Workers Press no. 733
1972 Read the scan at ETOL (PDF) →This text was read from the scan by machine and has not been corrected. Columns and stories run into one another, and words are misread. Use it to find things; for anything you quote, read the scan.
Scan page 1
workers press
EMPLOYERS DIG
DAILY
FROM STEPHEN JOHNS
KEY talks between a big Man- chester employer and unions over the district-wide engineer- ing pay claim have proved totally abortive. Unions met one of the Big Four combines, GKN, at Bred- bury steelworks, Stockport, Cheshire, for the first time on Wednesday. But negotiations broke down when it became clear that management would only offer a meagre wage increase in exchange for a steep rise in productivity. officials were Both and union men admitting yesterday that this was a final Hawker groups tion, are determined to present a united opposition to the claim for a £4 increase, a 35-hour week and longer holidays.
It seems we are in for a long battle.
Management do not appear to want to give in and neither do we,' a spokesman for the AUEW said. who have faced a GKN at Bredbury, sit-in strike by workers for over three weeks, offered pay rises starting at £l.42 for a new productivity scheme involving refused Measured-Day Work. They, discuss demands on hours and holidays.
This toffer' is in line with the policy of the Engineering Employers' Federation. A leading NW member of the EEF was at the Bredbury talks as an present 'adviser'. The breakdown at Bredbury means that workers employed by the Big Four com- bines are facing a long and bitter struggle.
All of them are either locked out or occupying their factories.
The latest to join are 1,200 Hawker Woodford, Siddeley workers at near spent their first day of Stockport. They sit-in strike yesterday after management threatened to suspend men who were banning overtime. It is now clear that the big employers are offering at the most a wage increase that will be rapidly eaten away by rising prices. In exchange they want even more pro- ductivity and redundancies. This is despite the fact that workers in the Manchester area have experienced savage speed-up, 14,000 sackings and widespread short-time over the past 12 months. national backing The employers have from their federation in this bid to cut living standards. But unions locally do not have backing from the top. The AUEW has made - national level that the Man- clear at should not be imitated by chester action other areas. In both Sheffield and Oldham district-wide claims -where were a possibility-plant-by-plant negotiations are now in progress. Meanwhile, the right-wing leadership of the General Municipal Workers' Union, which organizes most of the un- INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY APRIL 7, 1972• No. 733 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
MANCHESTER ENGINEERS' FIGHT
Scarman: Whitewash all round
THE
CAREFULLY-
timed Scarman Report was released yesterday to political create further disorientation in Ireland following the imposition direct of rule from Westminster. It was significant that before details of the report were publicly released, the new Tory Uister, William supremo in Whitelaw, issued his
OWE
comments on its findings.
of the most placatory none speeches the Tories have Ulster since coming to office, Whitelaw the said reDor exploded the myths ManV about the IRA's role in the 1969 the so-called riots about organized attack by • Protestant on Catholics and about the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) the convinced that people of N Ireland now wish to forward in and will regard thi operauon, inDortan document as the end of an era."
prepared almost two Justice ago by carman. wuntewasno everybody concerned. fact, Scarman wonders whether actually describing Ulster where British army Hawker Siddeley men outside the plant before the decision to occupy of 15,000 occupation army 600 where more than soldiers men are interned without trial where prisoners are tortured and Hawker's are 18th to sit-in innocent citizens are shot in the Dack. For instance Scarman finds: There was no plot to over- the Stormont government. throw AS the 18th factory in the said that the shop stewards' between workers and manage- 10 1 been unanimously backed at a Siddeley arenter Manchester engineers Call TOr ment. hawker plans mount armed pay dis the was blained yes.
refused to give any settlement in The ton unions bla yesterday on wages and hours meeting The RUC was not a wi partin issued yes- morning. In two-week escalation
SLALCHICH
JOIC
dispute on enDovers. teraay, ue the Catholics. We are in very high spirits.
Protestants against escalating employers for the The latest group of workers We are not prepared to lift Protestine Neither the
IRA
any dispute by locking workers to go on sit-in strike are 1,200 any our action until the manage- organization no1
OUL
body else planned a campaign o mentcome But thev added that Some Woodford, near Stockport, violence. wakes. settlements signed Cheshire. holidays. • Miss Bernadette Devlin played and that there is but a minor role, Works convenor Bill Anten At a last-minute meeting more were expectea soon
• SEE BACK PAGE
skilled workers in the claim, has directly consider the Bredbury dispute until CYCl criticized the action. next Wednesday and it has not even been
AEI SACK THREAT
G&MWU
organizer Ken Baker officially notified of the disputes in other virtually declared the Manchester plants dispute unconstitu when met local stewards and Ine Mancnester
REDUNDANCIES
have been threatened Workers officials Tuesday. He said the Man- classic form. and some at AEl's Century Works, Lewisham, Ship- officials ready to fight chester Confederation are London following Wednesday's decision bs Engineering Dullains and Unlons nad employers who are deplyin!
DOLICI
workers to stage a series of halt-day strikes
G&MWU
power to instruct stewards within industry. in support of the engineers' pay claim.
actio the Hion's mine- industrial further The however, are ledaers them them. demanded to know why ignoring or attacking Every After Wednesday's meeting manage. at Bredbury were demanding El0-a attempted to move work done by Ders natona execueve amated ment week wage increase instead of f4.
has attempted to isolate the dispute by the
NCD
firm outsIde & WU members this confrontation has reached confining the action to the Manchester shon and thus weaken the nine-week on and their mood is by workers in the plant's
NCD
a Cd naively everywhere must ol anger. Many expected tnat the Engineering workers machine shop Bad strike pay res the min boking campaign their branches for national a serious defeat could be was immediately blacked by strike action else The work occupying or locked the wirers who have since been threatener out inmicted ensineerin! workers mn me In fact the G&MWU executive will not NW. with redundancy.
Scan page 2
workers press
EMPLOYERS DIG
FROM STEPHEN JOHNS
KEY talks between a big Man- chester employer and unions over the district-wide engineer- ing pay claim have proved totally abortive. Unions met one of the Big Four combines, GKN, at Bred- Stockport, bury steelworks, Cheshire, for the first time on Wednesday. But negotiations broke down when it became clear that management would only offer a meagre wage increase in exchange for a steep rise in productivity. officials Both men and union were admitting yesterday that this was a final
GKN,
Hawker that groups like sign Siddeley, AEl and British Steel Corpora- tion, are determined to present a united opposition to the claim for a £4 increase, a 35-hour week and longer holidays.
seems we are in for a long battle.
'It Management do not appear to want to give in and neither do we,' a spokesman for the AUEW said. GKN at Bredbury, who have faced a sit-in strike by workers for over three weeks, offered pay rises starting at £1.42 for a new productivity scheme involving Work. They refused Measured-Day to discuss demands on hours and holidays.
This offer' is in line with the policy of the Engineering Employers' Federation. A leading NW member of the EEF was at the Bredbury talks as an present 'adviser'. The breakdown at Bredbury means that workers employed by the Big Four com- bines are facing a long and bitter strugsie..
them either locked out are occupying their factories.
The latest to join are 1,200 Hawker Woodford, Siddeley workers at near Stockport. They spent their first day of sit-in strike yesterday after management suspend men who were threatened to banning overtime. It is now clear that the big employers are offering at the most a wage increase that will be rapidly eaten away by rising prices. In exchange they want even more pro- ductivity and redundancies. This is despite the fact that workers in the Manchester area have experienced savage speed-up, 14,000 sackings and widespread short-time over the past 12 months. have national backing The employers from their federation in this bid to cut living standards. But unions locally do not have backing from the top. The AUEW has made it clear at national level that the Man- should not be imitated by chester action other areas. In both Sheffield and Oldham -where district-wide claims were a possibility-plant-by-plant negotiations are now in progress. Meanwhile, the right-wing leadership of Municipal the General and Workers' Union, which organizes most of the un- INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • FRIDAY APRIL 7, 1972 • No. 733 • 4p
COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
D4 LI ORGAN OF THE CENTEA.
THE
CAREFULLY-
timed Scarman Report was released yesterday to create further political disorientation in Ireland following the imposition of direct rule from Westminster. It was significant that before details of the report were publicly released, the new Tory supremo in Ulster, William Whitelaw, issued his own comments on its findings one or coe most placators speeches the Tories have made Ulster since coming to office said the 1C00l of the myths exm ocean • Haay about the IRA's role in the 1969 about riots, the so-called organized attack by Protestants ae Royal Ulster Cannellc. behaviour of the convinced that the dill people of N Ireland now wish te go forward in harmony and co- and will operation, regard historica. unuucIy document as the end of an era. The report, prepared almost by Mr years ago whitewash-of Scarman. everybody concerned. fact, after reading it, one whether Scarman is wonders describing Ulster where actua Britsh Hawker Siddeley men outside the plant before the decision to occupy army na 5,000 the army of occupatior 600 soldiers where more than trial, are interned without men where prisoners are tortured and innocent citizens are shot in the back. For instance Scarman finds: ¡nere was piot to ovet throw the Stormont government.
AS the 18th shop stewards' factory in the said that between workers and manage- The There was evidence had Hawker Siddeley greater Manchester engineers' NICEt. plans mounI arcu pay dispute was occupied yes- heen unam a.ha hodst.a insurrection. terdày, unions blamed the meeting yesterday on wages and hours. The RUC was not a. two-week statement issued morning. yes- force co-operating CSEU blamed the dispute on employers. terday. the 'We are in very high spirits.
the Catholics. roeslants arallol employers We are
• IOL
The latest group of workers not prepared to lift any Natner NLKAl C nOT dispute by locking workers sit-in strike are 1,200 action until the Protestant organization nor any- to go on our manage- out. body else planned a campaign of Hawker Siddeley emplovees at Lucul cume lorward WILd But they added that some Woodford, near Stockport, wages, hours and otter molence settlements had been signed • Miss Bernadette Devlin played Cheshire. holidays. on the three points and that a minor role, but there is Works convenor Bill Anten At last-minute meeting more were expected soon.
