Workers Press no. 990

workers press

CIVL WAR

8,500 docks jobs lost in six months!

THE SPATE of killings in B imperialism and the Protestan scale. The sectarian fanatics of th paign of assassinating Catholic Lynch regime south of the bo To seek a mandate for even tougher action against the republicans and the Irish working class, Lynch has decided to hold a General Election later this month.

He is expected to run a vicious "law-and-order' cam- paign to obtain a massive man- date to attack workers and their unions. During the recent outbreak of assassinations - there were nine last weekendthe British army has done nothing except step up harassment in the Catho- lic ghettos. The Tories Ulster Secretary, William Whitelaw, has played the part of the proverbial Nero -fiddled with his White Paper while Belfast erupted. But behind the mask of bored and cynical indifference the British imperial establishment has been feverishly preparing to utilize the new wave of fighting to impose its rule more effec- tively on the Ulster working class. These attacks are inseparably tied to the plans of Heath to implement permanent state con- trol of wages, gag the left-wing Press, censor TV and integrate unions into the state the in Britain. The more the crisis in Britain intensifies the greater the repression in Ulster.

Heath is determined to liquid- ate the Ulster resistance as quickly as possible so he can PORT employers' chairman Donald Redford announced yesterday morning that 8,500 dockers have applied to leave the industry since last Sept- ember, under special seve- rance terms agreed by the Jones-Aldington com- mittee. This represents a cut in the labour force of more than 20 per cent in- side six months-an aim the employers had not pre- viously expected to achieve until late next year. Red- ford, who sat on the Jones- Aldington committee with leaders, union revealed yesterday that he had fore- cast at least 7,500 men would go. This exposes Jones-Aldington as a Tro- jan Horse for the employ- ers. But the Tories may have to pay £32m for the jobs cut. • Full story page 12.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 197:

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SO

gs in Belfast have revealed the desperate bid by British rotestant bourgeoisie to provoke civil war on an extensive cs of the Ulster Volunteer Force are stepping up their cam- Catholic workers encouraged by the repressive actions of the f the border. This is Derry again, but with a difference. In 1972 the Heath government for the miners' was preparing believed strike and that judicious mixture of repression and the promise of constitutional would guarantees smash the opposition in Ulster. Moreover the pound was still able to look the mark and the franc in the eye. Contempt Today the Tories have failed LYNCH: February 28 poll to squash the Catholic working class despite the betrayals of the Social Demo- Official IRA, the devote his attention to the prob- cratic and Labour Party and lems of the Common Market, the Stalinist civil-righters.

The White

USA

trade war with and Japan Paper is treated with contempt. and the opposition of the British working class. The border plebiscite will be ignored and the pound is in This explains the army's sud- mortal danger from Nixon's trade den activation over the weekend and monetary offensive. and the insensate but pre- meditated - murder of unarmed What is Catholic and more civilians in Belfast. Protestant workers are now RY 6, 1973 No. 990 4p

HE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAQUE

beginning to realize that they no longer fight alone. Unlike 1916 and 1921, they are being joined by the big battalions of British labour who are coming into decisive conflict with the Tory government.

It is only in this context that it is possible to under- stand the strategy of White- law in Ulster. Far from con- ceding anything to the working class the Tories are preparing for military dictatorship.

The White Paper is only a fig- leaf for their dictatorial ambi- tions which are clearly spelled out by the reactionary Loyalist 'Newsletter' (February 5, 1973): *Should the Secretary of State be in charge of the country or should it be the General? ... No one can possibly welcome the thought of a term of military government, but if it could lead to a saving of life the decision to put it into operation cannot be shirked. AD It is not enough to tell the people to keep calm when the evidence of their eyes tells them that their homeland is being systematically wrecked and when they know they walk in mortal danger ... •Freedom, first from the IRA, but also nowadays from the illusions and futility of politicians and statesmen who still imagine that a White Paper can end war.'

