Workers Press no. 971
1973 Read the scan at ETOL (PDF) →This text was read from the scan by machine and has not been corrected. Columns and stories run into one another, and words are misread. Use it to find things; for anything you quote, read the scan.
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workers press
HEATH DEMANDS
WAGE-CUTS
INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDAY JANUARY 15, 1973• No. 971 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
TORY PAY PLAN IN ACTION
SENIOR TORY MINISTERS met yesterday and put the finishing touches on their plan to cut wages and end collective bargaining in industry for good. The first item on the agenda was how the government should fight out the inevitable confrontation their Phase Two policy of state
RESTORE
control of wages Will cause.
DEMOCRATIC
The propaganda war of lies has already started. Through the Tory-controlled national Press and television. workers are told Phase
RIGHTS
Two means an extra f1 and a 4-per-cent limit
MERTHYR.
on wage increases. But every working-class housewife knows that living standards have been slashed and that worse
DRIVE OUT
10 as to come. BEFORE NOVEMBER, wages barely kept pace
TONY
with Food rose 22 per cent over 12 months. Wages rose 15 percent. In working-class
COMMISIONER
THE
ramnes tood takes every laura op in tae purses.
So on top of other price increases like workers were little better off than they were a ycar aro AFTER NOVEMBER'S 'freeze' on prices food has gone o per cent in two monthsthat is an incredible of 40 per cent Wage year. rises have been banned. On the latest Tory pro- posals une working class will suner a zu to 30 per cent drop in living standards in 1973.
The Tories, of course, are not expecting to con- vince the mass of trade unionists that their polic They have deliberately caused inflation by Is rair. devaluing the beast openty eh at food prices will nor be contr thed.
pound The government knows that a showdown with working class is a certainty and leading Tory Ine spokesmen have identified the car industry as the main field of battle. Ford and British-Leyland workers both have claims for more than treble the 4 per cent norm.
The government will not emay well ike industriaton ence allow these, workers will be set for using the penalties under the sure anti-inflation Act—unlimited fines and jail.
beyond the car in- jailing of Five' Pentonville cockers. il Involves a most important basic demo- cratic right and the entire working class would respond. The Tories are actively preparing for this battle nOW. with he scare to hip aten this will beginine cathest on Wednesday when Heath holds his pie si- begin dential-style questions-and-answers Press conference which will be televised. The Lancaster House, venue an opulent London the mansion wacre government WIl try splendour the past to recreate the impress suburbia that the Tory fight against in- flation is genuine. Secret, but even more serious preparations are afoot. The time dustrial confrontation. to hit back is now. Workers Press has already revealed the plans by the security There be no more illusions From this the Tories would Can about coming confrontation The services Lo create a scare around hope to sal torun win a oner tor -the Tories have said so openly. the socialist movement by false dictatorship -it is not for nothing allegations of conspiracies and that their political commentators • All workers in the wages are
VIUICHCC
compare call LO struggle must be united behind General de Gaulle. These go in hand with special the political campaign to bring political and training Don't waste government down and re- tne thousands of middle-class indivi- place with Labour govern ment pledged to socialist policies.
audis are receive muc a single day -the revamped Territorial Torce Army now being developed • The TUC Congress must be modern, fully "blackshirt" These dangers recalled to plan this offensive and are the alcu that will not blackleg force. (See this page.)
that face the working class.
old leadership *Such preparations tie in with fight must be removed. Every day wint diss is dat shape seeral serious possibility that he working class snap mobilized da hours Councils of Action, involving This for
VICCUO
would take place under condi- which th sections working class Another of a massive government- parties tions which their of the develo red promoted scare, perhaps lans for civil war and dictator built in the mai
CYCES
ship. same ume as a massive in- instruments of the ngat. ARY 15, 1973 • No. 971 • 4p
THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
BY ALEX MITCHELL
THE HOME OFFICE and the Ministry of Defence have been quietly building up a 60,000-strong 'third force' to deal with civil unrest in Britain.
The body of armed and trained men is the revamped Territorials, known as the Army Volunteer Reserve (AVR).
One division of this organization, AVR III, has forged close links with the police force. They conduct exercises together and have worked out a co-ordinated command structure in some areas. AVR III with 23,000 men has an armoured car division: it would be used in the event of a General Strike or large-scale unrest for better wages or against the high cost of living.
The "Daily Telegraph' defence correspondent, Brigadier W. F. K.
Thompson, said on Saturday: *There is general awareness in Whitehall of the possibility of a Northern Ireland form of vio- lence spreading to other parts of the United Kingdom. "The present government has increased the establishment of the and AVR by a further men, one of whose roles is home defence. 1967 In the Wilson govern- ment disbanded the old Territor- ials, the part-timers who did drill in church halls and attended an annual camp. In its place grew the AVR, a and more disciplined better. Between March equipped force. December 1971 the of size the force from 49,100 rose to 56,300, HOUSEWIVES boosted the mainly due to the addition of 20 infantry-type march through Merthyr units. Tydfil, South Wales. on set of official figures new of Saturday in defence will be published next month and democratic rights taken they are bound to show the away by the Tory-appointed strength is now over 60.000.
Housing Commissioner. Recruitment for the AVR is being conducted vigorously Tenants and trade union- among the middle class and the ists also joined the 1,000- unemployed. Those who join are sworn strong demonstration to to secrecy about the they training programme and back up the Labour coun thus inducted into cil's stand against the 'fair 'brotherhood'. rents' Act. Their chief activity is enacting The Commissioner has 'war games'. Two training sched- ules are the storming of an IRA sent rent increase notices stronghold ('pretend you're in the out to over 6,500 council Ardovne') and putting down tenants. race riot in Brixton. • For full story see p.11.
In these mock battles the
TURN TO BACK PAGE
Scan page 2
workers press
HEATH DEMANDS
WAGE-CUTS
INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDAY JANUARY 15, 1973 • No. 971 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
TORY PAY PLAN IN ACTION
SENIOR TORY MINISTERS met yesterday and put the finishing touches on their plan to cut wages and end collective bargaining in industry for good. The first item on the agenda was how the government should fight out the inevitable confrontation their Phase Two policy of state
RESTORE
control of wages will cause.
DEMOCRATIC
The propaganda war of lies has already started. Through the Tory-controlled national Press and television. workers are told Phase
RIGHTS
Two means an extra fl and a 4-per-cent limit
MERTHYR.
on wage increases. But every working-class housewife knows that living standards have been slashed and that worse
DRIVE OUT
10 Is to come.
BEFORE NOVEMBER,
wages barely kept with prices. Food rose 22 per cent 12 months. Wages rose 15 percent. In working-class CommisiNEs
THE
talles lova lakes every uma op mn lne purses.
So on top of other price increases like rents, workers were little better off than they were a AFTER NOVEMBER'S "freeze' on prices food has gone up o per cent in two montns-that 1s an incredible rate of 40 per cent Wage year. have been rises banned. On the latest Tory pro- posals Ine working suner a su to su per cent drop in living standards in 1973.
The Tories, of course, are not expecting to con- vince the mass of trade unionists that their polic They have deliberately caused inflation by Is 1alr. devaluing the deast ope th that tood prices will nor be contred.
pound The government knows that a showdown with is a certainty and leading Tory Toe working class spokesmen have identified the car industry as the main field of battle. Ford and British-Leyland workers both have claims for more than treble the 4 per cent norm.
The government will not these, and the workers may well take industrial action. Then the wil be using the penalties under the anti-inflation Act-unlimited fines and jail.
Such a clash will spread far beyond the car in- dustry. Like the jailing Five' ot Pentonville cocKers. Il involves a most important basic demo.
cratic right and the entire working class would respond. The Tories are actively preparing for this battle
LOW.
A main aim is to whip the middle class into line cathest on Wednesday when Heath holds his presi- with the over inflation. begin dential-style questions-and-answers Press conference which will be televised. The Lancaster House, venue an opulent London the mansion government Will try splendour the past to recreate Tne impress suburbia that the Tory fight against in- flation is genuine. Secret, but even more serious preparations are afoot. The time dustrial confrontation. to now. Workers Press has already There revealed the plans by the security be no more illusion From this the Tories would call about coming confrontation The services lo create a scare aroune none to sal torin win a oder or the Tories have said so openly.
movement false dictatorshipit is not for nothing the socialist by allegations of conspiracies and that their political commentators violence. workers in the struggle General de Gaulle. These go in hand with special political political and military training Don't waste government thousands middle-class it with Labour third ment pledged to socialist policies a single day force'-the revamped Territorial Army now being developed blacksat • The TUC Congress must be fully modern, These are the great dangers armed recalled to plan this offensive and that face the working class.
the old leadership that will not Dlackleg loice. (see lnis page.)
fight must be removed. "Such preparations tie in with Every day wasted— day shape General possibility that the working class of snap Election mobilized—is da hours Councils of Action, involving This would take sections working class mace under 1 orles. Another The of a massive government- their parties tions which they can and of the left, be develop plans for civil war and dictator- built in promoted scare, perhaps the main Alce same time as a massive in.
ship. ARY 15, 1973 • No. 971 • 4p
THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE
BY ALEX MITCHELL
THE HOME OFFICE and the Ministry of Defence have been quietly building up a 60,000-strong 'third force' to deal with civil unrest in Britain.
men is the revamped The body of armed and trained Territorials, known as the Army Volunteer Reserve (AVR).
One division of this organization, AVR III, has forged close links with the police force. They conduct exercises together and have worked out a co-ordinated command structure in some areas. AVR III with 23,000 men has an armoured car division: it would be used in the event of a General Strike or large-scale unrest for better wages or against the high cost of living.
The 'Daily Telegraph' defence correspondent, Brigadier W. F. K.
Thompson, said on Saturday: 'There general awareness in 1S Whitehall of the possibility of a Northern Ireland form of vio- lence spreading to other parts of the United Kingdom. "The present government has increased the establishment of the and
AVR
by further a 10,000 men, one of whose roles is home defence.' 1967 Wilson In the govern- ment disbanded the old Territor- ials, the part-timers who did drill in church halls and attended an annual camp. In its place the AVR, a grew and more disciolined better. Between equipped force. March and December 1971 the of size the force from 49.100 to roca 56,300, HOUSEWIVES boosted the mainly due to the addition of 20 infantry-type through Merthyr march units. Tydfil, South Wales, on A new set of official figures of Saturday in defence will be published next month and democratic taken rights they bound show the are away by the Tory-appointed strength is now over 60.000.
