made redundant' is been a reaffirmation of the Tory govern- ment's determination to make the working class suffer for the crisis of capitalism. (For • full report of the speech, see p 12.)

Cowardly retreats by the trade union leaders-like the settle- ment of the power workers' claim - only strengthen the Tories' resolve to press ahead.

trade union leaders are The abdicating their responsibility to lead the working class. This makes the success of the Young Socialists' Right-to-Work campaign more important than ever. All over the country sup- port for the campaign lias come pouring in-proving once more that it is only the crisis of leadership in the working class that enables capitalism to con- tinue. THE CAMPAIGN has received a tremendous boost with the announcement of organized sup- port at NOTTINGHAM. The district committee of the Transport and General Workers' Union has voted support and also a sub-committee to set up handle all arrangements for the marchers in Nottingham the area. The district committee has ASWo have rejected the claim com- pletely. Frankie Khan, shop steward for Liverpool's Direct Works Department, said that this claim was only a step towards the real goal of El an hour throughout the industry. The next step in the fight he said, if yesterday's nothing came of meeting, would be a national stoppage on February 15. ent voted £20 to the sub-committee to carry out its organizational tasks. Meanwhile the shop stewards at one of the largest nearby plants, Plessey's Beeston factory, have agreed to support the march.

The shop stewards will carry out a collection in the factory, send a delegation to meet the marchers and a further send delegation of ten to the March 12 Wembley Pool Rally. THE OTHER major news of sup- are port comes from the shop committee at Rolls- stewards Royce Ansty, COVENTRY. The shop stewards have unanimously decided to back the campaign. It is hoped that in conjunction with the Rolls-Royce Parkside factory enough money will be raised to provide food for the marchers when they arrive in Coventry on March 2. OTHER Midlands support has come from Nos 2 and 6 branches Amalgamated Union of of the Engineering Workers at sup- LEAMINGTON SPA. Both branches are donating Es and are asking the local trades council to provide accom- modation. The Leamington Spa to No 9 AUEW is also supporting the march.

SEE RIGHT-TO-WORK DIARY

p. 3. Foreign News 2 Discussion on ATUA Manifesto 5 Interview with Donald Sutherland 6 & 7 TV programmes 11

workers press

TORIES OUT

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETI

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRA

BY ALEX MITCHELL

The pay settlement, in line with the Tory 'norm', , nowhere near compensates for the 15 per cent increase in food prices alone since the Heath government took power. Power workers and their families are today at least 7 per cent worse off because of the settlement. 115,000-strong workade were strategically and powerful plased to Leaders of the policy. burst the Tories' wage-cutting proverbial flick of a switch they could have joined the miners in creating a major fuel and power crisis to force the Tories to a General Election.

five and After months of fruitless negotiation bans endiess threats of overtime which never materialized, the leaders accepted what amounted to the original offer. Voting to accept the Electricity Council's miserable was split down the middle votes to six. offer, -six negotiators from the electricians' Two and unions General and four the Municipal from right-wing Workers' Union were in favour of acceptance, while delegate, from electrical three the transport Cue. union and two from the engineers were against.

The of Frank Chapple, electricians' casting vote the a former member, leader and Communist Party succeeded in having the offer accepted.

Chapple showed his fear of the tide of militancy and solidarity with the miners when he told press- Monday night that there men on may be some unofficial action In power stations. 'In some cases we won't editorial In settlement. major be able the message get yesterday the 'Daily Telegraph', across' he said Tory the of the Party, voice With the power workers off called for troops to be used to Tories the wages agenda, the break picket lines. all-out can noW unleash an "Telegraph' •The The says: fight against the miners. The plainly, government, quite can- first astep will be declara- the not simply stand aside while the tion of a state of emergency. situation continues to deteriorate; Yesterday the cabinet's Emer- the time may now have come to gency Committee met under the resort to emergency powers in Reginald chairmanship of to maintain vital supplies order Maudling discuss under the declaration. regulations and services. 'If the government takes emer- Employment Secretary. Robert gency powers, troops and military will vehicles could be used.. Carr see both sides separately today to explain the The Tory press campaign tor latest measures. the coalfields troops makes The capitalist the newspapers possibility of major have been quick to press home national stoppage in Britain more the advantage of the power pay on the cards.

JEWSLETTER • WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 1

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCI

kers have deserted

BUILDING

WORKERS.

CHARTER

ABOUT 80 delegates represent- ing building workers from many major towns in Britain lobbied talks of the National Joint Council in London yesterday.

The union claim is for £30 for a 35-hour week, and for three weeks' holiday a year. Lobbyists also held placards calling for an end to the 'lump' and for decasualization of the industry. So far the employers: UARY 9, 1972 • No 684 4p

E SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

EDWARD HEATH'S statement • Bankers' Club to the Overseas that 'firms are not going simply to re-engage all those who have been redundant' is made a reaffirmation of the Tory govern- ment's determination to make the working class suffer for the crisis of capitalism. (For full report of the speech, see p 12.)

Cowardly retreats by the trade the settle- union leaders-like ment of the power workers' claim — only strengthen the Tories' resolve to press ahead.

The trade union leaders are abdicating their responsibility to lead the working class. This makes the success of the Young Socialists' Right-to-Work campaign more important than ever. All over the country sup- for the campaign has come port pouring in—proving once more is only the crisis that it of leadership in the working class that enables capitalism to con- tinue. THE CAMPAIGN has received a boost with tremendous the announcement of organized sup port at NOTTINGHAM. The district committee of the Transport and General Workers' Union has voted support and also set a sub-committee up to handle all arrangements for the marchers in the Nottingham area. The district committee has have rejected the claim com- pletely. Frankie Khan, shop steward for Liverpool's Direct Works Department, said that this claim real only a step. was • towards the goal of fl an hour throughout the industry. The next step in the fight he said, if nothing came of yesterday's meeting, would be a national stoppage on February 15. ent voted £20 to the sub-committee 'lub to carry out its organizational ply tasks. Meanwhile the shop stewards a at one of the largest nearby plants, Plessey's Beeston factory, ake have agreed to support the march.

The shop stewards will carry out a collection in the factory, 12.) send a delegation to meet the marchers and send a further delegation of ten to the March 12 Wembley Pool Rally. THE OTHER major news of sup- from the shop port comes committee at Rolls- • to stewards Royce Ansty, COVENTRY. The shop stewards have unanimously decided to back the campaign. It is hoped that in conjunction with the Rolls-Royce Parkside factory enough money will be raised to provide food : for the marchers when they arrive in Coventry on March 2. OTHER Midlands support has come from Nos 2 and 6 branches of the Amalgamated Union of the Engineering Workers at sup- LEAMINGTON SPA. Both branches are donating £5 and are asking the local trades ers' council provide to accom- modation. The Leamington Spa to No 9 AUEW is also supporting the the march.

SEE RIGHT-TO-WORK DIARY

p. 3. Foreign News 2 Discussion on ATUA Manlfesto 5 Interview with Donald Sutherland 6 & 7 11 TV programmes

PAGE 2, Workers Pross, Wodnesday Fobr

AROUND THE WORLD

BY JOHN SPENCER

A SHARP division has appeared inside the Com- mon Market over the terms of last Friday's Brussels agreement on trade with the United States. The EEC's permanent repre- sentatives were meeting Brussels yesterday to discuss French objections to strong the terms. At Monday's meeting, France 'grave reservations', expressed negotiators had claiming ex- ceeded their mandate by giving concessions without getting any- thing in return from the US.

The Pompidou government wants a unilateral declaration from the Common Market in- viting a specific American under- taking to facilitate certain Euro- pean exports to the US. The Brussels agreement is tied THE UNITED STATES W ce its 124th day today. But Har dent of the International Los Warehousemen's Association, and the bosses are only 2.5 c economic issues, according to sentatives Labour sub-commite Thompson (Democrat). Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are trying to rush through Bills to end the strike. The Senate Labour committee has agreed on compulsory arbi- the proposal tration and goes, before the full Senate today. Pre- opposition to compulsory vious arbitration by the Democrats (be- cause of their trade union sup- to have been port) appears dropped. Committee chairman Harrison described the Bill as Williams substantially the same as that re- quested by President Nixon last month. House of Representatives The Labour sub-committee has ap- proved a Bill that would send the dockers back to work to handle military and agricultural cargoes for 60 days or until a settlement is reached, but rejects the idea of binding arbitration. This Bill, however, would free the employers from one strangle- hold-the hold-up of grain ship- ments. As previously reported in Workers Press, it is this aspect of the strike which is making the bosses scream most. What the politicians are try- ing to do now is reconcile the two Bills, particularly the con- binding arbitration. If flict over this is not done by tonight when Congress for its Lin- adjourns coln's birthday holiday 'weekend', nothing can happen until next week. Both Republicans and Demo- crats are desperate to bring the W coast strike to an end because a Taft-Hartley 80-day injunction against the strike of the Inter- national Longshoremen's Associa- tion at E and Gulf ports ex- pires in mid-February. ILWA and ILA leaders con- ferred in New York last month but Bridges' '2.5 cents' statement indicates that neither he nor ILA President Thomas Gleason are anxious for a joint national strike. Troops out The 5,000 Indian troops still in Bangla Desh are to be pulled out by March • of 25—anniversary Yahya Khan's invasion. About 100,000 troops were pulled out of Bangla Desh when the Pakistani army surrendered on December 16. saday February 9, 1972 to the dollar devaluation agreed in Washington on December 18.

On the strength of Brussels, President Nixon has agreed to ask Congress for a formal rise in the official gold price.

But the Gold Bill will not over- come the basic instability of the Washington and Brussels agree- ments. A big section of Nixon's administration, headed by Trea- sury secretary John Connally, is calling for a dollar bloc to take drastic trade measures against the Common Market. himself raised the Nixon question in a speech to business executives on Monday. Urging them to learn again to compete in world markets and boost pro- ductivity, he said: 'If we were to let this country turn protectionist in its economic policy, we would be inviting a trade war-and, like • the other kind of war, every nation on this planet would lose.' This will not deter the growing sector of big business, and its representatives at the heart of administration, who - are pushing for the most belligerent trade war policies. IS W coast strike reaches but Harry Bridges, Presi- nal Longshoremen's and ciation, says the union y 2.5 cents (Ip) apart on ding to House of Repre- ommitee chairman Frank ILWA president Ha W GERMANY'S two basic industries — coal and steel - continue to be hit by the growing recession. As the economy runs deeper into crisis, the big employers are also waging a policy of wage-cutting and massive un- employment. Steelworkers the giant at Hoesch steelworks in Dortmund are demanding a 10-per-cent wage increase. They have been on strike in defence of this pay claim. The workers are demand- ing a strike ballot because metal- workers' union leaders have been involved in three months of fruit- less talks. The crunch came when the Considerations like these did not stop Nixon himself from im- posing a 10 per cent import sur- last year to force his. charge trading competitors to heel.

