Workers Press no. 876

23 September 1972 · 12 scanned pages · about 17,493 words of machine-read text

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.

Bylines in this issue (from the OCR, so incomplete): Alex Mitchell, Cliff Slaughter, David Maude, Philip Wade, Tom Kemp

Scan page 1

workers press

BOMBERS?

INCORPORATING THE

DAILY ORGAN OF TI

BY ALEX MITCHELL

CZECHS may be piloting Uganda air force planes bombing the neighbouring state of Tanzania. Three times this week General Amin's planes have bombed villages over the border, killing civilians and damaging buildings. As Amin has murdered the officers in his air force in a bloody purge some months ago, it is a mystery who is flying the aircraft. It was learned in London yesterday that those piloting the planes are almost certainly Europeans and probably Czechs.

Some history of the Ugandan air force necessary to substantiate this theory. By African standards Uganda has a very powerful air force.

The country has a total air fleet consisting of: Four MiG-17F fighters, three MiG-15BIS jet trainers, 12 Israeli-built Magister jet trainers, five Czech L-29 Delfin jet trainers, six C-47 transports, four Piaggio primary

DHC4

trainers, one counter-coup in which they Caribou transport, three would play a leading part.

Scout helicopters, 14 This leaves the question Piper Cubs and four as to who is invading Tan- smaller light aircraft and zanian air space operated by the police. of bombing villages. One the reporters just expelled Training of the air force Kampala that from says between was split two that evidence exists foreign -Israel flying countries- the Europeans are and Czechoslovakia. When deadly bombing raids for the Israelis were expelled Amin. earlier this year, their alr training programme came Praise to a complete halt. This left only the Czechs in Uganda If the Czechs are giving training pilots. But in a fit of paranoia, help to the regime, this is Amin decided some months completely in line with the ago to kill off Kremlin's policy towards his senior pilots because he feared a the brutal dictatorship.

TING THE NEWSLETTER • SATURDAY

N OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTE

Israelis and Czechs were Inst Israelis were expelled. With m Czechs in his bombing raids Recent Kremlin broad- casts praised Amin for his *anti-imperialist' stand against Britain. The Uganda army is already well supplied with European Eastern weaponry. Troops are using Soviet-made BTR-40 and BTR-152 six-wheel, arm- oured personnel carriers and Czech-built SKOT-2 armoured personnel carriers. It was support from this mechanized battalion of the Uganda army and the air force which played the key part in Amin's military take-over in January last year. SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 1972• No. 876 4p

OMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

A THOROUGHLY

nice man. That was the diplo- matic summing in up London last night after endent dan look at President Idi of Uganda, the 48-year-old soldier who threw out President Milton Obote In January. Amin has been here with Mama Malyam, one of his four wives. They Hiked him on personal rounds. He ooks every inch the heavyweight boxing champion he once was. But in conversation he was as gentle as a lamb. They him liked on political grounds. The of South sale arms to Africa, which so infuri- ated his predecess and some oth Done rise of a black

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST DAILY SALE

No. 21,365 Friday. Seotember 22102 In 1971 the 'Daily Mirror' saw Amin as 'The Guile had apparently changed his wool for more sinister

UGANDA AIR FORCE

SCHOOL

vere instructing Ugandan air force personnel until the I. With most of his pilots murdered is Amin now using ng raids on Tanzania? only two weeks Since Until coming to power Amin has doubled the size ago, a British training team Uganda the almost operating in of army to was cadres 10,000 troops. training the for Amin's murderous oppres- of racial and tribal sion, The infantry is trained minorities. by the British and is sup- plied British-made with including Bren • General Idi Amin yes- weapons Sterling sub-machine terday stepped up pressure guns, FN rifles and Lee local guns. Asians, giving on Enfield rifles. 48 hours to some of them The leave the country. order, announced by Radio Trained Uganda, could affect up to 10,000 Asians already pro- cessed for entry to Britain.

threatened himself Amin has Amin was that those British-trained and was Asians stili in commissioned in the King's the country after his dead- African Rifles by British line will be imprisoned in officers. military camps. moved. " It Is not my pro- blem," he insists. And with a swipe at the other adds: " Some leaders in Africa leave their own problems tinsolved, their peoples suffering and dying, and instead go on about South Africa. Even his guile had charm. Last night he flew to Scotland. " To see old friends and some of the military organisation in Scotland," he explained. "What sort of organisa- 'tion? " he was asked. "I have told you." he answered sternly, "that everything concerning security is confidantial."

Inside black dictator he Guileful Lamb'. Yesterday he sinister clothing.

BY OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

THE EXTREME right-wing Ulster Defence Association yesterday joined leading Unionists in welcoming the 'Star Chamber' tribunal to be set up by Ulster supremo William Whitelaw. A UDA spokesman said: 'We welcome anything which cracks down on the IRA. He pointed out that the para-military UDA was not illegal in the province.

Leading the pack for the Unionists was cuformer Ulster premier Brian Faulkner. But this did not prevent Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Gerry Fitt from announc- ing that, although his party still could not attend next week's 'all-party' talks in Darlington, they were prepared to go along with Whitelaw. 'We are not totally rejecting this statement' 'We , said Fitt. hope to be able to make a posi- tive response.' Late yesterday the

SDLP

leaders were meeting Labour leader Harold Wilson to discuss Whitelaw's proposals-clearly in a last minute effort to find a formula to attend the talks.

Whitelaw's special tribunal is an extension of the existing Special Powers Act. It is now a crime to speak or write on behalf of illegal or- ganizations. No juries will be used and the Tribunal can, if it wishes, hear cases in private. There is no clear indication of what its sentencing powers will be. Rioting spread yesterday in the border town of Dundalk in sup- port of the nine Republican prisoners in the Curragh military camp, near Dublin, who had been on hunger and thirst strike for five days. Two of the prisoners- in a very weak condition in the military hospital-gave up their strike on medical advice.

Scan page 2

workers press

BOMBERS?

INCORPORATING THE

DAILY ORGAN OF T

BY ALEX MITCHELL

CZECHS may be piloting Uganda air force planes bombing the neighbouring state of Tanzania. Three times this week General Amin's planes have bombed villages over the border, killing civilians and damaging buildings. As Amin has murdered the officers in his air force in a bloody purge some months ago, it is a mystery who is flying the aircraft. in London It was learned yesterday that those piloting the planes are almost certainly Europeans and probably Czechs.

Some history of the Ugandan air force is necessary to substantiate this theory. By African standards Uganda has a very powertul air force.

The country has a total air fleet consisting of: Four MiG-17F fighters, three MiG-15BS jet trainers, 12 Israeli-built Magister jet trainers, five Czech L-29 Delfin jet trainers, six C-47 transports, four Piaggio primary

DHC4

trainers, one counter-coup in which they Caribou transport, three would play a leading part.

Scout helicopters, 14 This leaves the question Piper Cubs and four as to who is invading Tan- smaller light aircraft and air space zanian operated by the police. bombing villages. One of reporters just expelled the Training of the air force from Kampala that says split between was two that evidence exists foreign countries-Israel Europeans are flying the and Czechoslovakia. When deadly bombing raids for the Israelis were expelled Amin. earlier this year, their air training programme came Praise to a complete halt. This left only the Czechs If the Czechs are giving in Uganda training pilots. a fit help to the regime, this is But in of - paranoia, Amin decided some months completely in line with the ago, to kill off his, senior Kremlin's policy towards pilots because he feared a the brutal dictatorship.

TING THE NEWSLETTER • SATURDAY

N OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTE

Israelis and Czechs were inst Israells were expelled. With m Czechs in his bombing raids Recent Kremlin broad- casts praised Amin for his 'anti-imperialist' stand against Britain. Uganda army is The already well supplied with Eastern European weaponry. Troops are using Soviet-made BTR-40 and BTR-152 six-wheel, arm- oured personnel carriers and Czech-built SKOT-2 armoured personnel carriers. It was support from this mechanized battalion of the Uganda army and the air force which played the key part in Amin's military take-over in January last Afr year.

ATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 1972

• No. 876 4p

MMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

A THOROUGHLY

man. That was the diplo- matic i summing in up London last night alter three-day look at President Idi Amin of Uganda, the 48-year-old soldier who threw out President Milton Obote in January. Amin has been here with Mama Malyam, one of his four wives. ( liked They him on personal grounds. He looks every inch the heavyweight boxing champion he once was. But in conversation he was as gentle as a lamb. They liked him on political grounds. The South sale of arms to Africa, which so infuri- ated his and predecess, some oth cult MIrr rise of a black

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST DAILY SALE

Friday, September 22, 1972 No. 21,365 In 1971 the 'Daily Mirror' saw Amin as 'The Guile had apparently changed his wool for more sinister vere instructing Ugandan air force personnel until the I. With most of his pilots murdered is Amin now using ig raids on Tanzania? two weeks Since Until only coming to power Amin has doubled the size ago, a British training team Uganda the almost was operating in of army to 10,000 troops. training the cadres for murderous Amin's oppres- of racial and tribal sion The infantry is trained minorities. by the British and is sun- plied with British-made weapons including Bren • General Idi Amin yes- guns, Sterling sub-machine terday stepped up pressure FN rifles and Lee local guns. Asians, giving on Enfeld rifles. 48 hours to some of them the The leave country. order, announced by Radio Trained Uganda, could affect up to 10,000 Asians already pro- cessed for entry to Britain.

himself Amin has threatened Amin was that those Asians British-trained and was still in commissioned in the King's the country after his dead- African Rifles by British line will be imprisoned in officers. military camps. moved. "It is not my pro- blem," he insists. And with a swipe at the other adds: "Some leaders in Africa leave their own problems insolved, their peoples suffering and and instead go on ayıng, about South Africa. Even his guile had charm. Last night he fier to "To Scotland. old see friends and some of the military organisation in Scolland," he explained. "What sort of organisa- tion?" her was asked. "I have told you." he "that answered sternly, everything concerning . ¿ security is confidential." Insid black dictator he Guileful Lamb'. Yesterday he sinister clothing.

BY OUR OWN

CORRESPONDENT

Leading "the pack for the Unionists was former Ulster premier Brian Faulkner. But this did not prevent Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Gerry Fitt from announc- ing that, although his party still week's could not attend next 'all-party' talks in Darlington, they were prepared to go along with Whitelaw. 'We are not totally rejecting this statement' ', said Fitt. 'We hope to be able to make a posi- tive response.' Late yesterday the SDLP leaders meeting Labour were leader Harold Wilson to discuss Whitelaw's proposals-clearly in a last minute effort to find a formula to attend the talks.

Scan page 3

PAGE 2 Workers Press, Saturday September 23, 1972

WHAT

WELL,

UCS chickens come

FANCY

THAT!

THiNK home to roost THE TWO-FOLD exposure of the deals should be confined solely to the main- panies have been able to impose tne Internationaliste signed by the Stalinist leaders at UCS most savage work-practices and con- ditions throughout British industry Marathon* with Manufacturing and Commulee including, Measured-Day Work, inter- Govan Shipbuilders coupled with Reid's changeability and no-strike clauses.

recent denunciation of the boilermakers Of 8,500 men employed at the yards when as 'rat-racers' has left Govan workers last summer 4,000 the 'work-in' began confused to say the least.

are working for Lord Strathalmond and of the 2,000 at Clydebank half are to go stewards James Reid Communist Party the agreement goes and James Airlie know that support for as Ridley planned. meer gur-arde held on Tuesday is terencer LO Tuesday put forward meelings dicey. Now that the majority of men but swung wide the door for the Tories.

at the yards have read the agreements

WILL

they signed, the joint committee

UCS.