Housing Commissioner. Recruitment for the
AVR
is being conducted vigorously Tenants and trade union- among the middle class and the ists also ioined the 1,000- unemployed. Those who join are sworn strong demonstration to to about the they training programme and back up the Labour coun- thus inducted Intr cil's stand against the 'fair 'brotherhood'. rents' Act. Their chief activity is enacting The Commissioner has 'war games' Two training sched.
ules are the storming of an IRA sent rent increase notices stronghold ('pretend you're in the out to over 6.500 council down a Ardovne) and putting tenants. race riot in Brixton. • For full story see p.11.
In these mock battles the
TURN TO BACK PAGE
Scan page 3
PAGE 2 Workers Press, Monday January 15, 1973
SPANISH
police have begun an intensive hunt in the Bilbao area for who three youths
BY A FOREIGN
threatened kill The talks were reopened in Paris after PRESIDENTIAL adviser Henry fascist union called off the bombardment of
THE SOCIALIST
Nixon had he did not resign. Kissinger arrived in Key Bis- and Hanoi weekend meeting it of B52 bombers over the North Santiago Urdampilleta cayne, Florida, yesterday to re Vietnamese capital. works for corporatist the a virtual state of sie One American demands port to president Nixon on six of the kev rolling stock factory by police and specia The talks is hereved to have seen tor une Bilbao. He to ffective sealing of the demilitarized zone is attempting days of intensive with talks South Vietnam. The the fight Security arrangement etween North anc Lanca
WULNCID
for higher wages. North Vietnamese envoy Le Duc especially tight fo were Vietnam to supervise any ceasefire.
Israeli premier Mrs Gold Tho. with the policy of The biggest threat to the Vietnamese Meir, who flew to Rom nationalist remains the Basque treacherous policy General after the final conferenc Kissinger arrived with
ETA.
arETA's fomenting of indi- ol the moscow and session to confer Alexander Haig, his former deputy on that the Stalinist bureaucrats certain Pope Paul. terrorism White House national security their the these countries have not Franco regime against the staff. He refused to comment •ressure on government In manor lo come to terms with Washington.
anto whether agreement had been reached from the real politica the of peaceful co. Vietnamese in the problems facing Spanish with the North existence they want to laudate the revo 27 hours of talks last week.
lution in Indo-China to facilitate their own
WOLKCID.
almost 100 ETA However, according to presidential Press rapprochement with the leaders of aver une months, talks Ronald Liegler. secretary have arrested youth 'serious'—a term which in American jargon Vietnamese and bomb attacks could the Vietnamese
TOI
mean shoot-outs made concessions to the US negotiating WILe THe DORCe. The ETA is inspired to positions. Geneva agreement. the great extent of doventuristl theories. diplomats are GOLDA MEIR ... Tight al cultivating however, busy, port security. relations commercia following the strongly pro- 1 he observation plator capitalist Europe views now at the airport Chairman favoured executions and the car park was Mao. case The latest Peking-Madrid
ELEVEN
to plant a bomb Moroccan Air deal authorized by the was There were Ministry of Commerce last horce onicers were executed outside Rabat on Saturday clashes nurseav. for their in the abor- tween police and pro-Ara China is to import 20,000 part CHILEAN workers have long since stopped worry- demonstrators King super r-phosphate tons
LIVC
ing about the price increase of meat- protestin -there is none in Hassan on August 16 last Domestic year against tne the shops! outrage which killed Mal Among the executed men moud Hamchari were twu
ONLON
Gibraltar and were representative of the Pale The meat that does exist is sold on the black handed back to Mor- tine Liberation authorities the tion. market at exorbitant prices.
Mr Hamchari dory government In a nationwide TV and radio Minister Finance Fern- broadcast The industrial scene ando Flores accused the opponents President Salvador Allende's regime of using the black market to
RENAULT
'prepare the way for the fall of the
THE
motor government'. company mUl® 23-year-old A quota of about 30 essential foods
MAGIST
outside the including oil, rice, meat and would established and coffee, companv's Paris factory last 'watchdog February has been sen- up COLLeC tenced to four years' jail. supervise supplies. Jean-Antoine Tramoni, a Pay strikes former armv NCO who saw service in Algeria, claimed ASSEMBLY WORKERS from
BY OUR OWN
he had waved his
CORRESPONDENT
the Massey-Ferguson tractor Already there have been bus and rail plant in Coventry are to lay times redundancies Maoist demonstrators pay wales sunkes. COn- recession in the Popular Unity accidentally went off. fidence remains plans today for winning their Men moved such circum- found it Even the judge government. six-day-old strike over mobil- invariabl two years of demagogy about stances hard to swallow this story, Alter ity of labour. on a permanent basis or for pro which was a biatant cover "democratic socialism' unwear worker periods for the employment of cannot buy basic foodstuffs and face They are calling for support But this year, after the unions cabinet dominated by generals like police force from other sections who have Carlos Prats. illegal armed zorceone conloany to concedes within the factories. far failed to So back their guaranteed week of 32 hours action. average for The strike began last Tuesday, off, this custom is being Socialist Labour League Yorkshire Rally when the company attempted to Chanced force 50 night-shift assembly Ruson factory in when the Massey-
FORCE THE TORY
the Ferguson Manchester workers do work strike, hundreds
GOVERNMENT TO RESIGN!
All the assembly workers then nuers were laid on at covents walked out. The following morn- on £36 a week the Mobility is now being applied
BUILD THE
backing of acte ing action received day shift and as factories where
REVOLUTIONARY
meeting the joint shop stewards' committee voted Production workers particu larly in the assembly shops, have animously call supporting
PARTY!
been put on night-shift when th aculon. The mobility of labour agree- company intention at Massey's dates running the Men on nen SUNDAY JANUARY 28, 7.30 p.m.
assembly 1949 when the factory been was tractor the owned by Motor Great Northern Hotel, move to mache sioos Co. Under this agreement men Objections led ultimatums Wellington Street (near Leeds station), be to accept the work or be sent could moved one de- partment to another to preven home without pay
LEEDS
FILM: THREE YEARS
WAREHOUSE
November claiming they workers the John Banner cash and could not stand cold
OF WORKERS PRESS
returning to work were carry furniture store, Acton would lose a day's pay for their action. Vale, London, west who staged a sit-in last November They barricaded immediately are to lose their jobs by the themselves in the warehouse where they remained for end of the month. before management agreed the After results of a review adys Speakers: to pay up. week, tin€ G. HEALY (SLL National Secretary) house staff were told that the United Drapery's deputy man PAUL WHETSTONE (Young Socialists) store- -part of the United Drapers director, Mr Bernard agin commented: 'After finally shut down Sandles In personal capacity: chain-would on January trial period of six months. it wa:
GEORGE LUBY (U.P.W.)
The sit-in when found be economically not to workers walked out of the store
ROBBIE ROBERTS (N.U.M.)
viable.'
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT
ALIST International ended its eting in Paris yesterday under te of siege in a hall surrounded I special anti-riot units.
angements jured by a bomb in his last month. apartment tight for Mrs Golda He died of his injuries in a Paris hospital last week.
• to Rome Palestinian leaders flew conference from Cairo at the weekend nfer with to attend his funeral. The conference was sub- jected to the tightest pos- sible security to protect Meir and other social- democrat leaders. Police banned all demon- strations outside the Lux- Palace where it embourg held, laid on an was ambulance ser- emergency vice, forbade all journalists entering from the con- ference drew and up emergency evacuation plans. demonstrators Many • Tight air- were injured during the fighting around the Boule- on platform vard St Michel as police vas cleared struggle to prevent them from reaching the palace.
‹ was emp- There were running bat-. yone tried tles in side-streets off the violent boulevard. urday be- The Socialist Inter- d pro-Arab national is the rump of the Second International. protesting A loose grouping of nist bomb social-democratic parties, it rilled Mah- meets on average about Paris once every two years. • the Pales- The British Labour Party Organiza- was represented by James Callaghan, former Chan- i was in- cellor of the Exchequer. The stewards' recommendation of factory-wide action against the company's latest attack was, how- ever, defeated at a mass meeting last Wednesday afternoon.
One machinist told Workers Press that he thought the re- jection vote was because stewards and had allowed convenors machine-shop workers to be transferred willy-nilly for years.
On Thursday, management in- structed storemen and internal drivers to work machines which had been refused by the fitters.
The machine-shop stewards issued an ultimatum to the com- pany to remove this labour. But this was rejected by the •com- and after the metal pany, mechanics' convenor had spoken stewards' against the strike recommendation, the machine shop remained at work. Assembly workers insist, how- ever, that the new company hard line is an essential part of its strategy for breaking down hard- won conditions in the Common Market and stress that they are determined to fight on. The man who led the sit-in, Transport and General Workers' Union shop steward, Harry Tait, said: 'The occupation had very little to do with the closure.'
He told Workers Press that he thought the 33 union members, made redundant in the closure 'will not have much difficulty' in getting other jobs in the area.
Some, he said, had been offered alternative employment by United Drapery. Others had been offered help from the union.
Scan page 4
The Tory government has instigated a review of the laws on picketing fol- lowing the militant acti- vities of miners, dockers, building workers and others in 1972. Sections of the Tory Party are demanding a legal limit to the size of pickets, and that picketing of premises not directly involved in the dis- pute (such as picketing of power stations during a miners' strike) should be outlawed. But an article in the cur- rent issue of 'The Industrial Law Journal' reveals that the state already has considerable powers at its disposal, parti- cularly in Scotland. On February 14, during the miners' strike, 13 men were arrested when 2,000 miners picketed the Longannet power station. They were charged with mobbing and rioting.
When a person is arrested in Scotland it is for the Pro- curator-Fiscal decide to whether proceedings are to be taken, for what offence, and case is to be whether the tried summarily or by jury. The Fiscal is an • 'indepen- dent' public officer-but he is responsible to the Lord Advo- cate who is the senior govern- ment law officer for Scotland.
The accused does not have the right to elect for trial by jury—that is a matter for the latter decides Fiscal. If the normal for the accused to be committed for trial-and this usually takes a week. The The import duty on trucks from Europe goes facturers are making their preparations for all- out competition in this field. Western European compan- ies are fast building up sales and servicing facilities to be in a better position to move when the tariff comes down. Dutch manufacturer, The has just announced Daf, separation of its car and truck in the United operations Kingdom. new company has been A formed to handle trucks only to ease the management of operations. Daf began selling trucks in Britain as an offshoot of its car operations about a year ago. It sold 150 in the first year and is now planning to sell 500 trucks in 1973 cap- able of operating at up to 38 tons. Already Il dealers have been taken on and another ten are being sought within Daf's perspective of doubling truck production by 1976. had some Fiat, which has trouble negotiating with accused normally cannot secure bail if this is opposed by the Fiscal. And these pro- ceedings take place in private.