Even if the US does raise the 'official' gold . price, the dollar remain inconvertible with will gold. In these circumstances, the official price has little practical significance, except that it brings about a slight increase in the dollar value of other countries' gold reserves. Edward M. Bernstein, former director of research for the In- ternational Monetary Fund, who now acts as a consultant to cen- tral banks, has warned that the currency crisis will continue so long as the dollar is not conver- tible. Lack of confidence in the dol- lar lay behind the recent sharp 'free market' gold rise in the price to nearly $50 an ounce and the heavy selling of dollars in who have no confidence that a

SIR ALEC

FOR SPAIN

VISIT

peasement lobby with Hitler and architect of the sell-out to the Smith in racialist regime Rhodesia, last visited Spain in May 1961. No other British Foreign Minister has visited the fascist state since then.

® asident Harry Bridges with ILA president Thomas leadership, trade union after secret discussion with the em- al ployers,_accepted what amounted 5-per-cent increase. The to a deal also headed off the men's plea for a strike ballot.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,045 workers were sacked without warning from the textile firm 'Göcke' in Hohenlimburg in the Runr area of Germany last week.

The firm went bankrupt with 1,800,000 DM debts. These workers will not find it easy to find another job as the whole district around Hohenlimburg is a steel area, and workers in the nearby steel works at Haspe and Eckesey are already fighting to keep their jobs. In Bremen-North, workers in Krupp the Machine factories have been on short- 'Spinnbau' time work since January 3. They work a four-day week, losing 20 to 28 per cent of their net in- come. DOCKERS who want to fight mass redundancies should look closely at the credentials of those claiming to lead 'militant action to protect their jobs.

For despite the big boost they received in yesterday's 'Morn- ing Star, action is their belated and their militancy questionable. Workers Press completely sup- ports the decision of the men in London's Royal group of docks to strike each time an employer tries to throw any- one into the port's unattached labour pool. We hope that the Tilbury dockers who meet today support their will decision. The employers' aim in returning men to the pool is to stretch to breaking-point the statutory guarantee of jobs contained in the 1947 dock labour scheme, which they and the Heath government are planning to abolish. jobs on the docks, Defending is the therefore, part general battle, of which the the spearhead, miners are against the Tory drive to destroy all the post-war gains of the working class. Yet yesterday's 'Star' talked about national action to eventual nationalization [of the under full workers' docks], control' without even hinting at a united fight to force the Tories to resign. dockers' right to work, the employers have seized it Thomas Gleason Bremen dock workers, one of the most important industries in the area, are living in the fear that there will not be enough sea traffic to provide them with work. Four thousand of the 6,700 car workers in the new highly- automated works in Saarlouis are being threatened with short-time working. The firm intends to cut production in the assembly works. Only two years ago the first made in Saarlouis Ford Escort rolled off the assembly line. Pro- duction was pushed up to 350 Escorts a day. The largest coal company in Germany, Ruhrkohle AG, which per cent of the mines, owns 80 has decided to put 130,000 of its 180,000 workers on short time. Overall there are prepara- tions to put 20,000 miners out of work. every opportunity presented them by the world trade the retreats of the union • and the opportunist policies of many docks stewards themselves.

The threat of redundancy in London is in many ways the stewards' pay-off for the acceptance of Devlin 'modern- ization' Phase Two, which was never fought by the 'Star' or Communist Party which publishes it. Moreover the CP has contin- uously covered up for the activities of the docks union leaders, particularly Jack Jones of the Transport and General Workers' Union, despite his when dockers staged retreat first strike against the the Tories in the summer of 1970.

And the Party and its 'Star' are still covering up. Not a single CP steward has ever publicly challenged Jones to explain our exposure in Workers Press ago-that the -13 months T&GWU chief was in talks with the port employers about abolishing the 1947 scheme.

We urge dockers and those of their leaders who really want fight to consider these to points they strike, when possibly later this week.

to And we urge them above all to back the Young Socialists' Right-to-Work campaign, join the All Trades Unions Alliance and help build the Socialist Labour League - the only organization which is seriously fighting to remove the Tory job-destroyers from the scene.

CHILEAN President Salvador Allende has appealed to the groups forming his popular unity coalition government to unite in a single party to fight the Congressional elec- tions in May next year. This would mean a fusion of the Communist Party and Allende's Social-Democrats with the bourgeois Radicals, who are also members of the coalition.

The call follows a sharp swing to the right in the government, which recently took more Radicals into the cabinet. The cabinet reshuffle was enthusiastic- ally backed by the Stalinists.

The Radicals' main condition for increased participation was that Allende ensure the protec- of property from tion expro- priations by workers and peasants.

The Popular Unity government is billed as an 'experiment' the peaceful road to socialism.

While Allende and the Stalinists move to the right, however, the Chilean bourgeoisie, backed by the United States, is increasingly challenging for power. In a speech to a at • rally Concepcion on Monday night, Allende said he was disappointed by the 'sporadic' nature of re- cent demonstrations in support of his government. He has been holding crisis talks with the other members of his coalition since the by-election defeat of two Popular Unity candidates.

MRS GRACE TODD, wife of 63-year-old Garfield Todd, says her husband is sick and might not survive a winter in detention.

daughter, Their 28-year-old Judith, arrested with her father on January 18, has gone on a hunger strike. The Smith : regime has refused to give any specific reason for the Todds' arrest and their name is disappearir? from the Rhodesian press by order.

MARCH HAS COME AT RIGHT TIME

DAY THREE-On the road to Cumnock • WE WENT deep into mining territory today and tonight we sleep in Cumnock town at the centre of. the hall Ayrshire coalfield. Predictably got selfless we support and solidarity from the striking miners. The first boost came as we approached the little village of Malichling (pronounced Motling by the English). Just when the morning was beginning to drag, a white Hillman stopped on the road. It was the pickets from the Barrony colliery. They invited us to share their soup in the Malichling com- munity centre. With the miners, we were the first to use the centre that had been opened at 11 a.m. that very morning.

David Gregory, a miner from .

the Barrony, and an Ayrshire Labour councillor, paid tribute to the young marchers. "We have taken a deputation down to London from all the Scottish local authorities. But it made no difference to that man Heath. I hope to God you achieve and this objective get your government out, he said. me afterwards un- He told employment was a key issue in the miners' strike. industry itself 'The mining proves that. Mining is usually carried on in high areas of unemployment. A man can't get out of the pits and get a decent job and wage-though thousands would like to-because there are no other jobs. That's why we still take home a pittance each day. 'Your march is political and is political in the our strike that the government is sense trying to tie us down with their wage norm. 'At the same time the govern- is forcing even Labour ment authorities to push up the rents by 25 and 30 per cent. I would say that this government is no longer a democracy they are 'trying to rule by the methods of fascism-I say that with all my knowledge as a Labour councillor.' Michael Miller, a miner from Sorn pit and the manager of community centre, also the backed the march. It's disgraceful that youth today should have to protest for such a basic right. I have a son, " he'll be out of school in two years but what future is there him: under a Tory regime like this? Good luck to the march.

I hope it achieves its objective.'

We moved into Cumnock just setting behind as the sun was Barrony pit and power the station. Cumnock is the centre of the Ayrshire field and the home of founder of the Independent "bust stands outside the muni- cipal building. the nightly Unfortunately • meeting had to be postponed for a few hours while the local club exercised their pets dog around the town hall. We pleaded, but the Labour council was adamant-pets first, meeting second. unemployment If stone could weep I'm sure that there would have been tears on Hardie's granite cheeks.

Despite the set-back the meet- ing was held to a packed town hall. Miners and youth all spoke about their determination to get rid of the government. AYRSHIRE remembers the Hungry 1930s and the men who marched in those days for the right to work. Kilmar- nock, at the N end of the shire was the first stop for the columns from Clydeside* on their way to London. It was at Kilmarnock's Bon- nington Bridge where a squad of police attacked one column in the 1930sbut with the help of local trade unions they got through.

Workers Press talked to some of the men who are backing the

GEORGE MONTGOMERY

JIM MCCHRISTIE

Young Socialists' march and pro- vided them with free accom- modation on Sunday night.

JIM McCHRISTIE is a shop steward at the Massey-Ferguson plant in Kilmarnock, There the stewards have raised cash to keep the youth on the road.

Jim is a Labour councillor for the nearby town of Galston and his local party have also voted funds to support the march.

WE DEMAND

THE

RIGHT

TO

WORK

A WELCON

'Unless the British people are prepared to go out and protest about unemployment-the savage attacks on housing and rents- . then Heath will get away with it. He can argue he has the so- majority behind called silent him, but we have got to show this is a lie. The only thing people can do is to demonstrate an, sup.

port this march which echo of the marches in the 1930s.

'I am a local councillor and I know what this government is trying to do at local level-de- stroy democracy by concentrating the finance in their hands. This is what the Housing Finance Bill is all about. It will mean the virtual destruction of public housing rents will be so high that working people can't afford them. "The Common Market is the other thing. That vote in parlia- mènt was the biggest sell-out in the history of this country. They had no mandate to do this and of course the Labour MPs who supported Heath had absolutely no mandate-they turned their back on the working class when they did this. 'One idea in line with the Common Market is I understand to put a value added tax on the rents -another one is to it- troduce some kind of local in- come tax. If they are allowed to do this kind of thing it will be like King John's day people will have so many taxes they won't know where to go. .Unless we get this government out in a short time we will be back to those days.' GEORGE MONTGOMERY is the boilermakers' shop steward at Massey's. He told Workers Press why he supports the All Trades Unions Alliance Draft Manifesto which the marchers will be publi- cising wherever they go. "They marched in the past-it was sheer desperation then. Now we have not got that despera- tion, but it we let it slip much further we will be back to those days. That's why I hope the march is a big success. I have read your Manifesto and personally I can't see where _ disagree with it on any point.