The continued existence of the Tory government in office is the greatest threat to Irish and British workers alike. It is the chief source of the increasing agony, misery and carnage in Ulster-if the Tories remain in office much longer then the establishment of mili- tary dictatorship in Ulster is virtually inevitable. We have no reason to exagger- ate on this issue. We WARNED about internment- and internment came. WARNED about direct rule- and direct rule came. WARNED about the probability a massacre and the Derry massacre occurred only two months later. We were right not because we but because are crystal gazers, the Socialist Labour League and Workers Press base their prog- nosis on the scientific method and principles of Marxism and the class struggle. Political task To frustrate the military- Bonapartist plans of Heath and to get the Tories out of gov- ernment, and the troops out of Ulster, however, is inseparably tied to the task of politically strangling the reformist- Stalinist leadership in the unions and the Wilsonite traitors in the Labour Party. They are the main buttresses Ulster and of repression corporatism in Britain. To defeat this reactionary conspiracy and to secure the liberation of Ulster from im- perialism now means the trans- formation of the SLL into a revolutionary party, which will lead the struggle to defeat the Tories and elect a Labour govern- ment which must be forced to withdraw troops from Ulster immediately.

workers press

CIVIL WAR

8,500 docks jobs lost in six months!

THE SPATE of killings in B imperialism and the Protestan scale. The sectarian fanatics of th paign of assassinating Catholic Lynch regime south of the be To seek a mandate for even tougher action against the republicans and the Irish working class, Lynch has decided to hold a General Election later this month.

He is expected to cam- paign to obtain a massive man- date to attack workers and their unions. During the recent outbreak of assassinations - there were nine last weekend-the British army has done nothing-except step up harassment in the Catho- lic ghettos. The Tories Ulster Secretary, William Whitelaw, has played the part of the proverbial Nero -fiddled with his White Paper while Belfast erupted. But behind the mask of bored and cynical indifference the British imperial establishment has been feverishly preparing to utilize the new wave of fighting to impose its rule more effec- tively on the Ulster working class. These attacks are inseparably tied to the plans of Heath to implement permanent state con- trol of wages, gag the left-wing TV and integrate Press, censor the unions into the state in Britain. The more the crisis in Britain intensifies the greater the repression in Ulster.

Heath is determined to liquid- ate the Ulster resistance as quickly as possible so he can PORT employers' chairman Donald Redford announced yesterday morning that 8,500 dockers have applied to leave the industry since last Sept- ember, under special seve- rance terms agreed by the Jones-Aldington com- mittee. This represents a cut in the labour force of more than 20 per cent in- side six months--an aim the employers had not pre- viously expected to achieve until late next year. Red- ford, who sat on the Jones- Aldington committee with union leaders, revealed yesterday that he had fore- cast at least 7,500 men would go. This exposes Jones-Aldington as a Tro- jan Horse for the employ- ers. But the Tories may have to pay £32m for the jobs cut. • Full story page 12.

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 6, 197:

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SO

gs in Belfast have revealed the desperate bid by British rotestant bourgeoisie to provoke civil war on an extensive cs of the Ulster Volunteer Force are stepping up their cam- Catholic workers encouraged by the repressive actions of the i the border. This is Derry again, but with a difference. as 1972 the foth go minent miners' preparing believed strike and it that mixture of repression judicious and the promise of constitutional would guarantees smash the Ulster. Moreover opposition the pound was still able to look the mark and the franc in the eye. the Tories have failed Today LYNCH: February 28 poll Catholic to squash the working class despite the betrayals of the Social Official

IRA,

Demo- _the devote his attention to the prob- and cratic and Labour Party lems of the Common Markei, the Stalinist civil-righters.

The White

USA

Japan trade war with and Paper is treated with contempt. and the opposition of the British working class. The border plebiscite will be ignored and the pound is This in explains the army's sud- mortal danger from Nixon's trade den activation over the weekend and monetary offensive. but and the insensate - pre- meditated — murder of unarmed What is Catholic and more civilians in Belfast. Protestant workers are now RY 6, 1973 • No. 990 • 4p

HE SOCIALIST LABOUR LE CUE

beginning to realize that they no longer fight alone. Unlike 1916 and 1921, they are being joined by the big battalions of British labour who are coming into decisive conflict with the Tory government.