This was the procedure fol- lowed in the 'Longannet' case —except that when the men appeared at the Dunfermline Sheriff's Court there was such a large gathering of miners outside that the Sheriff de- clared the whole of the court building to be his chambers, in order to keep the public out. And such was the outcry among workers when the 13 in custody remanded were that the Lord Advocate hastily flew up to Scotland from London and brought pickets before the Sheriff again the next day, when they were released on bail. (This was a foretaste of the intervention of the Official Solicitor in the case of the five London dockers jailed in July.) However, the Longannet case is important not only be- cause of this, but because it reveals a great deal about the law. As the author of the 'In- dustrial Law Journal' article points out: 'Basically, any form of mass picketing almost inevitably in- volves the commission of offence, unless the pickets re- main quiet and orderly, do not obstruct the path or footway and do as they are told by the police.' These restrictions, of course, make any effective picketing virtually impossible. It is an offence to 'obstruct highway'. "Threatening, the abusive or insulting' behaviour under the Public Order Act 1936, section 5 is equally an offence, as is obstruction of a British firms to handle its has finally truck concessions, decided to establish its own wholly-owned truck sales com- pany. The EEC's largest truck manufacturer, Mercedes-Benz, has just acquired 36-acre a site near Wakefield, Yorkshire, to develop into a national pre- paration and distribution centre. It will also double as a northern depot, one of four being established. Mercedes plans to sell 2,000 trucks-over f7m worth—in Britain this year. While the European giants are moving into the British market in force, British- Leyland-Europe's largest com- mercial vehicle manufacturer— is trying desperately to inflict similar blows on its opponents.
To date British-Leyland's trucks have been sold in the old Commonwealth countries like Australia, South Africa, Nigeria and New Zealand. Now, with the British truck market having slumped 14 per cent over the past 18 months, Leyland is forcing through a ruthless rationalization of its entire range of trucks from 16 tons to 32 tons. Lord Stokes' perspective is to reduce the range of models from 32 to 21, streamlining both production and com- ponents. Yet in a shrinking market, the Common Market countries plan to reduce their tariffs to zero within four years. This will certain that make some truck manufacturers will not survive the competition. police officer in the course of his duty. This provides the basis of the policeman's power to con- trol the size and conduct of the picket line. The whole gamut of crimi- nal law in relation to violence, of course, applies equally to pickets. And a statutory offence of particular relevance to mass picketing is that of 'watching or besetting' premises under Section 7 (4) of the Conspiracy Protection of Property and mass picket could be considered a • "besetting' of the premises and as such illegal even without disorder. In addition to all this the common law of Scotland pro- vides two sweeping and vaguely-defined offences apt to cover almost any activity such as a mass picket is likely to entail. The more serious of these, mobbing and rioting, was that charged at Longannet, when it was said of the accused that they: ...formed part of a riot- ous mob of evil disposed per- sons which, acting with a com- mon purpose, did conduct it- 1933-1934 £1.43 1934-1935 £1.43 1935-1936 £1.25 1937-1938 £1.25 1938-1939 £1.25 £1.05 1939-1940 • • These extremely vital years 1929 and 1940—l Union-are now availab 28 Charlotte St London W1
BOOKS • PERIO
self in a violent, riotous and tumultuous manner the great terror and alarm of the lieges, of the and in breach did swear and peace curse, utter threats of violence. What is significant is that, according to the 'Industrial Journal' win tel once is declared that intimidation by numbers or threats of violence took place, willing presence in the crowd sufficient to establish guilt and participation in specific of intimidation or acts vio- lence need not be proved.
'Alarmed' There is also what the the author calls 'catch-all offence' of breach of the peace which .wider in even IS scope in Scotland than it is England. in behaviour any embraces likely to lead to a breach of the peace and does not neces- sarily involve behaviour which threatening, abusive or in- sulting. It therefore covers, accord- ing to the 'Journal' writer, barracking of workers passing through picket lines and the of "opprobrious epithets' Use
TBO1
These extremely vital writings by Leon Trotsky between the years 1929 and 1940—his third and final exile from the Soviet Union-are now available in Britain from the Paperbacks Centre (see advert below).
PAPERBACKS CENTRE
BOOKS • PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS
ress, Monday January 15, 1973 PAGE 3 such as "scab'. If those passing through the picket line are 'alarmed, 'up- set' or provoked to retaliate it is the pickets who are crimi- nally liable. That is to say that a scab can physically assault a picket, but if it is established that he "provoked to retaliate, it was is the picket who has com- mitted an offence in law.
Under this statute the police are empowered to clear any obstruction off the street or take any such steps as are necessary to prevent a 'reason- breach of ably apprehended' the peace. Obstruction of the police in such circumstances is also an offence. It is clear from all this that bourgeois - democratic rights do not include ade- quate safeguards for workers in conflict with . the bour- geoisie. To think that the existing legal framework ensures the continuation of the basic rights won by the working class in struggle would, therefore, be a serious mistake. The defence of basic rights today involves a revolutionary struggle against the ruling class and its state. f'. (1939-40) Writings of Leon Trotsky (1938-9) $2 95
WRITINGS O
TROT
1 Trotsky between the • exile from the Soviet the Paperbacks Centre
NOW OPEN
Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 9 alm.-6 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
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BLUE-EYED BOYS
PAGE 4 Workers Press, Monday January 15, 1973
KILLER
DUST
ON
THE
FARM
Dust disease is normally associated with the dark, dank pit bottom. But it also cripples thousands of farm workers who spend most of their time in the fresh air. unpublished recent vey finds the disease, known commonly as 'harvest lung' affects some 15 to 20 of workers who per combine harvesters, operate grain-driers clear storage bins. Fungus In some cases the effects of disease are so bad that it the for the would dangerous woman to carry on Illall working in dusty conditions.
The symptoms of the disease are coughing, wheezing, tight- the and round ress cuest, headaches. Contrary to popu- lar conception, it is not caused by shattered particles of plant material, but by spores from fungus that attack the ears of grain. These lodge spores the bronchial tubes and cause acute irritation. started when a Dr Concern Roe, who has a practice in the heart of cereal-growing Lin- realized colnshire, large number of his patients were suffering from chest plaints. He passed on his concern to the chest unit at the Sheffield Royal Infirmary and found that doctors and there specialists were also worried about the unhealthy effects of some land work. Dr Roe went to the National Union of Allied and Agri- cultural Workers in Leicester and asked them to co-operate with of doctors tests carried out figures and came up with the quoted. Union backing The recommendations, how- are rather feeble. Leader ever, Darke, con- cludes that very little can be done to prevent the illness. He for calls greater use ot face masks, cap harvesters and on better ventilation facilities.
It is now. up the union to insist immediately that none of its members should be sub- ject to such a health risk. If a land worker is victimized for refusing wreck his health To for the sake of the farmer's profit, he should be given full industrial backing trom the union. y January 15, 1973 NO
SELL
CUT
British-Leyland ended its four-year stint as owner of the Thornycroft gear- box factory in Basing. week with stoke last what shop stewards des- cribed as an 'underhand', 'discriminatory' and 'dis- ruptive gesture. The £430m car and heavy- vehicle combine is to pay workers who did not take part in last year's I1-week sit-in strike against closure bonuses of up to £100 each. But with the Eaton Corpo- ration of Ohio, US, taking employers today, a over as feeling of insecurity is already prevalent in the factory. Eaton's has only a three-year lease from the new owners of the site, the English and Con- tinental Property Co, and there are already rumours that the corporation does not even intend to stay that long.
In these circumstances the bonuses smacked of a provo- cation, and since a majority of stewards felt industrial action would prove costlier than any victory they might win, their joint committee decided to take no action against their payment. The sit-in at Thornycroft's began last August, following announcement of Ley- the land's split-level sale. NO
REDUND
AN*V
Had the factory, then em- workers, ploying 1,100 been allowed to close, the unem- ployment rate in the Hamp- shire new town of Basing- stoke would have, doubled overnight. The labour force determined to resist— was and they won backing for their struggle throughout the Leyland combine. On August 28, 23,000 work- ers across the combine stayed away from work in support of the occupation. Those who struck, in sup- port of a decision by the British-I.eyland combine ste- wards' committee, included heavy-vehicle workers at Bathgate (Scotland), Leyland (Lancashire) and Tractor and Transmission (Birmingham) and carworkers from Morris Motors, BMC Service and KD Export (Cowley, Oxford). did But the right wing nothing to mobilize behind the combine committee's de- cision, and at the Longbridge (Birmingham) complex, and a number of other Midlands Communist factories where Party members have influence, there determined was no fight for the principle of the stoppage. This undoubtedly strength- ened the hand of the union leaders, who by November had forced the end of the occupa- tion and handed Leyland terms which left the 750 workers remaining with few real guarantees for their future.
Despite their heroic resis- to unemployment, the tance had Thornycroft workers foisted on them a 'Catch-22' deal in which orders are guaranteed by Leyland only 'subject to market conditions' Since both the home and export market in heavy vehi- cles is falling, the future for Thornycroft's, which supplies gearboxes for precisely this sector, is far from rosy. And it is here the background to last week's bonuses row be- comes extremely important.
Why is it, for instance, that Eaton's paid £2.5m for a fac- tory built in 1898 on which it has only a three-year lease? Does the corporation, which already has bought far more modern plant from the govern- ment at Bolton, intend to re- new the lease it runs when out? What are English and Continental's reasons for nego- tiating such unusual an arrangement in the first place? As a spokesman for a lead- ing firm of London estate agents told Workers Press re- cently, the usual form • for such deals is a 21-year lease with a rent revision every seven years. 'What seems to be happen- ing', he went on, 'is that E&CP wants to develop the land and it will take about
BASINGSTOKE
1898 CE WN
STOP
FRED:
WOPKERS.
workers in last Thornycroft year's 11-week sit-in against the factory's closure. On handing over to the new owners Leyland paid out 'bonuses' to those who did not occupy. three years to get all the ne- cessary permission for their plans. In all probability there will be a clause to this effect in the lease.' The gain for Eaton's from such a development would be a period gaining expertise in making Leyland gearboxes, and a certain amount of machinery and other assets which could be stripped. The advantage for cash- hungry Leyland in all this is obvious. It gets £5m. Leyland claimed in discus- sion with the Thornycroft stewards last week that it was just 'coincidental' its bonuses of £50, £75 and £100 were being handed out to the people who stayed on the pay- roll during the sit-in strike.