It points out that the aim should be to draw all the workers into a struggle to get this government out. "This goes without saying. This government is serious. They are hammering the working Class with all the weapons they can on unemployment, on rents, with the Industrial Relations Act- Workers Press, Wedneaday February 8, 1872, PAGE 3

GLASGOW

_KILMARNOCK

*CUMNOCK

SANQUHAR

THORNHILL

NEWCASTLE

AMNAN

DUMFRIES

/'CARLISLE

WELCOME MEAL FOR THE YS MARCHERS FROM AYRSHIRE MINERS.

there is doubt the against the Tories, but no that always workers the political slide out of it. I have spoken up are into battle af their lives-it's got to time and again about this.

'But it's a fight against the come. 'Another part of the Manifesto government whether you like it is about the Labour Party and or not, and we have the issue for be- the battle in the miners' strike. how the Labour Party MPs trayed over the Common Market The miners are leading a historic vote. It says they are weakening struggle, and so they should with the labour movement- -this is the pittance they have slave to absolutely true. I have seen it for. and watched it happen. I would 'You like to say that a lot of people these things and that's why in the Labour Party are not hope the march is a tremendous happy with what is going on.

success. It could achieve an awful "There are also a lote trade but it has to have this aim lot, of eggs at the top trade getting the working class to gether union movement people who against the government talk about organizing the workers that has lost its right to rule.'

Make the Tory 15, 8 p.m. Small Hall, government ruary resign! Clapham Manor Baths, Clap- SW4. 'Support ham Manor St, Return a Labour government miners and Ulster workers.'

pledged to restore full employ.

ment and repeal all laws against the unions. ACTON: Wednesday February 'Mechanics 16, 8 p.m. Arms', 'Support

DAGENHAM:

Wednesday Churchfield Rd, W3. miners and Ulster workers.'

February 9, 8 p.m. Room 11, Ham Town Hall, E Ham. Support miners. Force Tories

CROYDON:

to resign. Thursday Feb- ruary 17, 8 p.m. Ruskin House, Coombe Croydon. WILLESDEN: Monday Feb- Workers Press Ulster film.

ruary 14. Trades and Labour Hall, High Rd. NW10.

Unemployment and the capital-

LUTON:

Thursday February ist crisis. 17, 8 p.m. Recreation Centre Bedford Rd. World

SOUTHALL:

Tuesday Febru- economic crisis. ary 15, 8 p.m. Indian Workers Association, 18 Featherstone Rd 'Victory to the miners'.

SE

LONDON:

February 17, 8 p.m. Room Deptford Club (opp Engineers' W LONDON: Tuesday Feb- New Cross •Prince Stn). 'Support ruary miners and Ulster workers.

York and port miners Ulster N LONDON: Thursday Feb workers.' 17, 8 p.m. Town ruary Hall, Edmonton. Reformism and SW LONDON: Tuesday Feb- trade unions. Socialist Labour Loague Special lecture Common Hall, Hackin's Hay (off Dale St). LIVERPOOL, 8 p.m. Tuesday February 15 given by c. Blauahter (SLL Contral Committee)

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Wednesday Febr

THE FIGHT AGAINST I

In this 5-part series, Jack Gale ex unemployment strugges in the 192 Capitalism's treatment of the unemployed has always been linked with the revolutionary determination of the work- ing class. The first unemploy- in this ment payments country (outside of insurance) were the product of the un- ease which the ruling class felt towards the end of World War I. It was the Russian Revolution, followed by the overthrow of the monarchy in Austro-Hungary and of Work" Donation'° the Out- Germany, which led Scheme, which came into operation on November 25, 1918. The scales were 24s a week for males, 20s for females, 6s for the first dependant child and 3s additional child. This for each scale stood for two weeks.

Discontent amongst the troops and unrest in the factories made the government think again. The scales were increased to 29s for males and 25s for females. After 26 weeks, however, the scales dropped to 20s for males and 15s for females. The government was, in fact, in a dilemma. Floods of men leaving the forces would swell and cause unemployed the home front. So trouble on demobilization was deliberately slowed down-and led to open revolts in a number of regiments.

there By May, 1919, were 640,000 men and 453,000 women benefit. At that time, drawing the cost of living was 120 per cent above pre-war level.

But the government had got over its first post-war panic. That month the scale was dropped to that laid down in 1911-7s a week. 1920, unemploy- By autumn, ment was again rising rapidly, and nationwide demonstrations demanded provision for the un- employed. It was these demon- strations which led to the Un- employment Insurance Act of Ex sday February 9, 1972

NST UNEMPLOYMENT

Gale examines the record of the the 1920's and 1930's. 1920, which brought the number of insured persons in the United Kingdom to 11.75 million.

Benefit was raised to 15s a week for and 12s for men women. But contributions were raised at the same time-from 2jd a week to 4d. Benefit was payable in the proportion of one week's benefit for every six con- tributions. And the maximum benefit that in any one could be drawn insurance year (July to July) was 15 weeks. The applicant had to prove , paid a minimum of that he had 12 contributions before he could benefit; that he was claim any capable of and available for work, but unable to obtain em- ployment; that he had not lost employment by reason of a trade dispute and had not left his work voluntarily been discharged or for misconduct. But growing opposition was and the first big clash between the government and the unem- in October, ployed occurred 1920, when police attacked and clubbed a demonstration of un- employed—mainly ex-servicemen —in Whitehall. From this grew the first national organization of unem- ployed under the slogan Work Full Maintenance. During or 1920, the year the Communist Party was formed, many local un- employment committees were set up. The communists rapidly won of these the leadership com- mittees, particularly as employers used the growing unemployment to weed out the militants.

By the end of 1920, these com- mittees developed the 'Go to the Guardians' campaign. Huge dem- onstrations marched every day in all parts of the country to the offices of the Poor Law author- ities, demanding immediate out- door relief for those unemployed who could not draw Labour Ex- change benefit. They also de- manded extra relief for those drawing who Labour wére Exchange benefits, on the grounds

'CAPSTAN Y

и 1000320 Let 2% that these were inadequate.

At that time the law stated that Poor Law relief should not bé given to able-bodied unem- ployed without their performing task work or becoming inmates of the workhouse. The govern- urged the Boards of ment Guardians to stand firm and occasionally they did so, singling out certain applicants and re- fusing them relief unless they entered the workhouse. When this happened, the un- employed organizations arranged for hundreds of unemployed to apply for workhouse tickets and held mass marches to the work- house. The unemployed who had tickets occupied the workhouses, completely disrupting the admin- istration, while outside marches and demonstrations were held every day. This type of activity forced the Boards to grant both outdoor and supplementary relief.

The Poor Law régulations had been broken down by the mass action of the unemployed.! In April, 1921, a national con- ference of between 70 and 80 unemployment committees was held and the National Unem- ployed Workers' Committee Movement

(NUWCM)

was formed. The resolution establish- ing it bound its members 'never to cease from active strife until capitalism is abolished'?

A further conference was held in November the same year and Wal Hannington, a prominent Communist Party member, was elected national organizer. By 140 local committees were affiliated to the NUWCM, which published its own paper 'Out of Work this time unemployment By was over the 2 million mark.

Huge demonstrations were taking place all over the country. lown halls, libraries and public baths were occupied and unauthorized meetings held in them. Raids of unemployed workers took place on factories working overtime.

Left: an Idle steel works. Above: MacDonald - he was Ramsay strongly opposed to any measure that might improve the lot of the working class. Everywhere, the communists were in the vanguard. In S Wales they organized a march of 5,000 unemployed to Tredegar work- house. In Shoreditch they led 7,000 unemployed to the local Board of Guardians and obtained im- proved relief from the frightened gentlemen who ran it. In Liverpool, communist leader Jack Braddock (later right-wing leader of the City's Labour Council group and husband of Bessie Braddock MP) organized a demonstration of unemployed ex-servicemen on Armistice Day.

intimi- government was dated into raising benefit to 20s for men and 16s for women and suspending the limit of 15 weeks' right to benefit. The government forced was also to grant the 'Mond Scale'- uniform national of scale a benefits which recognized the principle of outdoor relief for able-bodied unemployed. This was a victory, but it had not found work for the jobless.

The NUWCM therefore organ- ized the first great national hunger march on London to demand work or full mainten- This march began from ance. Glasgow on October 17, 1922.

Joined by other contingents in along the way, it arrived London on November 17. Meanwhile, the NUWCM was seeking representation on the TUC and local committees were applying for affiliation to local trades councils. Concern • for the unemployed was felt throughout the labour movement. In 1921 the Labour Councillors of Poplar had been jailed for six weeks for refusing to collect rates for the London County Council in protest against the burden of unemployment relief falling the poorer on districts while wealthy areas contributed nothing. In this situation, the unem- ployed organization was powerful to ignore. At the end of 1922, while the hunger were in London marchers the

TUC

met the leaders of the NUWCM and agreed to call upon all affiliated unions to co-operate with local trades councils and NUWCM branches to organize concerted demonstrations in each industrial area. The date was fixed for Sunday, January 7, 1923. On that day huge demonstrations took place throughout : Britain. The London demonstration was held under the auspices of the TUC, the London Trades Council, the London Labour Party and the

NUWCM.

The third national conference of the NUWCM, held in April, 1923, decided to organize rent and strikes and mass rate marches to factories. • It also a General Strike called for against unemployment. In September of that year, the Trades Union Congress agreed to set up a joint committee with the NUWCM to plan action on unemployment. "January, 1924, In this joint Unemployed committee issued an Workers' Charter: 1. Work or effective maintenance to be provided through the trade unions at a rate of £3 a week for a married couple and 9s a week for each child. Public works - including 2. nationally owned electricity power supply scheme and the re- conditioning, electrification and extension of the railways and workshops-to supply state government departments. 3. Reduction in the hours of labour to six a day. Occupational training centres 4. for unemployed workers. 5. A national Housing Scheme to provide at least a million new homes." first In January, 1924, the Labour government was elécted, the scandal of the unemployed being a large factor in the defeat of the Tories. increased unemploy- Labour ay. ment benefit from 15s to 18s a week for men and from 12s to 15s a week and for women, raised the child allowance from Is to 2s a week. Other minor changes, such as the reduction of the waiting period from six to three days, were introduced.