Political almost a dead letter. Now that UCS workers are sick to death ments were bad without admitting their working class for their betrayals is an whole strategy for the fight for jobs at old and dangerous Stalinist game.

come or three monta s negoula They are forced back on blaming 'sectionalism' and ultimately The same argument was used during and the working class for their own failure the war to excuse the way Stalin Chisseray Wab and treachery. It is the self-same people Stalinists with their workers for sinking into a morass of wilters created the conditions for it to take place. ol the Dolltics or the denounced reformist October 1971 yards early by which bowing Tory threats and accepting movement and allowed Hitler to come to was to up of a sells Govan if not Reid and Airlie? At UCS the hand of Stalinism has at last been exposed. The Clydebank men must The Who sealed the split signing

LWO

not be left to fight alone. A new unity separate agreements with Marathon and in the tour vards must be forged under Reid Govan Shipbuilders and

SIDE

respecuive a new leadership pledged to Airlie? by mobilizing the fight to force Who first sowed and meticulously nur- tured the myth that the struggle at UCS Big push Pompidou desperate down the to hide corruption coast NORTH VIETNAMESE forces

BY TOM KEMP

have captured three outposts defending the towns of Duc Gabriel Aranda, regime which stinks with PRESIDENT Pompidou's Housing so the illusion 1s Cut- northern coastal Pho the cast doubts decay and corruption. vated that it is possible to on tried to conference within the Pompidou said that he province of Quang Nai. This big changes activities Thursday was a desperate stability attacked follows the capture of Ba To consultora ramework rIanco Gaullist miscreants public relations job photo-copying as an inherited from General de Fifth Republic Pompidou now tries to dis- He went on Monday. could have of privacy

SOLI

own, from property Tass impressed his own com- referred to France's udulle

TATO CA

At least 9,000 North Viet- stormy history since That wanted mitted supporters. Even influence and tax evasion 1930s Gaullist proved with the and, in brothel-keeping, the was namese rooos ane cuenuas have looked press they must Eastern believed to be operating in this ven. avocalca 101

ICCON-

back with regret to the very accurally c ciliation between Europe. Licw Tine class What lunace press days when de Gaulle represents. the mountall salictualico but a pale He had previously American bombers and warships was in command. his With the regime now imitation Gaulle's Bre in upction offensive.

action attempt merence foreign Although Pompidou DIaOu, pardoning Paul Touvier, a preparing to take Lne pressmen, made some promised that governmen collaborator who helped working class in the formances. involved struggles, wage US command admitted that it the Gestapo in Lyons hunt coming be scandals would Com- had mined rivers and canals down and murder many tvoical that the Culichl was Jews resistance munist Party

THO L

eaitor Guang orovince nortnern explain how many 'L'Humanité' asked Pom- workers. South Vietnam for the first time.

Gaullist politicians would client. The workers will pidou what he do summit The operation began in May French become involved in corrupt have Ons- president u a lell-wing HeXE

111USL

the same time as northern ports because practices. pidou's performance with coalition won she T1st forth- the need very much were mined. contempt it deserved coming elections. bring of France Instead with from the the the Here abled Pompidou to It is caimed that suoslance Was • C Cuy say cans were killed in Vietnam last made former politician, doubtful charges by That ne wome roun a cov- the first time since aide in the antecedents and connec- ernment based on the common Ministry of Equipment and dissociate March 1965. covering up for majority. Spanish-Stalinist deals weaken Vigo strikers

BY OUR OWN

themselves the SIX HEADS of commercial • leading a bureaucracy by moving closer to estabilsa apiomanc relatons at the highest

CORRESPONDENT

workers and stupid, 'liberal' sections of the Spanish and consular offices of Spain 'The cable st ime: only commercial Franco's Spain in Eastern Citröen CP is making much of the town of Vigo, the Labour court management did Yugoslavia represculation Will Europe finished talks yester- who fought Vigo BishoD's because partisans Decan (TO near case agast not carry our me rear to als- statement the International Brigades against three of the sacked Citröen miss the whole work-force when strike, which will be read from day in Vienna on the pros- Franco workers. The all there was slight in the diocese next Civil three are pulpit pects for what is described However, body Sunday. It claims that 'strikes in married with families and are in the main •opose ponuca. relations

WUIK.

by the Spanish press as the Diplomats are optimistic that their early thirties. or workers Is Sul on sunke and extreme cases may be necessary.

'offensive in the East'. President Tito, himself former The local 'The the shipyards are still halted by It also calls for an end the newspaper, Light of Vigo, struggle! the Brigades, will printed a letter sympathy action. class the

1ICI10C1

centred on

ISCUSSIONS

danger in the The alliance which the Spanish overcome this of strikers 1 he

SOON

allack- calcol recent Moscow-Madrid trade This conspiracy between the ing letter witch-hunting the Communist Partv. Stalinists are trving to build with sinke … The signed Paris. The agreement in Stalinists in Eastern Europe strike. which has considerable influence such sham liberals used fascists hope to have ambassadors the political The Vigo. The Party leadership of blow workers explain their against extension franco is a deadly asalliol recognized Warsaw and solidarity with Spanish the working - class struggles SurIKe tue surike lo bullo a movement to Sofia within a year. working class. dismissed workers' and nothing militancy bring down the Franco govern- and the so dance YESTERDAY in the northern 'agitators imposing with the Eastern European Polish Stalinist leaders want

Scan page 4

Jones moves right: Hits union democracy

BY DAVID MAUDE

MILITANT DOCKERS who gave vent to dissatisfaction tration with the The Transport and General Work- ers' Union executive has sent evidence against a small number of the lobbyists, mainly from London, to regional com- mittees and expects action to be taken soon. a lengthy discussion incidents Thursday are that: • Regional committees must ensure all 1.6 million members of the union undertake to abide by the rules and policies of the union.

• The executive's 'inner cabinet'-its finance and general purposes committee (F&GPC)—will conduct of 'the methods neces. an immediate examination sary to protect lay delegates from interference at constitutional conferences'.

• The

F&GPC

which meets monthly, will also look into 'the circumstances which may require alternative methods of consult- In practice, he said, the ing the membership concerned present delegate where difficulties arise'.

conference out of could be held London, • Full-time T&GWU officers are replaced by a series of district being instructed, in the words of The conterences. trade group T&GWU secretary Jack Jones, could to committees their put 'take a much more positive role recommendations direct to work- and provide much more leader- place meetings or in some cases ship' in the docks industry. there could be ballots. The F&GPC has been author- All this was hedged around, of ized to take 'whatever action is with flannel course we don't want to do this, usual possible' to prevent interference about the union's affairs by but ..! and 'there's no question in non- of us starting a witch-hunt'.

members. With these decisions But Jones made the revealing sented by Jones as attempt 'Justice will be done an comment:

T&GWU

refine and improve' and will be seen to be done to within the union. 'Our rules require that matters aftecting the union be dealt with and within the union that will be But the public is en- done. titled to know that the highest authority in the union has looked at this matter and this is what they have decided.' For 'public', substitute "Tory government' and will be you nearer the truth. The ultimate source of these moves by the T&GWU executive Jones' became clear in com- ments about the Tories' threat- ened review of the law on picket- ing. After discussing the possibility of with issuing pickets official armbands other of and means bringing their activities into line, he said: I wouldn't wish the govern- ment to intervene. I hope the trade union movement can find its own solution.' Tories In other words, the have only to threaten action and line. the union leaders fall into It can also be predicted that they will receive enthusiastic support in this from the Communist Party. Stalinist shop stewards from London docks originally opposed Jones the calling of the August 16 democracy-the union has taken stewards" committee. lobby national port a big step rightwards. Having already split the And after the incidents which erupted there the 'Morning Star' dockers and condemned them to said that perhaps dockers did lose thousands more jobs under the terms of the Jones-Aldington choose the best not always of the leadership has expressing their been handed now means been intimi- grievances. powers to date its rank-and-file opponents. The CP be relied can noW And the way has been opened to back whatever upon to the virtual dismantling of any Jones makes against rank-and- file democracy in the T&GWU, form of real control from the behind the ranks. cowering argument that if these not accepted are Jones to say the least, was, worse may follow. extremely Thursday vague on night when asked by The Stalinists will fight reporters to not spell out what could be meant by for the independence of the 'alternative methods' of from the Only con- unions state. sultation. Trotskyism today can do this. Workers Press, Saturday September 23, 1972 PAGE 3 Fear for steel jobs

BETWEEN

40,000 and 80,000 jobs in the British steel industry within ten years, will disappear a union leader has forecast. Welsh • of the Transpres regional and secretary General Workers' Union specific- ally pinpointed Calc probable closure ol tae works at snotton, Fintshire, where 13,000 work He said the replacement this week of Mr stephen managing airector or bols strip mill division in Cardiff only N London Council confirmed his fears. Labour Mr badle urimins said yesterday he suspected that * the of Action started which ten-year plan the submitted the Tory. cover- involved 'butchery' ment exercise for which Mr Gray was Gestetner's shop steward Richard Goldstein speak- ing at Thursday's meeting unsuitable.

NEARLY

100 trade Delegates hotly de- shop stewards' pledged to 011• unionists, tenants, bated the facing main socialist policies. Tastes mittee, Sala mem- the working class to- question was to build Other resolutions bers. old-age pensioners day. An amendment by alternative revolu- called for dispensation Socialist. meml the IS calling sup- Workers Press 101 leadersaip

TOT

The Labour League port rank-and- the Labour and trade and 'Morning Star' and all Young Socialists, Inter- action 1. The meers union for movement support the All national Marxist Group defeated. was clear out the traitors. Unions and International ing Counçil October 19IL Socialists Action had to nabl the be set up A was meeting of the working. class to defeat ship in provide such leader- elected to carry forward North London Council the Tories. Action Thursday Goldstein, Richard Tories pare for the next meet- secretary of Gestetner's sign and elect a Labour Tuesday, Oct. 10. ing on ' YS Right-to-Work campaign Hunger march town welcomes

SUPPORT

striking Tyneside boilermakers was expressed the YS to-Work marchers in a reso- lution committee. The following day the Young Socialists' seven cay mater So South Shields a conservie told us h South housewife South Shields is now the only Dave Jones, march leader, Labour council in the north east said that ner son was which still retuses to implement against unemployment. Colise protest the Polytechnic because none * new leaders do tor preparing his friends could find work.

leadership a new the working Over 40 copies of the Workers Her neighbour sceptical class Press were sold in the two miles Will i •ave Bene Traitor as well as the Labour me aims or our campaign. South Shields Hones was the same when the ou•te meeting Labour government was There welcome the marchers to Jarrow, Banda, Mike on behalf of the were no jobs in this area.

county Michael Camp- Socialist when she was told or ine tong bell that the council for their re- The trades struggle Sociali had origes socialist ception. On the was ine scene or nunger marcnes the roung waged ix thiencing 1930s, was once again which Jarrow council has decided leadership against reformist the unemploy- serious molemen. ne sare. dona- Tine Labour rarty, she ted brish troops, out ord 'This not just attack on an Over 2,500 were out of work, 'British troops Ulster!' reformism Tents. •ul une including 550 school leavers. of Whit- echoed around the huts in local government.' burn army base as we marched 'Big firms take over small com- past. panies only to close them down,' Foy has Por gee mates he said. speakers council and said its banner would appec support march As the march reached South included Shields it shouted its suoport to vin roy, prostantl LITt Laut the fight against the Tory Hous council and Frank Dixon, Newcaste nion o vork ing Finance Act. former Jarrow mayor. rally on Saturday.