The company refused the stewards' demands either to withdraw the bonuses or pay them to everyone. This was described by con- venor Gordon Owen-Jones as 'a typical management tactic'.
He claimed it was designed to cause as much disunity in the factory as possible before the Eaton take-over. The question now is: if this was a provocation,. what is out Eaton's move going to be?
Scan page 6
THOSE WHO DIDN'T JOIN
THE NIXON LANDSLIDE
"Left' candidates Dr Benjamin Spock, Carl Rogers of the People's Party, Judy Collins and the SWP candidates Andrew Pulley and Linda Jenness.
The US election gave the impression that Nixon had won the overwhelm- ing support of the Ameri- can people and annihi- lated all opponents. While Nixon's defeat of the Democratic hope Senator George McGovern was cer- tainly decisive, the total turn- out for the President was disappointing Republican to leaders. Only a third of the elec- torate cast their votes for Nixon, while 46 per cent of the voters stayed at home registering either their total disinterest, or their contempt for the mock battle between the two US capitalist parties.
The abstention rate was the highest of any American elec- tion since 1948. Young voters and large sections of the black community felt an understand- able cynicism over the antics of the two contenders. Another indication of the break-up in US politics was the votes received by presi- dential candidates who stood for policies to the left of the two main parties. News has reached Britain through "The Militant, journal of the revisionist Socialist Workers' Party, that an esti- mated 250,000 votes were cast for these alternative can- didates—a sharp increase over the 1968 figure of 178,000.
Workers' American The . League, which is in sympathy with the policies of the Inter- national Committee of the Fourth International, backed SWP candidates Linda Jenness and Andrew Pulley as part of the campaign in the US for a Labour Party. The Socialist Workers' Party 'Left' candidates Dr Benjamin Spock, Ca leaders did not offer a real alternative to the US working class. They played lip-service to their slogan of opposing both the Democrats and the Republicans. In practice they took up an uncritical attitude towards McGovern's 'radical' fringe and the Communist Party. The SWP came out of the election with 68,226 votes- higher than + the CP tally at :. Co 25,811 votes and the Socialist Labour Party total of over 53,000. They were beaten only by Benjamin Spock's People's Party, a loose coalition of liberals and peace movement activists. About 80 per cent of Spock's votes, however, came California. from In other Spock, Carl Rogers of the People's Party, Judy states his showing was poor.
candidates In • Texas, SWP polled as many as 90,000 votes with no Republicans in the field. Alice Conner, running on the SWP ticket in a special Georgia election polled 1 per cent of the vote according to the 'Atlanta Constitution' and in Minneapolis, home of the famous teamsters' strike led by Trotskyists, Bill Peterson, SWP at: Congressional candidate won 4,071 votes, 2.2 per cent of the poll. The best statewide vote for the two presidential candidates were from Louisiana, in the deep south (14,398) and Mas- sachusetts, in the east (10,600).
The SWP vote would have been a lot higher but for Austria's Social Demo- cratic government does not intend to leave itself open to the charge that wages are being kept down in the country while prices skyrocket. Beginning this month, 600 patrol police will shops, restaurants and pubs making sure vendors keep their prices down. Last year the cost of living in Austria rose by 6.3 per cent —the highest rise since World War II. Herr Bruno Kreisky's gov- ernment fears that the new 16-per-cent Value Added Tax could seriously aggravate in- flation-hence the appointment of the price police. To slow down the growth of inflation, employers, trade unions and the government Left: Herr Bruno Kreisky, head of the Austrian government.
Workers Press, Mone arty, Judy Collins and the SWP candidates Andr rigging by some state authori- ties. In Arizona, Secretary of State Wesley Bolin ruled that Jenness and Pulley votes could not be counted because their names were not listed on the ballot with the electors. The was that Bolin had snag ordered that the list should exclude the two. The election officials also appeared to have swindled the SWP out of votes cast in Arizona's Pima County, which the city of includes lucson. The United Press International recorded 30,945 votes there for the SWP. Despite these practices, the
SWP
the vote was up on 41,389 votes in 1968. It is, in agreed last November to what amounted to a prices and in- comes freeze. A joint board was set up to oversee all price movements. The price police, drawn from regular police ranks, can levy fines of up to 500,000 Austrian shillings (£900) if shopkeepers raise prices 'with- out justification'. Profits assessed as 'unfair' can also be expropriated by the state.
Shopkeepers have a maxi- mum prices guide to go by, compiled last year by the price police. It lists permissible prices for over 500,000 items.
The VAT began operating on January 1 and in the first week many shops closed down for inventories and re-pricing. Some landlords immediately added the new tax to their rent bills, but this was declared illegal and tenants were invited to start civil suits. The has government appealed for public support in administering its prices policy.
038, Monday January 15, 1973 PAGE 5 ates Andrew Pulley and Linda Jepness.
fact, the highest vote for the party since it stood in the presidential elections. The truly massive absten- tions, particularly among the more-exploited section of the American working class, and the substantial vote for can- didates to the left of the Democrats and Republicans, show that there is a solid basis for a Labour Party in America to represent the working class support from the win middle class. The election returns have revealed the possibilities. It will be the job of the Workers League, with the backing of Fourth International, the to the realise those possibilities in during 1973. When Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev visited Hungary in December, he gave full ap- proval to the introduction of the next stage of the New Economic Mechanism (NEM).
Hungarian workers are ex- periencing the first fruits of the 'experiment' by the Stalin- ist bureaucracy in Budapest- that old-fashioned method of raising prices. The retail price level of milk and dairy products are being increased by an average 28 per cent. The price of milk has risen by 50 per cent. Other increases are: butter 20 per cent; cheese 13 per cent; tobacco goods 25 per cent. There are increases scheduled of 3 to Il per cent in retail prices of bakery pro- ducts. Vilmos Saghy, first deputy Minister of Internal Trade, made the following blithe statement: 'According to our calculations, price increases will not bring about any fun- damental change in the struc- consumption. Food ture of sales will continue to develop in favour of up-to-date healthy nourishment.' The NEM does not plan wage increases to meet this rapid climb of prices, so pre- sumably Saghy means that the Stalinist bureaucracy will con- tinue not to suffer from the economic distortions imposed in Comecon and the Soviet Union by the Stalinist theory of 'socialism in one country' For the bureaucrats, it is con- sumption as usual.
Scan page 7
THE POWER
PAGE 6 Workers Press, Monday Januar The French Constitution gives wide powers to the President in appointing the Prime Minister and the members of his gov- ernment. In its electoral propaganda, the French Communist Party con- stantly repeats that it also lays down that 'national sovereignty resides in the people who express it through their representa- tives. By posing the problem of the President's powers in this way they evade the real question of power which is posed in France as a result of the confrontation between the working class and the Bona- state of Pompidou, partist successor to de Gaulle. But they also offer them- selves, together with their coalition partners, supporters of the common programme, as an alternative government for Mil French capitalism. They are giving many guarantees of good their including behaviour, acceptance of the Gaullist Con- stitution. They make the point about popular sovereignty without reference to other sections of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic adopted in October return of 1958 after the Gaulle to power. General de At de Gaulle's behest the new extensive Constitution gave powers to the President him- self. Compared with the situation under the Third and Fourth Republics, the powers of the Assembly and the National Prime Minister diminished. It de Gaulle's aim to estab- was lish 'a strong state' as opposed to 'the regime of the parties' which, under the previous led to constitutions, had governmental instability.
only greater Not were powers concentrated in the President's hands, but it was assumed that he and the National Assembly majority would be of the same political permanent complexion — a Gaullist majority. French capitalism needed strong government of a Bon- ant apartist character to meet the threat from the working class.
While paying lip-service to the will of the people, great powers were in the concentrated executive. Above all the work- parties had to be ing-class excluded from government and confined to the role of a more or less loyal opposition.
In fact the Socialist Party, under Guy Mollet, became, in of its words of one the "the election slogans, van- guard of the Fifth Republic' The Communist Party, while claiming opposed to to be Gaullism, modified its stand when de Gaulle began pursuing an anti-American policy of peaceful co-existence with the Union and eastern Soviet Europe. The Stalinists had, in any case, held back the working class during the crisis in May 1958, precipitated by the army revolt in settler and Algeria. And they openly sup- ported the regime when it was threatened by a military putsch in 1961. In 1968, when the regime could have been toppled during the May-June General Strike, it once again threw all its weight behind the preserv- ation of the status quo. The present common pro- gramme of reforms and the electoral coalition with the Socialist Party and the Fabre Radicals, a capitalist party, represents its willingness to exercise power within the framework of the Bonapartist Constitution of 1958. The Gaullists, for their part, have no intention of relinquish- ing power, even in the event of there being a left coalition victory at the March polls.
The powers exercised by the President give them the whip hand. lay January 15, 1973 Under the Constitution these powers are very extensive.
The according to article President, 5, 'watches for over respect the Constitution' and he continuity 'the of the sures state'-the state of the bour- geoisie, of course. When the CP Stalinists Pompidou, appeal to they appeal not only to the one-time employee of the Rothschild banking house, the represent- finance-capital, of ative but the arbiter of the also to bourgeois state and its in- stitutions. Under article 8 the President the Prime Minister appoints and nominates the other members of the government on Article 9 says that his advice. 'he presides over the Council of Ministers'-the cabinet.
The President is also head of the armed forces and pre- sides the leading over com- mittees concerned with national defence. He has emergency powers under article 16, which supposed to be exercised are in consultation with the Prime Minister, the presidents of the wo houses of parliament anc the Constitutional Council.
He can both also appeal to houses of parliament directly messages read out to through them which cannot be debated.
Generally speaking, the Pre- defined in sident's powers as the 1958 Constitution, assume basic between agreement and the elected majority him of the National Assembly.
It does not deal with the case in which there would be a con- flict between the executive and the legislature in which both could claim to be expressions of 'national sovereignty'.