• SEE BACK PAGE
dispute until skilled workers in the claim, has directly even consider the Bredbury criticized next Wednesdav and it has not 'even been
AEI SACK THREAT
The acton
G&MWU
national organizer Ken Baker officially notified of the disputes in other virtually declared the dispute 'unconstitu- Manchester plants. The Manchester battle is now assuming when. and met Joca stewards
REDUNDANCIES
have been threatened said the Man.. Workers officials on Tuesday. classic torm. some oca Century. wY OnKs SLeN Saali. chester district Confederation of Ship- officials are ready to fight it out with London following Wednesday's decision by Unions had no Tory policy building Engineering employers who are applying ana workers to stage a series of half-day strikes
G&MWU
ower SOStrCT stewards wilnin inqusuy. bv ov țe dăc dv cd take industrial action. He further The union leaders, however, are demanded to know why the union's mem- ignoring them or attacking them. ATTAr weGnesaas c meeting.
manage £10-a- executive affiliated attempted to move work done at bredbury were demanding to ment by DeIS haliclal attempted dispute by outside the weer wade increase insterd oka.
has (TO iso ate The firm from wiring of this confrontation has reached News confining the action to the Manchester weaken the nine-week long snop ana inus G&MWU members and their mood is one area.
NCD
strike by workers in the plant's Engineering expected that workers everwwhere must machine shop. • acer Ma vavely Baker visit would result in official backing campaign in their branches for national and strike pay the men who are or else a serious defeat could be The work was immediately blacked bj inflicted on or locked out. engineering workers the wirers who have since been threatened in the In fact the G&MWU executive will not .NW. with redundancy.
Scan page 3
Nixon bombardment of N can't stop advance PAGE 2 Workars Prosa, Friday April 7, 1972
AROUND THE WORLD
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT
AMERICAN planes and naval artillery yesterday began limited bombardment of N Vietnam in an attempt to slow down the invasion of the S. The attacks, described as 'limited duration and shelling air strikes, came as a large body of N Vietnamese troops successfully forded the Cua Viet River near the demilitarized zone, despite the presence of a force of S Vietnamese tanks. The fording of the river opens the road to Dong Ha, the only remaining Saigon government stronghold in the close to the DMZ. Many area already Vietnamese have troops pushed well to the S of Dong Ha down Highway 22 in a series of outflanking moves.
Cambodia towards ported only some Special envoy Dr Phan Tri, Quang capital. Minister of State in the Saigon govern- There has ment, yesterday ordered the evacuation of also Dong Ha, the highlands, the remaining 20,000 civilians in central important provincial tow who are being sent in army lorries to join the 40,000 refugees who are camping White House out in the old capital of Huc, 36 miles to indicated yesterday the S. would resort to the S Vietnamese defences crumble AS N only as a last resort.
DMZ,
around the their opponents have worried about the launched two other major attacks against Vietnamese air defence. them. Hanoi Radio reported t N Vietnamese troops are still pushing jets had been shot down
BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
MORE than 1,000 young revolutionaries, some of them under 16, will be the first victims of Ceylon's Justice Commissions Act, rushed through parliament yesterday morning after only 12 hours of debate.
They been singled have out by the coalition govern- ment from 14,000 among They were young prisoners. detained without trial in special internment camps after the abortive uprising of the People's Liberation Front (VP) was crushed with Stalinist and imperialist aid last March. Their trials, before established special tribunals will POLICE and snipers exchanged under the Act, probably Deber detainees ho she wand fire throughout Wednesday other detainees thought played a less prominent night in Mendoza, Argentina, role in the will stand trial uprising following clashes in the town before the ordinary courts. Under the Act, which runs for after the funeral of two men eight years, the tribunals can killed on Tuesday. Several defendants to prison for send life the possibility of thousand demonstrated in without appeal. defiance of the government's confession, if Any curfew and state of emergency.
extracted under torture, can be accepted as evidence by the special courts. Opposition to the government Defendants will be compelled brought a head by to give evidence, the statements increased electricity The prices. of government agents . need not demonstrations are being be to cross-examination organized by the supporters of open and Peron and incriminating statements ex-President particu- be General Confeder- made by accomplices can larly by the accepted as evidence. of Labour
(CGT),
ation which In other words, the young they control. defendants guilty until are proved innocent. The Act, which President Alejandro Lanusse's strongly criticized has been by hard-pressed has government the parliamentary opposition and frozen all trade union bank such organizations as the Ceylon accounts and those of trade union Bar Council. through leaders. It has called on the CGT passed parliament by 109 votes to 24 to withdraw blam- a stalement Among most fervent ing the authorities for the the renegade Trot- porters are violence. skyists of the
LSSP,
led by The Peronists demanding N.. M. Perera, Finance Minister that next March's elections be in the coalition. and the pro- Moscow brought forward. Communist Party. from bases in yesterday. Some were brought down before Saigon, and are re- they had a chance to release their bombs, 40. miles from Radio said. They included a B52 heavy the the bomber. been heavy fighting in The Vietnamese victories were hailed of Kontum, by the Peking Communist Party news- ncial town. paper 'People's Daily' yesterday. It said the official American hints of Washington massive in retaliation against the offensive that President were Nixon "crude and blatant of the menace against the all-out bombing Vietnamese people. st resort. He may well be the strength of the N "Regardless of their desperate actions, the United States will be unable to save reported that ten American the Saigon regime from its defeat,' the hot down over N Vietnam paper said. Ceylon trooper questions youth during last year's emergency
SOVIET
Prime Minister Alexei and financial assistance. The Kosygin arrived Baghdad Iraqis will repay the loan in in yesterday accompanied by crude oil shipments to the Soviet industrial Union. strong delegation of and oil experts. neighbouring Syria, veteran Khaled The visit is seen communist leader Bak- Irag and to strengthen ties with dash launched a strong attack on show for the Arabs what he called 'an adventurous, support their conflict with Israel. Kosygin opportunist and deviationist bloc 25th within the party. Five 'deviation- will take part in the celebrations of the ists' have been expelled from the anniversary Party's Central Committee.
ruling Baath partv. He will also visit the N Bakdash, faithful who is Rumaila oilfield which is being of Moscow's Middle supporter developed with Soviet technical East line, accused the opposition EUROPE is becoming a. dumping ground for Japanese exports since the yen revaluation closed off the country's markets in the United States. Japan's latest figures show an 83 per cent rise in the value of TV and tape recorder exports to Europe. European manufacturers have made genteel protests over the past few months, but do not appear to have realized the full of the Japanese trade scope offensive. They are certain to demand protection against government this threat. Textile manufacturers, whose industry is in the throes of deep recession, claim Japanese com- petition has cut their profits.
Until last year, the US pro- vided by far the largest over- seas market for_ Japanese goods.
The August 15 per cent import surcharge followed by a series of 'voluntary' restrictions imposed by the US, has cut heavily into sales. Japanese colour TV sets bound for the US, for example, have fallen by between 20 and 30 per cent. The European motor industry is likely to be the next victim of dumping as soon as the Japanese manufacturers build up sufficient spares and after-sales service to handle the European market.
Behind this frantic Japanese drive is the country's worst eco- nomic crisis since the war.
Central Statistical Office figures from Tokyo show a sharp fall in investment; despite a 22-per-cent rise in the budget deficit designed to stimulate investment. Tokyo statisticians say the 10- per-cent Japanese growth rate will be cut by more than half this year. The erection of European against dumping tariff walis would intensify Japan's recession.
The country is rearming at a rapid rate as its big monopolists turn towards a military solution to their crisis. Forced labour in SW Africa CONDITIONS for Ovambo con- tract workers in SW Africa are so bad that a ready supply of labour will only be obtained by resort to force. This is the con- clusion of an independent report made by the S African Institute of Race Relations. Last December 13,000 striking tribesmen paralysed the economy of the area. Concessions made since then are regarded as quite inadequate. The strike and the authorities' response has led to a great in- crease in the political awareness of African workers, the report emphasizes. It that workers says are separated from their families for as much as two-thirds of their life for wages of 34p an hour.
Employers acted inunison to prevent wages going up and had the support of the S African government. The African workers cannot form trade unions, they are sub- ject to pass laws and similar restrictions on movement, and heavy punishments are meted out for 'subversive statements', and particularly in meetings refusal to obey employers' orders. of raising the slogan of 'a unified Arab Communist Party' and calling for independence from the Soviet Union. He said it had cast doubts on the Soviet Union's policy towards the Palestine cause. One of the expelled Central members, Committee Ibrahim Bakri, refused to comment on Bakdash's statement, but said: 'We are committed to the princi- ples of the Communist Party, but we are against the old leader- ship.'
Scan page 4
'No-strike' engineers lead Midlands pay struggle
BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
broke out in earnest with the occupation of Man- chester area factories and the walk-out of the 350- strong labour force at the Birmingham Battery and Metal Company in Bir- mingham. The Birmingham walk-out had a particular significance.
This family-owned rolling and tube mill, with a history which goes back to the Industrial Revolution, was facing its first major dispute.
The firm has survived for nearly 150 years by a combina- paternalism and reputa- tion tion for philanthropy. The boom conditions of the 1950s which constantly attracted the more militant workers into motor industry the higher-paid against building militated a stable union organization in the factory. Old-timers in Selly Oak still talk with some awe of a one-day strike at "The Battery'—'in 1912 or thereabouts'. The firm's historian,' writing in 1936, noted, not without a certain sense of relief: 'The General Strike of 1926 occurred in May, but did not involve any of the company's employees. Difficulties created by lack of transport the were quickly overcome, the strike being of short duration' Fitter Ted Sullivan has worked for the company for 16 years. He says: 'It's a funny place to work • for; there's people who have worked there for years and years, in bad times they've even found employment there. In a sense I didn't want this strike' says lea, who in fact is one of the most familiar faces on the picket line. 'Consider my age, my circum- stances and the fact that I'm a widower and have no family. In there I could get £16 for weeks a year. that's Knowing coming in regularly enables you to plan, budget and so on. In that sense it's better than work- ing at a place like the Austin, where you might get £40 a week for six months of the year and for the other six months be laid off or on strike. 'But that's considering it as an individual. I want the strike in the sense that my fellow man working there is grossly under- paid. At £16 a week for a family man, it's starvation rations!'
Several years of constant infla- soaring unemployment and and standards have built up a powerful head of steam among workers in similar plants up and down the country. It was this pressure in the rank and file which lay behind the engineers' original claim, the main planks of which were £6 straight increase and a reduc- tion in hours. 'The men thought they were quite within their rights to ask for a rise', says convenor Len Tisdell. 'Since the last rise of 7 per cent in September 1971, the cost of living between September and December alone rose by 2.5 per cent.' He explained the wages system.
They are ranged in 11 grades from A to K. The most com- mon are C and D, for which cur- rent basic rates are £16.15 and £16.85 respectively, for 40 hours.