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HOW STRIKES ARE

MADE ILLEGAL

PAGE 4 Workers Proas, Saturday Septer Part 22 of a series on Picketing by Bernard Franks So-called emergency pro- cedures in the Industrial Relations Act enable the government to make any strike illegal. These are: The 60-day 'cooling-off order.

Secretary may this, the apply to the industrial court for an order to stop a strike or other action for up to sixty days if he considers it to be (a) 'injurious to the national economy' (b) liable to endanger the lives of a substantial number of persons' or expose them to risk of disease or injury.

(c) liable to inhibit or defer settlement. This procedure gives enorm- time of economic crisis virtu- ally any strike can be claimed to be 'injurious to the national economy' Even the Emergency Powers Act of 1920, at least nomi- nally, has a clause allowing the right during an 'emergency' to strike and to 'peacefully per- suade any other person or per- sons to take part in a strike.

Now the Industrial Relations Act would make an emergency a valid reason for calling off any strike. The compulsory ballot. The Secretary of State can order a ballot of workers involved in an industrial dispute on the same basis as the cooling-ofi period (threat to the national economy, etc). The strike, or other action must be called off while the ballot takes place. If the Act had been in operation during the recent miners' strike there would have been a huge vote to continue the action. But meanwhile, during the ballot— if the miners had called off the pickets-the authorities would have tried a massive shuttling- about of coal stocks between the coal depots, docks, power stations. The pickets would have been back to 'square one' when the strike was resumed.

Both the cooling-off struc- ture-in this case 14 days— and the compulsory ballot were used against the recent rail work-to-rule and overtime ban. The ballot, run and• con- trolled by the Commission for Industrial Relations took ten days! This included a change of premises because the hall where the count was held was needed for GCE examinations.

It was claimed in the Court of Appeal that the railmen's was 'a grave threat tor action the national economy'-that in 'to order a ballot case any would not harm anyone' and that 'the Solicitor-General had suggested some reasons for doubting whether the indi- vidual men's wishes were be- hind the industrial action'.

The purely political depend- ance of the operation of the Act and the NIRC was indi- cated by Lord Justice Buckley who explained that in any case there was nothing in the Act to compel the Secretary of State to disclose his reasons for applying for a ballot.

Precedent The courts are now affecting the right to picket. What is not directly illegal under the Act is to be made so by indi- vidual judges' decisions.

lay September 23, 1972 Above: miners' pickets during their strik In English courts 'a judicial precedent is a judgement or decision of a court of law cited as an authority for de- ciding a similar state of facts in the same manner, or by analogy'. (Jowett's Dictionary of English Law) One example of a decision that could be used in this way was the NIRC finding during the rail strike, that workers have a contractual obliga- can work overtime, and tion to that rail workers were in breach of contract by not doing so. A lawyers' magazine commented on this decision: 'In theory it could bring the normal rela- master-servant tionship enjoyed in industry closer to that obtained in the armed forces, in which a man's free time is dependent on the exigencies of the service with the needs of the service being the sole arbiter of how, when and if, that free time is made available to him.' ('Law Society Gazette', April 27, 1972).

Restrictions through agreements: • The fact that collective- bargaining agreements are now they legally-binding unless contain disclaimers to the con- trary, means that strike or other action against any aspect of such an agreement can be declared illegal. the term "col- • Further, as lective bargaining agreement' also includes procedure agree- ments, then, any strike or other action taken before a disputes procedure has been their strike earlier this year. A compulsory ball fully exhausted can be de- clared illegal. • The National Industrial Re- lations Court has power to impose a legally-binding pro- •cedure agreement, drawn by the CIR on a trade union.

Employers can claim compen- through the court on sation the above Ist and 2nd counts and union can be a even penalized for not actively working to stop an unofficial strike which breaks a legal agreement. • The engineering union also warned earlier this year that employers are trying to get round agreements containing non-legally binding clauses by writing terms of such agree- ments, and also other non- negotiated matter into con- tracts of employment. These clauses make the terms bind- ing in law on the individual employee, though not on the union. The Press The radical and outstanding political journalist, William Cobbett, was forced to flee to America in 1817 to avoid arrest under the 'Gagging Acts' of the same year, not merely for reporting the condi- tions of the working class, but also for drawing some trench- ant political conclusions on Tory rule and Whig 'reform' in his newspaper "The Political Register' Previously he had spent two years in jail for publishing seditious writings. Hundreds more were to follow him to Isory ballot calling off picketing would have p mammam prison for selling banned publications. Today, the In- dustrial Relations Act takes on the form of a new 'gagging law', restricting certain press reporting. Firstly: Section 96 of the Act makes it an unfair in- dustrial practice for anyone not an officer of a registered trade union to induce breaches of contract to further a trade dispute. it This leaves wide open for anyone publishing or reporting a leaflet, book, script or newspaper article favour- able to any such action to be called before the court. Un- limited damages can be awarded against them. Secondly: Evidence exists of extensive use being made of the 'sub judice' law in con- nection with the Act. This law makes any subject before the law courts closed to public discussion until the case is over. Anyone who so discusses it is liable to a charge of contempt of court and possible jail or fining.

In May this year a barrister and Labour MP confirmed such use of the law when in the House of Commons he re- ferred to the Industrial Rela- tions Act as a challenge to free expression and speech.

He added that it was absurd that newspapers and broad- casters should not be permit- ted to report hostile and other commentary by any trade unionists for fear of having the law of contempt invoked against them. Even BBC news and pro. Id have put them back to 'square one' editors have been gramme issued with a gagging circular warning them not to commit contempt of the NIRC. Marxists have absolutely no illusions about the role of the capitalist press. As Lenin said: • "Freedom of the Press" in bourgeois society means the power given to the rich of systematic, unceasing, daily, million-sale perversion and de- ception of the poor; of the ex- ploited and the oppressed masses.' On June 12 the Editorial Board of Workers Press issued a statement: 'Parliament, the Law and Press Freedom' warn- ing of the serious interference with free reporting of in- dustrial disputes by this use of the Act. The statement shows how a major clampdown on the press could be enforced during a 'national emergency' and adds: 'All these decrees, judgements and veiled threats add up to one thing-the creation of a political climate in which the Tories are intimidating the press. The last vestiges of in "Freedom of the Press" are to be stripped away as the government moves in the di- rection of Bonapartist rule.

'The Act and its creature, the National Industrial Rela- tions Commission, can only be demolished if the government is forced out of office and the incoming Labour government is pledged to socialist policies and the repeal of the Act.'

CONTINUED ON MONDAY

Scan page 6

RAIN WAR

Science has never been put to the service of war so much as it has been in Vietnam. Ever since 1968 the US general staft in south-east Asia has been seconded by a team of experts working under the of physicist G. direction McMillan, whose job is to ad- high comand about vise the the use of all types of new weapons and offensive tech- niques, which range from de- foliants to the most complex electronic apparatuses. The use of laser rays which guide missiles to their target with the precision of a surgi- cal operation is merely a sample of this team's achieve- ments. And now while the F-4 Phantoms continue bombing dykes, hospitals, and North Vietnamese schools, the latest rumours speak of a meteorolo- what is now gical war or generally called 'geophysical warfare'. The first allusions to this new form of making war had already appeared in the famous 'Pentagon Papers' which a few months ago produced such an uproar. Over a period of time in- discretions on this subject mul- tiplied to such a degree that on March 17 a group of 14 US senators presented a bill prohibiting for purposes of the use of the natural war environment and the geophysi- cal properties of the planet.

But when, on June 14, the US magazine 'Science' pro- duced its bombshell article en- titled: concerning 'Rumours : the im- artificial rains in Laos' pact on public opinion was still greater. The release of this informa- tion sparked off a series of controversial articles which consisted of denials and counter denials. There is no shadow of a doubt now that artificial rains were provoked in Laos along the well-known Ho Chi Minh trial (Operation Popeye), as well as over Hué to end the demonstrations made by the Buddhist monks, who for re- ligious reasons scatter when it rains. But in face of all this US official circles keep complete silence. Secretary of Defence Melvin Laird declared laconi- the Pentagon had cally that never participated in anti- environment activities over North Vietnam - which im- plies that this might have been the case in other parts of Indochina. The fact is that everybody knows only too well that for years now the Pentagon has projects been at work on aimed at modifying the climate for purposes of war. The names of these projects also are well-known: 'Circus', 'Blue Nile', 'Storm Fury', The Intermediary Compatriot', etc.

The meteorological war, whose results are still uncer- tain, has a twofold incentive the user: the discretion with which it can be effected combined with low cost. An enemy plane can fly over a region at a very great height and without the need of a specially trained crew, drop, unbeknown to the inhabitants of the region silver iodide into the clouds which would con- vert the humidity into rain- drops. Top: Vietnamese diplomats inspect da B52 bomber. If such meteorological war were to be directed on a big scale against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and were to coincide with the monsoon period, the most catastrophic effects are predictable for the doomed in civil population such an eventuality to over- whelming floods. In fact the actual bombing by US planes of the 4,000 kilometres of dykes below Tonkin could be regarded as a preparatory stage to such an offensive. The summer monsoon blows its hot wet currents of air over Vietnam from May to October. Between 75 and 85 per cent of the country's total rainfall comes during those 4 to 6 months and reaches its peak in July, August and Sep- tember. The rainfall varies over the years from 1.5 to 3 metres.

The Red River and its tribu- taries which flow down from the Chinese mountains and Vietnamese diplomats inspect damage to the dykes. Above: a Tonkin Delta are the liable to overflow rapidly.

In Hanoi, for example, where during the dry season the Red River normally hows at the rate of 700 cubic metres per second, in the rainy season it increases to a total of 30,000 cubic metres per second.

DEPENDENT

ON LAND

Although Hanoi is only approximately 2.5 above sea-level, the river water will sometimes rise to as much 12 metres above sea level.

as were not for the So 1T 11 locks and system of dykes, hydraulic works of all kinds waters would easily sub- merge the entire Delta. And in this region which is among the most densely popu- lated in the world (having 500 kilo- inhabitants per square of the consequences such a geophysical war would Workers Press, Saturda be particularly catastrophic the people of this because region are so closely dependent the land. on It would however be but one more of the monstrous geophysical attacks that have already been inflicted on the country, for, according to the 'Scientific American', , 13 mil- lion tons of bombs have been dropped so far on Vietnam with a total release of energy amounting to 450 atomic bombs of the type dropped on Hiroshima. fantastic This quantity which corresponds to 300 kilo- grammes of explosives per in- habitant has made 26 million craters in the country and has destroyed millions of square metres of land. If one adds to this the re- sults of the defoliants one can get a rough idea of what war against the Democratic Repub- lic of Vietnam's environment means. is still however There feature of this another meteorological war which the press has not referred to, and that is the spraying of clouds by US planes with chemical products so as to turn the rain water acid and thus cor- rode and oxidize the North Vietnamese radars, cannons and rocket launching pads.