It was, however, eight months after the election before these changes were made--the reason being a simple one. The Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, the Chancellor of and the Exchequer Philip Snowden, were strongly opposed to any measures that might improve the lot of the working class. many grievances were And left untouched. For instance, much of the outdoor relief granted to unemployed applicants was in the form of loans, which had to be repaid to the Boards of Guardians when employment was obtained. Poor Law relief was often paid 'in kind' ie. parcels of food, since the poor could not be trusted with money; the con- dition of some of the workhouses was appalling. (They were all terrible, oper- ating on the principle laid down in the 19th century that work- houses should be made worse life outside, to prevent the than poor from flocking into them for the pleasures that they provided.

But some-particularly Belmont in Colony and Hollesley Bay London-were unbelievable.)

1925 opened with the Tories back in the saddle. Their first job was to introduce a new unem- ployment Act under which ex- tended benefit ceased to be a statutory right. waiting period The six-day reintroduced and was categories under which certain of the unemployed could be refused benefit were restored. These measures meant a saving the Insurance Fund to £10 million a year — at the ex- pense of the unemployed. During the General Strike of unemployed stood 1926 the solidly with the employed. The government was totally unable to use the unemployed as scabs.

This did not prevent the TUC from deserting them after the strike and severing its con- néctions with the unemployed movement. In fact, the TUC's break from the NUWM (the word 'Com- mittee' was dropped from the title as the Stalinists began to play down the role of local com- mittees) paralleled its break from the Anglo-Russian Trade Union Committee.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

1 For details of this campaign see Wal Hannington 'A Short History of the Unemployed', p. 26 ff.

2 L. J. MacFarlane 'The British Communist Party', p. 123.

3 MacFarlane, op. cit., p. 127.

REVOLUTIONARY PARTY

REAL

THE ONLI

DAILY PADRE RIGHT

DISCUSSION

ON THE

ALL TRADES

UNIONS

ALLIANCE

DRAFT

MANIFESTO

Rational abetere nest me te national conference All Trades Unions Alliance decided draft to adopt manifesto. to transform the Labour League Socialist into a revolutionary party. Since the conference country- wide discussion has been initiated in League branches, in the ATUA, in the Young Socialists and among Workers Press supporters.

Until the Right-to-Work rally at Empire Pool, Wembley on March 12, we intend to carry a full page each day devoted to comments the your on Draft We Manifesto. have received more than 100 con- vital tributions to this discussion. Now we want at least another 100. Workers and their families, youth, students and the un employed are all invited to join in this discussion. If you haven't of the got a copy Draft Manifesto write to Workers Press or contact your local ATUA branch.

RON WILSON

Unemployed 20-year-old from Camp Hill Estate, Nuneaton While I don't understand a lot about the Common Market, I know it's no good for me. They say the Common Market will bring more jobs, but I can't see happening. It was that Labour Party leaders that started Common Market negotia- tions, but those 69_Labour MPs who supported the Tories should be thrown out of the Labour Party. I think we should try to get the 69 Labour traitors expelled, but I don't think we'll be very successful. I think the only way forward is the Socialist United States of Europe. The Tories shouldn't be in government at all. I think we've got the right to throw them out.

The present situation could lead to fascism, but at the moment it's a long way ofi. What's hap- pening in Ulster could happen here but not for 20 or 30 years' time. The Labour Party should be returned to government pledged to socialist policies. But will they stick to them? I don't think they will. I think they should be forced to nationalize industry without compensation and under workers' but I'm not control, sure about bringing troops out of Ireland all at once. The world revolution is what's needed and the programme of the Fourth International is what want. The revolutionary we party is what's needed. The Marxist ideas seem correct and I think we should strike now while the iron's hot. If I can't get a job, I'd like to go on the Right-to-Work march.

JERRY MCCARROL

Assembly fitter, Massey Ferguson, Coventry I see the Common Market as the formation of big cartels to make big business stronger and able to put the boot into the working class more efficiently. The power of the working class frightens them, so it is not just a question of profits. Heath spoke at the United Nations about the danger of civil war, so it is this fear of the workers that is driving capitalists together.

They are cutting out competition and the drive is towards big monopolies. The vigorous action most should be taken against the 69 Labour MPs who voted with the Tories on the Common Market.

Most workers are against it and the Trades Union Congress voted against it and they have been completely ignored. I believe this is an illegal gov- ernment. All the people I know who voted Tory don't like what is happening and had they known outcome of voting the Tory they say that they wouldn't have done it. The things the government has done — attacking jobs, pen- sions, schools-with such a small majority displays their arrogance.

Every layer of society is feeling the effects-students, pensioners, children, workers. the Labour Despite all this, Party has failed to take advantage of the opportunities it has had to remove the government and the trade union leaders have refused to follow the call of the workers to lead a fight against it. Their attitude been slavish. A General Strike to force a General Election is the only answer.

Without the collaboration of Labour and trade union leader- ship the Tories wouldn't stand a chance of staying in office. They are absolutely dependent on our leaders. I think a revolutionary party is the only solution. I've been a member of the Labour Party and I've known members of party of 30 years' standing and no change, no have seen we possibility of changing the We have to look for an system. alternative leadership that will really fight for socialism and get rid of capitalism all together.

What I like about Workers Press is that it tells the truth and I am amazed at the accuracy of the analysis of the political situation. It is always out in Workers Press, Wedn front and telling workers what is going to happen. I wish every worker in the country read it.

LES BLACK

Member of Kraft Maintenance Strike Committee, Kirkby This Manifesto is, in effect, what every worker really thinks.

Unfortunately, a lot of us are blinded to reality through the system of restricted education, with most people thinking that academic qualifications are the only road to real success.

In effect, the system, as we know it, does not allow for the slower pupil, or the less fortu- nate. Through no fault of their they start their working life own with an inferiority complex and are led to accept what the ruling class or the Tories tell us is their right. They impress on the worker from the beginning that they have to accept low wages, bad conditions and to consider them- selves lucky to be working. Io protest and demand better pay and conditions is next to treason.

If through common We can, logic and sensible reasoning, con- vey the true picture in the Mani- festo to the younger generation, in turn, through they obvious experience, pass on their learning. Then the ruling class as we know it will be strangled by true circumstances. Humanity will be something to • be proud of. I welcome this opportunity io be part of such a progressive movement.

BILL WOOD

Miner of Coventry Colllery.

23 years in the mining Industry I think the decision to go into Common Market by the Tories is a political move. It is made to show a strong hand to the Americans. It is a move by the govern- ment, which has all the money representatives in it, to get more money out of European workers.

I think all the Labour MPs who voted with the Tories have kicked us in the teeth. They ae8, Wedneaday February 8, 1872 PAGE 5 110010,75 should be chucked out of the ery Labour Party. The Tories got in • by false promised the promises. They golden egg that never came. They had no mandate to make all these attacks on the working class that they are engaging in.

They have not kept one thing they promised. We should all come out on strike to force a General Elec- tion. These people are trying to to the 1920s. They get us back want to get it so they can say: 'Do as I tell you'. In the mines we are really making . a profit, but each year we pay millions to these ex- owners and then show a loss after paying. All this compensa- tion should now be stopped.

There has to be a different system in nationalized industries.

When the mines were national- ized it was supposed to belong to the workers. Yet we have no say at all in the running of the pits. I think the workers must control the mines. Yes. A Labour government should nationalize all industries and put workers in control and not pay any compensation.

I am on a Pit Consultative You bring Committee. a com- up time after time. The plaint job isn't done. You have to tell them at each meeting and it's still not done! These Consultative Committees are a farce. Really, we have no say at all! We need a strong party that puts the workers' needs first and foremost. If the next Labour government doesn't deliver the goods, we have to put in our own workers' government. I think . we must build the Socialist Labour League into a mass revolutionary party.

The Communist Party are changing turncoats. They keep their colours. They 'fight' until it comes to the crunch and then back right down. I think the Workers Press is a good paper and welcome its expansion to a 12-page one. I hope it goes from strength to strength.

PAGE 6, Workers Prose, Wednesday February 9, 1872

BY BRIAN MOORE

Donald Sutherland (right) is one of that younger genera- tion of movie stars who have come into prominence in the last few years. Films like 'Mash', 'Kelly's Heroes' and recently 'Klute' have established him as one of most talented of screen the actors. He has a lazy look about him, bloodhound eyes, a slow thought- of innocent ful drawl, a sense irony. He has a kind of quality that a younger generation of film- over the goers identify with all world which has made him into what the film moguls and money men describe as a 'hot property'.

after He is offered script script by anxious producers who are looking for that elusive seal of approval, that guarantee the box office, which will bring home the bacon. Yet Sutherland is not their man. He describes what he will do. recognized Although he is wherever he goes, he has none the film of the of trappings In fact he resolutely is star. He shambles hostile to them. old anorak and about in an jeans, avoiding the usual frivolous show-biz rounds. he More than this, though, has iust returned from the Far East, where he and Jane Fonda and a number of other performers have been entertaining American troops.: If you think the show is any- like the Bob Hope thing Circus that jollies up the American GIs, think again. show was not allowed Their base to be performed on any The American army saw camp. did open- to that. Instead they in halls, air shows. sometimes outside the camps and the Gis flocked to see them. It was a show devised in sup- port of the GI movement, some- thing which has grown rapidly in the last few years within the ranks of the American forces. It's a growing resistance within to and the army to the Vietnam war, to the conditions and contradictions where of the GIs themselves. There are now something like 65 GI underground newspapers of throughout bases in the United States, Europe and SE Asia and number growing organizers on camps to mobilize troops around their basic rights.

It is a movement undoubtedly of political significance and has links with the Vietnam close veterans' movement within the time United States itself. It prefigures the collapse of American militarism, because, quite simply, when ordinary soldiers refuse to fight, you have no army. Donald Sutherland spent few days in London after the end of the show in Japan and gave this exclusive interview to Workers Press. I asked him how the show came about. "It was asked for by GIs about a year and a half ago. Thousands of letters came into USSF and

VVAW,

is the Vietnam which Veterans' Against the War, requesting Jane Fonda if she set up a show and the initial show began in Fort Bragg in February 1971. 'The purpose of the show was to support the Gi movement; to provide them with funds and reach GIs who are interested invigorated the point to where they come and begin to organize. In essence the show organizing tool. In terms audience it was response incredibly successful, over- whelmingly successful. In terms of our performance as performers in relation to an audience, it was for myself personally and for almost all of the people there, the best experience that one had ever had because it was the first that the combination of social, political and theatrical work were all combined in one concrete moment. The organizing that happened afterwards, the rap sessions [discussions after the show, BM] were in the main successful.