1. 'One Hundred Years', Arthur Rountree, 1936.
PRIVATE ROA
NO PARKIN
Len Tisdell, convenor at the a picket is mounted every day According to a Department of employment report published ll December 1970. 117 men were being paid at grade C rate and a further 97 at grade D-a total of 214 out of a labour force of 350. Eight men in the. entire factory were on top rate (K) and only four on the next highest (J).
The report noted that certain of bonuses were paid on top basic, but admitted: 'In some de- production, partments workers' reasons outside the control, rarely reaches the incen- tive level, and minimum bonus is paid' In a breakdown of bonus pay- ments in No 12 mill, the Depart- ment's findings showed that: 1) In six consecutive weeks the minimum bonus was never earned. 2) The bonus actually paid was almost 20 per cent higher than the bonus earned. 3) The bonus actually paid in two particular weeks was identi- in the cal, although production first week was 60 per cent higher.
4) Bonus was earned when pro- duction exceeded eight tons weekly. 'It does seem likely ...
that Dept 12 has rarely, if ever, week exceeded eight tons in a during the past two years.'
The DEP made some recom- mendations about the incentive payments, but according to the the numbers who have men, actually benefited since could be counted on one hand. thing that rankles Another .... ....
IVATE ROAD
O PARKING
A *
AND SU
Birmingham Battery plant (top) where with the strikers is the 'collapse' of the firm's 'philanthropy'.
On the basis of an expanding industry and empire, certain em- ployers were able to own SO much that they could afford to give some of it away in gifts to the 'community'. This is, to some extent, the history of Birmingham Battery.
Five of the firm's 13 co-founders were sons of Joseph Gibbins, a banker and copper smelter who, with Matthew Boulton, started the Rose Copper Co. in Birming- ham in 1793. William Gibbins (1840-1933), a past chairman, was perhaps a far-sighted capitalist. He more founded the Brass and Copper Tube (Manufacturers') Associa- tion. Today the Birmingham Battery and Metal Co are members of a much larger and tougher organization_— the Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF). It is they who are determined not just to hold the line on the Tory wage 'norm', but to lead a ruth- less counter-attack on wages and conditions throughout the The days of philan- country. thropy are gone for good.
As one of the strikers put it, not without a certain pride: 'Up there you've got 300 men taking on the whole employers' federa- tion? The question which every trade unionist must ask himself is, must these men fight alone?
Workers Press, Friday April 7, 1972 PAGE 3 WOLVERHAMPTON: From our own correspondent WORKERS at a Wolverhampton toolmakers walked out yesterday against the alleged victimization of two skilled setters. Willers, who make sea who make spanners The strike - at the T. and other have Williams factory in Hickman the bulk completed of nOTA began four days Avenue transfer of work from Birming- early. Wolverhampton. ham to Only their drop-forging operations still Notice that labour would be to be transferred. withdrawn due to was expire Monday, earlier but this As the machinery has been got General week Transport and going the last six months, over Workers' district organizer Harry there has been friction with the Littlehales told by his 45 was union over incentive schemes the members at Williams' that they company wanted to reduce for were not prepared to wait any women. They would be longer. out on But it had been promised that Thursday. if the transferred plant_ -much of Yesterday's which is said by be walk-out workers to by very antiquated—could be swung sparked company plans to make two men redundant. quickly into production there would be no shortage of work.
One of the is a shop men With unemployment in the city steward, the other also an active running at 6.8 per cent, They received already trade unionist.
T&GWU
Wil- dismissal few the members at notice of just liams' determined fight days after were are to hard for the two men's threat- informed by Littlehales of the ened jobs. steward's election. also claim that although iust too much of They caAmo believed' their dismissals being coincidence to be are told described as redundancy, another
T&GWU
the organizer Workers Press yesterday. being brought in from cAtter is "This Birmingham smacks very much to replace them. to victimization for The company has refused to of union activities. comment. Moscow Trials Anthology Paperback, 621p
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Behind The Moscow Trial Paperback 75p
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Scan page 5
PAGE 4 Workers Press, Friday April 7, 15
BY JOHN SPENCER
The violent deaths of three NATO technicians and their urban guerrilla kidnappers has once more brought the bloody struggle between the Turkish military regime and its young opponents into the headlines. The technicians, two of them from Britain, were kidnapped as hostages for the lives of three guerrilla fighters facing young death by hanging in a military prison near Istanbul. The three condemned men, Deniz Gezmis (24), Yusuf Aslan (25), and Huseyin Inan (22), under were sentenced martial law proclaimed when the army overthrew the constitution after a coup d'etat on March 12, 1971.
Their alleged crimes do not the death penalty under carry civil law, yet the sentences were National by the approved Assembly, now little more than a rubber stamp for the military dictators. The Senate also rushed through its. approval of the death sen- tences in direct violation to its own statutes. All the accepted legal pro- cedures were set aside to enable President Cemet Sunay to sign the death warrants on March 23.
The three victims, who could be hanged at any time, are not class-war prisoners the only awaiting execution in the Turkish government's jails. Aroshe ecol Dethire Yamil fighters, Demir, Dede and Ziya Yilmaz have also been sentenced to death after perfunctory court martial.
In this way, the regime hopes to cow the working class into submission and seal in blood its the destruction of Turkish workers' democratic rights.
The Sunay dictatorship has the full backing of NATO and British and US imperialism in carrying actions. out these The three loan to the Turkish air force under a NATO agreement. While Sunay was signing the death warrants on March 23, the other partner in his re- premier actionary conspiracy, Nihat Erim, was in the United States for talks with the arch- imperialist Richard Nixon.
Erim's five-day visit prepared new plans for closer collabora- tion between the US and the right-wing military dictatorships of the E Mediterranean. The basic points in the com- . issued by the mon declaration two government leaders make clear. this abundantly Nixon and Erim agreed that there must be a close alliance countries and between the two also that NATO is vital for the security of Turkey, the US and its other member-countries.
This statement is a continu- ation of the policy contained in previous joint agreements, which America's right to recognize intervene in Turkish internal affairs at times of crisis.
For example, if there is a civil state of emergency, war or a the 40,000 US troops stationed in Turkey could be deployed to support the government.
Under the new agreement, America undertakes to contribute 35,000m Turkish pounds (about £1,000m) for the reorganization the Turkish armed forces. Turkey already has 600,000 men under arms—the largest army in the Middle East and the fourth largest in the world. April 7, 1972 Sixty per cent of the Turkish budget armed is spent on the forces. The huge new injection of US aid was asked for by the Turkish Military Council (the supreme armed forces body) In a ten-year military develop- ment plan. In addition to this aid in- jection, Nixon promised Erim he would increase the military aid already in the pipeline from £23m to £40m. At Erim's request, the US will send technical experts to modernize the armed forces, and other supply, among modern weapons, the F-5 fighter-bomber.
Direct US development aid for the Turkish economy is to be raised from £15m to over £20m and in addition Nixon has arranged for the military dictators to have generous World Bank loans. The Bank's chairman i Robert McNamara is a former US Defence Secretary. He has pro- mised that in addition to over £50m already earmarked for * 1972; a further fom will be given under certain specified conditions.
The World Bank has also promised over £15m to modern- ize Istanbul as a Middle Eastern metropolis. No. wonder Erim expressed his fulsome gratitude. He even former wrote to President Truman expressing his admira- tion 'for your efforts which have contributed so much to the friendship and collaboration of our nations .. (Truman set in motion the post-war development of America's military alliance and formation cordon sanitaire against the USSR and the other workers' states.)
Nixon's bounty is the pay-off to Sunay and Erim for service to imperialism in carrying out last year's military coup and suppressing the resistance of the Turkish workers. • Behind Nixon's generosity is the fortification of the counter- revolutionary regimes in Greece, Turkey and against the Iran threat of revolution in the Middle East. At the same time, Nixon wants to pull Turkey from America's economic rivals in the Common Market and speed up the preparation of war with the Soviet Union and the other workers' states. An essential aspect of this plan is the plot to partition Cyprus between the Greek and Turkish militarists. Both Erim and the Greek colonels have presented ultimatums to Cypriot President Makarios demanding a government reshuffle in line with the requirements of NATO and the two neighbouring dictator- ships. Erim and Nixon agreed to the settlement of the Cyprus question by discussions between Turkey and Greece and the United Nations. This is a heavy blow to the self-determination of the Cyprus whose peoples, fate on this basis will be decided behind their backs. US imperialism needs to carve up Cyprus in order to guarantee its security in the Middle East.
Its ultimate is to divide aim Cyprus between the two military dictatorships. This alliance sealed in blood is also about to receive the imprimatur of the Kremlin. President Podgorny of the Soviet Union is due to begin a week's stațe visit to Turkey on April 11.
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Workers Prose, Friday April 7, 1972 PAGE 5 lacmi Demir (loft) and Yamil Dade (right) beins
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1872 In preparation for the Fourth Congress of the Inter- national Committee of the Fourth International, the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League are publishing the four main documents of the Inter- split national Committee covering the, with the French Organisation Communiste Internationaliste.
revisionism the
DOCUMENT 4
movement be capitalized- can
OCI
this point at the wisely Statement by the Internationa wanus to devalue the derision petty Fourth Committee the bourgeoisie against discussion on International (Majority March condemn pauso duly 1, 1972 ultimatism' and 'sectarianısm' the SLL, and to accept the petty- bourgeois prejudice that the Centrism the OCI and International, having rOULLIE (continued) case been musconceived. In order, so far as was possible died long ago. These the fundamental at that late stage, to correct the behind the split. They positions completely anti-theoretical line uf are the oite outerences the proposed the united front, Bolivia. on AJS (youth organization of the of the OCI and on the policies
OCI),
the proposed the the France. WELl attention to amendment drawing historical and theoretical Issues the already raised in the discussion. The Theorencal Dasis revolutionary movement. The OC!
When split takes place on this some sort represents of the the the British Ludlicilar Cutoluti but, relationship of Marxist theorv explained, what delegation W do and to the building actually required was new can- revolutionary parties, resolution based on these theoret- like these of led or, hat Teets, tackled arguments, an anend- ical foundations, and ment could only more there caribe can no preserve for was fur a rhanever minority since there has been than there was Dasis none. The split actually occurred conclusively to did not neat a mecite
OCI
no the meeting of the question of the place Essen that on foundation Marxist theory as the reveal question of the Fourth Inter- the or rae revolnonary barly national they were prepared as well as all sorts The OCI, off some 35 years of his. write " Peopenin will pay lip- of other they just that statement TOrY service Iworkers' and returned, for me Fourth Intero-
OOS.