And since the US has al- ready gone to these extremes in waging a meteorological war would it be so far-fetched to that it might even suggest think of dropping toxic and bacteriological substances into the rain and of thus poisoning neatly, discreetly and off cheaply all those Vietnamese who would not succumb to the bombings? Is it not already patent to all in south-east Asia what the USA is capable of doing ...? 8, Saturday September 23, 1972 PAGE 5 North Korean premier Kim Il-sung is moving energetically towards a reconciliation with the US-backed puppet dicta- torship in South Korea. In an interview with the newspaper •Mainichi Tokyo Shimbun, Kim called for an immediate meeting of govern- ment officials, deputies or poli- tical parties from both sides of the border to promote peace- ful unification of Korea.

He said 'many-sided con- tacts and negotiations on a wider scale' were needed and called on the South Korean 'un- regime to refrain from founded slanders and provoca- tive acts' to promote 'an at- mosphere of reconciliation'.

Kim, who is the object of a "person- vast self-orchestrated ality cult' in North Korea, called on the United Nations to discuss the Korean question this year to aid the country's reunification. He said the UN must dis- solve its Commission for the Unification and Rehabilitation set up after the of Korea, Korean War in which the UN supported the Syngman Rhee dictatorship. reactionary This puppet regime has now apparently be- come respectable in the eyes of the North Korean Stalinist leader, who seems in a great hurry to smooth relations with them. Japanese government agencies are discussing implementa- tion of a Soviet-Japanese oil exploration project in Siberia, involving the construction of a 2,600-mile pipeline to import low-sulphur oil into Japan.

Sources at the Tokyo Min- Industry istry of Trade and said the focal point at the dis- cussions was a Soviet proposal for a bank-to-bank loan totall- ing about £400m to finance the Soviet purchase of necessary materials. Other problems concerned a Japanese guarantee to take deliveries of Siberian oil and Soviet assurances on the oil's sulphur content, they said.

The Trade Industry Ministry and the Finance Min- istry are insisting that a sup- pliers' credit should be used to finance the exports of machinery and materials from Japan instead of the proposed bank loan. One Japanese official told a Tokyo press conference earlier this week that Japan and the USSR would meet in Novem- ber to discuss development of oil and natural gas resources • the continental shelf of north Sakhalin, a far eastern Soviet island. The US Gulf Oil Corporation is supplying technical advice on the pros- pects for off-shore drilling.

Scan page 7

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Saturday Septembor 23, 1872

BY ALEX MITCHELL

the On August 21 last year is willing to take defence of Johnny Spain, but San warders at prison his won't let him hirm la W California Quentin in engage in other free cases.

opened fire on a group of In Augist, Fleeta Drumgo became the first of the Six to inmates. When the shoot- choose his win ing stopped six men lay own attorney. will be lefended by Dick Hodge who dead-among them was successfully appeared for the Soledad brother George Soledad Seven last year. At the back of these man- Jackson. oeuvres the state is preparing The state authorities imme- legal frame-up massive diately claimed that Jackson against the Six. A press state- and some of his colleagues in ment on April 6 revealed that 'Adjustment Centre' the $250,000 has almost been bid at engaged in escape an budgeted for the prosecution.

the time of the shooting.

The report on the Attica Nobody believes that Jack- slaughter proved con- son would have been involved clusively that troopers were dangerous and in such responsible for the murdering adventurist action. It contra- of prisoners and hostages when political conclu- dicts all the they launched their military- sions he was reaching shortly style relief operation. Publica- before his murder. tion of this report shows The more likely explanation beyond how US doubt the is that the decided to ruling class is prepared to deal cold-bloodedly murder Jackson with those who defy it. development political whose With this brutality now was being studied and imitated US revealed, nakedly the thousands of coloured by working class has one primary youth in America and, to some task to undertake- political extent, internationally. build a Labour Party, the only warders For the it meant weapon which can begin to settling an old score. In March forces mobilize working-class guard was to put an end to the barbarities that same year killed and a couple of weeks of US capitalism. Mancino, later Al

WOES

filed affidavit in prisoner, an which he stated that guards had asked him to kill Jackson.

Immediately Jackson was the state moved in murdered, of capital with barrage

HUGO PINELL

his associates. charges against Hugo Antonio Pinell was born Six men were singled out and in Nicaragua 28 years ago. His to charged with conspiracy him the mother brought to escape, conspiracy attempt to United States -'the land of to possess firearms and con- opportunity. His teenage and to kidnap 'correction spiracy adult life has been spent in officials'. one prison after another.

12 months later, the Now, men are still in Being poor and brown Pinell Quentin San sitting target for the and still awaiting a trial date.

was a fofces of law and order'. At Quentin Six The San are his first appearance before the Fleeta Drumgo, Johnny Spain, courts Pinell couldn't afford a Hugo Pinell, Luis Talamentez, advised lawyer. He to Willie Tate and David Johnson.

was plead guilty and 'put himself at In the wake of the Jackson the mercy of the court'. warders began an un- slaying, In Pinell's case this proved of precedented attacks series to be a sort of judicial hara- on black prisoners. Men were kiri. He sentenced beaten, and stripped their corrective youth authority bodies burnt with cigarettes centre. and their hair pulled out. One In December 1970 he was family prisoner wrote to charged with stabbing a prison saying that he had been threat- the following officer and 'You'll never get out of ened: March he charged with was here alive.' murdering an officer. The in- On Tune 21 this the vear dictments carry a mandatory National Lawvers' Guild filed a death penalty. suit the Federal against In of savage assaults spite authorities charging the prison® and the likelihood that he will and the of the staff director never be released from prison, of California Department Pinell says: I'm not SO wor- with Correction conspiracy, ried about my person. They can maltreatment. brutality and harming continue it This followed allegations that doesn't matter. We were tried, of the accused were four found guilty and punished on shackled and bruully chained, August 21 (the day George beaten by guards. We Tackson was murdered). the delay bringing The in been continually brutal- have Six to trial is based on two ized. I am with all oppressed considerations. First of all the Give everywhere. my people for the state is not anxious love to the people.' full story of Jackson's murder When he eventually appears to gain public prominence.

before a Pinell faces a court, Six have And secondly, the total of nine charges five had great difficulty in getting counts of murder, three of the legal defence of their own kidnap and one of possession of the lawyers Many choice. of a At of the weapon. one militants' take black who first court of the appearances cases have run themselves into Six. Pinell told the judge: 'It is debt and some have even been not question of living or "blacklisted'—or whitelisted!

dying, it is a matter of liberty?

lawyer, John Clutchette's

TOHNNY SPAIN

Floyd Silliman, has been penal- ized by the legal profession for When 17-years-old he was Another Johnny Spain defending militants. was sent to radical lawyer, Charles Garry, Soledad on an alleged murder Top: George Jackson under guard in San Qi corridor. Above left to right: Hugo Pinell, Joh has Spain persistently rap. maintained that at the time of the murder attempt he was in fact trying to defend himself from white assailants. In Soledad he teamed up with Hugo Pinell in fighting against the racialist attacks of the jail staff. Because of his militant activities Spain spent a lot of time in and out of the 'hole'- the solitary confine- ment block. He was trans- ferred to San Quentin in Nov- ember 1970 for possession of 'inflammatory literature', a reference to his personal diary.

Describing his feelings in a letter, Spain said: recent "Through these years (I'm working on number six) I have become-as a result of my learnings and beliefs—one of the prime targets of the system. It is a system intent to destroy me by the same vicious which has means der guard in San Quentin prison shortly before his murc ht: Hugo Pinell, Johnny Spain, Luis Talamantez, David Jot destroyed so many other com- rades. 'But then, this miniature ameriklan (prison) is but dis- playing its nature: war upon humanity. The effects of the war that prisons have waged on all political prisoners have not passed me by. (It) has given me a progressive manner and forced awareness in my life. It is true then, I am not prepared to go back to mini- mum security and sit, watching and accepting the sight of the people enduring hell that ultra- capitalism creates. 'What's further, I won't sit in maximum security hoping my life will be saved or my job will be done by "prison reform". That man will resist: first against the imprisonment, against social and then the order which created the im- and then against prisonment, the society? 020009 Top: or. Above it to right: Huge Pine, uny Spain, Lus Tata mane, Dad JOnBon, Fiela Drungo and un Taler. Fiesta Drumgo is behind him in the

LUIS TALAMANTEZ

He is the chine member i the sin waNovember vember 1963 fornia. being stopping darentod prisoners from fighting among themse ves. avid writer and spends cating the struggles behind th feter El e triend. All Tevou.

nues the word are enhancing chances for Pavo n. revolutionary development and lugust last year. Fleeta Drumgo is behind him in the growth here in the American state because of the proximity of the same common enemy and oppressor-the pig state?

Early this he year was acquitted of assaulting another prisoner following an incident which took place almost two years previously. After the case a juryman telephoned Talamantez's lawyer and said it was a clear case of persecution against the prisoner. Of the new charges facing him and the Six, Tala- mantez says: 'We have tremendous forti- confidence within tude and ourselves. This is due partly to the concern shown by the people. We express our thanks and gratitude to all revolu- tionary people in the world and our comrades in to struggle. 'All of us political prisoners know the plight of each other and the loss suffered when George was assassinated. Our memories are with our late comrade'

DAVID JOHNSON

Although only 23, Johnson has a considerable history of struggle against racialism and brutality in prisons. In 1970 he became the first prisoner to file a complaint against San Quentin authorities. This fol- lowed the death Fred Billingslea, a black prisoner who tear-gassed was beaten to death. He wrote recently: 'I have dedicated my life to exposing to the people the corruption that exists in these pig styes.

For my efforts I have been the victim of all types of per- secution which has culminated in my indictment in this fraud case. The hatred we have for our oppressor is not a sudden thing. Years of hardships, heartaches and pains have served to kindle our vigour and revolutionary flame. It is inevitable that a revo- lution will come to pass America, but we don't desire it to occur 50 years from now but today, now. We have got to discipline ourselves and arm ourselves with necessary and ideologies to weapons wage an effective struggle. We will not die defeated men or in obscurity. The destruction of this corrupt capitalist system will be a monument to our existence' In a letter to a friend in London Johnson writes: 'The moral and spiritual support of people gives me strength the to carry on struggle. Even though I am confined to a concrete module, I still resist. I have taken a position which I will not com- promise. Revolution is the only way to liberate my homeland.

"Comrade, every act which appears as a defeat is but a motivational spark for us. We have found something greater than the fear of death to drive us on.'

FLEETA DRUMGO

IN 1965 Fleeta Drumgo was given the notorious one-year- to-life sentence which is fre- quently handed out to black 'troublemakers'. His offence possession alleged of was stolen property. Born in Shreveport, Louisi- Fleeta first came up ana, against the police in the early 1960s in Los Angeles when he 'boys' was locked up in a home. His turn to politics be- gan in 1967 when he was sent to Soledad Prison where: I started attending black history classes, trying to really get my- self together. Fleeta explains what hap- pened: 'In 1969 I heard about Comrade George Jackson. My cell partner asked me did I know General G. I said no.

I remember being in the gym punching the bag when Tony came up and said come Mortara Pross, Saturday and meet Comrade — speaking of George. When we got over there George was in a heavy conversation discussing the When we got together war. he gave me some literature and told me to read it. 'George always encouraged us to read and exercise. George didn't trip a lot like other prisoners. I mean he didn't always spend time discussing women. He spent most of his time schooling us and him- self. He used to stay up night night after after we were locked up explaining Marxism to us. I once asked why it was that people reject Marxism.