It is de Gaulle clear that saw himself as the expression of if national sovereignty, necessarily against the National Senate. Assembly and the Under the Constitution, also, Ministers have to resign their parliamentary seats which by their substitutes are taken —to increase their dependence on the President. Deputies are supposed to vote in their per- and not to be sonal capacity bound by mandates from their party under Article 27. This is intended to reduce discipline, especially party on part opposition- the of the parties • anti-Gaullist - and to President (or enable the his appointed Prime Minister) to over the heads of the appeal party organization directly to members of parliament. the Everything arranged to is downgrade parliament while not discarding it altogether and perpetuate Gaullist to rule flagrant abandon- without ment of the old forms of bour- geois parliamentarism. In the case of a narrowly- fought election in which the Gaullists and their opponents balanced the were evenly President's would be role crucial he chooses the since Prime Minister. of Even within the letter the Constitution, the President difficult for a could make it left government coalition to be formed and make it even more difficult for it to govern.
Constitu- Appealing to the and to the same clause tion 'national about sovereignty belonging to the people' as the Party, could Communist he dissolution of soon force a another hypotheses one or parliament, appeal directly to except that I shall act in con- Nation' initiate or formity with the Constitution.'
change in the Constitution.
But what does 'acting in CP and its electoral The conformity with the Constitu- partners would presumably be mean? It tion', really comes quite happy to sit in a cabinet down in the final analysis to presided Pompidou over by ex reme poi strength hich are accept this Constitution. and extreme points They are hoping that, in the coup d'etat from above or of an electoral defeat event a revolution from below based of the Gaullists, he would be of the mobilization the on prepared to do the same. strength of the working class.
it could come course, Wisely refusing to commit to a trial of strength in which himself further, Pompidou is other would one side or the evidently hoping that the have to depart from the Con- Gaullists will win the election Pompidou's stitution. assur- and the contingency will not ances to the contrary are arise. Meanwhile he holds him- valueless. In any case, as he self ready to ensure 'the con- told his Tanuary 9 Press con- of the [bourgeois] tinuity I refuse ference: to say any- state' come what may. I about thing whatever What
BY TOM KEMP
shall do after the elections in
Scan page 8
THE POWER OF POMPIDOU
CANTAL
VENIR
• VOTEREZ
POUR LE
7.s te: y spriteris.
POUR SON
DOU
Scan page 9
ER OF POMPIDOU
President Pompidou of France: Left—-with Raymond Ms well, Madame Pompidou Far migho the minister of the Interior.
Right-with his wife, -with Charles de Gaulle. Abovelookino at an election moster Workers Press, Monday January 15, 1973 PAGE 7
Scan page 10
by Pompeyo Mares of the Communist Party on the Liga Comunista, which works in solidarity with the
WHY THE PERUVIAN STALINISTS
PAGE & Workers Press, Monday Januss Special correspondent JUAN by Pompeyo Mares of the ( International Committee of the The Communist Party's attack launched against the young Trotskyist movement in Peru is in- separable from the striv- ing of the Kremlin bur- eaucracy throughout the world to co-exist peace- fully with imperialism, to rescue imperialism from its world crisis. In Latin America, the Krem- lin centres its support for im- perialism on the trio of presi- dents Allende (Chile), Castro (Cuba) and Velasco (Peru) who, in different ways, are to be carrying through said progressive, socialist measures.
The impact of the crisis of imperialism has led to raging inflation in Latin America and a decline in the prices received for raw materials on the world market. The main agents of Kremlin policy have moved swiftly to the right in the last three months. They must prepare to break up the mass movement against the destruction of the already meagre workers' living standards. President Salvador Allende has given government control over to CIA generals led by Carlos Prats, four mouths be- ку Jauary 15, 1973 JUAN GARCIA examines Stalini f the Communist Party on the Li e of the Fourth International. Part t fore the Chilean elections. During Allende's recent visit to Moscow, Prats told workers must neither demand they wage increases nor strike.
The diplomats in Havana, Cuba, have announced their willingness to sign an anti- hijackıng agreement with the United States. Juan Velasco's Lt-General regime, in its turn, has out- lawed the right to strike and begun the preparation for a corporatist-style state in Peru.
It can only achieve any pro- gress because of full CP back- ing. Allende, Castro and a dele- gation of Peruvian generals met in Havana in the middle of December 1972 to plan their united campaign to clamp down on the Latin American masses. Mares describes the process in Peru: 'The Communist Party has a policy which is anti-imperialist and anti-oligarchical, the fulfil- ment of which will create the bases for a later socialist pro- Many of the main gramme. points of that programme are shared-although in many cases not with the same depth —by the Revolutionary Gov- ernment of the Armed Forces.
'Consequently, the Party supports and will support this process in a determined way, Stalinism and Trotskyism in Per the Liga Comunista, which works I. Part two. thus carrying out not just in theory but in practical action the advance of the social pro- cess in Peru. This represents a terrible and concrete danger for imperialism and the oli- garchy.' This theory of 'anti-oligar- chical' struggle is the negation of Bolshevism, a theory intro- duced into a degenerate Third International with the Popular Front of the 1930s. fallacious It expresses the idea that there can be an inde- pendent development of demo- cratic capitalism in the semi- colonial and colonial countries before there can be any talk of socialism. When Juan Velasco's mili- tary junta took power in a military coup in 1968 the Peruvian CP did not immedi- salute the 'anti-oligar- ately chical' general. On October 4, the day after Stalinists pub- the coup, the lished manifesto, headed a 'The people rejects : the "gor- ila" coup' It said: "Although the circumstances of the mili- tary coup make it appear as if aimed at frustrating the elec- toral objectives of A pra [nationalist party of Haya de la Torre] the main objective was to block the path of de- mocratic and nationalist forces in . country which the were advancing and had a perspec- in Peru following the attack I works in solidarity with the tive of victory in 1969 The main purpose of the coup, in fact, was to prevent the 1969 General Elections in which it was feared the CP might make gains. The im- perialists needed a strong-arm regime to establish the outline of a corporatist style regime to restrain the masses who were radicalized by the crisis of imperialism. Since then, the Velasco dic- tatorship has ruled on behalf of imperialism with full CP support. It could not last a day without the Stalinist brake on the mass movement.
The CP weekly newspaper, 'Unidad', has given full cred- ence to the nationalist dema- gogy of the regime. The CP leadership used the military junta's take-over of the International Petroleum Corporation petrol holdings in Talara to recognize the revo- lutionary' nature of the dema- gogic Velasco clique. Mares defends the national- ization measures of Velasco as 'anti-imperialist'. The group of American monopolies in the Business International Corpor- ation has been discussing be- hind closed doors in Lima with the military junta... and has a different view. Its August 17, 1972, bulletin had a very confident statement the advantages the Cerro.
Left: Slums on the outskirts of Lima, the capital of Peru. In- flation now eats into the already meagre living standards of the workers. Above: Cuba's Castro with the Generals who rule Peru.
Castro gives his backing to this reactionary military regime.
received from corporation Velasco's nationalization of its mining interests. 'The efforts of the Cerro Corporation to diversify oper- ations fit in very favourably with the general strategy of the Peruvian government to increase its role in mining' Cerro gets compensation for worn-out mines which it can invest in more profitable sec- tors of the Peruvian economy.
The CP 'guarantees' no strikes and hard work on behalf of the revolutionary' process.
Velasco's economic policies have in no way opposed im- exploitation of the perialist main Peruvian industry—min- ing and fishmeal. These have been opened up to imperialists from Japan, Europe and the US with guarantees for in- vestment and with the sup- pression of the working class counter-balance falling to prices on the world market.
At the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Sep- tember 1969, the Peruvian Minister of Economy and Finance insisted that the re- gime's reforms were aimed at establishing the confidence of foreign investors, adding: 'We would like to tell all the developed countries of the world, without any discrimina- tion at all, that the doors of fatherland are open to our foreign investment ... Government statistics have spoken most eloquently of the drastic exploitation suffered by the Peruvian masses. The National Administra- tion of Statistics-an official government so ur c e-relates how 37.3 per cent of workers in Lima-Callao earned less than $50 basic a month and only 9 per cent earned $200 a month. The real wage of these workers, it continues, de- creased by 75.4 per cent be- tween 1967 and 1969. At the end of 1970, the In- stitute of Planning stated that 35 per cent of the working population was unemployed.
Since then, unemployment has shot up rapidly. Velasco's agrarian reform law has thrust peasants and small far- many. mers into the masses of un- employed in the slums on the outskirts of Lima. The CP has condemned strike movements by peasants and workers against unemploy- ment and wage-cutting as 'un- productive', rationalizing the Ministry of Labour's anti- working class policy with the slogan 'revolution has not yet reached the Ministry of Labour'. No wonder that the 'Military Review' ', published by the US Army Command and the Army General Staff College of Fort Leavenworth, has been able to give a positive evaluation of 'military populism or demo- cratic Caesarism' in Latin America!
CONTINUED TOMORROW
...
Scan page 11
REPLACEMENTS
Two more tales of the feudal condition agricultural the workers live under re- are counted in the January edition journal, 'Land of their union Worker'. Some years ago, Bill Latham from Winkleigh, north Devon, fell over when carrying a heavy railway sleeper. Because of the accident he contracted arthritis.
Eventually he was forced to go to the doctor, who put him on the panel. The farmer acted swiftly, telling Bill he wanted someone could work. He was who sacked and threatened with eviction from his tied cottage.
The case went to court and two weeks before he was due to be turned out of his old home he was allocated a council house. The council house was not ready for immediate occupation a union official contacted and the farmer to ask if his old employee could stay on a few days. The request was refused —Bill's replacement was ex- pected from East Anglia that day. Apparently the new worker got lost on the way. Up to the time of publication of the latest 'Land Worker', , he had not been seen in the district.
This was despite the fact that the farmer told the judge at the court hearing that he needed a replacement for Mr Latham desperately. The second case concerns another north Devon land worker, Mr J. Webber from Whiddon Down. He hurt his back on the farm a few years ago and eventually got his marching orders from the court.
Originally he was given six weeks' grace to get out of his home. This was finally extended to four months. The Rural District Council has still not re-housed him— council houses have been let to two other people whose need was apparently greater than his own. His attempts to get rented also failed. accommodation Eventually he was forced to spend some of his carefully accumulated savings (you can't put much away on a 'frozen' land workers' wage) and buy a caravan. The cottage will probably remain empty until the sum- mer when it will be let as a rich holiday home to some family.
NO DEBTS
The 'pink' coalition govern- in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) ment plunges further into the red.