'Without theor tional insteade ment ov me coiliona can be no revolutionary there instead organizations but the actual in movement, experience struggle "to build the movement of the rejected the positions stated, been they reject the struggle for theory those centrists who on Tine Beast to preserve the centrist order However one cannot cate opposed its very foundation.
been building aliance they nave deny advance They have 'prepared' for this The differences are public possibility that. under t declaration against foundation our theoretical not new circumstances (war, defe of failure to movement by years cial crash, The political differences in in the French lassur movemert.
the IC did not pressure French labour movement. bourgeois parties, inclu 1969, as the OCI suggests. where neglect Stalinists, Third may the two yal Conference of has led them in the revision of International the broke real expertence wish They basic Marxist discussion, 1966 there was And so the split not real writ- of dozens of detailed both at it melings ano 11l Trotskyist movement ten bulletins, on the differences points the nature The between sentence Were of political Eosity one nor thous us on proved beyond any leadership. these questions. revo unionary the Stalinists dangerous political implications of points must and will be answered, these differences were, in eve the great advantare of the expressed betrayals, 1909 l split is too. At occurs present • oilOl. revolutionary (as early as the asser- with the basic OCI member, seized tion of a leading U1. questions of certain that the meaning the point int history where Tone lutionary the Transitional deepening capitalist crisis exoressions with door Programme has not dis- the been opens cernible in their objective signifi- To lead the eribe classa nd revo timonar According World until that time. working class cance Stalinism to play a revo where these phrasts revealing their real a point oniv now were sonne these ditions development Tole Ignoring the deliberate particularly He referred Marxist theo better revoltonke Content. given by than ever to the last sentence of this para cadres workers the lessons graph: and where all before, creation of such a the of long and farmers'] govern- it would represent parties, short episode the workers' merely a possible? to the dictatorship Past road actual Pablo Sisters nas of dogone-atei proletariat') shows, as has already that this is to say improbable states'. highly The OCI was in danger of pre- ever one cannot categorically paring the theoretical slipway for in advance the theoretical liquidationisr under the influ- same form: to another liquida exceptional independent programme a!. i mstances (war, defeat, finan- of the party in in al:- revolutionary identity mass embracing policy of 'united i runt the petty- for a parties, including the workers' governmen: At this stager te clarince- we were further than stage, go pared the road to tion of these problems within the ‹ with the bourgeoisie.' 1966 of the same International. At the experience Conference, the attack on Trot- skyist movement since these skyism non-member written had ants the US Spartact Robert- DuCi doubt that, son) group and the Voix Ouvrière and reformists (VO) group (France), * brought open in their united response from the SLL.
their, counter- a the OCI and the other sertions role, revisionism of the IC. Our opinion at that on precisely this passage of the defence stify liquidation of the revo- time was that the continuity of the T-. kyist Pablo split the the movement against the opportun- thesis that of and Voix and Robertson lutionary Pressured ism Ouvrière laid the basis for tack- would force differences. nism to play a revolutionary ling some of our It is of great importance for the the present discussion that noring the deliberate warning Trotsky (that even if a groups. attended as *These government were estab- observers. d by the traditional workers VO based their attack the on formulation in the IC documents that the FI had been organiza- tionally destroyed by Pabloism and must be 'reconstructed'.
While it is formally true final the OCI states, that the places resolutions in some retained the terms 'reconstruc- tion' and 'rebuilding', what is certain is that the content of all these resolutions was above of independent continuit arties and of the FI fought fo IC and and preserved by the based on Marxist principle and the attacks of theory. Against VO and Robertson, the SLL, the Workers' League and the Greek section fought for the continuity of the FI and in doing so com- the OCI on the promised with wording of the amendment car- There was no concession ried. on principle. What soon emerged was that participation in the the OCI's fight against VO and Robertson, rather than proving a basis for changing their wrong positions on the question of the independ- served nt revolutionary party, as a screen behind which they proceeded on exactly the same OCI had 1966 the road. By agreed that, even while opposed , to Pabloism, it had committed i thi divan undamental That is why, in 1967, the OCI, there could be no separat economic from political pe having moved from its previous of setting up some sort tives. position of 'League' consisting of a sup- The fact is that their ow already existing 'van- posedly spectives were not guard' of the best organizers this appreciation of the de in the working and militants economic crisis. and the attack in class focused its the were left IC on all sorts of plans to create and revisionists simply to artificially for the a centre on the existence of a crisis IC. Proposals were made for full- its effects time workers and special financial missed by the naked eye. schemes to attract forces inter- sequently dissident nationally " Europe) who (such tations of the crisis, youth were larly the May-June 1968 sti said to be only looking for some- in The SLL's opposi- where to go. by surprise. 'to these methods. its tion All through 1967, the Or insistence on the central import- pursued their proposals ance of the training of a cadre, International opposition was condemned to attacked the organization the need to build 'the Interna- SLL (iust as later they pr as such' len tant tional que opposed telle). paper) on of mentally, that we There resolution was no too far ahead of the mo these questions in discussion.
We and consciousness of the w could get little or no agree- of class. the 'real ment on our estimation the growing economic crisis of capi- the letter of the OCI to tl and the SLL Reply, 1967).
talism as the objective source to These differences which comrades must be our directed for their development as discipline, tr Marxists. Indeed. leaders of the tion of OCI told us that our attention obviously were the emphasis of the SLL Economic Perspectives at our to Conferences was wrong, and that.
fact that the Vartoro Prasa, Friday Apall 7, 1972 PAOR 1 separation of the economic crisis It was particularly reached by the struggles political perspec- You do very soon pose the struggle 1968, France in coun that our parties would power which the fact is that their own per- completely by surprise. not based At preciation of the depth The Internationa bring home this indis- Assembly of Youth in Britain in vita to crisis, August 1967, the SLL found itself Ph intermatonat movement. li all non-Marxists leaders agree having to exercise arcal balichec international and firmness in insisting on these movement. existence of a crisis when perspectives on all the questions the responsibility of the SLI could no longer affected: to fight to overcome previous dif- which they. security, naked eye. Con- ferences on this basis. organizational political manifes- nance. The following months actually paredhes dole problem cal pre- and the whole and particu- suggested possibility The he May-June 1968 struggles success, took them completely May-June Undoubtedly the the cal agreement, _ pursued days 1968 once again and stil basic the COse vided opportunity through 1967, the OCI had questions were not resolved. After their proposals such on May-June 1968, it was certainly TIne ferences. as impossible to avoid 'recognizing' of rect for campaign organization international crisis. Nor was Win wide sor one it did, possible to escape any longer and political financial, for a daily the direct parationor ate way in
OCI.
A fund was raised, grounds, funda- arge which preparation and a broad movement of oDDo. were leaping gle Ior powel Guese site odi was morelized arount The documents of the rock, into movement cocumns or obie ede through onsciousness of the working discussions it was and documents "The Newsletter movement' senes (predecessor Workers the SLL of the OCl to of agreement on the way that tee degree possible to win Press). e differences ab. training and organize What is more important is that workers struggle govern- the development posed by France. class party situation. making specific demands on the connected with struggle itself, had completely Communist and Socialist parties.
of the
SLL
the vindicated the political on prepara
CONTINUED TOMORROW =
ion fought for by the SLL. It wa
Scan page 8
PAGE 8 Workers Press, Friday April 7, 1!
BY JACK GALE
In Austria, as in Germany, in the 1918-1919 period the monarchy was overthrown by the organized workers. The new Austrian Republic pro- claimed on November 12, 1918. A revolutionary crisis existed, but at the head of the Austrian working class stood the Social Democrats.
When the old imperial army collapsed, it was replaced by the 'Volkswehr' made up almost entirely of Social Democrat sup- porters. In Vienna, especially, the Volkswehr consisted armed workers totally loyal to Social Democracy. Soldiers' councils were formed, demanding the right to elect their officers. Frequently, one of the conditions of election was for the Social pledge to vote Democrats. The Viennese soldiers' elected Executive councils an Social Democrats. The Volkswehr units, however, were used by the government.
a coalition of Social Democrats and the two main bourgeois parties--to put down communist demonstrators. Some, at least, of the Social Democratic leaders were ready from the start to follow the line pursued in Ger- many by Noske, who had declared The Free Corps are better Germans than the Spartacists'. Workers' councils also sprang up in November, again almost totally under Social Democratic control. In Vienna, for example, the Social Democrats held 88 per cent of the seats on the district workers' councils, compared with 10 per cent held by the com- munists. many provincial industrial In towns the picture was the same.
In Linz the Social Democrats held 295 out of 310 seats. One of the Social Democratic leaders was Friedrich Adler, who had been jailed for his opposition to the war. Adler refused to join the communists, declaring that 'the international he stood for revolutionary of programme Social Democracy'. this international Just how revolutionary programme' worked in practice shown after was March 22, 1919, the date of the proclamation Soviet of the Republic of Hungary, led by Bela Kun. On March 23, the Social Demo- cratic newspaper - the 'Arbeiter Zeitung'-published Adler's reply to the revolutionary Hungarian Proclamation: 'You have issued the call to us to follow your example. We would joyfully do so, but un- fortunately the cannot at moment. In our country there is no food. Even our meagre bread ration depends the food upon trains sent to us by the Entente.
Thus we are entirely the slaves of the Entente... We are con- Soviet vinced that the Russian Republic would do everything in its power to help us. But before that help could have reached us, we would have starved. Thus we are in a much more difficult Our depen- position than you. dence on the Entente is a total one... All our wishes are with With burning hearts you. we follow events.' Telegram after telegram flooded into the Social Democrats' head- quarters, not only from all over Austria, industrial but from centres in Bavaria, like Munich.
All called on the Social Demo April 7, 1972 proclaim the Austrian crats to Soviet Republic. At the second national confer- workers' ence of the Austrian councils in June, a communist delegate demanded that the Social Democrats immediately leave the coalition government and that the workers' councils But the Social seize the power. would not have Democrats it, and the resolution was defeated.
In October 1919, the Social Vienna dis- Democrat-controlled workers' trict council passed condemning resolution 'any attempt to bring about the rule of one class' as it would lead to civil war. It was. said the Social Democrats, 'unfortunately neces- sary' to continue the coalition government in order to protect 'the vital interests of the work- ing class'! The workers' councils were, in fact, restricted to welfare activi- ties within the framework of the coalition with the bourgeois parties, of which the largest was the Christian Social Party. But' even here, the councils trod on the toes of the bourgeoisie.