George explained that they had been programmed that communism destructive was and something to fear. "This came from the reac- tionary forces and through TV and movies and other propa- George ganda. Comrade stressed that we should really drive and transform from Utopian socialist to scientific communists, And that's where it's at ...

WILLIE TATE

'I was born in Selma, Ala- bama, and _raised in Fresno, California. I am 27 years old.

In the hopes of giving their offspring a better and less oppressive life, my parents moved to California in 1952.

In order to survive we picked berries, cotton, cut grapes, etc. There were 12 of us then.

My father's wages just weren't

22, 1072 PAGE 7

sufficient to feed and clothe all of us. 'Coming into contact with the institutionalized racism of the California juvenile judicial system, I was, after being sub- jected to its bogus court pro- ceedings without benefit of an sent to the Youth attorney, Authority. As early as 1962 Tate came into contact with Jackson George and Jimmy Carr, later murdered outside home during the Angela Davis trial. He recalls: These brothers (Jackson and Carr) strived tirelessly to educate and raise our consciousness politically.

They taught us to respect blacks, not to fat-mouth, not to play with racists. In short, they taught us how to survive and win respect from our fel- of low regardless prisoners their colour. They also taught us the importance of prisoners' unity. 'We, however, were seldom able to make this a reality since guards could easily insti- gate some neo-nazis into starting a racial conflict?

When David Johnson drew up his petition against the killing of Fred Billingslea, Tate was one of the first to sign and thus declare himself against the brutal regime at San Quentin. He closed recent letter a saying: 'Well, if they don't get you one way, they will get you anothtr. All power to the people'

Scan page 8

ORIGINS OF RACIALISM

PAGE 8 Workers Press, Saturday Septer The fate of those slaves who went to the West Indies was terrible. On arrival in the sugar plantations, the servants were put to work 'grinding at the mills and attending the fur- or digging in this naces, island; having scorching nothing to feed on (notwith- standing their hard labour) but potato roots, nor to drink, but water with such roots washed in it, besides the bread and tears of their own afflictions; being bought and sold still from one planter to another, and or attached as horses beasts for the debts of their masters, being whipped at the whipping posts (as rogues) for pleasure and masters' their sleeping in sties worse than hogs in England.' There was, of course, one the important difference in condition of the indentured servant and transported con- vict, and that of the African slave. and Indentured servants convicts were transported for a set period. They knew that if they survived, even it they never got home again, they might have a chance to acquire a few acres of land for them- selves and their children would be free. African slaves were slaves for life and their children after them. Their colour made it much more difficult for them to escape from a cruel master, and even if they managed it they were unable to look for- ward to owning anything. If their masters set them free, they lived in constant terror of being snatched up as runaways and sold again. not, however, pity It was for the white servants and con- victs which put an end to the practice of transportation, and which opened the way for the kidnapping not of white slaves, but of black The invention of new machines and the consequent development of industry re- a large work force to quired be available at home rather than in the colonies. At the same time the expan- sion of the plantation system and the West Indies in America needed a huge; discip- lined supply of labour in areas where people were scarce.

Since the number of white indentured servants and felons could not keep pace with the rapacious they were needed to man the factories in Britain, the growth trade of the African slave became inevitable. The ending of the trans- portation system for the British worker, however, did not mean the ending of his misery. On the contrary. Whilst sugar, cotton and rum were produced on the slave planta- overseer's the tions under whip, the working class in the 'mother country' was toiling its life away under the whip of starvation. In The Condition of the Working Class in England' Engels wrote, in 1844: 'When one individual inflicts bodily injury • upon another, such injury that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in lay September 23, 1972 a family on the block at auction Top: work in the cotton fields.

advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. society 'But when places proletarians in hundreds of such position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under condi- • in which they cannot tions live-forces them, through the arm of the law, to strong remain in such consequence- knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet conditions permits these remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual... The slaveowner, out of sheer self-interest, fed his chattel, even if only just enough to keep body and soul together. The 'free' worker, if he had no work, literally starved. people Over a million starved to death during the at auction in Virginia. Above: slaves at famine in Ireland. potato Millions died every year in Britain, some directly from starvation, the majority from diseases and debilitation asso- ciated with constant malnutri- tion. On the slave ships it was found that the death rate among the sailors was almost double that amongst the slaves themselves. Slaves, after all, were profit- were cheap. able. Seamen When food ran short, the rule was slaves before sailors.

Ships' doctors were there to keep mortality down among the slaves, who were to be sold, not amongst the sailors and so very few of them would treat sick sailors. Discipline was harsh and floggings were routine. In a single crossing, all but three of the 50-man crew on the 'Alexander' were flogged, one man so frequently that he jumped overboard.

MECROES

FOR BALE

Olaudah Equiano, snatched as a child from his African homeland and taken as a slave to Barbados, was later freed by his master and published memoirs. his He gave a horrific description of the Middle Passage. At one point he wrote: I seen among had never any people such instances of brutal not only cruelty; and this shewn towards us blacks, but also to some of the whites themselves. 'One white man in particular I saw, when we were permitted to be on deck, flogged so un- mercifully with a large rope near the foremast, that he died in consequence of it, and they tossed him over the side as they would have done a brute.'

The great ports of Liverpool and Bristol grew up on the slave trade. In the cotton towns of Lancashire industry flourished. Shipbuilders, mer- chants and manufacturers grew rich and built spacious houses.

In Volume I of 'Capital' for Man- Officer of Health chester, who stated that "the average age at death of the Manchester ... upper middle class was 38 years, while the average age at death of the labouring class was 17; while at Liverpool those figures were represented as 35 and 15.

It thus appeared that the well-to-do classes had a lease of life which was more than double the value of that which favoured citizens, Of the less fell to the lot For the working classes in the large industrial towns of England, Scotland and Wales, life was a constant struggle just to survive, struggle which thousands of them lost.

Housing conditions were frightful, disease and malnutri- tion rampant. Men, women and children laboured 10, 12, 14 hours a day, longer, or even crowded, dangerous, insanitary and noisy workplaces, haunted by the dread of losing their jobs and being thrust down even further into the whirl- pool of misery in which they struggled to keep afloat.

The British Tories of the day, just as their successors cared no more for the now, wellbeing of the British worker than they did for the Negro slave or the Asian peasant.

The ending of the slave trade was not the result of a sudden upsurge of conscience the part of the British on ruling class, nor was it the result of the activities of the abolitionists. Just as the ending of the trade in white indentured ser- vants was occasioned by the growth of industry, so the end of the black slave trade was brought about by the growth of Free Trade. The merchants decided it was more profitable to trade freely on the world market without being tied to special relationships and tariffs with the West Indies. Many of leading the abolitionists, such as William Wilberforce, were far from being enlightened human- itarians. Wilberforce himself was never opposed to the exploita- tion of labour, black or white.

Even as he argued for the ending of the slave trade, he opposed all measures to relieve distress of the British the working class. It was a case of what one cynic at the time referred to lucrative as humanity'. The slave trade ended in slavery itself was 1807, and declared illegal in the West Indies and Britain in 1833.

The slave owners were paid a total of £20 million in compen- sation. The slaves, who had fought for their freedom in many harshly-suppressed uprisings, received little if any compen- sation. But it took the Ameri- can Civil War to put an end to slavery in America. In the meantime the British working class had been through a number of major struggles. The long, hard fight for trade unionism was on.

The working class was learn- ing, out of its misery and ex- ploitation, that its only hope lay in the unity of the working people against the capitalist class.

CONTINUED

Scan page 9

EMPLOYERS PLAN

THE FOUR-DAY-WEEK

BOOK REVIEW

'4 DAYS,

40 HOURS:

a Revolution in Work and Lelsure' Edited by Riva Poor. Pan Books ers According of per cent United States four-day WeeK quadrupled. Companies this by extra overtime. workers were employment policemen, to run a farm This new the up' chapter, ing lighting': Instead of ought to people who for "They through folks, elderly highly able aged.' The passage four-day sum, but ing, bother In many bag; take elderly this see towards the week but a week, Some of blocks to hours of number of These by employers relevant HOURS: Reporting In Work and Lelsure га Poor. Pan Book: le great dangers ir-day week is its pitalism to pro- ger hours. Work- ing inadequate • forced to take job - a system 1 the USA and this book, workers in the have two jobs. rich changed to the this cashed in on emselves supplying extensive take part-time as firemen, or trying of contains a 'follow directly advocat agement of "moon- of holding moon- we really extend then They are trying hard e people struggling es, putting children supporting s, and so on This aviour for family is tructive and desir- be encour- concludes In does lead should that ways, this ting that workers not to acquire to arrive at ies of life-a home nd support for the and confirming that the situation iters would like to is, such enthusiasm indicater y that this book is bout a step forward e shorter working contrary is the that workers return s a day, seven days week, in order an existence. n the Law stumbling- doing ten work are protective labour be evaded in States as in Britain applying to the overnment depart- waiver permit. rarely refused and in Britain exemptions are avail- able simply on the claim that the longer hours are required to maintain or increase effi- ciency. But this is not enough for Poor & Co who demand relaxa- tion of any laws requiring overtime payments to be made eight or nine hours' after work a day and of those which prohibit women from working beyond eight or nine hours a day. And Mrs Poor comments •When the four-day work- week becomes more wide- spread we can expect the regulations to be re-written and/or abandoned.' Most of the'4-40' firms are said to have 'increased produc- tivity considerably. One tex- tile firm, for example, achieved a production rise of 15 per cent. The output of a paint com- pany rose by 33 per cent. A survey of 143 four-day firms found 61 per cent reporting output rises and 51 per cent had higher profits. A mass of arguments rang- ing from defence of the United States Constitution to develop- ment of a 'momentous social invention' are used in the book to prove the need for a ten-hour day. For example, the laws pro- hibiting long hours of work for women are described as discrimination against them and as a restriction on 'free- dom of choice'. The fight to invalidate the laws is explained as an extension of the suffra- gette and women's liberation movements. Advice given to employers introducing the '4-40' system is to do some groundwork among employees. Even hold a poll of workers to get their views.

An example of a staff ques- tionnaire used by • a Boston savings bank is given. Some of the questions are, to say the least, loaded'. For example: 'Q. How would you suggest the Bank deal with an employee who repeatedly abused the hours scheduled for four-day workweek, a which in turn causes more work for employees who come to work regularly and usually are on time? 'A. Fire or dismiss them.

— deduct money from week's pay. — require abusers to work a five-day week. - other - Employers are recom- mended to introduce the scheme on a piecemeal basis.

Under the heading Some Don'ts' a management con- sultant advises-'Don't tell all your employees, or even inti- mates that you are planning to go into the four-day work- week. This holds true especi- if your plant is organ- ally ized.' In one example given of a textile mill, workers were told of the new system a little more than a week before it was begun. Management gave employees a lecture on the subject lasting 45 minutes, then allowed 15 minutes for questions and answers. The book amasses a large amount of evidence to show that everyone likes the '4-40' system. Opposition is explained as 'part of the human tendency never to be satisfied'. Nevertheless, some dis- advantages are mentioned in order to give the appearance of a 'balanced' view. Effects of the system complained of include fatigue from the long hours, particularly for opera- tives on their feet all day, and for older workers. 'The hours are too long; I get exhausted', 'everybody is grouchy from the lack of rest'.