Trade Minister Tikiri Banda langaratne warned the other day that Sri Lanka was getting more and more into debt re- paying old loans and at the present rate of progress will be able to settle her never commitments. Worse still, landing. agencies would soon be unwilling to accommodate the country any further. He said that in 1970, the year in which the United Front government of Prime Minister Mrs Sirimavo Banda- ranaike took office, the total outlay on loan repayments and foreign debts was 656 million rupees (£43m), in 1971 it was 1,049 million rupees (£68m) and up to June last year was 1,011 million rupees (£65m).
The present generation of Ceylonese had a duty not to leave future generations a legacy of foreign debts, the Minister said
FORTUNES IN
EURO-FRAUD
The increased membership of the EEC will also mean an en- largement in one of the side- activities of the com- line munity-the Euro-fraud. This is a massive industry in which fortunes are made by evading various import and export controls. Last week four businessmen involved in a major Common Market fraud case were jailed and they and eight others were ordered to pay £63m to customs authorities. court in France A Lille sentenced the four-from West Germany, Belgium and France —to a total of nine years im- prisonment over large ship- ments of French maize. The court also ordered all 12 involved in the case to make the payment to customs author- ities for customs offences.
The case involved shipments of maize to West Germany which fraudulently were marked as destined for Britain and Denmark to obtain special Market subsidies on Common cattle feed exported to non- market countries. Britain and Denmark had still to join the Common Market when the shipments were made. Moscow Trials Anthology Paperback, 62}P
MAX SHACHTMAN:
Behind The Moscow Trial Paperback 75p
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Stalinism In Britain Paperback £1.124—cloth £2
LEON TROTSKY :
Death Agony of Capitalism (The Transitional Programme) Pamphlet 5p In Defence of the October Revolution Pamphlet 15p The Theory and Practice of Revisionism Pamphlet 15p Postage 10p per book, 3p per pamphlet. Order from :
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186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG.
TV REVIEW BY AI
and the Fairy' Jim Produced lead. BBC 2 Softly, Softly: Doran. Directe Russelt. Produced Alive: Base. Two old seame Punchy and the in the wretched I an old, recentl vessel casually e raw stuff of th and selves, one other. There is left for either of In an intimacy be shared and intermir ship the and couple of animals, vestige warmth, they chat o clean end to it all' relief. Yet they are not a struggling for men, of dignity that may them, some morsel of unknown stale alcohol,
W BY ANNE BLAKEMAI
Theatre: "The Fairy'. Written by Directed by Roy Produced by 'Conspiracy. By Paddy Leonard Catchersbloom: Fox'. seamen - The and the Fairy'— etched bowels of recently-docked sually expose the F of their lives to the one nothing ither of them. timacy borne out of ine mied, e he a need, like animals, for some ano ey chat of 'making a to it all' with some are not animals, but shred that may be left to that might asure in their world and faces, backbreaking
AKEMAN
vitality that years ploited dispossessed have never beaten o Gilhert Charlie to spend th board with him rath out on the standard in woman Charlie's only into the sea the chance of a fer hours alone together Charlie deterred, says 'queer same' and tries to p younger man moment to set ther in their old age with his abandone trom family. In despair Gilbert confidences wretched childhooc monster Nanny alive sexually, spiri but fleeting; determine for the last left to offer him, boots and readies i abysmal ady more shore. He never mal Gilbert puts a k belly and the play as the od man floor in amazement. sod', he says. The real quality o illuminated by the c it that stood against the bland lai day televisio every distortions and obsc was tre Diller reall plied that were yet bined with beings utterly abandoned by world but resisting tion with a ferocity no room to pessımı the end. But back to those landscapes and *Softly, Softly' and more forbiddin ome ways, ploc he annals of telly h Though built aro of a bunch oI earning their and entering (nicely underplayed Hargreaves and Ray done by in fact a clear warn For the nub days. centred on stick the cerned. As the oily and s Welsh Det-Sgt Evan lo explall, unls cons! make ness can cente aomisoe ın Workers Press, t years of an ex- ossessed life at sea beaten out of him. He begs has less. spend the night on him rather than standard He heaves of shoes pair • than lose of a few snatched • together: cheerfully un- lys 'queers is all the ries to persuade the the same set them both age with the money abandoned wealthy his
OWI
childhood and the who are omn illy, spiritually and arlie's sympathy is crumbs some readies himself fo mal adventures Or never makes it. puts a knife in his he play ends sharply lazement. quality of this play, by the direction so out vividly bland landscapes of television with its and obscurist ploys, it im- ter realities were yet still com- a view of human isolated and the indifferent resisting their isola- a ferocity that gave pessimism even in • to those every day of episode tly which in a new forbidding form on through of telly histor around a tale villains living and again now lerplayed by Davic badly over- Brooks), It was ear warning of how with the law these he nub of it all was business of harge of conspiracy criminals con- ily and self-satisfied Sgt Evans is careful this conspiracy busi 'hearsay evi- issible in court'. @38, Monday January 15, 1973 PAGE 9 Peter Kerrigan as Charlie (left) and James Culliford as Gilbert in 'The Punchy and the Fairy'.
In place of the surly con- straint of Stratford Johns of old times there's a particularly unpleasant new character about in the form of a mous- tachioed, upper-class authori- tarian who , makes no bones about wanting to 'get in there and make it stick' when it comes to the interesting pos- by conspiracy. sibilities raised 'Softly, Softly' is in a new mood these days. The cops are more menacing, there's less charm about and more verbal sniping than ever, a sort of • self-satisfaction and the cold suggestion of brutality which is no more accidental than anything else of this kind which turns up on the screen.
ind The state is providing : to the hands of its means police force when it comes to any kind of trouble or provo- cation these days. If it hasn't already happened, there should soon be an epi- sode on police use of provo- cateurs in among the treats in store for viewers of 'Softly, Softly. It has to keep up with the times. Finally a cursory look at the ruling class at play-fox-hunt- ing-given by 'Man Alive' with lots of pretty filming of beau- tiful English countryside and a • few tepid comments about the 'cruelty of man' and random shots of the upper classes frolicking on horseback near the stately homes and in their cups at a local hunt wedding.
Although the director Harry Weisbloom seemed bent on avoiding almost any reference to the real content-the class content-of this trivial and disgusting business, the mena- cing character of this parti- cular segment of the upper classes could hardly be missed, even down to the aristocratic old farmer and his jocular chat about 'sooner kill a man than kill a fox'. The hunt still shows up as a forbidding, expression of deep ingrained feudal instincts and customs; of landowners given the added fillip of show- ing another side to their peda- tory selves in public. It's a chilling experience to watch the luxurious horses (£1,000 each in value) and the riders in their gear (which costs around £300) enjoying their privileges, as one girl ex- plained succinctly, and exhibit- ing the ominous relish of those to whom all kinds of hunting is possible, probably and plea- surable.
Scan page 12
PAGE 10 Workers Pross, Monday Janua Dear Editor, When Victor Feather, TUC general secretary, spoke ai Exeter last Monday, he told us that the Industrial Relations Act is simply 'the most explo- sive device that has ever been introduced into British industry and that it should be altered changed and as quickly as possible in order that good in- dustrial relations can develop . So the Act is accepted: the only question is why not register and give up free trade unionism entirely? It is clear that Mr Feather would if he could, only the strength the working class stops him. In a speech designed to re- assure the movement that there is nothing much wrong with the world that a chat with Heath cannot solve, and that Goad, Langston and company could be wished away, Feather treated it all as an unfortunate side-effect of the Industrial Relations Act which every- body wishes to stop. 'I think it is an astonishing thing that a government allows itself to get to a position where a whole industry or whole in- dustries can be disturbed and disrupted by a single man, one eccentric individual, where the government's got to hold its hands up and say we can do nothing, where the employer says I can do nothing, where the unions say we can't do anything' As if these moves by indi- viduals were unknown or un- expected by the Tories while the Bill was before parliament.
day January 15, 1973 As if they were not an essential part of the Tory offensive. One union which seems to have Feather is the Mr upset AUEW. Although three of the four recent cases concern the AUEW, it was not mentioned by name once. The talks with the Tory easily passed government are off by Feather. He said I ... about the wanted to talk representations which we have been making to government, because we asked to see the government last week in order to protest against the freezing of wages and the freezing of collective bargaining.. And this is the way the crawling to the Tories is dismissed, at a time when it is clear that Heath is drawing the TUC into a conspiracy against the work- ing class. some will ask, But surely, Feather is against the moves to corporatism Heath is making?
In principle he accepts need for state domination. "The trade union movement as the years go by is more and more concerned about the totality of factors which affect employ- ment and living standards..
today there can be no doubt that we are living in a world of state intervention on a large scale.' Others will point out that the TUC secretary is bound to stand firm against entry to the Common Market, especially as Congress has gone on record against entry. Not at all: 'We are in the Common Market. It is no use blinking our eyes at the developments that will take place and I hope as a consequence of being in the Common Market that we either the shall not neglect opportunities or indeed the responsibilities which we have in developing an interest on the services of the Common .: This is accept- Market . ance of Tory policy complete with high food prices, the un- employment and the anti-union laws that he claims to oppose.
The world is a very splendid place for the working class, according to Feather, with a few easily solved problems like prices, wage freeze and anti- union laws (in need of amend- nd ment). But some may still ask: what of the economic crisis we always hear about and see Don't worry it around us? doesn't exist. 'I believe we are in great difficulties, there are many problems, but I don't believe it is a crisis.' Nothing like leadership is needed by the working class according to Feather-there is no crisis, no need to throw out the Tories and their In- dustrial Relations Act and Housing Finance Act, accept the EEC. All that is needed is for the TUC leaders to meet the the US government, meet bankers, tie the unions to the state, and rather vaguely hope for Labour government sometime in the future and all will be well. In fact his speech is a symp- tom of the crisis-reassurance is not needed when things are going well. The crisis forces Feather into this position.
G.B., Exeter. Dear Editor, I read with interest the article The apparatus produces middle on the new Viking 'super-gun' reaction in the mass (Workers Press, January ear which is described as 'very 6, offensive and undesirable', the page 12). Perhaps will being you be in- only way to escape to The terested to learn of the nature move outside the vicinity.