They took it on themselves to the black-market profiteer- stop ing in food and fuel on which the bourgeoisie gorged themselves while workers were going hungry and cold. In one month alone (August 1919) the councils reported in Vienna that they had confiscated from • bourgeois profiteers 10,200 kilos of flour, 15,800 of potatoes, 3,000 of meat and sausages, 2,000 of butter and 230,000 cigarettes, 6,070 cigars, 12,300 pairs of shoes plus large quantities of eggs, cheese, milk, soap, coal, wood, petrol, leather and textiles. Contrast this list with Adler's statement (above) and the Social Democrats couldn't lead a revo- lution because there 'no was food! Another field of activity was the prevention of evictions. And in some areas the large houses of the rich were inspected for surplus space and homeless fami- lies installed in them. Frequently, workers toured the luxurious night-clubs and expensive bars (in the country where there was 'no food" to put an end to wasteful guzzling while families starved the on streets. One result of this was frequent complaints to the Party's head office from workers who had discovered leading Social Demo- in those places. loudly crats 'Service, Comrade!' at bawling the harassed waiters. Then, after Horthy's counter-.
revolution in Hungary and the * Kapp Putsch in Berlin, there were in Austria increasing demands that the workers should be armed. Social Democrats, The needless to say, rejected this.
The workers' councils were starved of power and resources by the Social Democrats, who saw the maintenance of friendly relations their bourgeois with allies in the coalition as far more important than any activities of the working class. This led to the steady decline of the councils throughout 1920. The Social Democratic leaders, Friedrich Adler and Otto Bauer, frequently used the conservatism of the peasant as an excuse for indefinitely postponing the revo- they were, of lution to which course, 'devoted'. But the Social Democrats never produced a revolutionary programme which the peasants could be united with the working class. Instead, by remaining in coali- tion the bourgeoisie, they with preserved the old order. As the leader of the Christian Social Party, Dr Seipel accurately pointed out in December 1918: Proclamation of the Austrian Re 'The party coalition has remained in force, and no major unrest has disturbed the bourgeois order. The National Assembly in which all parties co-operate has not been pushed aside for one moment.' Everywhere in as in Austria, Germany, the officials of the old regime were not only allowed but encouraged to stay in office. This particularly true of the was judicairy-Social Democracy con- sidered judges the bourgeois absolutely irremovable. Thus, the immediate once of November 1918 was shock absorbed, the social forces which former had dominated the empire, the the bureaucracy, corps, the bankers officer and industrialists, the leaders of the right-wing parties and the churches, allowed to re- were the leading positions to оссиру which they felt entitled.
The Social Democratic leaders, horror while turning away in from revolution, pinned all their hopes on the 'Anschluss' (union Germany). By this they with a union with the meant not revolutionary German working but with the bourgeois class, republic by ¡ being preservec Ebert, Scheidemann, Noske and company. As Otto Bauer declared at the 1920 congress of the Austrian Social Democrats: 'We stand by the principle of the bourgeois republic. The bourgeois republic does not mean the emancipation of the proletariat, but it pro- vides, to quote a phrase of Marx, the most favourable ground for emancipa- the struggle for the tion of the proletariat. Thus we will in the first instance have to defend this bourgeois republic against reactionaries.' This cynical vulgarization of Mersiusing urgen sis of the emerging in states their struggle against the rem- nants of feudalism as a cover of for craven support the a bourgeois state against the revo- lutionary movement of the work- ing class-did not save the Social Democrats. Lenin had shown that the only defend and extend the way to gains of the February revolution the revolutionary was to use strength of the masses against the Provisional government which ПоСм strian Republic outside the Parliament bulldin opening the way for the was reactionaries. Bauer and the other Austrian and German Social Democrats disarmed the revolu- tionary masses in order to placate their own bourgeois allies. These allies in dispensed with turn them and reaction was triumph- ant. In June, 1920, the Austrian Social Democrats were forced out of the Provisional govern- ment. Every time the working class had sought to move for- ward, the Social Democrats had held them back. As a result, the workers were dispirited and the reactionaries in confi- growing dence. This led to the election result of October 1920, in which the votes of the right-wing Chris- tian Social Party went up from 36 to 42 per cent and the Social Democrats dropped from 4l to 36 per cent. It can be seen that these figures are almost idential, though in reverse order. Yet the Social Democrats had when the higher figure they •gave the Christian Socials a majority of the seats in the Assembly.
position When the was reversed, the Christian Social Party ruled alone and gave the Social Democrats nothing.
Thus in Austria, as in Ger- many, Social Democracy stran- gled the revolution. Capitalism as • had • strength left. a system no It survived only because of the crisis of leadership in the work- ing class. Its overthrow requires a revolutionary party which can both train a vanguard and win the confidence of broad layers of the toiling masses. As Trotsky pointed out to the Third World Congress of the Communist International, meet- ing in July 1921: 'To replace social class, governing an old society that has turned reactionary, must come a new social class which possesses the programme for a new social order meeting the needs for the development of productive forces, and which is prepared to realize in life. [My this programme emphasis.] 'The greater the danger, all the more does the [bourgeois] nt bulldings, November 12, 1918 class exert its vital forces in the struggle for self-preservation ...
the bourgeoisie finds itself face to tace with mortal danger, atter having accumulated colossal poli- tical experience. "The bourgeois ruling circles act all the more resourcefully, cunningly, ruthlessly, all the more clearly their leaders • take cogniz- ance of the threatening danger' Trotsky explained the dialec- tical contradiction between the bourgeoisie displaying tre- mendous vitality precisely at that point where its social system becomes obsolete. The develop- ment of the objective political situation and of consciousness do not proceed simultaneously along parallel lines. Trotsky posed this contradic- tion vividly: 'History has pro- vided the basic premise for the success of this revolution-in the sense that society cannot any longer develop its productive forces on bourgeois foundations.
'But history does not at all assume upon itself-in place of the working class, in place of the politicians of the working class, in place of the commun- ists-the solution of this entire task. No, history seems to say to the proletarian vanguard "You must know that unless you cast down the bourgeoisie, you will perish beneath the ruins of civil- ization. Try, solve this task!"'* The unresolved crisis of leader- ship brought defeat to the work- ers of Germany and Austria in the decisive years of 1918-1919 and 1920. Today, history again presents revolutionary opportuni- ties. But the lessons of the past must be learned. Only a revolutionary party, developed through theoretical struggle and practice, able to train a vanguard and win the confidence of the masses, and capable of counterposing its own worked out revolutionary stra- tegy to the counter-revolutionary strategy of the ruling class, will be able to defeat capitalism and save the world from worse horrors than those it even experienced after 1920.
CONCLUDED
* 'The School of Revolutionary Strategy' in 'First Five Years of Communist International', Vol. 2.
Scan page 9
A former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency has confirmed that the Nixon administration held talks with one of the country's biggest firms about possible moves against 'Marxist' President of Chile, Salvador Allende. The of moves — part an astonishing of chicanery saga and corruption inside the Inter- national Telephone and Telegraph Corporation-came to light when newspaper columnist Jack Ander- produced documents | son con- cerning unsuccessful attempts to military coup promote against Allende in September 1970. A member of the ITT board since 1966, John A. McCone, admits that the company told the US government: 'If you have a plan, we'll help you with it.
ITT
owned the Chile Tele- phone Co and other properties in the country. Allende had been democratically elected as Pre- sident, but this small item appears to have carried little weight with either the company or the CIA in their discussions. Defence of capitalist property against possible nationalization was their only consideration. The Anderson revelations have • raised storms in both the Chilean Congress and the US Senate.
On Thursday, John V. Tunney, a Democratic Senator from California, submitted new evid- Judiciary to the Senate ence Committee on another aspect of the saga: alleged illegal con- tributions by ITT to the Repub- lican election campaign. Acting Attorney - General Richard G. Kleindienst has been accused of participating in an alleged deal to cover up the contributions. Last weekend, Attorney-General John former N. Mitchell was implicated in arranging the contributions.
The row has also stirred to the surface allegations of fre- quent and general ITT favours for Democratic Party leaders.
It appears that besides having a CIA director on its board, ITT maintained whole stafi a people in its Washington office it was to maintain whose job with Congressmen and contact government officials in the com- pany's interests. one in this Con- The only gressional Relations Section with a title drawing attention to her Mrs Dita Davis function was Beard, known as a 'lobbyist'.
Others doing similar work are simply called managers. In an interview on March 31, Susan Lichtman (26), Mrs a former secretary of Mrs Beard now studying at Toronto Univer- sity, cast some fascinating light the work of this section.
on Lichtman She herself, Mrs said, had handled a request from Democrat Senator for Indiana, Hartke, last summer for Vance use of one of the company's jet planes. The thing that shocked me, Lichtman said, 'and very Mrs little in Washington would shock me, was that members of Con- gress would call Congressional Liaison and sometimes ask Mrs Beard for favours on a big scale.
"The instance that one specifically recall, Mrs Lichtman continued, 'because I had to say there just back and isn't a plane available right now, they are all in use, was a request from Senator Vance HartkeI believe in lune of last year!
Top: Journalist Anderson. Centre left: " right: former US Attorney-General Mitcl Rohatyn. Mrs Lichtman said that she had relayed the refusal to member of the senator's staff.
She said that the requests were that Mrs Beard SO numerous was moved at one point to say: 'All these people want planes all the time. Don't they know the company has to use these planes, Mrs Lichtman said that she also remembered a request from a congressman to have two ITT vehicles meet him on camper his arrival at Le Havre, France, so that he and his family could camp and tour around Europe.
In that interview-and again last weekend-Mrs Lichtman in- that she specifically sisted • re- called the last sentence of the first paragraph of a memo she typed for Mrs Beard on June 25, 1971. This allegedly referred to discussions with the former Attorney-General about ITT's pledge of at least $200,000 to , bring the Republican con- help vention to San Diego. Mrs Beard allegedly said of the discussion: "John Mitchell has certainly kept it on a higher level only, we should be able to do the same.' Asked if the memo she typed did not surprise her at the time, Mrs Lichtman said: 'No. I con- sider the political system cor- rupt, and I had the impression the Republican Party rep- that resented big business ... To my knowledge there was nothing illegal. about. the contribution Beard. lobbylst' Mr. eral Mitchell. Above: Kleindlen: of thre The certement against ITT under the US' laws to the trust conv contribution Mrs Lichtman said last last version remembers other Beard She said officer once pressure affidavit Come nave been tween the anti-trust settle and the convention contril I don't think anythin much In thi WOrl reporters. 'In the corruption. Chile, the Chamb its Deputies is start investigation of ITT's affai Allende's right-wing opp are opposin move. presumably what will be revealed abou own inks wire the comba the
CIA
Republican member Senate Judiciary Committ likewise particularls this, week's, new, eyidence.