It is only in this context that it is possible to under- stand the strategy of White- law in Ulster. Far from con- ceding anything to the working class the Tories are preparing for military dictatorship.

The White Paper is only a fig- leaf for their dictatorial ambi- tions which are clearly spelled out by the reactionary Loyalist 'Newsletter' (February 5, 1973): 'Should the Secretary of State be in charge of the country or should it be the General?... No one can possibly welcome the thought of a term of military government, but if it could lead to a saving of life the decision to put it into operation cannot be shirked. It is not enough to tell the keep calm when the people to evidence of their eyes tells them that their homeland is being systematically wrecked and when they know they walk in mortal danger... •Freedom, first from the IRA, but also nowadays from the illusions and futility of politicians and statesmen who still imagine that a White Paper can end war.'

The continued existence of the Tory government in office is the greatest threat to Irish and British workers alike. It is the chief source of the increasing agony, misery and carnage in Ulster-if the Tories remain in office much longer then the establishment of mili- tary dictatorship in Ulster is virtually inevitable. We have no reason to exagger- ate on this issue. We WARNED about internment— and internment came. WARNED about direct rule- and direct rule came. WARNED about the probability of a massacre-and the Derry massacre occurred only two months later. We were right not because we are crystal gazers, but because the Socialist Labour League and Workers Press base their prog- nosis on the scientific method and principles of Marxism and the class struggle. Political task To frustrate the military- Bonapartist plans of Heath and to get the Tories out of gov- ernment, and the troops out of inseparably Ulster; however, is tied to the task of politically strangling the reformist- Stalinist leadership in the unions and the Wilsonite traitors in the Labour Party. They are the main buttresses of repression Ulster in and corporatism in Britain. To defeat this reactionary conspiracy and to secure the liberation of Ulster from im- perialism now means the trans- formation of the SLL into a revolutionary party, which will lead the struggle to defeat the Tories and elect a Labour govern- which must be forced ment to withdraw troops from Ulster.

immediately.

US lets currency slide in trade war skirmishes Dollar pressure on yen Scapegoat found for crop crisis PAGE 2 Workers Press, Tuesday Februa

BY A FOREIGN

CORRESPONDENT

STRIKE action among wor- in Durban, kers South Africa's largest port, spread yesterday to the public sec- tor, bringing some essential services to a halt. About 3,000 . municipal workers walked out, affecting road works, cleansing opera- tions and other services. They joined several thousand other workers who have stopped work during the last four weeks in a major strike wave: Black workers in South Africa have no right to strike, and the Durban workers •have defied threats and intimidation by the police and continual harassment by the authorities to press home their demands. At least three-fifths of the black workers in South Africa earn less than the official poverty minimum. They have had to bear brunt of rampant price the inflation. The municipal strikers said they were demanding an immedi- ate increase of 10 rand (about £5) a week. Their average weekly wage at present is about 13 rand, though by working vast amounts of overtime some manage to raise this to 25 rand. The strike began in the City Engineers' department and spread the electricity workers. An to excited crowd gathered to urge African clerks to strike.

Strikers stopped a refuse truck and chased its crew with sticks and clubs. They refused to listen to an African labour officer who tried to tell them that a special meet- ing of the city council was being held today to decide on wage increases. A municipal official said the government's Labour Department had been called in and the city's policy and finance committee was holding an emergency meeting.