3557899. of US Patent This mass reaction created in the concerns a device which com- (due to pressure on the ear middle ear-rather than one of prises a high-frequency trans- ducer connected to a speaker transfer through the middle that it not which is located near the cone ear ensures of parabolic reflector. An possible to block out the signal designed "interference amplifier is to pro- by placing an medium" over the ear'. duce acoustic stimuli which are enhanced and concentrated In normal operation the by the reflector. device will employ a minimum The device works at a fre- 120 dB sound level of quency of between 8,000 and (150 dB is the level described Hz 1,000 times the 13,000 "traumatic' effects). as having resting frequency 'alpha The device was described in rhythm' of the brain) and is of 'Physics recent edition provided with a trigger mech- Bulletin' under the heading anism to allow it to be oper- 'Science in the Service of ated will'. It can be made Man?'! in portu le form for 'mounting R. E. Thurstars, in a police car or any other Leicester. suitable vehicle'. I would like information about Fill in the form below and send to NATIONAL
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Scan page 13
BY PHILIP WADE OUR HOUSING CORRESPONDENT
A THOUSAND tenants, housewives and trade union- ists marched through Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, on Saturday in support of the defiant Labour council which refuses to impose Tory-ordered rent increases.
Many carried placards saying they would not pay rent increases now demanded by the government- appointed Housing Commissioner.
The Commissioner, Mr Geraint Evans, was appointed when Merthyr refused to carry out the Housing Finance Act.
Bedwas DIGBY JONES . . . Dismayed by 'fair and Machen, the other Welsh council ighting the lory lack of NEC support. rents' Act, has met witn a similar fate. Council tenants in both areas have been sent notices of rent increases by the Commissioner.
Merthyr councillor Digby Jones told Workers rress 4021 sooner the Housing Commissioner of the better it out town would be. 'The only
BY A WORKERS PRESS REPORTER
thing that will re- move him industrial action and strikes. Take what rent
ONE
HUNDRED
fifty and onelike taking-nor depot, happened at saltler thousand tenants are reeling Labour member-but the
LUNC
from the new: that the City government has ordered us to
SONE
action we want. Corporation will raise rents by do this. Using dollisioner set the In Hillpark and Mansewood, Commissioner Housing The three-month-old rents will go up from £3.41 to fight against the Tory rent Act £4.49 a week. Mosspark Merovr we would nave lo the the Tory government out, said collapsed before Christmas 4.33 to Wilde • 000 Clir Jones. 33 of the 74 Labour Most council houses Wack He said he was 'dismayed' by councillors Drumchapel voTed
WITA
Tne Tories for implementation.
the Party's National LaDoll Leading councillors the Executive committee statement Even without the rent Act last month which gave us no Labour-controlled COrPOraLOn council planning to The succour at all. he lever from the outset make Glasgow tenants 1973 could not defy 'the rule of law Added Cilr Jones: "The Labour 'more economic rents in Their opposition to the legis- party needs to socialist weeks creases 12001 Was Watered LIe base again and not be dominated averaging 75p. week- - TO appearance last summer the highest in Britain. by the right-wing like Roy among tenants' Jenkins and the George Browns The changes will bring in an city's ot the allust or Inis world. extra £5.85m and are expected as des. Lie ren of wipe out the city's housing Cynthia the increases approved unani- one Merthyr housewives who mously at the weekend by the deficit. At the moment 18,000 many tenants receive council rebates joined the march, summed up committee, Labour 40,000 the feeling of the tenants: group Richard get sender allu allotic. Dynes said: under Nationa 'The whole thing is disgusting, al wancer "Todays Assistance. in one word. We should never decision was lol rent increase. Between pay food prices and can just barely live. 'We think we should get the Tories out,' said Mrs Harris to chorus from her support
COT
TORY
Weak platform 2E ) There was no mention of any campaign to bring down the Tory government at the meeting which followed. however Labour MP for Cardiff North election 'when comes'
LA BENN
National •Speaker from the area OT vineworkers executive merely pledged formal support. Evans, John from the Com- munist Partv-dominated National Association of Tenants and Resi- could only inform stunned audience the Lilal Catholic suddenly become converted to the NATR's housing policies.
It would be good to see the Archbishop of Canterbury Make same declaration,' Evans The added. The lack of any clear political perspective from the plattorm presence Was of the anti- working class, nationalists Plaid Cymru. Emrys Its representative Wiliams. who called for a Weist government to solve everything, warmly applauded by Bern- ard Panter, appearing or behalf of CP's executive committee.
GOODYEAR
striker's tyre 1e- turn to work today on a promise UNOs their wage increase will be paid Many Merthyr housewives joined the march through the Transport union February 28. 'Between food prices and more rents we can just town. that the lorv control barely live,' said one. of wages will end on that date!
Workors Press, Monday January 15, 1973 PAGE 11
TODAY'S TV
вBC1 9.38 Schools. 12.00 Office. 12.25 Cywain. 12.55 News. 1.00 Pebble mill at one. 1.30 Woodentops. 1.45 Animals 2.06-3.55 Schools. at home. 4.00 Pixie and Dixie. 4.10 Play school. 4.50 Blue Peter. 5.15 Fish. 5.40 Magic roundabout. 5.45 News. Weather.
6.00 NATIONWIDE.
6.45 YOUNG SCIENTISTS OF THE YEAR. Bexley v Preston v Neath.
7.10 STAR TREK. I, Mudd. 8.00 PANORAMA.
9.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS. Weather.
9.25 PLAY FOR TODAY: 'LAND OF GREEN GINGER'. Gwen Taylor, Michael Elwyn. 10.15 COME DANCING. 10.50 THE SPINNERS. Guest Moira Ander- son. 11.20 LATE NIGHT NEWS. 11.25 CINEMA NOW. 11.50 Weather.
ITV
• 1.00 Mr and Mrs. 1.30 Le butin de Colombert. 2.20 Cartoon. Good afternoon. 3.00 Film: Lydia Bailey' Dale Robertson, Anne rancis. 4.25 Black arrow. 4.55 Clapperboard. 5.20 And mother make three. 5.50 News.
6.00 TODAY. 6.40 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS.
7.30 CORONATION STREET. 8.00 WORLD IN ACTION.
8.30 TWO OLD DEARS. Edie's Lovely Room.
9.00 CONJUGAL RIGHTS. Charles and Paula.
10.00 NEWS AT TEN. 10.30 INTERNATIONAL BOXING. John Conteh v Dave Matthews and John H. Stracey v Otho Tyson.
DRIVE-IN. 12.00 WORLD WAR I. 12.30 DEAR LORD...
11.30
BBC 2
11.00-11.25 Play school. PARENTS AND CHILDREN. Getting ready to read.
7.05 7.30 NEWS SUMMARY. Weather.
7.35 LOOK, STRANGER. The Whispering Poet. Norman Nicholson.
8.00 ALIAS SMITH AND JONES. Smiler with a Gun.
8.55 CALL MY BLUFF. 9.25 DAVE ALLEN AT LARGE.
10.10 AMERICA. The Huddled Masses. 11.00 OPINION.
11.15 NEWS EXTRA. Weather.
REGIONAL TV
CHANNEL:
9.30-11.52 London. 1.15
ULSTER:
11.32 Let's News. 1.30 London. 2.00 London. look at Ulster 12.05 1.33 Film: 'On the Fiddle'. 4.05 Puffin. 1.40 Schoc 2.40 comper 4.25 .00 6.15 Maverick. Film: Cry'. WS. 'Hue 6.45 London. 11.30 News and weather. 6.00 Renorts.
LONCOR
6.45 London. 11.30 lamily. 12.s7 News. Channel 1.00 Lot: Monday night. 11.35 Branded. London. 2.00 Living don
YORKSHIRE:
9.30 London. 12.05 6.00 Honeybun. Diary. Date Gus All -ondon. our News. 11.30 Faith yesterdays.
WITA
Danton. Passport to China'.
LOROON
for life. London, Skippy .20 don. 6.00 SOUTHERN: 9.30 London. 13000 Ne. London. Schools. Stewart. Weather. the family 2.30 House- The ilm. Mus. narty. 4.25 keteers'. London. 6.00 by
GRANADA:
9.30 London. 2.00155 Bugs day. 6.45 ess. 12:05 11.30 News. Bunny. 2.05 All Weather. Guide- 2.30 arm progress. •Petticoat 4.00 Pirates 4.25 hon. don. 6.00 News. This is your 9.30 1.00
HARLECH:
Plic London. 11.30 evil London. 1.30 Tam. London. 2.00 Farmhouse touch. 2.30 Women 3.00. 5.20 100 Y
TYNE
TEES:
9.25 Prologue. 5.50 don. 2.00 All Please 6.22 London. Report yesterdays. 2.30 011 Report Lon- Galloping gourmet 3.00 wales News. Film: don. Scales of justice. 12.00 Let •Double Bunk' London. 6.35 12. .30 Weather. 6.00 Today Cart 12.25 News. 12.00 Wales 11.00 Spyforce. 6.01-6.22 YU BOVe except: 8.00-8.30 dydd. wyth- above except: 6.22-6.45
SCOTTISH:
9.30 London. 12.05 203 this week don. .00 Film: Yehe Lamst Bareline. 3 Still Lame 2.00 All 300 Burns'
ANGLIA: 12.05
London. Today. London. 6.00 2.30 6.45 London. 10.30 Late caroon. 3.55 Romper Lion 4.25 London. room. and dragon. 11.20 4.25 6.00 About Anglia. Varney revue. London.
GRAMPIAN:
10.58 London. 12.12 Car
ATV MIDLANDS:
9.30 London. 12.00 12.21 London. Sreen Mans 12.05 2.00 loday. Green London. Dr Simot NewS "tha Londo 4.25 Film: 'The 4.25 London. :.20 Emmerdale Locke Lamp Still Burns'. london. 6.00 6.00 5.50 London 6.00 News. NOVa 6.45 11.30 Clansmen. 6.45 London. 11.30 worth telling. Weather. James. 12.00 Meditation.
MARTIN
JUKES, head of the ber when there was disagreement Engineering Employers' Federa- over status quo. and Hugh tion, Scanlon of the The fact talks have re- that Union Engin- Amalgamated of sumed indicates that one side or Workers will eering meet the other has moderated its Wednesday discuss to new position. national procedure agreement.
For more than year the The will be held meeting at engineering industry has been the EEF headquarters at Tothill withcut a dispute procedure. This Street in London. follows the decision of the Con- Neither side is saying too much federation Shipbilding and about the basis of the new talks.