Workers Press, Friday Aprll 7, 1972 PAGE 9 Birmingham Battery and King Hussein's brother caused Metal Company celebrated its a stir in London last week by centenary on July 1, 1936, by wielding a sub-machine gun publishing the expensive- around waiting lounge at history 'for Heathrow. looking private circulation' edited by the well- relative Another was known 'liberal' Arthur Rown- recently detained in Switzer- tree. land and questioned about In a passage dealing with drugs offences. events during World War I, Now, third relative, has under the stark heading run foul of the law. "Aliens', Rowntree notes: He is Hussein's cousin, "The Sherif Ghazi Rakan, who has [government] authori- ties were glad to find work for been arrested allegedly on of Chinamen large numbers smuggling £1.2m of worth who thrown their were on hashish and gold to Britain hands after being discharged from their ships at Liverpool.
These men found their way to manufacturing centres, such as where they were Birmingham, housed in the poorer parts of the city. "The company found work for more than a hundred of these Chinamen. They were paid at the usual rates and on the whole they were quite re- liable workmen. 'They had one peculiarity as compared with English work- men, inasmuch as they seemed to have the power of going to sleep standing upright King Hussein position without any support, It and without falling over. Rakan, who just happens to disconcerting was ratner to of Civil Aviation be Director standing come across a man in Jordan, was questioned by apparently at his work and to find that he was fast asleep.
post. doubt Quite. But no even The story began when Heath- more 'disconcerting' is to have Airport officials dis- roW your entire labour force-in- covered hashish and gold cluding many 'aliens' from aboard a Jordanian Royal Air- Bangla Desh and Pakistan— lines flight from Amman on walk out demanding a £6 rise, March 18. more holi- 35-hour week and Aboard the aircraft were a days. former Tordanian chief Army Which happened of staff, a leading Jordanian and Jordanian economist Ambassador European capital. in Investigations Amman established that the hashish delivered The military regime in Bolivia and gold were to Amman has decided to expel a large past checkpoints, by number of Soviet diplomats. vate The decision was car. sweeping much the same way Rakan immediately taken in con- fessed his responsibility. He that Heath suddenly turfed out 120 Russian Embassy staff was questioned for a few days at the headquarters of the in- last year. ub- But the Bolivians telligence was then were a service, ked released but asked to stay at little too enthusiastic. Among ases his post. those on the list for the boot home and resign inti- Crown Prince Hassan, who tion such were sinister spies as is the Jordanian Royal Yevtushenko, Yevgeni the Air- line's chairman, ordered the poet who was in the country eek- of the and Anita interrogation several top over a year airline officials. Pinachova, rson aged she in Mrs rity her she here be-
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PAGE 10 Workers Prose, Friday April 7, Asquith Gibbes looks at the 'South Lond Front attack on his position women of the EIGHTY per cent 50,000 women members of the Clerical and Administrative Workers' Union, say they do not have equal pay and 93 per cent say they do not have equal promotion chances. Sixty-five per cent of the mem- bers questioned in a union sur- vey, also say that their firms did have equality of opportunity not for advancement through train- ing. The survey shows that 14 per cent of firms provide some facili- ties for women employees with school-age children and 20 per • cent allow for late starting or early finishing for women with families. But no firm survey provided covered by the such facilities as play schools, play groups dur- ing school holidays or nurseries and creches. Seventy-six per cent of the feel their firms give women female workers less attention than men and 84 per cent think they were in a socially and eco- nomically inferior position to men in the same firm. Ninety-seven per cent think they are intellectually capable of performing the same jobs as their male colleagues. GEC's 555 redundancies
THE
GEC-Elliott Automation factory at Kidsgrove, Staffs, has announced 555 redundancies— just over a third of the work force. An 'unfavourable' home and and export market, a severe shortage of work with no short- prospect of improvement, term are blamed. ay April 7, 1972 • ti outh London Press' story on the National
THE POORER
cause, foll mem- bers of the Common- entry, Commonwe wealth fear the door is ences will about to be slammed in their faces as arrangemer Britain presses ahead European 1 with plans to enter Europe. to be tak The monwealth countries worst affected are this stage. Barbados, Botswana, Fiji, the are due Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, August 1,. Jamaica, Kenya, Leso- new agree tho, Malawi, Mauritius, into effect Nigeria, Sierra 1. 1975. Leone, Swaziland. Tanzania, At a Tonga, Trinidad and conference in Tobago, Uganda, Samoa nesday, and Zambia. The 20 to be Secreta. are Arnold Sn offered association with the EEC alongside the allay fears 18 present associates- that the C French mainly ex- must colonial territories. after Brita Somep» deWs warrange apC. ment necessar бе- FIVE fitters' mates working for the S of Scotland Elec- tricity Board in Edinburgh face redundancy or redeploy- ment as a result of a new productivity scheme, soon to be introduced. The men's section is expected to vote against acceptance of the scheme-particularly as other jobs will also be lost. But it can be forced through regardless because foremen have several votes each. In the background of these job threats lies the recent sack- ing two leading
SSEB
militants. The sackings, which were carried out after the two men organized solidarity action with the striking miners, have brought
BY IAN YEATS
LEWISHAM'S W Indian Mr Gibbes admits that he did once deny that he was com- Community Relations munist at a meeting organized Officer - the man the jointly by the Party and the Labour Party. National Front says must He told me: I described my- be sacked because he is socialist self as to get some- a communist—has denied one off my back. that he allows his politics He added: 'I am very careful. I never to influence his work. attend marches any- like thing that and don't actually Com- Mr Asquith Gibbes (38); campaign for the When I do munist Party. attend a member of the Communist meetings or accept speaking en- Party's national executive gagements it purely 1S told me at his Deptford office: specialist in community relations.
'I am first and foremost a com- 'Every bit of me is com- munity relations officer, but be- munity relations. It is my civic cause of my political convictions to hold right political views, I may work harder. but I am careful to do every- 'I long hours. work very thing to keep them out of my Yesterday was in the office work.' from nine in the morning to eight at night and I did not have Mr Gibbes was elected to the the time to stop for lunch.
CP's national executive on November 16 last and he 'This year post is not political received 318 votes- -only one less Dost. I was chosen from a num- 'Morning Star' than editor applicants because George Matthews. believe have may very wel been the best. The National Front has issued Mi Gibbes, who lives 11,000 in leaflets Lewisham Croydon, said: I have been very Gibbes - com- headed 'Asquith Communist dormant the in munist and liar' Party, although have been member The leaflets 'Is it the since 1963, because of policy of the community relations the feeling that people at large industry to employ will disown you. communists and liars in a supposedly I have always had an interest non- political organization will in race relations, or but as far as they now ask for the resignation one is able to feel integrated. of this man?' The black person has a different following British he stressed that con- advanced capitalist
ACO.
the of tinental, ideological system or nomies - diminished by commonwealth prefer- the world groupings in growing re- will switch from world the must be cession less and avoided exclusively - British at all for costs. less primary rrangement at 'a foreign to W time when ducts. As ex- change holdings basis. recession is driving all the in No final decision has the powers capitalist underdeveloped world Com- taken by frenzied fall, the possibility into com- of onwealth countries at petition for shrinking these buying
COATTIAC
Negotiations markets, manufactured goods de- the last thing due to start of them clines correspondingly. lugust 1, 1973, and the the appearance of pro- In conditions of slump tected agreement comes groupings. aid to the under- January effect Whatever Smith's developed nations either as- surances, the hard fact aggravates balance - of - special two-day this that competition payments deficits or onference which began will inevitably work ultimately turns into Wed- London on the disadvantage of the challenge the pro- Commonwealth underdeveloped world of the ducts metro- ecretary General as it has done for almost politan countries. Smith tried to a decade. The future of the fears The and poli- Commonwealth by stressing social poorer hat the Commonwealth tical upheavals in Bangla countries even as asso- 'strong' Desh, remain India and Latin ciate members of the Britain joins America all reflect this -itself plagued the
EEC
by work. the of process at consequences But more significantly. The needs of the recession-is grim. protests from local MPs. town continually paigned against the councillors and trade • union voting practices which could branches. five Edinburgh soon lose mates their jobs. Amalgamated Union Engineering Workers' But he received no support member, who of was chairman from whatsoever either the the works' was
AUEW
committee district committee or sacked on March 1 for allegedly local officials. They that arque *inducing staff break their to allowed this, voting system is contract of employment". under agreements for the elec- tricity supply industry. Rab Jeffery, of the Electrical and Plumbing Trades Union, When the SSEB's chief per- the end of dismissed
WAC
officer complained sonnel about February for 'unauthorized Brown organizing solidarity action absenteeism' with the the district miners Yet full-time officials of committee called on the national neither have from ninn 0C I vet re. executive to expel him the gistered a protest to management union. breach of its about its alleged dismissals procedure own That decision ruled was out failing first to establish the facts of order by The the executive. of the cases. committee then invited Brown to chairman of the works' state his March 8 and As case on Ron Brown recommended his expulsion again.
committee, cam- did pigmentation, but we suffer from system the same as anyone else.' I asked Mr Gibbes why he was a CP member. 'When I came to England in I met 1960, like many others progressives who talked about Marxism and Leninism and who were looking round for a party closest to their ideals. It was one of the fashionable things.
I believe in parliamentary democracy, not revolution or anything like that. 'As a communist I believe in om- bringing black and white to- gether-in the unity of the work- ons ing class.' Why had the National Front attacked a man who was by his own admission reluctant to cam- for the principles and paign policies he professed? Said Mr Gibbes: 'I would say it is the usual attempt at red- baiting. The National Front are I against any form on integration.
To have a black man and a communist is too much for them I suppose.' Lewisham's community rela- tions council and its executive responsible for Mr Gibbes' ap- pointment include all political parties, church and voluntary organizations and the police.
Said Mr Gibbes: 'Can you imagine getting up to anything sınıster with all those people or the council and the executive?'