'They introduced many GIs who had perhaps not recognized their numbers in numbers. The real effects of that kind of show have to rest at this moment with the GI organizers.' What did he think the morale of the troops was like? attempted fraggings "The cheeseburgers cutters. kind war 'And the why the reason ground troops are being . with- drawn is because they recognize more clearly the nature of what imperialism is all about.

'The of black experience soldiers in . Vietnam was described to us quite simply in that they went to Vietnam to fight for the Defence Department "democracy" bring to to Vietnamese people and freedom, and all that the black soldiers cond say wa shoe chira merria never gave third people within its own confines freedom or democracy, how can they bring that kind of thing to SE Asia? 'Now that's why troops are withdrawing. Because you can- not any more put people through that kind schooling, you cannot send 500,000 more people to Vietnam and have them come back anti-imperialist, because that makes the groundwork for the overthrow of the American government.' The trip provided Donald Sutherland with an opportunity to see at first hand the impact of American imperialism. He is full of accounts, which appall him; of the violence of the mili- tary police; the degradation of prostitutes wearing watches abs tovided kle tie bases to capital. pical of une attitudes of me government •And he said: said. "You're toking. Anti-war Gis at a protest rally in Washington last year Unlike Bob American Go n In the devised their tour in sup and for thelr basic rights.

Vietnam?" And haven't been in We went on to discuss 1 of drugs in the said, "Of course I've heen in I'd read Vietnam. I've never been in various Pakistan." extent of it and Sutherlas tainly confirmed this. on," 'And I "Now hang said, an interesting interpretatic because the had only war been "The going on for two days. army Drug called the 'And then we went upstairs, which and you looked from gramme. out over you turn yourself in these offices, and all you could ask any questions. see were the shanties where the 'And they'll Okinawan were li living. people And Tane Fonda said: help you need. you find difficult Mr High turn yourself in, not Commissioner. question after question an to live in these circumstances looking out over give you any these people?" they give turkey. [Tust 'And he said: "No, not at all. of drugs and Aftersed to ats in the army you After 20 years sweat it out. BM. Indo- "The The reference to the with drug Pakistan war was not an arbitrary reason is two-fold. Sutherland commented: one. the 'When Okinawa, army recognizes

TATA

WATA

on readiness to go to exist and the men were the other thing They Pakistan. were on These aren't war- who have picked readiness to go. habit cannot $9-a-day habit people carry $900-a-day British did for the French after That's why they re-enlist.

Dien Bien Phu. These are flights there's Phantom F-4s; you know, 'But of our bombers emerges with little dive that we've have The is there. And you to pattern They igure out why. Were also in, roAC good and stays in for Korea readiness because some trouble was coming to three off down there' taken ту 9, 1972, РАСЕ7 (below) patrlotic circus tours that Jolly up the Ican Gls in Vietnam, Donald Sutherland (left, as he appeared • anti-war film 'MASH') and Jane Fonda (above, 'Klute') in ed their tour in support of the Gis' movement against the war nothing but heroin and went on to discuss the use there's the American Kool-Aid, you know. And every- army. body it's addictive various reports on the not says of it and Sutherland cer- because it's such good scag that confirmed this. But he had you snort it or you smoke it, and eresting interpretation: you can give it up when you get back to America, right. programme Amnesty Pro- 'Now there's a reason why it's if means that going in and coming out. When urn yourself in they won't we went into Okinawa, every- body knew we were coming in because the announcement that d they'll give you all the we were coming in and the grass you need. In reality if you came at the same time. It's like they ask you a palliative, You're on after question and don't you know. not going to get a lot of riots help. The kind of when guys are really strung out cold you on dope. the supply letting the addict Did he think it was deliberate army policy? re-hires men No you can't say that. I cer- convictions. The would tainly never be able to 1 is two-fold. Partly because I to believe that a guer and it's prove hard even recognizes that drugs logically use of them, and ernment would pursue any kind ther thing is that soldiers of dope policy. It's also hard to have picked up a heavy believe that they'd fight this kind America. A of war' Vietnam iS And footnote. Donald America. as a In Sutherland: "There's a that way that GIs get rid of being active a pattern duty. It started about a year ago.

drugs in the army. What you did was you signed that heavy mari- which is really over your insurance papers to the Angela Davis Defence Fund, anywhere months. and the minute.you did that you And then the market and didn't see active duty again.'

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Wednesday Febr By our Spanish correspondent On October 18 last year the Seat factory, the Fiat sub- sidiary in Barcelona, was involved in a total strike and occupation. of It was the culmination three months of warfare between the state-backed management and the militant car workers.

place took The occupation after a series of furious meetings which began outside the factory gates. The main impetus for their when some of the action came unjustly sacked the pre- men vious June turned up for work.

The men entered the plant and went to their places of work.

Shop No. I was the first into action. Faced with the knowledge that the management were pre- paring to call in the police and 'trouble- the to oust army makers' , Shop No. I voted to I the whole factory's set forward demands. deputation went to Shop A No. 2, Shop No. 3 and eventu- ally to the foundry. Then followed a mass meeting 8,000 workers directly in of front of the management head- Under the circum- quarters. stances of Spanish fascism, such a meeting represented a courage- ous show of militancy. Police guards surrounded the management block while further contingents began to draw up in the nearby streets. Tension was further heightened when police helicopters arrived overhead.

The workers replied to these intimidatory moves by taking up 'Reinstatement! Re- the chant: instatementl' From illegal documents and leaflets produced by the workers we have been able to construct a rough diary of what happened next.

DISCUSSION

At 10 am a mass meeting After a discussion, started. a vote was taken on the outline for the agreement, and a delegation sent to explain the workers' case to the police guards and the management. The management said there could be no dialogue and that they were clearing the workers from the factory. Police entered the factory and the workers returned to their shops.

The workers tried to neutral- ize the police politically by ex- plaining their case to them, in- cluding the Chief of Police and Minister Croix of the political Some workers disagreed police. with this attitude and wanted a confrontation with the police, but this was rejected by the mass meeting. By midday 5,000 to 6,000 workers had gathered in No. 1 shop. At 4 pm they were given ultimatum that the police an would attack if they were not out in a quarter of an hour.

At 5 pm the battle of Seat began. A police squadron with mounted police entered No. 1 shop. They attacked with tear-gas bombs. Some canisters were thrown back at the police before they exploded. The workers took iron bars from the stores and went to No.

4 shop where they thought the police would not be able to use tear gas because of inflammable materials. En route to No. 4 shop the workers fought the mounted police with iron bars.

The police opened fire. Antonio Ruiz Alba was shot in the stomach and later died. Two others were wounded. In No. 4 shop, a mass meeting was staged. But it was broken up by a new tear-gas attack by the police who demanded that the workers come out and iden- tify themselves. They refused to leave on these conditions.

e8day February 9, 1972 Top: the outskirts of Barcelona showing extensive coverage to the Seat strike w meeting when they heard that negotiati After a 13-hour occupation workers began to leave the fac- tory, avoiding identification and arrest. On arriving at the gates night- shift workers were told that the factory was not working. About 3,000 went on the streets after hearing rumours that the night- shift had occupied. Tuesday October 19: Morning- shift were told they were locked out for six days. At 10 am a demonstration of car workers was a showing the Bota slums. Bottom: the dally n at strike was shutdown by Franco.

Here worke t negotlations for its reopening had broken do joined by young girls and women who worked in the Lamparas Z factory. About 3,000 marched to the centre of Barcelona where they were attacked by the police.

APPEAL

When they heard of the day's 2,500 of the night-shift events, marched down the middle of the main street in Barcelona. The 3,000 to 4,000 who went to work staged a go slow, held shop meet- he dally newspaper 'Madrid' which gave ere workers on the paper hold a mass broken down. ings and decided on an all-out strike. The management then locked out both shifts. Groups of workers from Seat began to visit factories in Barcelona and Sans, appealing for solidarity action. October 21 and 22: More demonstrations and meetings. Police attacked a mass meeting of workers from different fac- tories outside Lamparas Z. About 100 Seat workers entered the yard of Hispano-Olivetti and held a meeting with 300 workers.

Friday, October 22: The night- shift decided to return to work.

After meetings, they decided on strikes within the factory; they were moved out of the factory by the management. The Workers' Commission of Catalonia and Spain published a leaflet calling for support for Seat workers and for a General Strike to liquidate the fascist dictatorship and establish a tran- sitional regime where workers would have freedom to get better conditions for the struggle for full emancipation. i held a Meanwhile 150 women meeting in the Lamparas Z fac- tory in San Baudilio to discuss the Seat struggle. Several women whose husbands work at Seat took part. University In Barcelona organized meetings, students demonstrations and strikes. In the Faculty of Law, the protes- sors and teachers voted for the strike. tuesday, October 2o: Hispano- Olivetti's 1,000 workers struck for an hour. Maquinista workers struck for half an hour after a meeting with Seat pickets.

More than 400 workers in the Pegaso factory met at break time.

In the San Andres factory they demonstrated around the factory.

In the Zona Franca factory, there was a one-hour stoppage.

By then 13 of the arrested Seat workers had been set free.

Eight remained in the hands of the Public Order tribunal and 19 in the hands of the military tribunal. Six were in the torture chamber of the political social brigade.

SYMPATHY

29: General Friday October Strike of 100,000 in the province of Barcelona, as a result of the Co-ordinating Com- call by the mission of the province. This in- cluded 5,000 workers at the Roca factory who on October 25 had called a four-day strike in sup- port of Seat and for a series of demands for their own factory.

Throughout the week sympathy strikes and demonstrations con- tinued, More than 10,000 workers were involved in the town of Bajo Llobregat. November 1: More than 80,000 workers took part in actions including a in the stoppage railway workshops in

RENFE

Madrid. November 2: the Seat wor- kers returned to work and con- tinued their struggle with go- slows and short strikes. Towards the end of November, the police Seat stole the funds that the workers had built up during the and also much of the strike material for the next edition of their bulletin. But by the end of December through factory collections within the different shops in the Barce- lona factory a total of 46,257,500 pesetas had been collected; big in donations also from came different factories in Spain and Europe. The accounts set out in a bulletin by the Workers' Com- mission in the factory revealed in themselves many of the prob- lems of organizing a strike under Franco's regime. Expenditure from December 5 to 23. Help to sacked workers...

21,450 ptas (£120) Fines ... 32,000 ptas (₺180) Help to arrested workers ...