Engineering Unions to tear up They last broke down in Novem- the 1922 York Agreement. All Trades Unions Alliance meetings Fight Rising Prices
BRISTOL:
Tuesday January 16, Force the Tories to Resign 7.30 p.m. Building Design Centre, Support the Engineers Colston Avenue (opposite
SWEB
building)
LUTON:
Monday January 15, Labour Club (back p.m.: WANDSWORTH: Tuesday January lounge), Upper George Street.
8 p.m. Selkirk Hotel, Tooting WATFORD: Monday January 15, Broadway, SW17. 'The fight for 8 p.m. Watford Trade Union Hall.
a living wage'. Woodtord Road, opposite Watford Junction station. CLAPHAM: Tuesday January 16,
WILLESDEN:
Thursday January p.m. Clapham Manor Baths, 25. Trades and p.m. Labour Clapham Manor Street, Hall, High Road, NW10. SW4.
Scan page 14
Vauxhall workers incensed by right-wingers' decision 'Co-operate with Act' move weakens strike against fines PAGE 12 Workers Press, Monday Januar
TWENTY THOUSAND
engineers in the Luton district are expected to strike today against the industrial court fines on their union. But they will do so despite a last-minute stab in the back right-wingers from on the union's No. 20 divisional com- mittee, who on Saturday called for a change in national policy to allow appearances at court.
Car workers at the big Vaux- hall Motors factory in Luton are incensed at the decision.
THE TROUBLE at Thorn Radio Valves, Sunderland, over two workers who were refusing to join trade unions may not yet be over. Last Wednesday a meeting of 1,500 Thorn workers voted to return to normal working Joseph after the two men, Young and Terence Canavan, agreed to join the unions the Amalgamated Union of En- gineering Workers and the General and Municipal Workers' Union. But there trouble at was Sunderland's No. 18 branch of SIT-IN STRIKE leaders at CAV Fazakerley, Liverpool, reaffirmed their fight against closure at the weekend and called for supporting action throughout the trade union movement to be stepped up.
Franny Martin, Transport and Workers' Union General con- venor at the occupied factory, said CAV workers in London had given a categorical assurance that no work formerly the pre- of Fazakerley would be serve done in their factories. 'This is principled stand,' a It should be re- Martin said. iterated throughout the move- ment.' The CAV occupation commit- tee, which last Friday voted to stand firm against closure, may face a new move this week to undermine its fight to defend 1,000 jobs. This is expected to come at meeting of the Wednesday's engineers' union district commit- tee in Liverpool. shop A section of stewards from the laid-off Lucas Industrial Equipment factory at Fazakerley, which occupies the same site as CAV, wants the occupation com- mittee to allow supplies onto the site so they can restart work.
They have been seeking the support of branches for this policy. FORMER Labour government Minister Maurice Foley has accepted high office in the Com- mon Market political machine.
Foley, Labour MP for West Bromwich, is expected to have the rank of director in the Euro- pean Commission with special responsibility for developing countries. His appointment will mean a by-election at West Bromwich where Foley had a 4,500 majority at the last election in a straight fight with the Tories. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Published by Workers Press, 186a Clapham High Street, London,
SW4 7UG.
Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU).
180b Clapham High Street, London,
SW4 7UG.
lay January 15, 1973
BY DAVID MAUDE OUR INDUSTI
With men and women from Chrysler UK and Electrolux, they will be out in support of the present no co-operation policy.
They see the divisional commit- tee's action as a direct capitula- seizure of tion to the court's £61,000 from the union in fines and costs. The committee, which claims 75,000 workers in to represent Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Nor- thamptonshire and Oxfordshire, passed a resolution praising the union's opposition to the Indus- trial Relations Act, but asking the national executive to represent the union in court. the AUEW when Young applied for his old union card on Satur- day. Three resolutions were passed. Branch president Barny McGorrigan says the Issue will not finally be decided until the branch committee meets on Wednesday. Originally the Thorn workers were demanding the dismissal of the two men, but they accepted a four-point formula Involving a public withdrawal of statements by the two men Inter-union rivalry at the plant.
BY OUR OWN
CORRESPONDENT
This move has emerged just as the occupation-after almost 14 weeks—is showing signs of causing real alarm in the Lucas boardroom. Lucas is now believed to be desperate for supplies of plungers barrels complete four and to types of diesel pumps.* A new pump range, intended to replace the Fazakerley pro- duct, is thought to be a year schedule because of in- behind dustrial action at the group's SEVEN Republican prisoners have been moved from Dublin's Mountjoy jail to the Curragh military camp. Those in the transferred party included leading Derry Pro- McGuinness, 'visional Martin Brian Hearty, Thomas McGrath and Colman O'Muineachain, ex- editor of the Provisional maga- zine. The move follows a week of sit-down protests, hunger strikes and an abortive escape attempt. The seven will join Sean Mac- Stiofain and Rory O'Brady, who are both sentences for serving belonging to the IRA. Meanwhile the Lynch govern- ment's round-up of IRA members On Saturday Leo continues. Martin was arrested near Sligo taken to Dublin. He is being held under the recently- amended Offences Against the State Act. But despite Lynch's savage attacks on the IRA, the Pro- touching visionals still place faith in this puppet of British imperialism. 'An Phoblacht', , the Provisional newspaper circulating in London, contains a front-page statement
R INDUSTRIAL CORRESPONDENT
Its decision was described by member as demonstrating one 'opposition to the union's policy among moderate men on the shop floor'. president Les Luton district Randall said: 'We feel that we should have the right to defend ourselves in the court, particu- larly following the heavy fines in the Goad affair.' The No. 20 divisional commit- tee, which has thus weakened the fight for the strike at dozens of small firms in its area, is notori- ously right wing. Although calling for defence of shop stewards penalized under G&MWU convenor at the Thorn facto deputy Sam Wood at the factory gates.
complex. Meanwhile Acton the Fazakerley workers' prompt action in occupying has stuck Lucas with thousands aluminium housings for the older types. So the combine could stand to lose both markets and a con- siderable amount of money un- less it can find some way of breaking the Fazakerley workers' determination. The question facing district committee delegates on Wednes- day, therefore, seems to be: are they going to help the company or the sit-in strikers, a majority of whom are members of their own union? * The N-type The new range is B-type, AA and BPF pumps. the Mark 15. ers by Rory O'Brady on the bomb- ings carried out on the Irish border. O'Brady says: 'Encouraged by their recent success in stamped- ing the Fine Gael opposition to the Offences Against_the State Amendment Bill, the British and pro-British bombers have struck again in the 26 counties.
"This time they hope to black- mail Mr Lynch into implementing
FROM PAGE 1
locations are created with great and one side is the accuracy soldiers ('the goodies') while the other side is the IRA or the coloured community (the bad- dies'). Brig Thompson also reveals that a report on equipping the armed forces more effectively for uprisings has been civilian handed to Lord Carrington, the Defence Secretary and chairman of the Tory Party. The recom- mendations of the study will not be made public. It was drawn up by a working the Industrial Relations Act, it was among the nine out of 26 divisions which remained silent on the issue of defeating the Act itself. • See 'procedure talks' story, p. ll. • FIFTY South Shields fitters are still on strike at the Redhill Shipyard over a dispute arising out of the north-east one-day stoppage over the fines. When they returned to work last Tuesday they found that management had operated plant and machinery normally worked by engineers. Since then they have been on strike demanding from management an assurance that this would not happen again.
horn factory George Raynor with his
BY A WORKERS PRES
THE LAST section of building wor British Steel's Anchor construction si will meet this morning. Shop stewa mined fight for them to support a ke!
Solidarity action is vital with just 38 sacked men before Christmas, says the site's joint committee chairman, stewards' Greg Douglas. 'If we don't win this one', he told Workers Press, 'no steward will be safe. At the present time, unionism itself is when trade being threatened, we've got to maintain the vital principle of solidarity with who's anyone under attack? The 38 were sacked after a decision to 'work to maximum safety' after their employer, the electrical contractors, Watson and Norris, had refused to pay rates comparable with . the other two contractors on the site. Last Monday, January 8, the his new totalitarian legislation against northern political refugees and Irish Republicans generally.'
O'Brady issued the statement on December 29 at a time when MacStiofain, the former chief of statf, was on a hunger strike having already been picked up.
And within hours of compiling the statement O'Brady himself was arrested at Upper Kevin Street! party of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council which began its investigation in 1971 six months after the Tories took office. Although much modern equip- ment has been used in Northern Ireland, the government felt that should be an on-going there study of the latest weapons for crowd control. The advisory council is a body of scientists which submits reports to the military on new in military tech- developments nology. Its chairman is Dr John Ken- Press
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SIXTEEN days to go to the end of January and we still have Now is £1,426.78 left to raise. the time, before it is too late, for a major effort to pull our Fund figure up. We know you will do It. You have never let us down. We are confident that in this • political situation, with the Tories even more determined to impose their support for state plan, pay Workers Press will grow. Our paper, alone, has warned the working class of such an on- slaught by this government against the working class.
We must make sure that Workers Press reaches out far and wide to warn workers everywhere of the serious nature of the struggle ahead. So give a boost to our January Fund. We need to collect extra amounts wherever possible. See raise. Post all what you can donations immediately to : Workers Press January Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High St London SW4 7UG. PAKISTAN is preparing to try several hundred prominent Ben- galis for alleged spying and treason. They are among the thousands of Bengalis stranded in Pakistan after the 1971 war.
The trial plan is a cynical move to counter the Bangladesh gov- ernment's for proposals war crimes trials of prisoners.
ERS PRESS REPORTER
Iding workers remaining at work on ruction site, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, op stewards are to put up a deter- port a key reinstatement strike.
joint stewards' committee won support for a strike by all 4,000 workers on the site after a rein- statement formula had been re- jected by the employers. Workers for Redpath Dorman Long voted to rescind the decision, however. Civil engineer- ing workers • remained also at work. The RDL stewards are refus- ing to cross picket lines onto the site. The men are expected to reverse their no-strike decision today under a threat that their stewards will resign. The strikers have come under attack not only from the employ- ers, but from full-time officials of the Electrical and Plumbing Trades Union. Scunthorpe official O. H. Han- cock accused the strike leaders in a television interview of being politically-motivated left-wing extremists. This charge is denied by Greg Douglas. drew of Cambridge University.
Kendrew, who jointly won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1962, is deputy chairman of the Medical Research Council Labor- atory for Molecular Biology.
The Tories have passed legis- lation to strip the working class of all its basic democratic rights.
Now they must enforce this legis- lation and that can only be done in a test of strength. It is in this situation that the for their Tories are recruiting 'third force' just as they did the General Strike in before 1926.