NEW DISCIPLINARY proce- dures introduced by the National Union of Teachers' executive have aroused opposi- tion at the union's Blackpool conference. Croydan delegate Dave Middle- seconded unsuccessful ton an amendment Wednesday to on transfer final decisions in dis- cipline cases from an executive sub-committee to annual con- ference. Mr Middleton commented: 'We felt that the final decision with regard to expulsion and suspension from the union should not be left in the hands of the executive's disciplinary appeals committee, but should be the right of conference to decide.
in a truly 'It is the right democratic union of every mem- berif he so wishes-to take body of the union! to the highest a disciplinary case After next year's conference tor Dreaches of profesional hon- •our from union disciplinary cases. The changes flow from the union's recent involvement industrial action. Area disciplin- will be set up ary committees with the right to appeal only to the executive's own appeals com- mittee. BOAC wants 5 p.c. cut-back BOAC is holding a series of departmiental meetings with the object of cutting costs by 5 per cent in the financial year ahead.
A spokesman said yesterday: 'We are looking at every possible way of achieving more revenue and lower costs, but it is still BOAC's intention to try to avoid redun- dancy.'
Scan page 11
THE PAYNE
report taken place at the hospital and on cruelty to patients at Whit- all 15 members of the hospital tingham mental hospital failed management committee either to grasp the real nature of the resigned or were asked to problem and made no new sug- resign. gestions, Manchester Regional Ald Tom Hourigan, board Hospital Board said yesterday.
chairman, said in a letter: The Payne inquiry found "The plain truth is that the that cruelty and fraud had STUDENTS occupying the administrative centre of Portsmouth Polytechnic since March 13 have been threat- ened with legal action unless they leave the Building. issued a statement yester- day Ald Eric Bateson, chairman of the Polytechnic governors LOCKHEED Aircraft Corpora and of the city education com- mittee said that the town clerk Haughton began talks in Lond was taking steps to institute legal Cole, chairman of Rolls-Royce proceedings High Court. in the The students want to be con- is building engines for the T sulted about proposed expansion of the Polytechnic and increased The Lockheed chief's visit student representation on various to Britain forms part of academic committees. an Ald Bateson described the sit- international sales drive. But in as 'unnecessary' and claimed dis- Haughton will also be it undertaken before the was the mushrooming cussing students made their objectives costs of the project. known him or to the other governors. Although the Tory govern- THIRTEEN S African non-whites ment has baled out Rolls- found guilty of conspiracy under Royce in this country and the the terrorism act were yesterday Nixon Administration has given prison sentences of between five and eight years. baled out Lockheed to the Five of those found guilty of tune of $250m the project is far from joining in a conspiracy to commit safe. certain acts endangering the maintenance of law The critical changes in the and order in S world Africa received eight-year situation since Three were sentenced 15 sentences. August and the roaring. in- here and flation both the : US, to six years, two to seven, and the three others to five.
puts the whole project again The dally paper that loads the fight agalnst 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 total resources available for hospitals in this region are not adequate to provide the level of service He said cruelty occurred mainly because of serious staff shortages and unsatisfactory accommodation at the hospital.
Corporation chairman Daniel J.
in London yesterday with Lord s-Royce (1971) Limited, which • the TriStar airliner. under a cloud. Haughton will be seeing BOAC Keith 'Granville and chairman officials of the British Airways Board, to try to get final decisions on orders. Lockheed is now hoping to sell British airlines (including BEA) not only the basic TriStar, but also an 'extended-range' Tri- Star. Already a number of US air- lines who made preliminary con- tracts with Lockheed have with- drawn from the deals because of the price increases and falling profits in the airline industry.
ADVANCED technology surveil- lance techniques perfected in Vietnam could be profitably introduced into many areas of Ulster, particularly the no-go areas of Bogside and Creggan.
Robert Rodwell, a freelance defence correspondent based Belfast notes in this week's 'New Scientist': "The 1972 Defence White Paper makes no mention of such developments, but there are places in the several £330m jeets could be hiddere such pro- According to the article the army is already using radio and electro-megnetic transmissions to IRA radio detonate command and electric match-head detona- tor bombs. Rodwell says: 'The explosion on March 9 in Clonard Gardens; Belfast, in which four Provisional IRA bombers were killed may have been triggered deliberately by appropriate army electro- magnetic emissions in the neigh- bourhood' The army has recently intro- duced electronic explosive an detonator which 'senses' vapours from explosives and which can in searching buildings be used and people. The article says a shortage of army and police female per- sonnel has led to the use of a hand detector-initially brought in at airports to screen would be - which picks out hijackers exceptional quantities metal hidden beneath the clothing.
Rodwell urges the use of elec- tronic aural and seismic move- people at the Irish ments of border and in the urban 'strong- holds of the IRA'. Chosen army marksmen have been equipped with infra-red or image intensification night sights.
Workere Prose, Friday April 7, 1972 PAGE 11
BBC 1
9.45 Andy Pandy. 10.00 White horses. 10.25 Deputy dawg. 10.30 Flying falcons. 10.55-11.00 Magic roundabout.
12.55-1.25 Canu'r bol. 1.30 Mary, Mungo and Midge. 1.45 News, weather. 1.53 Tom and Jerry. .00 Harlem globetrotters. 2.25 Racing at Aintre 4.20 Play school. 4.45 Clangers. 4.55 Screen test. 5.20 Hope and Keen's crazy bus. 5.44 Hector's house. 5.50 News, weather.
MAGAZINE.
6.00 6.20 GEORGE BEST. Heading 6.30 THE VIRGINIAN. Journey to Scathelock
7.40 THE LIVER BIRDS.
8.10 THE BROTHERS. The Party.
9.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS and weather.
0.20 GIRLS GALORE. Miss England, Miss Scotland, Miss Wales.
10,10 24 HOURS.
10.40 FILM: 'ANIMAL CRACKERS'. Marx Brothers.
12.10 Weather. 11.00-11.25 Play school. 15.35-7.05 Open University.
7.30 NEWSROOM and weather.
8.00 THE MONEY PROGRAMME.
GARDENERS' WORLD.
9.00 9.20 REVIEW. Zulus in 'Macbeth', Rabbit Redux, Music from Amsterdam. 10.10 CLOCHEMERLE. The Dreaded Arrival of Captain Tardivaux.
10.40 NEWS ON 2 and weather.
10.45 LATE NIGHT LINE-UP.
ITy 11.05-12.17 Out of school. 2.25 Motor racing. 3.00 Houseparty.
3.15 This week. 3.45 Drive-in.
4.15 Scotland Yard. 4.40 Zing- along. 4.45 Land of the giants 5.50 News. 6.00 TODAY SPECIAL. Kenneth Robinson's London.
6.30 F TROOP. A Horse of Another Colour.
7.00 THE SKY'S THE LIMIT.
7.30 HIS AND HERS.
8.00 THE FBI. The Legend of John Rim.
9.00 SPIDER'S WEB. The Prevalence of Skeletons.
10.00
NEWS AT TEN.
10.30 ALEXANDER THE GREATEST. The 21-Year Itch.
11.05 FILM: 'NIGHTMARE'. Vennie Linden.
12.30 BLACK POWER IN THE CHURCH.
REGIONAL TV
Zingalong.
CHANNEL:
4.05 9.00 London. 10.30 Film: 'The 4.22 Dick Money Trap'. 4.18 Puffin. Van Dyke. 4.50 Land of the giants.
5.50 News, London. 6.00 ULSTER: 11.05-12.30 London.
6.10 6.35 weather. Report. 4.30 Romper room. 4.50 News.
Crossroads. 7.00 London. 7.30 4.55 Thunderbirds. 5.50 Lon- spy. 8.30 His and hers. don. 6.00 Reports. 6.35 Cross- 9.00 7.00 7.30 London. 10.28 Weather. roads. London. 10.32 Film: 'The Roman Spring Jason King. 8.30 His and hers.
News of Mrs Stone'. 12.20 9.30 London. 10.30 Documen- weather and in French. tary. 11.00 Film: 'The Spy Weather. Killer'. WESTWARD. As Channel ex- cept: 11.05-12.27 London.
3.55 don. 2.30 afternoon. News. Gus Honeybun. 4.18 6.25 6.00 Diary. Sports desk. 4.10 News. Faith for 4.55 10.28 News. 12.20 Flaxton life. boys. 5.20 5.50 London. Calendar,
SOUTHERN:
Lon- weather. 7.00 Partners. don. 2.35 break. 3.00 8.00 Hawaii five-o. London. Kate. Weekend. 4.00 3.55 4.30 Crossroads. of 6.00 the sea. London. 6.40
GRANADA:
Day by Lon- 7.00 London. Out of Yoga. 9.00 London. 4.10 News. 4.40 Name Zingalong. 10.35 of the game. the 5.50 12.00 News. 12.10 Weather. London. 6.00 giants Inheritors. Newsday. of Will 7.00 Sonnett.
HARLECH:
Lon- Simon 7.25 London. 5. don. 3.20 8.00 Hawaii 9.00 Lon- don. 'The Haunt- chanted 3.50 Women. ing'. 4.15 4.30 Crossroads. Bottom of Lon- London. 6.01 2.30 3.00 Kate. the sea. don. Report. Report. 6.35 4.10 News. Bonanza. Film: "The 9.00 Lon- 4.55 5.20 wish. boys. call. 11.00 Flintstones. 6.00 don. His 11.30 Edgar Today. 6.30 Partners. 7.00 and London. 8.00 Calling Doctor
HTV
West except: Gannon. 10.30 above 9.00 London. Film:
HTV
HTV Cymru/ 4.15- 6.01-6.18
SCOTTISH:
11.05-12.35 4.30 Lon- Outlook. Kiri. 3.45 Cross- dydd. don. 3.30 roads. 4.10 Dateline. 4.55 Lost 6.00 in space. 5.50 London. Dateline. •6.30 6.20 Cartoon. Stewart. 7.00 London. Jimmy 3.45 Yoga. News. 4.15 7.30 Strange report. 8.30 His Cartoons. 9.00 London. 10.30 and hers. 4.50 Bottom In camera. 11.00 Late call. 6.35 London. Anglia. 11.05 Film: 'The Treasure of San Teresa'. 10.30 Bygones. 11.06-12.15
GRAMPIAN:
Lon- Film: of Dark- 11.00 don. 3.41 News. 3.45 Women ness'. 4.40 today. 4.10 Smith family. 4.55 Flaxton Zingalong. boys. London.