The strike action has been steadily growing over the past four weeks affecting at least 20,000 workers in Durban.

the THE DISMISSAL of Soviet Minister of Agricul- Vladimir Matskevich, ture, his replacement by and Dmitry Polyansky is being interpreted in the bourgeois Press as one of the biggest shake-ups in the bureaucratic apparatus since 1965. It follows the disastrous failure of the 1972 harvest, which has made it necessary for the USSR to purchase vast quantities of grain abroad. It the outgoing seems that Minister — who is apparently being appointed to another unspecified job-is being made the scapegoat for the harvest results. The latest statistics demonstrate just how serious these are. Not • is the grain harvest very only low, but the potato crop is also heavily down, with the worst results since 1963. The crop is 25 million tons less than the lay February 6, 1973

BY JOHN SPENCER

THE DOLLAR made a moderate recovery on the Frankfurt foreign exchange yesterday when the mar- ket opened for the first time since William Eberle, chiel trade measures to prod up the dolar through the German government imposed morons to rub i This last week's heavy selling, tried Friday on night to persuade the Germans to "float' the morrow in The US new currency controls. is unmistakable: ultimatum to both countries In Tokyo the flood of dollar selling George Schultz, President Nixon's Treasury revaine YOUr Climene nice evernore Secretary, was rebuffed by the Germans, who vicious trade war measures.

shrank trickle dealers the opening instead imposed the waited for of the west question how long The only can Ger European markets. But in both markets many and japan nol out Au the maications French would have 'hit the roof' if the mark that the crunch must come very soon. there and had been allowed to float.

bank chief The apanese central has already being certainty about the future.

applied to nutted una the Japanese. ambassador Robert Inger- to the inevitable and revalue whether it likes Trading in Frankfurt described as warned in Tokyo the weekend that over auiet and hesitant, while lokvo was said to it or nat altered alan 'anxious'. Both the Japanese and the trade with next And in Germany the currency restrictions the Usin the German currencies were under heavy pressure would -which virtually outlaw foreign purchases of revaluation une colar. German Shares toreign The United States government, which took trade'. Gérman vermany ana borrowing abroad by firms-can only stop-gap effectively cut off Thel Licasule foreign funds could well precipitate a sharp In share prices

LEADING

Italian At a central committee terror of leftist extrem- The according to Giorgio meeting of the National ists'. Reuter, were

KISHOR

'generally regretted ante has called for The dictator Juan eron lext Argentinian Right Sunday, he West and demonstrations massive banking circles, though, like condemned 'the con- National crowds Finance asked: Matiese Sould We ther Minister Schmidt political offen- against the Andreotti enthusiastic supporters of the Communist from the National Right 31Vt The measures sharply reverse Party and the offensive inertia and the the traditional West German Io ulus

TOLLE

and Rumania, manoeuvres ol Tse ene policy of maintaining tiers to monetary movements Almirante In their general un- popularity and the difficulties they will create for big business, the measures cannot be main- tained for long without ical of conculsions on the stock

FISK

exchange. But soon as they are West removed German ism will once more be exposed full force the dollar of US influx alle revalue. THE • French government is

BY A FOREIGN

received £35,000 for implicating accused

CORRESPONDENT

the principal Pietro threatening to deport the Valpreda last remaining witness in the Five left-wingers who had became known Inal the Killings 'Milan 16' bomb

BOLOONS

in fact, work launched a counter inquiry died case back to Italy, where his fascists, a motor accident lawyer will be Ambrosini, another life danger from wreck secrer service. Ardau the only witness the police the extreme see fragments of the bomb police Eventually public pressure right. total lack of evidence forced the

BELISARIO

VELASCO,

used general the allack Sergio Ardau fled to France This 'evidence' was destroyed by secretary of the Chilean Christian Donce lo decide accusee police after experts had Valpreda, innocent, but three after Democrane party, nas given nis he accused Milan police challenged it years of ill-treatment in jail have to the participation of support chief Calabresi of assassinat- the military in President Salvador weakened his health that be A senes or omer wuresses na ing. the anarchist rail worker portant the case have dis- may to hences cover men. Guiseppi Pinelli. mysterious This would leave only Ardau. Velasco party meeting appeared It is highly likely that if he last Friday that armed forces Police said Pinelli "jumped' died was stalles. Conce he suicide' were a vital factor for Trom a WIndOW In villan police SCAl DaLK italy WoUld • une main Pinelli headquarters while undergoing suicide. suffer the same fate as the other taining of a climate of peace for committed Calzorari, witnesses the elections next March, which interrogation over bomb Armando who knew which killed Ardau has led an orderly life vital for the 16 DeoDle about lascist alc in Milan bank in December outrage, also committed 1969. ano as workee reguary ror avo political ruture . or the country Uso Lenke, years in France and the deport. The latest decision from leaders of the ation move has all the of General Carlos Prats-Allende After the attack, extreme right dis- marks and this notorious left-wing militants appeared into •pyschiatric rrench were rounded a. acal neates up in Italy and accused of the hospital. the Italian authorities. right-winger. A committer for All • demonstrations beer killings. Another witness, the support have established banned the of the no evidence at all drivel Rolandi. died of a 'hear • bas here was