4,000 ptas (£24) Bail ...... 25,000 ptas (£150) Propaganda 1,850 ptas (£11) Help to workers sacked in Josa factory in Rubi 2,400 ptas (£14) Packets and food to those held in the 'model' prison in Barcelona ... 3,559 ptas (£21) By the end of December, the fight continuous the Seat workers had forced the re- instatement of the 149 workers sacked as a result of the strike and the release of 70 of the 74 in prison. One of the released was Carlos Vallejo who was on two charges, for one of which the public prosecutor was de- manding at least ten years' im- prisonment. These workers have entered the New Year fighting for the release of the four who remain in prison and for a new series of demands, These include a £7- a-week increase for all workers and a 40-hour week, the right to strike and the right to hold meetings and elect their own representatives.

MAN OF STRA

As world events shift in- creasingly towards riot and defiance, the tendency in television is to regress into the serial, into the comfort and stability which a con- tinuing (sometimes everlasting e.g. Peyton Place) production affords in a changing and unstable world. Apart from the never-ending sagas of police heroism (doughty Dixon and burly Barlow, to name but two aberrations), the British Empire series and its ilk provide another fair example nine more safe weeks to go, the rest and after that comes of the f2m deal between the BBC and 'Time-Life'. Revolutions may happen, the British embassy may go up in smoke, but destined with some certainty for your screens are the following series-History of America', 'The Ascent of Man', 'The Mind of Man', 'The History of Exploration' "Planet and Earth'. They might even devize an further serial ideas award for such as 'The Ascent of the Son of Man', 'Mind of Man Junior', or how about "The : Continuing Story of Planet Earth' All such programmes will then be delivered with the true self- confidence of that particular brand of media-men who always contrive to exist just beyond the reach of everyday realities.

For those television producers and writers who do attempt to steer clear of the of morass thinking which opportunistic surrounds them, there is then the pitfall of pressure and censorship.

This will, for instance, mar the fifth part of the British Empire which goes out tonight — 'In Darkest Africa'. written by Stuart It was Hood-at least that section of it the progressive which escaped elimination process. It was to have begun with a quote from Hegel, but apparently Aubrey Singer, Head of Features, 'hadn't heard of Hegel', so we shall not be hearing of him either.

Then, it seems, a line which detailed the number of Zulus dead in the Zulu war was whip- ped out sharp - sharp as the devious paths of so-called objec- tivity allowed. Mind you, one had suspected that might possibly happen, especially on Africa, for gracing the wall of the BBC 'Empire' production office, during prepara- to that reactionary African head of state. r' OF STRAW. (New series). Starring Derek

BY ANNA TATE

But while some serials are bad, others are interesting and therefore go out on BBC-2 - a which many of this channel country's citizens do not as yet receive. In fact, to take things one step further, a new and important six-part drama serial 'Man of Straw' not only began its run on Sunday, January 30, on BBC-2, but the repeats of each episode go out every fol- Saturday - again, on lowing

BBC-2.

To them that hath shall be given and to them that hath not shall be given the Dick Emery Show', and then we will be told the average man in this that the Dick Emery country wants Show. Anyway, if lucky you are enough to have BBC-2, 'Man of Straw' is well-worth watching. in 1914 by Heinrich Written Mann, it was promptly banned by the German authorities, pre- dicting as it did the rise of Nazi- ism. As a study of fascist psycho- logy, the growth of militaristic thinking and the atmosphere prior to World War I, it is a work. It compelling piece of saves BBC drama from the cul- tural graveyard into which it has sunk. Diederich Hessling, the central character, is pertect Nazi raw His deep dedication to material. his family consists of nothing more than fear and respect for a father whose 'sense of honour and true authority' sound more | Derek Jacobi. like sadism put to socially- respectable ends. Especially compelling is Hein- rich Mann's portrayal of the beer-drinking Kaiser - loving, ('through beer you find God') duelling student fraternities, with their appalling emphasis on ritual and form. Thus Hessling is sus- tained by the fervid belief that 'form is no formality'. Herbert Wise who direoted this adaptation succeeded in conveying the frightening, fascis- tic quality of the fraternities — those songs sung with military bawl around the beer-table, the toasts to the Kaiser, the duelling scars on each face as a member- ship badge to the in-group.

And the writer shows very clearly the wealth of cowardice and insecurity which lies behind patriotic 'heroism'. He also man- to convey how the fake ages courage of the upper-middle- class, Kaiser-worshipper rested on a contempt for the working.

class and a reverence for aris- tocracy. 'My only fear is that we are dealing with working-class riff- raff', says Hessling, at a point if he might when it looks as have to engage in a real fight rather than in his phantasies of war. If the British Empire series provides one example of tele- frontiership, then this VIsion serial provides another. It's all very well to do a probe of fas- cism as long as it's over in outer- and Bavaria set some decades ago, to boot. But to the more discerning, it must have seemed obvious that the fascist psycho- logy of the Hessling clan quite a direct parallel over here.

rituals, élite-clan The behaviour, the patriotism and endurance tests, all these exist throughout England in those per- nicious institutions known as public schools. Of course, you don't necessarily get the duels and flying swords-what you get is polo-ponies with their élite riders whacking the daylights out of an inanimate object. But the sadism, the emphasis on honour, authority, taking- your-punishment-like-a-man, not- letting-the-side-down, and the rest of the reactionary philo- sophy is there all right.

And when socio-economic con- out they ditions demand it, come to play their role. After all, one cannot help noticing that 99.9 per cent of all officers serv- ing in N Ireland who are inter- viewed on TV have that clipped, stiff-upper-lip, slightly nasal tone which England's public schools are so adept at producing ...

Where are the frontiers of fascism? Workers Press, Wedne James Reid's, Clydeside's lead- ing Stalinist and darling of the capitalist press, gave a talk to journalists Glasgow recently on the freedom of the press- a thing : that Reid naturally supports. Our staff man Stephen Johns most amused • to hear was Reid's defence of free expres- sion. We recall the day he was left standing outside the gates of the Govan yard while mem- bers of the entire capitalist press marched past to a mass meeting. Johns and the Work- ers Press were excluded from the meeting because of the attacks we had made on the Stalinist leadership of the UCS struggle. He was the only journalist in the country to be banned.

James Airlie, the other Stalinist leader at UCS, was responsible for depriving Johns

DEPI

James Hold of his notebook on a pre- vious occasion. To justify this action Reid said Johns sneaked into a mass meeting, took notes and printed them the next day in the Workers Press. In fact, Johns openly took notes at a meeting, sur- rendered his notebook when asked and did not print any information from the meeting in the next day's paper. The Stalinists eventually backed down when the power- ful Central London branch of the National Union of Journ- alists sent a strong ordinating committee apolo- gized over the incident. Reid believes in a free press —but it seems he would like some papers to be freer than others. nature is Human currently occupying the trendies at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. They have assembled a bizarre array of speakers to deal with the topic. Today enthusiasts can hear all about the concepts of nature and nature's relation- ship with man. Enlightening the ICA audi- ence is Cornelius Ernst, a former member of the Ceylon Communist Party turned Dom- inican himself Priest. Ernst describes as a social anthro- pologist. His lecture is called: "The classical movement in Chris- tian Theology in the 13th cen- tury and its integration into 88, Wednesday February 9, 1972 PAGE 9 the Aristotelian of theory nature; the classical moment as the transposition of an his- a cosmic order. torical into Oscillations between nostaliga for achetypes and revolution- ary eschatology in romanti- cism; Blake's songs of inno- cence and experience.' It promises to be a truly mind-blowing experience, esch- atologically speaking, of course. Never let it be said that the fighting Heffers are not there when the fur is flying! After Bernadette Devlin had 'a denounced Maudling as murdering hypocrite and phy- sically had a go at him, Eric Hefter-the 'left' from Liver- pool-was on hand to do his bit. What did he do? He moved a point of order, that's what vas he did. By Gad, that shook 'em! Erle Hoffer MP And then he shook 'em even more. He called on god and country. Is nothing too much for this man? Without flinching, he asked for 'AN EXTENDED DEBATE', in these immortal words: 'There are many of us here, both Englishmen and Protestants—I am one of them —who fel a great sense of shame at what happened in N Ireland.' Jeremy Thorpe and his band of Liberals are to start picket- ing low-wage firms during an 'Action on Hardship' cam- paign, launched this weekend.

Thorpe: 'Our cam- Says paign has become even more pressing because of the Tory and government now that inflation is taking its toll.'

He's unlikely to be received with _ arms by trade open unionists fighting inflation, however. The Libs' minimum- the wage target announced other wek was £18.50~£1.50 less than the TUC's! Somebody pulled a valuable but rather strange job of thievery from the Surrey docks the other day - a warehouse full of meat-extract cubes.

They unloaded nearby a lorry of eggs. Then they put their 975 cartoons of boodle on board and drove away. Enterprising, but fraught with distribution problems one would thing. You can't exactly shift £15,000-worth of hot Oxo from street corners.

On Monday, January 24, we carried an article Miners and the Tory government' by Wheldale pit worker and Socialist Labour League member Brian Lavery. Since then we have been carry.

ing the comments of other strikers on this article. Today we have interviews from the NE and

THERE'S NO

DOUBT WE'RE

ATEST CASE

ALL OUR BASIC RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK

PAGE 10, Workers Press, Wednesday Feb On Monday, January 24, we c pit worker and Socialist Labou ing the comments of other str S Wales coalfields.

PHILIP WADE

talks to Eppleton lodge chairman

ALAN BLAIR

big THERE HAS been a change in Durham's 35,000 miners. For years they were dominated by pit closures which forced thousands of them to travel S and others to go on the dole. And of course, as the closures stepped up, the NCB and NUM leaders warned of the dangers of fighting for higher wages: 'It will lead to pit closures,' they said.

But this time the threats and been answered blackmail have Alan Blair by Durham miners. is lodge chairman of the NUM at Eppleton colliery on the S side of Sunderland. His branch voted 100 per cent against the final NCB offer, show- ing a unity not seen for many years. A mass lodge meeting has to join the Young also voted Socialists' Right-to-Work march as it comes through their area.

'There is no doubt that we are a test case. Behind us stand the engineers, railwaymen and many workers wanting a wage increase.

I agree with the article when it says the only way we can win is to get the Tories out. It is a political fight and the govern- ment can't afford to give in to us, so they must go. I would like to see Daly make a speech calling for action to that effect.