MIDLANDS:
11.05-12.17 5.20 Ivanhoe. 5.50
ATV
3.10 Yoga. 3.35 Horo- 6.00 News and weather. 6.05 London. scope. 3.45 Women today. 4.10 Mr and Mrs. 6.35 Crossroads.
730 It takes Zingalong. 4.55 7.00 London. 4.40 Julia. 5.50 London. thief. 8.30 Melody Inn. 9.00 Lost in space. 10.30 Points North. 6.00 Today. 6.35 Crossroads. London. 'Frankenstein'. 7.30 Jason 11.00 Film: 7.00 Comedians. 12.25 Epilogue. King. 8.30 Shirley's world.
Scan page 12
PAGE 12 Workers Prosa, Friday April 7,
BY OUR INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDEN
A NATIONAL strike over the engineers' current pay claim will be demanded in just over a week's time at the national engineers' com- mittee of the Amalgam- ated Union of Engineer- ing Workers. THE REVISIONIST-domin- ated Liaison Committee for the Defence of Student Unions is to field eight candidates for top executive posts at the National Union of Students' conference in Birmingham next week. This is a manoeuvre to avoid instituting and maintaining a fight for principled politics in the
NUS
Communist against the Party Stalinists and their right- wing friends. In this way the revisionists hope to 'change' the national into something that is union more 'democratic'. Somewhere along the line in the election fight, • Digby Jacks--the Com- munist Party NUS president….. and his cohorts will be exposed and a new policy will emerge, they think. The liaison committee was in November 1971 by formed revisionists and their supporters-.
members of the International Socialism and International 'pressure Marxist Groups-as a group' inside the NUS as part of a campaign 'to push the union ‚to the left' Characteristic of all the election manifestos--and of the majority of conference vast motions-is their continued refusal to make a clear-cut stand on the Tory government.
Nowhere among the hundreds of pages of resolutions, amend- ments and election statements is the central issue of the removal of the Tory government mentioned. The miners' strike, N Ireland, unemployment, graduate unem- ployment, government attacks on student union financing are all discussed at inordinate length and detail. Take the question of student union autonomy and the recent
LATE NEWS
NEWS DESK
01-720 2000
CIRCULATION
01-622 7029 EGYPT cut diplomatic relations with Jordan News Agency Middle reported in Cairo. The move follows its rejection of King Hussein's plan for a Federal Kingdom on both banks of the jordan. Deputy Premier Abdel Kader "Hatem said after an Egyptian cabinet meeting that the decision had become 'a prerequisite of the requirements of the battle [with Israel]. Registered as a newspaper at the Posi Olice. Published by Press, Worker: 186a Clapham High Street, London,
SW4 7UG.
Printed by Ploush Press Ltd. (TU). High 180b 1 Clapham Street, London.
SWA YUG.
гу Аргі 7, 1972
SPONDENT DAVID MAUDE
The demand will come s' from the union's Manchester area, where 18 sit-ins are at present in progress in sup- port of the claim the com- mittee drew up in April last year. Industrial action will also be urged on the 52-man committee over unemployment, old-age pen- sions and the Industrial Relations Act. NUS President Digby Jeo government proposals that union finances should be passed over to hands of the university and college authorities. The liaison committee mani- festo having pointed that out 'the government's attack' can only be understood as a political attack the potential on unions organize student to politically in opposition to the Tories' educational and anti- working class policies- goes on to say that the future fight must be to 'secure and extend political autonomy'. In relation to N Ireland the same confusion reigns. • Correct demands for the with- drawal of troops and an end to internment are turned into mere protest slogans because the real , struggle against of the content imperialism in Ireland- British the fight to remove the Tories- is completely left out. It's a short step from there to the position in one executive amendment on union autonomy which states: 'Conference notes the confused state of NUS policy on union autonomy'. *N. centrat ana%
TRELAND.
England will be cloudy with rain at first, but brighter showery weather over SW England and Wales will spread NE across these areas during the morning and afternoon. The showers will become locally, heavy especially in exposed W and S districts.
Scotland will have a showery day with clear or sunny intervals, will become but the showers more prolonged and heavy locally later in the day except perhaps over Orkney and Shetland.
Temperatures mostly near or a little below normal. Outlook for Saturday and Sun- day: Rather changeable with showers and some longer periods of rain at first, but also sunny intervals. Temperatures near or a little below normal. But the wages debate is certain ter to be the highlight of the two- week, committee meeting. areas its members, many p- who constitute the highest policy- making body for the key'en- gineers' section of the 1.5 million-.
union, have come under strong heavy fire for their January 10 decision to abandon the fight at national level for last year's claim. The Manchester resolution draws attention to the 'negative aspects' of the 1968 pay-and- productivity deal negotiated by AUEW president Hugh Scanlon.
It seeks to instruct the union executive not to sign any new fixed-term agreements. It goes on: 'Failing any satis- factory offer to our current claim, national strike action should be taken to force the employer to concede our justified demands.' From the N London area will come a call for the union execu- tive to stage any action deemed necessary' support of last year's claim for a f6 rise and a 35-hour week. Several other divisions also reaffirm support for the 1971 claim. They call for a return to principle of national the general wage claims. Five areas-N London, S Lon- don, Kent, W Scotland and the Midlands - submit motions calling for new claims on the engineering employers. *The W Scotland division wants the committee to instruct the executive 'to pursue a wage claim of £8 on the basic rate, without strings, and to mobilize the membership for a national strike to achieve this aim'.
N London is pressing for a claim of £6 for all categories of engineering workers. Kent wants a new skilled rate of £35 for 35 hours. On unemployment, NE dele- gates to the national committee instruct will to the attempt executive 'use all
AUEW
to means at their disposal to cam- paign for the return of a Labour government committed to social- ist policies. These, their resolution argues, would ensure that every indivi- dual had the right to work. "The right to work is a fundamental right, it declares. Several divisions want to re- affirm a resolution carried by the national committee last April, which called for 'outright opposi- tion to Tory plans such as fac- closures and productivity tory deals. TUC-led industrial action for higher pensions will be urged by delegates from S London. Several divisions insist that the Labour government next must repeal in its entirety the Indus- trial Relations Act, and warn substitute legislation that no must be enacted by Labour.
Jamedite, expulsion from the under the Act will be urged by NE delegates. $ London wants industrial action if any AUEW member is victimized under the Act.
SEAMEN
REJECT
8.5 p.c. RISE WAGE offer to Britain's A 54,000 merchant seamen, which would have added about 8t per cent to the shipping industry's wages bill at a cost of over f10m was rejected by the seamen's representatives. They asked the shipowners to reconsider and the two sides arranged to meet again next week. Last year seamen were given a 16 per cent increase and the previous vear 20 per cent.
Next week the shipowners are due to reply to the claim by 41,000 Merchant Nąvy officers for increased pay and big improve- ments in leave arrangements.
Teachers defend comprehensives THE National Union of Teachers yesterony demandeo mat tion Secretary Margaret Thatcher stop obstructing local authorities' plans or comprenensive cauca- tion. Thames Valley delegate Tim Stone explained why some dele- not tney present during Thatcher's speech to the conference on Tuesday.
The protest meeting outside the e said, bat press was
NOT
claimed, he said, was organ- ized by delegates from such as Surrey, Kid- derminster, and Chipping Barnet. Stone described how the long lor comperers ve ect- cation had won support from the vast majority of Surrey's parents and teachers. conorenensive ecucation was supported by the Out of Council, there where 90 out 96 members are 1 orles Thatcher took no notice but at all', he said. Her intervention Scarman: Whitewash all round
• FROM PAGE 1
evy pict to sube the sate to any plot to subvert insurrection'. sur up The Rev lan Paisley 'neither police nor organner ne G1S- orders under review and there is no evidence that he was a party the acts of violence ally Invesugateo ov us. What is most revealing, how- is the special for ever, praise members of the Social Demo- Labour Partu crane WhO are being groomed to play a crucial in the Tory plans for a Tory says: Men like Mr Hume, Mr Ivan Cooper and Mr Gerry Fitt, however strong with their political plat- words on a opposed consistentiv violence.' We demand the right to work!
Make the Tories resign!
HEATIND THE
RIGHT TO WORK
LONDON
IVERPOOL TO
YOUNG SOCIALISTS 12th ANNUAL CONFERENCE Saturday & Sunday April 8/9 Grand Hall, The Spa Dance to 'BRAVE NEW WORLD' Saturday night 8 pm also Cost approximately €4.50. For tickets apply to John Simmance, National Socretary, Please send me details/tickets of the Scarborough Conlerence I enclose
NAME
ADDRESS
to insist on retention of 1l-plus selection, he added, had caused 'chaos and confusion' and was of doubtful legality. Mrs C. Greig of the Wands- worth Association attacked Thatcher's sabotage of compre- hensive schemes already agreed locally. In Barnet, she said, Thatcher acted on a small petition organ- ized by the wife of her own parliamentary agent. ' Conference defeated Mrs Greig's amendment for members to take no part in selection procedures after 1974.
Executive member Arnold Jen- nings called for gradualist approach attacked the and amendment's movers as 'parlour revolutionaries'. Conference called for Thatcher to compel local authorities to introduce genuinely comprehen- sive secondary education. Dele- gates overwhelmingly backed the comprehensive system as the only way to secure equality of oppor- tunity for all children.
FUND STARTS
WITH £113.43
YOU HAVE started this month our total, at the with well moment, £113.43 Let's keep it up and try and raise a record amount for April. The use of the Industrial Rela.'
tions Act against the unions will only enrage the working class even more. Engineers, railway. men, car workers, all sections of trade unionists, are becoming more and more determined to, this government out of force office. In this situation, let's press ahead in a big way. Make sure we expand the Workers Press circulation and raise as much as possible for our Fund this month. Post all your donations to: Workers Press April Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High St London, SW4 7UG.
YOUNG SOCIALISTS
WE DEMAND THE
RIGHT TO WORK
SOUTHAMPTON TO
LONDON 1972
WE DEMAND THE
RIGHT TO WORK
SWANSEA TO LONDON
YOUNG SOCIALISTS
WEDAAND ThE
RIGHT TO WORK
GLASGOYTO LONDOI
12th ANNUAL CONFERENCE April 8/9 Grand Hall, The Spa V WORLD' Saturday night 8 pm a star-studded show ets apply to John Simmance, National Secretary, High Street, London, SW4 7UG kets of the Scarborough Conference.