DCI

33, rue des Vignoles, 75020 Paris.

to support admitting Santiago. the charges and attack' after he capital, for record harvest of 1968, 'What is the reason post- schedules for the 1973 harvest boldlo

BY A SPECIAL

100 was about million poning the date of the irrigatior way which gelling

CORRESPONDENT

, and how and when gear. tons. will the Agriculture productior as whole rarm Commenting the situation Alexeyevsky, who is responsible with high-yield s down 4.6 per cent on the 197 the farm yesterday, the China News wastes aner codu tot on eace and cows?' the asked.

TOT

Soviel down land improvement and reclam- 'exposure' this situation in cent chief Leonid Brezhnev was no could previous year. These figures serve ation. Podolsk foreshadow better than the late Nikita daily shortages of milk for consumers.

the and underine exten Covernon Khrushchev aall the 'Izvestia', report on noted when Certainly, for the Morning Moscow failures of giant experimental bossect Brezhnev eight 1973 harvest do not look promis- at Podo Isk in the Moscow correspondent blames the weather lall ing. Once snowfalls have again ycalc The bad weather undoubtedly region, blamed Alexeyesky's for the state of Soviet agriculture been below leaving the played part, but it does nọt Ministry for milk losses. The avclare The agency said both Matske.

milk shoots winter spate of sackings in experimental farm explain the to the biting froosts. In addition vich Polyansky—whose the Podolsk has been automated with the bureaucracy is relying heavily appointment described Matskevich's not the first imported East German machinery head to that can milk 1,000 man scapegoats 'Brezhnev crop. by the through the of

COWE

USC

clique'. Minister was replaced. Three days control panel. Florentyev, the Russian Agri- recalled that Khrushchev Matskevich's sacking the The farm had culture Minister, indicated at the 11,000 Press announced the dis- annual yield target hanto alsmiss SIx Ministers weekend that :7.5 million acres of

DUVICL

succession order to absolve tons. but could not achieve mischi land had with beer himself 101

SUWI

responsiblity for bureaucrat, Shevchenko, for due to faults of the two the winter crops 'owing to unfavour- 'violating "Izvestia' reported. the failure of the crops state minhe eater Ministry able weather conditions. The not 'Khrushchev's did It mav be that Matskevich was had not trICk connected some way provided promised irrigation deceive the Soviet people in his Shevchenko's Public and the Agriculture Soviet Presumably tim. Brezhnev will have been Ministry had failed to produce been better levelled required prize million acres, presumably because trick Khrushchev's', the Minister

TOI

Water Economy. Yevgeny milkers to the farm. of frost. indicates that the agency said

Tories' private' attack The National Health Service is under they afford cannot attack. Along with all the other rights require. which the Tory government is trying to That victory was not achier take away from the working class, the a great deal of stubborn oppo right to medical treatment when needed, powerful vested interests.

regardless of cost, is being steadily under- Aneurin Bevan, the mined. left a loophole in the Act whi ized the medical service The introduction of the Health Service of the more rapacious need fo by the Labour government in 1948 was a day, is being exploited to the great victory for the working class. It was Tories and their supporters in the culmination of a fight which has been Medical Association. waged by socialists and trade unionists, particularly the miners, for many years to Consultants today lead a d ensure that working and they run their own surgeries men, women children not suffer or die because PROMINENT Tories are involved in the private health insurance schemes which are the spearhead of the attack on the National Health Service (NHS).