'Working ten hours a day can be very tiresome sometimes' "Ten hours is too long to stand up'. Virtually all home life dis- appears on four days of the week, which become simply work, eat and sleep. The illusion that the three- day weekend amounts to extra time for recreational activities is dispelled somewhat by the book's own evidence which shows that many workers spend much of this time off from the simply recovering effects of four ten-hour days.

Some workers complained of pay cuts, and with tea-breaks, washing and rest-time reduced, were even working. longer hours than on five days. In Some cases, too, national holi- days have disappeared entirely.

The possibilities of introduc- ing '4-40' week as a wide- movement in Britain spread today 'look bleak' according to report in the book. It one explains: If the four-day movement gets going in Britain, it is likely to do so initially (as in the United States) among small to medium-sized, non- unionized firms.' One positive contribution in this direction, however, is said to be the TUC's review of collective bargaining , of May 1972, which drew attention to the '4-40' concept and statea that it might be an advantage to employer and employee.

In an interview with Jack Jones, leader of the Transport General Workers' Union and Jones is reported to have emphasized the need for the shorter working week, but when pressed on the 4-40 idea to have said: 'We would be sympathetic, . depend although a lot would on the product, the location and other factors. We are flexible in our approach. We wouldn't say No on principle.

It may be asked, if workers are on a basic 40-hour week what's the difference if they or the employer find it con- venient to work this in four days? The answer is that changes working conditions in pay, hours do not occur by and some abstract mathematical proportioning of what is some- how best for everyone, but are born of the unceasing struggle between the workers and the capitalists whose interests are fundamentally opposed. In the present period of economic crisis, world-wide the capitalist class searches frantically for methods of reducing wages and the num- ber of workers in employment, and for extending the level of exploitation of those at work, both in length and intensity.

At the same time, it seeks through trickery, and brute force to gain a political stranglehold on the entire working class. Sufficient evidence is given in the book "4 Days, 40 Hours' to show that it is directly advocating just such a system for the crisis. On the other hai level of absenteeis show and tired hours simply so t minority can amass profit. Even if they do the actual workers know machinery modern ods there enormous productivity where lective work of a operatives can pro mass of commoditi In spite of this, the talk about the increased weeks' paid holiday the policy of the Tr General adopted at its conference. Trade unionists I workers cannot decide individually unlimited hours. industries controls enforced by worker SOle overven employers and selves. Workers who hi secured the four-da adequate increase a substantial cut in of working, contrib struggle. For those on the tem, demand the working hours is Employers who workers. The fact is insatiable greed for ferocious resistanc hours of work in shows that the reasonable conditio hours of work irreversibly the capitalist forcibly relieved af ship and control of of production, distr exchange and whe is power thrown by the generally are sick long _contine LOaT WITh today an labour the col- very few manual those to a section of towards class standard of fight against and govern- drive for and con- unemploy- the who want to bandwagon for real with commen- is the Union 1971 annual rightly, that be left to work In some trom from them- and for fewer imperative. want work that capital's to fewer cause, struggle for can only when itself over- 38, Saturday September 23, 1972 PAGE 9 Britain is morally and spiritu- ally—not to say financially- bankrupt. Who says so? . 'The religious group called Victory Tract Club'. There's too much violence, sex, gambling and just sheer enjoying yourself. The domin- ant sin, however, is "trying to get as much money for as little effort as possible'. This does not apply to the employing class, which gets most of the money for no effort at all, but to the workers whose 'couldn't care less' attitude impairs our produc- tivity. 'We', it seems, don't respect 'we' are often beaten authority, in production, beaten in delivery, beaten in ideas and beaten in quality. In fact, 'we' are not doing very well at all.

'Once ahead of the world markets we shall soon be bringing up the rear unless we do something quickly.' Through Jesus, it goes with- out saying, we will be delivered from 'the corruption that is in the world through lust And then we can get on with making more profit for the

EMPRESS

Empress Farah Pahlavi, wife of the Shah of Iran, arrived in Peking for a state visit this week. She was met at the airport by premier Chou En-lai, the premier, the foreign vice minister and the chairman of 'Revolutionary the Peking Committee' wives. with their Top: visiting ompress, Farah Pah- larl. Above: greetings from Chou En-lai The empress and her party certainly distinguished' are They represent guests. regime without parallel in the Middle East for its ferocious hostility to communists. Even the most elementary demo- cratic rights are entirely sup- pressed. The fulsome welcome they received in Peking was un- doubtedly carefully orchest- rated by the Mao-Tse-tung bureaucracy. It testifies the Maoists' counter-revolutionary stand that this feudal monarch should be welcomed with all the trappings due to her status.

Scan page 10

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Saturday Septem

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 10.40 Merrie Melo- dies. 11.05 Puffin. 11.10 Bonan- 12.00 London. za. 6.15 Film: 'Taras Bulba'. 8.30 London. 10.40 Aquarius. 11.30 All our yester- don days. 11.55 Weather. WESTWARD. As Channel except: 10.15 Make 11.05 Gus a wish. Honeybun. 11.55 Faith for life. 12.00 Weather. SOUTHERN: 9.15 You and your golf. 9.40 Collecting on a shoe- string. 10.10 All our yesterdays.

10.35 Follyfoot. 11.05 Man from UNCLE. 11.57 Weather. 12.00 London. 5.10 Smith family. 5.40 London. 6.15 Film: 'The Key. 8.30 London. 10.40 Aquarius.

11.30 News. 11.40 Spyforce. 12.30 Weather. Guideline.

HARLECH: 9.00 London. 10.00 Tomfoolery. 10.30 Sesame street.

11.30 Follyfoot. 12.00 London.

6.10 London. 6.15 TYN

5.10 UFO.

Film: 'The Vikings'. 8.30 London.

9.30 Benny Hill. 10.30 London.

10.40 Aquarius. 11.30 Name of the game. 12.55 Weather. HTV Cymru/Wales 7 and 41 as except: 5.10 Shut above that door. 5.40-6.10 Sion a sian.

10.00 Film: Rovers. 10.25 Triumphs'. 12.00 London. 5.10 Riptide. 6.10 London. 6.15 Film: 'My Son John'. 8.30 London. 10.40 Aquarius. 11.30 Film: 'Child- ren of the Damned'. ATV MIDLANDS: 9.15 You and your golf. 9.45 Collecting on a shoestring. 10.10 Lord Mount- batten. 11.05 Tomfoolery. 11.30 Osmond brothers. 12.00 London.

6.15 Film: 'Hotel'. 8.30 London.

10.40 Aquarius. 11.25 Film: 'The Shuttered Room,. ULSTER: 10.30 Thunderbirds. ley's

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL: 2.13

Weather. 2.15 London. Film: Bad For • Other'. 4.40 London. 5.35 Black Beauty. 6.05 London. 7.55 Film: 'The VIPs'. 10.00 London.

11.15 Avengers. 12.05 Epilogue.

Weather. WESTWARD. As Channel except: YOF 9.30 London. 10.30 Let them live.

11.00 The tribe that hides from man. 12.15 John Constable. 12.55 Collecting on a shoestring. 1.20 Smith family. 1.45 Farm progress.

for life. 12.05 Faith 12.10 Weather. SOUTHERN: 9.15 Talking hands.

9.30 London. 10.30 Farm pro- gress. 10.57 Weather. 11.00 Golf.

12.30 Bush boy. 1.00 Superman.

1.20 How. 1.50 Hogan's heroes. 2.15 London. 3.15 Film: 'Lad: a Dog'. 4.35 News. 4.40 London.

Black Beauty. 6.05 London.

5.35 7.55 Film: 'A Kind of Loving'.

10.00 London. 11.15 Strange re- 12.10 Frighteners. 12.35 Weather. Guideline. HARLECH: 11.00 Harvest festival.

12.35 Talking hands. 12.45 Jour- ney of a lifetime. 1.00 Let them live. 1.25 Love, American style. 2.15 London. 3.15 Film: "Seven • 4.45 London. 5.35 In Darkness'. Black Beauty. 6.15 London. 7.55 Film: 'Noose For A Lady'. 9.30 Mr and Mrs. 10.00 London. 11.15 Villains. 12.15 Weather. HTV Cymru/Wales 7 and 41 as above except: 6.45-7.00 Llusern.

ANGLIA: 9.30 London. 10.30 Sur- vival. 11.00 Golf. 12.30 Dr Simon Locke. 12.55 Cowboy in Africa.

1.50 Weather. 1.55 Farming. 2.30 Name of the game. 3.55 Match.

4.45 London. 5.35 Black Beauty: 6.05 London. 7.55 Film: The Mob'. 9.30 Shut that door. 10.00 London. 11.15 Department S.

ATV MIDLANDS: 9.30 London.

10.30 All our yesterdays. 11.00 Tribe that hides from man. 12.30 Citizen's rights. 1.00 Champions.

2.00 Soccer. 3.00 Film: 'The Ad- ventures of Quentin Durward'- 4.45 London. 5.35 Black Beauty.

6.05 London. 7.55 Film: Tom Jones'. 10.00 London. 11.15 Spy- force. ULSTER: 11.00 Golf. 12.30 You and your golf. 1.00 Collecting on ay September 23, 1972 11.30 Skippy. 12.00 London. 5.10 .6.10 Flintstones. 5.40 Sportscast.

BBC 1

London. 6.15 Branded. 6.45 Film: 'Diplomatic Courier'. 8.30 Lon- don. 10.40 Aquarius. 11.25 Jour- 12.40 Weather. 12.45 ney to the unknown. 12.50 Football previev 2.35, 3.05 1972 Burs <

ORI

1.50. 2.20. 2.50. 3.25 | golf. string. 10.10 10.35 Final score. Follyi 12.00 Lon- 5.15 Mary Tyler Moore don. and weather. 5.55 Br Fort 6.15 Film: From and the generation g Brave to the un- arius 6.45

DIXON OF DO

knol The Specialist. GR

THE TWO ROP

7.35 golf. Barker a nie string. 10.10 10.35 Corbett with { Sesame Street. Clapper- Price and Ger board. 6.15 Film: valley.

FILM: 'BLINDF

8.20 •H lote Hudson, arius. nale. A psycho Window'. himself

TYN

nap plot. olf. on a shoe- 10.00 NEWS, Weathe 10.10 10.35 String. Follyi 12.00 Lon-

10.10 MATCH OF TH

do n. .15 From Fort

11.10 PARKINSON.

Bravo. 11.40 Jour- 12.10 Weather. don. 12.35 ney to the Epilogue. your 10.35 12.00 5.10 'The 8.30 10.40 gai- 11.30 jumblie. 6.10 6.15 8.30 Lon- a 1.55 Women 'From Here to don. 7.55 Eternity. 10.00 London. 11.15 Saint. Chess master- pieces. 10.30 Let them live. 12.30 On 7.55 'The don. Double Man'. 10.00 11.15 In search of 12.05 Weather. lt's certainly 10.35 (top left) In the last 10.15. And next 11.00 Golf. at 'greatest [TV] epic 12.30 Merrie 12.55 Bearcats. 1.50 Survival. 2.20 ing Boys'. London. 5.35 Film: "The Tell 9.40 All that jazz. TYNE TEES: 9.20 Chess master- 10.30 Let pieces. 9.30 London. them live. 11.00 Golf. 12.30 On the buses. 1.00 Farming outlook.