If we could unite the unions and get the Tories out it would in the right be a step forward direction. It is not just the rise that's at stake here, but a victory for the whole of the working class. 'Even if we did get the money, it would soon be eaten away in prices which have gone up 10 per cent since the election. It seems to me prices have been going up so fast that inflation will burst soon and there will be a big clash between the working class and the Tories.

'Look what happened in France in 1968 when they occupied all those factories. That was caused by price rises and I think it is a certainty that it will be re- peated here. "These price rises have been a political move. The Tories knew we were going into the Common Market, which will have no 'I AGREE with 90 per cent of what Brian Lavery says be- cause it's got to come about', Blaenserchan face worker Jack Clarke told me. While pickets were demon- strating their determination only at Penrhiw- a few miles away ceiber storming police lines and preventing NACODS (overmen, deputies and shotfirers) officials the colliery Mr Clarke leaving It's the government we said: are fighting. : Gormley and Daly [miners' leaders] must not go cap in hand. They must go to the TUC and demand the support of every trade union in the country.

should support us 'Feather trothout having to be esked, Ton union trouble these leaders get out of touch with the esday February 9, 1972 4, we carried an article Miners an t Labour League member Brian Lav ther strikers on this article. Today benefit for the working man, so they forced up prices to such a level that when they finally went in, the prices were the same everywhere. 'But the union leaders are not playing the game as far as miners are concerned. They could join us now with more support. The us £1,000, but T&GWU gave that's no good; we want support, the only way we'll win this fight.

are sitting 'Some leaders on Yet the Middles- the fence. brough dockers are giving us workers support and those car in the Midlands are having one- day strikes for us. Why should we have to go picketing when the T&GWU could call their men out. 'I think they're scared to bring out 3 million engineers with the miners. All miners were under the impression before the strike IAN YEATS talks to I rank and file. It's not the leaders in the coal industry who are forcing this strike, it's the men. 'The Tories want to make us knuckle under: I think Lavery's right about a recession. You can see it now and that's why they won't give us a penny. 'When Carr went to meet the TUC and the NCB, he had no settling anything. intention of All he went for was to show the strength of the Tories. He made no offer. He went absolutely there just to say: "I'm here and you're getting nothing." 'If we can't get our claim, we should call a General Strike and clear this Tory government right out. ners and the Tory government by 1 rian Lavery. Since then we have ber Today we have interviews from the began that we would get some real support from these leaders and we've all been disappointed.

'There is no getting away from the fact that these leaders are slightly an the "left" but that is all you can say about them at the moment. we want is one big "What amalgamation of workers that can to the government: "Out- we've got a General Strike". But yet they fetched in Vic Feather. 'The article is right when it he's running about with says messages between us and the government. The TUC could put it forward that everyone comes out; they have the prerogative to do it. 'We've been misled for too long by our local leaders as well.

Yet they helped close all the pits down. So we're now looking to our national leadership. lks to Blaenserchan face-worker JA 'The TUC's policies are milk and water. They've been far too timid and docile. 'Without any fear of contra- diction all our basic rights are under threat from this govern- ment, particularly the right to a decent standard of living and the right to strike. to force us back 'They'd like to the 1920s when miners stood in a linehundreds of men.

waiting to see which two or three men the manager would pick not knowing if they would work or not. Why they keeping the are nationalized industries down and letting private enterprise come up? 'But they are not going to ill- nt' by Wheldale lave been carry- com the NE and

MINERS

I admired Daly when he first kicked off, but he seems to have eased off now. I only hope these fellows are not leading us up the garden path. 'We have to get the Tories out. All workers must unite and fight for socialism. Look at what the Tories did in Londonderry when they killed 13 men. I say the Tories are always warmongers and the workers always have to pay for them. 'The next Labour government has to be different from Wilson, carried who out too many capitalist policies. I think these old fellows at the top of the Labour Party should be slung out and young people put in their place. "The last Labour government put the pressure on us with the wage freeze and we helped them rker JACK CLARKE treat us again as they did in the past.' Mr Clarke is a staunch Labour but he claims • the supporter, Party is not standing up to the Tories enough. "The Labour Party should put more pressure on the Tories than they have done. This is of suffi- cient importance to call General Election and get them out. But if the Tories resign, the next Labour government will have to be a bit to the left of the last one. It would have to nationalize more industries and see that workers get more con- trol. 'Workers' control in the mines ill- is something we've been advoca-

VERS' STRIKE

DAY 31

out. Now it's their turn to do something for us.' Alan works in a coalfield with some of the worst conditions in Britain. Many of the faces are running with water and the seam he works in is only 14 inches high and the coal is difficult to On nationalization he has cut. this to say: I had always thought that miners would run the NCB, especially when they told us they were our pits. We've got solid- arity among the men, but not yet the benefits of nationalization.

It is proved by the way we have down the wages' scale. fallen Profits have been made under the NCB, but we haven't got them, so someone else has.

my opinion the old coal owners are still running the pits.

Why should they get compen- in- sation any more? It's our dustry, we dig up the coal so we should get the profits.

I agree with the idea of workers' control. We've got good men in our union, educated men.

we could train And I'm sure some to run the NCB and shove all these Tories out once and for all.' • says finally why he is Alan supporting the Right-to-Work march: "The Labour Party has done nothing except have a two-hour strike in the House of Commons against unemployment. Workers Press is a paper for the miner and everyone should buy it if they want the truth. That is why lodge is supporting the our march. 'Only the Young Socialists are doing anything about unemploy- Communist Party ment. The won't do it, nor will the Labour Party leaders. Only the YS is putting up a fight. 'Durham miners are now fight- ing after being frightened by the NCB for a long time. All the talk in the world about pit closures doesn't bother us any longer.'

MINERS

Your thoughts on the strike and its relation- ship with the Tory gov. ernment are welcome. Any letters should be sent to: The Editor, 186a Clapham High St, London,

- SW4 7UG.

ting at Blaenserchan for a long, lang time. You get officials com- ing in with no experience telling you what to do-this is a thing we've got to stamp out, Nationalization is a good thing if it's worked right. If we had more control in the matter, morale would increase wouldn't have this and we trouble with wages and unem- ployment. Our main weapon now is a General Strike. I think things will start to move in the TUC and the Labour Party very soon now because this strike has got to the stage where they've got to act. 'And because of the extreme inconvenience, Tories will the have to act. But if they declare a state of emergency we're ready to meet it.'

BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

about the 'human and social

PREMIER

EDWARD

tragedy' of 1 million on the HEATH has told the dole, he told the bankers Overseas Bankers' Club dining at their annual City that firms will not re- of London Guildhall banquet engage all those who have just what they wanted to been made redundant. hear-a permanent pool of Through his crocodile tears unemployment. SUPPORT is building went on strike for parity with up for 15-week other trades on the site getting nationally the £1.15. They had been talking of 20 struggle contracting claim since the pre- about the electricians in Liverpool who vious October. are fighting the industry's Widespread backing was won Joint Industrial notorious from sites in the but in area, Board agreement. forced Tune leaders union The sparks are on strike from return to work on the strength three firms on the site of a new the jobs of other of threats to Inland Revenue Office computer Bootle. trades at centre at Bootle. On October 25 sparks em- them have just ployed by James Scott and Two of Co re- turned home after a trip to seek Ltd walked out. They followed on January 10 this year support from London branches of Electrical and Plumbing by those working for Lee Beesley the Trades Union. and Co Ltd, while on the same 'Everyone there day maintenance electricians was right us,' from Duncan and Watson refused behind of them told Workers Press. "The response to cross picket lines. was terrific. The firms' argument is that Although the strike is the men's demands above un- are official, it is regarded as a key the nationally-agreed JIB rate.

that issue by hundreds of But the men point out many this already workers in the trade who regard rate has N. en. G. the JIB as a stumbling-block breached by contractors to Bailey at the Alcan their struggle for a decent wage.

smelter site that fl And, ironically enough, in Lynemouth, and an claim-f1 the men's hour, the hour is official policy of EPTU's national contracting con- right for stewards to negotiate ference. at site level and an end. to blacklisting—have now been sub- Right-wing union secretary mitted officially the Frank Chapple's branch in Lon- by union despite its hostility to the strike.

don has backed the strike. Unemployed electricians in Liver- The Bootle dispute is, in fact, 'blacked' more than a year old. unofficially pool have the TRO site, altboush they. could be February electricians earning 58p an hour, The dally paper that loads the fight against the Tories. £20.28 for 12 months (312 issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 Issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 Issues) If you want to take Workers Press twice a week the rates are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and send to: 186a Clapham High St., Circulation Dept., Workers Press, London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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Name Address For the Tories plan close rela- tions with the European capital- ists in the Common Market in the hope of being able to stand up against the Americans. That is why Heath undertook to re- pay immediately the £415m owed International Monetary to Fund, if the "technical difficul- ties' concerning convertibility of the dollar could be overcome.

The purpose of this is to re- assure the international bankers that the figure of 1 million un- employed-described by Heath as 'large by post-war standards' (our emphasis)-only encourages the Tory government to press on with its attacks. 'Continuing the fight against inflation : therefore remains vital to our success and to the lasting prosperity of industry.? By 'continuing the fight against inflation' Heath, of course, means 'continuing the fight against wages. • The purpose of the Common We Market was made clear: must be ready now to pool the

HEATH: WHAT THE BANKERS

WANTED TO HEAR

resources of the member-coun- tries so that Europe can establish viable industries which can com- pete with any country or trading 'In the past the nations of a disunited Europe tended to allow American power and influence to protect Europe in all essentials .... If the New Europe wants to take the lead to pursue poli- cies on trade and money, we will have to work out a new balance with the Americans on all these matters.' In other words, the crushing of the working class ('establish- ing viable industries') must be carried through if European capitalism is to survive in the trade war launched by Nixon last Auguet. The question of value, how- ever, remains at the centre of the crisis. Formerly, the dollar was ac- cepted as an international trad- ing currency because-unlike any other currency-it was conver- tible into gold. Since Nixon's August meas- ures, dollars have remained in- convertible and European countries-particularly France have been unable to convert into gold the large amount of dollars they have collected in their cen- tral banks. The European bankers want international liquidity placed under international control, so that it would no longer be de- pendent on the external position of any one country (i.e., the US).