The main such organizations are the three major provident societies, British United Provident Association (BUPA), the Western Provident Asso- ciation and the Provident Association for Medical Care (Private Patients Plan).

Between them they insure about 2 million people; abilities until the operation is

BUPA

alone finally performed. covering Evidence the Their given to about million. House of Commons Sub- joint subscription incomes Committee on Expenditure in amounted in 1971 to £24m, 1972 cited March waiting an increase of 20 per cent for 'non-urgent' times opera- tions (see table). over the previous year, and While private medical treat- equal to 1 per cent of the ment is undoubtedly quicker total government estimates —it could be available for all for the hospital service in if private practices were abolished altogether most 1972-1973. private nursing homes do not All the provide societies have the laboratory and other private treatment in nursing facilities available in the main homes, private beds in NHS NHS hospitals. consultants' hospitals and BUPA's nursing private pay for fees. Most of them homes will only take straight- forward some kind of post-hospital and cases pass on more complicated ones to the convalescence.

NHS

hospitals So anyway.

BUPA

runs a whole string NHS is expected to provide of its private nursing own and homes. It also the more costly highly has a nursing specialised treatment, while part-time agency, supplying the private homes take the for home nurses either ordinary 'run of the mill' or to work in under- nursing, hospitals. patients and charge them.

NHS

staffed who For anything between £30 then have to pay their wages, and £90 a year for a family which are considerably higher well as BUPA's than usual. as hiring fee. Cataract operation In co-operation with the Tonsillectomy Institute of Directors,

BUPA

Gynaecological operations also has a health check-up Hysterectomy scheme where, at a of cost Vasectomy £37 for men, and an extra f10 for a special screening service subscribers get little of four, for women, subscribers can more than the promise of a have thorough medical private and quicker room examination. treatment. Over 400 companies send At the same time, the con- their toD executives for this tinuation and expansion of the check-up regularly, which not private insurance schemes of NHS only enables them to offer it means a worsening well as facilities. as an extra 'perk', keeping an eye on the general Money paid for private beds health of their staff, but they in hospitals does not go to also get tax benefits for the help the hospital service.

but costs involved. in the taken straight by The main advantage for the Treasury. Only about 60 per private patient, however. is cent of private beds are ever the fact that he or che in use at any one time. can while jump the queue and get treat- the waiting list for NHS beds ment or surgery with hardly grows longer year by year.

any delay. In fact. there was no

NHS

patients sometimes scheme for

NHS

waiting-list have to wait months or even treatment. it has been sug- years for 'non-urgent' opera- gested that many consultants tions which in order the private would invent it TA within patient kill Non-witent, days persuade as many patients as or weeks. of possible to agree to come to course, means that while the them privately. patient will not actually die, So who are the men behind the private schemes? he could spend a considerable length of time suffering dis- Listed among them are some comfort and various dis- very interesting individuals: the treatment they prices they like. But also work part-time and earn huge sum not achieved without given to consultants born opposition from more than the ent pay of hospital port he Health Minister, • Act which national. Patients have to rvice which, because consultant or to un is need for profits to- need because the d ed to the full by the private patients p porters in the British week. Hospital regi tors have to work | lead a double role: more responsibility surgeries where they sometimes justifies I is not there all the and charge whatever Young nurses and doctors have to and private patients. But none of th treatment goes back into hospital fac President of the Western Provident Association is Sir John Partridge, chairman of the Imperial Tobacco Group and a director of National Westminster Bank. He also participated in the recent tri- partite talks between the Tory government, the CBI and the

TUC.

Two of WPA's vice- presidents are Sir Wilfred Anson, a former director of Tobacco, and Sir Imperial Reeinald Verdon-Smith. Sir Reginald is chairman of British Aircraft Corporation (Holdings), deputy chairman Private patients NHS patients 2 weeks over 1 month 18 months 2 weeks 1 week 12 months 4 months weeks 2 weeks 2 years of Lloyds Bank and a direc- tor of Babcock and Wilcox.