1.25 Something sing about. to 1.55 1.50 Where the jobs are. Shoot. 2.50 Film: 'Never Let Me

BBC 2

Go. 4.45 London. 5.35 Black Beauty. 6.05 London. 7.55 Film: 'The Devil at Four O'Clock'. 10.00 11.35-1.00 Open Univ London. 11.15 Strange report. 12.10 Poems of the people.

7.00 NEWS REVIEW

7.25 THE WORLD

SCOTTISH: 10.15 Master chets.

The Foals of t 10.30 Skilful rugby. 11.00 Golf. 12.30 My brother David. 1.00

8.15 A COLLEC

Out of town. 1.20 Randall and GOODIES. Tim Hopkirk. 2.15 Soccer. 2.45 Film: Graeme lor. •Johnny Frenchman'. 4.45 Lon- Oddie. don. 5.35 Elephant boy. 6.05 8.40 MARY. Rhyme London. 7.55 Film: 'Return of the sons. Gunfighter'. 10.00 London. 11.15 A. guests Late call. 11.20 Strange report. The lan Car Group.

GRAMPIAN: 11.00

Golf. 12.30

SIX FACES.

9.25 You and your golf. 1.00 Collec- Kenneth Moor ting on a shoestring. 1.30 Farm series. progress. 2.00 Here and there in 10.10

FILM.

Canada. 2.15 Soccer. 2.45 Film:

COOKIE'.

'Follow That Horse'. 4.10 Car- son of Billy W toon. 4.15 Rainbow country. 4.40 edies. With Ja London. 5.35 Black Beauty. 6.05 Walter Matthal London. 7.55 Film: 'The Rat Race'. 10.00 London. 11.15 Un- 12.10

NEWS

Weather. • on touchables.

BBC 2

9.30-12.00 Liberal Party As- sembly. 3.00 Film: 'My Friend Flicka'. Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster, Rita Johnson. A boy's love for a horse. 4.25 The world about us. 5.15 The mind of man.

Worldwide investigation into cur- rent research on the brain and human nature. er. 12.45 Grandstand. all preview. 1.15, 2.05

7.20 NEWS,

SPORT, CONFER

1972 Burghley trials.

ENCE

REPORT. Weather. .50, 3.25 Racing from Rugby league. 4.40 7.45 WAR AND PEACE. A pre- 5.05 Donald Duck. view with Anthony Hopkins yier Moore. 5.40 News and Morag Hood. 5.55 Bruce Forsyth ¡eration game.

8.20 LOVE AND MR LEWIS.

HAM. Part 4.

N OF DOCK GREEN.

PLAY: 'HAMLET'. Shake- 9.05 TWO RONNIES. Ron- speare's tragedy with lan and. Ronnie McKellen. Faith Brook, guests Alan Woodvine, Susan With John and Georgie Fame. Fleetwood, James Cairn- cross. • 'BLINDFOLD'. Rock Claudia Cardi- 11.00 NEWS ON 2, Weather.

A psychologist finds alf involved in a kid- 11.05 PLAY continued 12.30

FILM: NEW YORK CONFI-

S, Weather.

DENTIAL'.

Broderick Crawford, Richard Conte,

CH OF THE DAY.

Anne Bancrott. An inter- faced national crook is with betrayal and double- cross. Morag Hood's week. On Sul 27-year-old Scottish actress n the last of the present serles of H. E.

Bates' 'Country Matte (above left) to Antho And next Thursday she plays Natasha TV] epic ever made', Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. That's th

BBC 1

zindagi naya jee- 9.00-9.30 Nai van. 10.30-11.30 Morning service.

12.05 VAT special. 12.40 Farming.

1.05 Made in Britain. 1.20 Don't just sit there. 1.55 News and wea- 2.00 Chigley. 2.15 Ken ther. Dodd. 2.55 Story theatre. 2.50 Vivien Film: 'Waterioo Bridge'. Leigh, Robert Taylor. An English soldier remembers a love affair.

4.35 Burghley horse trials. 5.20 Wonderful world of Disney.

Open University. 6.05 NEWS, Weather. 6.15 A CHANCE TO MEET. The

'S REVIEW.

Rev Canon Gonville

WORLD ABOUT US.

french-Beytagh. Foals of Epona.

6.50 SONGS OF PRAISE.

OLLECTION OF

Tim Brook-Tay- 7.25 THE ONEDIN LINE. Pound Graeme Garden, Bill and Pint. Y. Rhymes and Rea- 8.15

FILM OF THE WEEK: "TOO

Travers with MUCH TOO SOON'. Errol Lloyd and Flynn, Dorothy Malone. L. Campbell Folk 10.10 NEWS, Weather. FACES. True Life. OMNIBUS. The Last Sam- 10.20 eth Moore in a new urai, Akira Kurosawa and his films.

'THE

FORTUNE

KENNETH HARRIS INTER-

11.10 KIE'. First of a sea- VIEW. Phil Bull who de- of Billy Wilder's com- vised a unique system of s. With Jack Lemmon, racehorse's analysing er Matthau. strengths and weaknesses.

SUMMARY,

11.55 Weather.

ITV

9.00 You and your golf. 9.30 Collecting on a shoestring 9.55 The Osmonds. 10.20 Merrie melo- dies. 10.30 Return to Peyton Place. 10.55 Sesame street. 11.55 Junior police five. 12.00 World of sport. 12.05 International golf.

12.45 News. 12.50 On the ball.

1.15 International golf. 1.20 The ITV six. 1.30, 2.00, 2.30 Racing from Catterick. 1.45, 2.15, 2.45 Racing from Stratford. 2.55 Inter- national golf. 3.50 Results, scores, news. 4.00 Wrestling. 4.50 Results service. 5.10 Best of ver. please sir. 5.40 Sale of the cen- tury.

6.10 NEWS FROM ITN.

6.15

FILM: 'CARRY ON-DON'T

LOSE YOUR HEAD'. Sid- ney James, Jim Dale, Ken- Charles neth Williams, Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Dany Robin. Comedy set during the French Revolution. 7.55

TOMMY STEELE

THE

HOUR. Tommy Steele with The Irving Davies Dan- The Peter Knight cers, Orchestra and The Mich- ael Sammes Singers. THE FRIGHTENERS. You 9.00 Remind Me Of Someone. 9.30 SATURDAY VARIETY. The Kopykats with Robert Young. 10.30

NEWS FROM ITN.

10.40 McCLOUD. Fifth Man In A String Quartet. 12.00

THE TOO DIFFICULT'

FILE.

12.05 SPYFORCE. The General. *. On Sunday she plays Breeze Ansley ntry Matters' on independent channels ) to Anthony Hopkins' Pierre In BBC2's That's the real-life Morag on the right.

ITV

jee- 9.30 Harvest festival. 10.30 Re- ice. turn to Peyton Place. 10.55 Film: "Tarzan and the Huntress'. John- on't ny Weissmuller. 12.30 Forest rangers. 1.00 Thunderbirds. 1.50 Brian Connell interviews.

2.15 Big match. 3.15 Persuaders. 4.20 Golden shot. 5.15 Aquarius.

6.05 NEWS FROM ITN.

6.15 ADAM SMITH.

6.45 THY KINGDOM COME.

7.00 STARS ON SUNDAY.

7.25 DOCTOR IN CHARGE.

The Rumour.

7.55 FILM: THE HOUSE ON

GREENAPPLE

ROAD'.

Janet Leigh, Julie Harris.

Thriller made especially for television.

10.00 NEWS FROM ITN.

10.15 COUNTRY

MATTERS.

Breeze Anstey. 11.15 THE FBI. The Hostage.

12.15 THE 'TOO DIFFICULT

FILE.

12.20 SIX DATES WITH BAR-

KER. 1899—The Phantom • Raspberry Blower of Old London Town. Ronnie Bar- ker.

Scan page 11

THROUGHOUT the past year the Communist Party has tried to send the tenants' movement down a blind alley of protest against the Tory Housing Finance Act. With the control of organizations like the National Association of Tenants and Resi- dents they launched a phoney campaign of petitions and lobbies to 'Kill the Bill'. The strategy was to make the legislation 'inopera-

BY PHILIP WADE

tive' through the non-cooperation of Labour councils. attacked by the Stalinists.

Attempts to unite tenants of All this, course, had no with trade unionists in effect the Tory whatsoever on powerful to bring movement The Bill became an government. down the source of the rent first £1 Act and the increases doubling operation-the Tory are due on Monday week. government were dutifully Tories understood The the

THE

'FAIRNESS'

of the that points out a single man earning £30 gross week has means test in the Tories 'fair £16.99 to spend on food, clothes, rents' Act has been exposed etc., while with three a man as a fraud by London sociolo- children, after all taxes and gist Della Nevitt. means-tested benefits, has £22.17 £5.18 to feed and -leaving only Generally speaking, she additional four people. says, clothe an Britain's means-tested aid system If we assume that the family is not solving the problem of must pay a higher rent than the family because the poverty single person-say a single fier- of benefit such amount trom son pays £5 a week and a schemes is not related to family person family £10 a week-then size or needs. the difference between what the Miss Nevitt, reader in social food, family has to spend on London administration the at clothing etc. and the single man is only £2.58? School of Economics, adds: "The effect of the present bene- The report examines the nomic effects of benefits under fits is sa minimal that there is a very samll difference between the income national insurance tax, income of contributions, family income sup- net disposable large and small households.' rent rebates under the plement, In her report, 'Hidden Equali- 'fair' law and free rents ties and Family Incomes', she school meals. The case for nationalization of the docks and transport industry Stephen Johns' and lan Yeats' timely articles on

CONTAINERIZATION

now put together in a useful

SEA

LAND

pamphlet which makes vital reading for dockers and all

LEAGUE POCKET LIBRARY NO S

workers fighting for the right to work. Available as below 30p Workers Pressin ane series which appeared in 1972 is now available as a pamphlet in the Socialist Labour League Pocket Library.

WHY A LABOUR GOVERNMENT?

A Reply to some centrist critics' By Cliff Slaughter Price 5p Other titles in this series include: The Case for a General Election A reply to some By Alex Mitchell. The Ulster Dossier centrist critics The Social Security Swindle which includes the All Trades Unions Alliance Draft Manifesto and the Charter of Basic Rights.

By Cliff Slaughter All are available from 186a Clapham High St, London SW4 7UG.

Or The Paperback Centre, 28 Charlotte St, London W1.

Solly Kaye: Instalments plan 'opposition' of the Labour coun- cils was a mere token gesture.

They were right. One by one the 380 Labour councils capitulated and decided to implement the Act. In London the retreat has has been virtually complete. Only Camden-and they appear to be having second thoughts — are refusing to implement out of a total of 21 Labour-controlled inner London councils. Nation- ally only about 40 councils are still defiant. The Stalinists have refused to fight this collaboration by the Labour councils. At no time have they called for the expulsion of the right-wing in the town halls.

Now they have come forward in Tower Hamlets, East London, to attempt further to divert ten- ants away from the main Tory enemy and the Labour bureau- cracy which carries out its direc- tives. At a meeting on Thursday night, local Stelast leadersciation tenants' association called for the withholding of the £l increases as a 'gesture of defiance'. Ex-CP councillor Solly Kaye removed last year when the Local Bengali workers voted Labour in opposition to the CP's line on Bangladesh—made it quite clear that only a protest would do now.