There is little chance, how- • ever, of the Americans agreeing to this. The trade war will go on, and with it attacks on working- class standards and organizations throughout the capitalist world, Thus Heath declares for con- tinued war against the working class. As he does so the trade union leaders settle for what is.

in real terms, a wage-cut for the power workers. But the working class is ready and willing to fight.

This is proved beyond any doubt by the nationwide trade union response to the Young Socialists' Right-to-Work cam- paign. Workers Press, Wednesday February 9, 1972, PAGE 11

BBC 1

9.15 Schools, 10.45 Boomph with Becker. 11.15 Schools. 12.25 Nai zindagi naya jeevan. 12.55-1.25 Disc a dawn. _1.30 Chigley. 1.45-1.53 News and weather. 2.05-2.50 Schools. 4.15 Play school.

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'The Tin Miner They Couldn't Kill'.

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REGIONAL

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WESTWARD.

Channel except: London. 6.00 Gus Honeybun. 4.20 News. Weather. University News. Faith for life. 12.03 Weather.

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30 Crossroads. 4.55 3.40 Yoga, 4.05 News s From 6.00 6.30 University bird's Day day. view. Rupert 9.00 London 4.55 6.00 challenge News. next. King. Wrest- 6.25 9.00 London. 2.05 11.25 Place. The discoverers 11.55 News. Weather. 11.25 Wrestling. 11.55 What the papers say.

10.20-2.30 London. 2.32°

TYNE

TEES:

10.20 4.15 Katie Stewart. Tinker. European journey. Pied piper. 4.30 4.55 Crossroads. TAinment. house .10 jobs in the and garden. Report 6.15 London. 6.01 We tamily. Women 3.35 News. 3.4. 4. 40 Wales. 6.30 Smith 4.15 Crossroads. 11.25 Wrestling. London. island. 4.55 London. 11.55 Weather. 6.30 University challenge. above except: 6.01- West Jason 6.30 Report West.

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TL.5S

Tarvesting. Wrestling. ULSTER: 10.20-2.32 London. 4.30 Epilogue.

EMERGENCY WILL ENCOURAGE MINERS

PAGE 12, Workers Press, Wednesday Febr SHOP STEWARDS at the big Austin-Morris car plant at Longbridge in Birmingham are demanding a full meeting of all piecework stewards to discuss proposals for a new Measured-Day Work pay scheme. Works - committee chairman Dick Etheridge failed to per- suade the joint shop stewards' committee to endorse the pro- posals so that negotiations with management could start immedi- ately. Almost 5,000 workers were laid off yesterday at Longbridge and its Castle Bromwich body- supply plant by a strike of car- The 1,000 assembly workers. interim strikers want an pay award similar to that given to women sewing machinists and engine-assemblers pending trans- fer to MDW. Many Longbridge stewards are now seriously worried that their MDW negotiations may be under- mined by a 'prairie fire' of de- mands on the same lines. In York tonight, Pat Lowry, industrial-relations director of British-Leyland, which owns Austin-Morris, will hand union proposals for leaders new combine-wide procedure agree- ment. Lowry, the main architect of the company's

MDW

recent strategy, hopes to get agreement on a plan which could become a blueprint for the entire engineer- ing industry following the 50-year-old scrapping of the York Memorandum. And Leyland stewards at com- bine bitterly level, already their leaders' aban- opposed . to donment of the national engineer- claim, ing pay sending a seven-man delegation to lobby the York talks. 10/1111

FEBRUARY

NOW £211.51

FOLLOWING a good start, we must do everything possible to keep up this fight for February's fund. As unemployment in soars district after district, support for the Right-to-Work marches comes pouring in. Trade unionists every- where are concerned at the mass unemployment created by the Tories. Workers Press is fully behind Right-to-Work campaign. the More and more support can and must be won. Use the paper in this fight. Immediately help us campaign step for up the February's Fund. Collect as much as you can and post it to: 186a Clapham High Street London, SW4 7UG _______

LATE NEWS

NEWS DESK

01-720 2000

CIRCULATION

01-822 7029

DOCKS BAN

DISCUSSED

PORT employers are to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the effect of an overtime ban by London dockers protesting against the threat of redundancy.

At present 2,000 of the port's 16,000 men are being sent home time any employer tries to return a man to the unattached labour pool. See What we think, page two. ozday February 9, 1972 IMMEDIATE reaction of the Ayrshire miners to the state of emergency was one of defiance and anger. New strikers Cumnock heard the news in the village working men's club and began immediate discussions on how

BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

POLICE AGAIN roughed ul arrested two of them outside Board coal depot yesterday.

About 300 police linked arms to hold back 500 pickets trying to stop the movement of lorry loads of coke from the 100,000 ton stock at the On Monday Saltley depot. police arrested 21 outside the depot. The scene outside the gates reached near-riot proportions lorry yesterday when a scab injured a miner from Stoke and a policeman. Both went to hospital. The injured picket is believed to have had both his legs broken. The 500 miners at the depot were joined by strikers from British-Leyland's SU Carburettor and Transmission plant, Thorn Lighting Ltd and drivers from Autoferry Transport Ltd. Factory workers in overalls, students and school children massed with the miners at the gates. Fighting broke out at about 10.30 a.m. as scab drivers ignored the pickets. SU. Car- burettor convenor Joe Iredale was involved in angry scenes with the police as a miner chasing a scab was tripped. "This is appalling,' said Mr Iredale later. I've never seen anything like it. I see a man knocked flying, I protest about it and I'm accused of being planted here to cause trouble.' Officials from the Transport and General Workers' Union 5/35 (lorry drivers) branch were checking licence plates and union credentials of drivers.

Stan Tucker, branch official, said that the Birmingham Trades Council executive was meeting on Thursday night to discuss what support could be given to the miners. "They should close the whole of Birmingham down,' he told me. Tony MacDonald, labourers' shop steward at SU Carburettor said: 'If the whole of British-Leyland in Birmingham came out, we would be on the way to winning the strike.'

WEATHER

ENGLAND, Wales, N Ireland bright day with sunny spells and isolated perhaps • showers. Rain is expected to reach SW England late in the day, spreading to other southern counties during the evening. N Scotland will be cloudy with occasional rain, but brighter conditions with sunny or clear intervals will spread from the.

SW later. Temperatures will be margin- ally above normal. Outlook for Thursday and Friday: Continuing mild and un- rain at times, settled with especially in the N and W. Winds reaching gale force in places.

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the to meet the threat. treasurer Iom breckney nd secretary of the loca strike committee, warned the government move would only encourage the miners. 'If they send troops in here, more miners will only come ghed up miners' pickets and outside the W Midlands Gas

FROM IAN YEATS IN S WALES

S WALES miners yesterday tricians' leaders' acceptance of for their 115,000 members.

It's not us that's been sold down the river, it's the power workers,' Taff Merthyr lodge secretary Reg James told me.

'It's absolutely disgusting. They were told not to be influenced They've been by the miners. sold down the river and we have lost the greatest opportunity we had of fighting together with the power workers.' Soldiering on alone and now with emergency powers hanging over them, Mr James made an urgent appeal to the labour movement to support the miners.

'The NUM and the TUC must call for a General Strike to defend the miners as a matter of urgency. The Tory governmènt is our enemy and we'll fight them to the last. 'We cannot win without indus- trial support from the other unions.' A meeting of the 3,000-strong combined lodges of the Merthyr vale will be held today to discuss toughening up the strike by banning all safety men from the four pits involved.

SECOND

PHASE

Said Mr James: 'We are moving to second phase of the strike. We withdrew our own NUM safety men on the first day.

If the safety men don't come out, they will be heavily picketed as they were at Penrhiwceiber.'

NACODS (overmen, deputies safety officials and shotfirers) have agreed not to go in to colliery near Deep Mountain Ash following mass picketing by miners and officials at Tymawr-Merthyr Lewis near Porth got in only after a police escort had been summoned.

Commenting accusations on in the Tory Western Mail' describing pickets as 'animals, Mr James retorted angrily: 'How can they possibly justify this. It's the Tory press trying to whip up public opinion against ' The truth is the converse.

Non-unionists drive over and kill our members. They are the real animals.' Mr James said: 'As far as we are concerned the Tories can do what they like. If they try to use the Industrial Relations Act or to force us to accept arbitra- tion, we will defy them. We'll defy the NUM if they try to get us to accept the 60-day cooling- off period. 'If the Tory government tries 'Our strike is the forward into the fight. So far against in Scotland picketing has been government now. The NCB is All the peaceful, but if they start using only third party. violence they will be in unions have deteat pull this kind. The miners will not be together and defeated.' government. "The power workers' leaders Jim Hart, the craftsmen's delegate for Cairnhill pit, said: have weakened our fight?

CONFUSED

ULSTER DAY

PROTESTS marking six months of internment started in Ulster at midnight. In Londonderry the Stormont demonstration against is being called D (for disruption) Day. 10,000 people About are deprys dotball stadi expected London- stadium opposite observanon

DOSIL

DENABY MAIN

they will hear local MP John Hume. Thursday February 10, 7.30 pm Drum )

DUNGARI

Sunday February 13, 7.30 pm The Nelson

LIC

Strike, (near Southern Bus Station) Alternative Assembly-ther vho pulled out of Stormont late last today at Free Derry corner.

ANOTHER

NIRC CASE

DATE of the next employers' bid to break a closed-shop agreement the Relations Court will be February 29,

NIRC

president Sir John Donaldson announced yesterday. A. Parsons Ltd wrote on Tanuary 24 to the technical and supervisory section the Amalgamated Union of Engineer- Workers drawing attention to culciscy. 1118 that claimed under fals ses 10800 technical seen must 1970 agreement that Tories

WILO

alc unon leave it to charges of 'un- ThiS fair industrial practices.

SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE MEETING

Londonderry massacre A new stage in the struggle of the Irish working class Thursday February 10

CONWAY HALL

RED LION SQUARE, WCI

8 p.m. Speaker: G. HEALY (SLL national secretary) Young Socialists i National Right to Work Campaign Right-to-Work

MARCH

from Glasgow to London arrives in

CARLISLE

Saturday February 12

OME TO OUR RALL

UNDAY FEBRUARY 1

City Hall ( Carlisle, 7.00 p.m. see our documentary play

'THE ENGLISH REVOLUTION'

Directed by Corin Redgrave Written by Tom Kempinski followed by a meeting Spea

G. HEALY (SLL

National Secretary)

VANESSA REDGRAVE

JOHN BARRIE (YS leader of march from Scotland) Admission 25p