"There is always a time to re- treat when you are are forced to retreat,' said Kaye. He then explained how, when the bailiff told the arrears would be repaid at so much a week. So no one would get hurt. It was not going to be a rent strike as such, he said, because of 'certain unfortunate events of 1968'. No doubt he was referring to the isolated rent strike by Greater London Council tenants which the Stalinists isolated and led to defeat. Apart from gestures of defi- ance, Kaye and the other Stalin- ist speaker, Max Levitas, had nothing but words of despair for the tenants. It was little wonder that most of the 100 people at the meeting drifted off before the close. Having driven tenants into blind-alleys, the Stalinists are now trying to demoralize them with hopeless gestures. With only a week to go before the increases, the urgent question becomes the construction of Councils of Action in all the areas. This is the only way in which the millions of tenants and trade unionists — betrayed by their leaderships-can be mobilized in a compaign to force the Tories to resign and elect a Labour govern- ment pledged to repeal the Act and carry out socialist policies of under workers' nationalization control and without compensa- tion. And it is in this fight that the Stalinists like Kaye and Levitas, who spend their time propping up the Tory government by pre- venting the working class getting to grips with it, will be defeated and a new principled, revolution- ary leadership built. Workers Press, Saturday September 23, 1972 PAGE 11 WATFORD: Monday September 25, 8 p.m. Trade Union Hall OVER 27,000 jobs have been (upstairs Woodford lost in the south London Road (opposite Junc Wandsworth borough in the Force the Tories to station/ resign.' st six years, a report tro e Wandsworth Council h day p.m. revealed. Small Hall, Manor Clapham This is mor Manor Street, Baths. Clapham

'ATUA

SW4. national confer- population. ence.' BASILDON: Tuesday September 26, 8 p.m. Laindon Community among Wands- formerly tries, Centre, Road, Laindon, worth's most significant indus

'ATUA

ries, are known to be leaving national conference' London at an increased rate and Tuesday

WANDSWORTH:

Sept- Wandsworth appears be to no ember 26, 8 p.m. Selkirk Hotel, exception. Selkirk Tooting. 'Lessons Road, The service industries in both of the builders' strike'.

Wandsworth and Greater London

LUTON:

Wednesday September as a whole account for a higher 27. 8 p.m. Recreation Centre. proportion of employment than Old 'Stalinism Bedford Road. although the nationally, in case and the capitalist class.'

of Wandsworth there has been the of decline a in number

HOUNSLOW:

Thursday Septem- employed in all categories other ber 28, 8 p.m. Co-op Hall, Bath insurance and professional- than Road. 1966 and scientific between Septem- 1971. 7.30 p.m. One of the for the reasons Burnley Institute, Road. 'Lessons decline, ( says the council, is that of the builders' and busmen's economic pressures have forced strikes! a reappraisal of operating meth- rationalization ods, resulting in Lessons of the building and mergers. workers strike.

SWANSEA

BRITISH-LEYLAND

yesterday Thursday, September 28 obtained a Measured-Day Work 7 p.m. 350 workers at agreement with Swansea Council of Social Ser- the assembly and paint sections Mount Pleasant Birming- vices, HIll, of its Common Lane, Next to the fire station.

ham, car-body factory. Speakers: Gordon Carruthers The workers will receive a (Chairman of Swansea No. flat rate of £44.50 a week, rising UCATT branch. In to £48 by the end of November a personal capacity). Similar deals next year. were Jim Bevan (Chairman of Mar- announced for two engine plants AUEW branch. In a per- foundry in Coventry on gam and sonal capacity). Thursday. The daily paper that leads the fight againet the Tortes. £20.28 for 12 months (312 Issues) £10.14 for 6 months (156 |ssues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 issuds) If you want to take Workers Preas twice a week the rales are: £1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and send 1o: 186a Claphem High St., Circulation Dept., Workers Press, London, SWa JUG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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AS MILLIONS JOIN THE PAY QUEUE

TUC RETREAT

ON WAGES BEGINS

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Saturday Septer POWER and government indus fruits of the TUC talks with t Industry on pay. These alread made an example of by the u Tories. Scenting blood, big em- ployers, like CBI president Michael Clapham, have been talking ominously this week about hotting up the pace of the joint talks. It now seems certain that next Tuesday premier Heath will feel confi- dent enough to table a fully- fledged proposal for a 'volun- tary' incomes policy. At Chequers last week TUC leaders discussed with the Tories a scheme for making low-paid workers the scape- goat for wage restraint. On Thursday the scheme came into operation. The power workers' leaders asked the Electricity Council for a £5.50-a-week increase on all basic rates, rather than on the minimum. Council negotiators had anticipated a more expensive demand for £5.50 on the mini- mum with proportionately more for other grades. A few hours later the govern- workers' leaders, ment industrial meeting the Civil Service at Department in Whitehall, agreed to send their members' claim for a substantial pay rise to arbitra- tion. In both cases these moves are utterly treacherous. Britain's 105,000 power workers are still extremely badly paid. The 7ł-per-cent settlement accepted by their union • chiefs earlier this year left basic rates at only £19.50 for labourers and £24 for craftsmen. As a sweetener there were lead-in payments to productivity deals which can only mean more lost jobs in an industry whose already been labour force has slashed by 42,000 in five years.

Basic rates in the 194,000- strong government industrial ser- vice, which has lost 35,000 jobs since 1967, range from £17.30 for labourers to £23.35 for craftsmen.

LATENEWS

HULL BLACK 'FOREVER'

THREE transport firms said to.

have carried loads from ships at the unregistered Neap House Wharf, Scunthorpe, during the dock strike have been blacked for ever, Hull dockers were told yesterday. The decision was taken by the unofficial dockers' shop stewards committee at Hull. One firm was Clugston Trans- port and another Kenneth Wilson of Scunthorpe. Walter Cunningham, chairman of the shop stewards' committee, said: 'The blacking is for ever, and even after we are dead it will be continued.' A construction company using ferry Clugston to transport materials from Scunthorpe has been told to find an alternative firm. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Ofce. Workers Published by Press, Street, London, 186a Clapham High

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Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU).

Clapham 180b Hish Street. London.

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By DAVID MAUDE Our Industrial Correspondent POWER and government industrial workers were yesterday tasting the first bitter fruits of the TUC talks with the government and the Confederation of British Industry on pay. These already harshly-exploited sections of workers have been made an example of by the union leaders' eagerness to come to terms with the

CHATHAM

WHITLEY

ROr Since their claim for a big increase was submitted June, the Un10D renders acuon has been to call a series of en- tirely inadequate selective strikes Now. overune Dalls. WIld the militancy of their members high-point in areas like Scotland and southern England, tney go tor aroitranon. These retreats, which could over 250,000 workers com- leave pletely at the mercy of the series of heavy price-rises plannea by the Tories, must be halted.

Now there only 71 work- ing days to go before entry

ILLO

the Common Marker NeXT month the Housing Finance Act force rents all will council over me colarv. ase lanove- ber prices will take yet another leap as steel, electricity and road

WEATHER

OVER England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland will Clear Or HlotDallcs during morning give Tne sut tog patds s periods in the afternoon, likely to are form in manv areas before mid- night. Over northern Scotland it will cloudy be rather though some drizzle is likely •MOSLV OlV. over the hills. = will be Temperatures will be near south. near normal in the north. Qutlook for Sunday and Monday: sunny periods arter morning ith rather patches. rrespondent esterday tasting the first bitter the Confederation of British sections of workers have been ss to come to terms with the transport all go up 10-15 per cent. Like the Tories and the CBI, the union leaders are well aware that a series of major upsurges working-class struggle in are inevitable as these onslaughts on living standards take effect.

Their talks with the Tories, are in no way therefore, an attempt to reach some kind of compromise, but a preparation to on the employers' battle behalf. And on the same day as the retreats on the power and gov- THE OFFICIAL retail price index leapt by 1.3 points last month, the biggest second monthly increase since April last year. The jump is blamed by the Department of Employ- ment on price rises for milk, fresh fruit, eggs, clothing and footwear, other some goods and services. The index now stands at compared with 164.2 165.5, on July 18. In April this year there was a 1.5 jump, and in April last year, the rise was 3.2 points. ernment industrial pay claims, them the the Tories handed weapons to do it—a further rise in hard-core unemployment.

The threat of more unemploy- ment has always lain behind the TUC's talks with the Tories.

Early in the series they were told that unless they toed the line on wages 1.4 million workers could be out of a job by next year. At Chequers last week it was made clear that part of the government's contingency plan if the talks did not produce effec- tive restraint was a tight money policy, including a_possible in- in Bank which crease Rate, investment and therefore slash jobs. In other words, the right wing was instructed to blackmail union members with the argument that Government Industrial workers from all over Britain on a recent pay lobby of parliament. Many complain about the negotlating set-up-the Whitley Counci which Includes union and man- (government) sentativea. 150

A MEW

60% Кийілин if they do not accept a cut in their standard of living, they will be pushed out of work. But at least 2 million workers stand directly in the pay queue behind the power and govern- ment industrial workers — and behind them are millions more.

These are powerful forces for struggle. The union leaders must and can be forced to break off with the Tories, their talks action to force the mobilize Tories to resign and provide the conditions for the election of a Labour government pledged to socialist policies. This is why. the building of Councils of Action, aimed at mobilizing workers and their organizations in action against the Tories, is now the task of the hour in every area. And these Councils must not just be talking-shops. They must urgently address themselves to the struggle for a new revolu- tionary leadership in the unions.

Which is why support for the All Trades Unions Alliance national conference on October 22 is vital. Socialist Labour League

LECTURES

THE THEORY AND

PRACTICE OF MARXISM

given by

G. HEALY

(SLL national secretary) Historical materialism today Tuesday September 26

AEU HOUSE

Mount Pleasant Liverpool 1, 7.30 p.m.

SEPTEMBER

FUND NEEDS

ONLY 8

DAYS TO GO

FRANKLY,

we're anxious. Only eight days left and we need, on average, to raise £133.12 each day to complete our target of £1,750 on time. High prices and unemployment are playing havoc with meagre resources of our readers and supporters. Briefly, there is only one real answer and that is to keep on pushing the sales of Workers Press upwards. Sales are rising, but not fast enough to cover the deficit caused by rising costs. It needs politically-inspired campaign each month to keep our wonder- ful Fund-raisers on their toes.

At UCS, our paper alone ex- posed the reformist futility of the work-in' and the treachery of the leadership of Reid and Alrile.

Thousands now are losing their jobs at Clydebank and jolning the huge numbers of unemployed throughout Scotland. These shipyard workers are learning bitterly that an alter- native leadership must be bullt.

Our paper must show trade unionists everywhere this revolu- tionary alternative. This is why Workers Press gives Its fullest support to the ATUA conference In Birmingham on October 22.

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Help us today. Go all out and collect as much as you possibly can. A huge effort now and we'll make it. Post all donations Im- mediately to: Workers Press September Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High Street London SW4 7UG.

JINH

Public Meeting Banbury Wages Jobs and the Fight against the Tory government Thursday October 5, 8 p.m.

Town Hall, Banbury Speaker: Gerry Healy, national of the Socialist secretary Labour League. Development of Marxism through working-class struggle Sunday September 24 Nature of the capitalist crisis unday October listorical materialism today Sunday October 8

EAST HAM

TOWN HALL

Lister Room Barking Rd, 7 p.m.