He was chairman of Bristol Siddeley Engines in 1968 when it was found that, in the words of the Wilson Commit- tee, they had 'budgeted for, and on government con- and had knowingly tracts charged twice on some jobs.

Private Patients Plan has as chairman Lord Brock, prominent surgeon, and among its directors it numbers Lord Amulree, Liberal Whip in the House of Lords, and a whole series of leading medical con- sultants and eminent members of the British Medical Asso- ciation. Another is Lord Brentford, who was once a director of International Investment Group along with Reginald Maudling. IIG was associated with the Real Estate Fund of America (REFA) which went into liquidation owing £3.5m.

Its founder, Jerome Hoffman, Workers Press, Tu ke. But at the same time they Other hos art-time in the NHS hospitals by the NHS ers,' physici ge sums. The salary increase sultants in 1970 was in itself technicians the entire weekly take-home hours of thi tal porters and domestics.

after private tants gets pa for the priva ave to wait longer to see a • to undergo operations they get no extra. the doctors are busy seeing ents part-time during the In the m tal registrars and junior doc- jumped the l work longer hours and take hands on t sibility than their experience article a spi stifies because the consultant the compani all the time. lave to deal with both NH8 e of the money from private pital facilities or wages.

is currently serving two- in New year jail sentence York for fraud. IIG was itself wound up in 1971 with large sums of money owing to various investors.

One other director who mentioned is should be Timothy Raison, Tory MP and House of a member of Commons Expenditure Com- mittee which reported in 1972 that private practice is good for the National Health Ser- vice. A Labour member, Mrs Renee Short, who was chair- Committee, man accused the Tories of using their majority to reject all criticism of private practice.

BUPA has 16 governors, most of them businessmen with directorships in various property and investment com- panies. The president is Sir Andrew Rowell, a former director of Clerical the Medical & General Life Assurance Society, which, with BUPA, works closely some on schemes. Among the members of its Medical Advisory Committee are Sir John Richardson the consultant physician Metropolitan Police and Lon- don Transport, Sir Ian Fraser, a senior surgeon and a direc- tor of the Provincial Bank of Ireland, and a number of other prominent medical men.

It should be no surprise that, with so many Tories active in these schemes the Conservative government is anxious to help them in every way. Successive Tory adminis- have shown their trations hatred for the National Health Service. hate the idea that the They working class has won cer- tain rights. For them, workers • Press, Tuesday February 6, 1973 PAGE 3 Other hospital staff who are underpaid the NS—-such as nurses, radiograph- • physicists, pharmacists, laboratory and others—have to spend urs of their time every week looking er private patients. Although the consul- its gets paid for each service carried out • the private patient, the ancillary stafi In the middle of this situation have nped the businessmen eager to get their nds on the 'health market. In this icle a special correspondent examines • companies and Tory personalities be- id this private attack on the NHS.

exist only as a source of profit-from birth to death, every breath a worker takes, every action performs, must be made to add to wealth. Though successive Labour governments since the war have refused to abolish private practices or to nationalize the hugely profitable drug indus- try (they were the first to begin cutting down on expen- diture on the health service introduce prescription and and other charges), the NHS has brought tremendous im- in the general provements health of the working class.

The Tories bitterly resent this. They want to destroy the health service altogether and force patients back to reliance on private schemes. Of course only those who can afford it get the treatment they need; those who can't have to suffer. Just as the Housing Finance Act is designed to break up the council housing schemes and force tenants on to the so by giving open market, more and more preference to the various insurance societies and cutting down expenditure on the National Health Ser- vice, the Tories want to drive workers and their families to having to rely on private insurance. But the working class will fight for its rights—the right to medical treatment not the least amongst them. Much of the information for this article has been sup- plied by Labour Research Department.

PAGE 4 Workers Press, Tuesday Febru

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDEN

The Israeli working class has succeeded in doing what Al-Fatah never has —in a series of deter- mined strikes they effec- tively closed airports, sealed off docks and held up the postal services for days on end. As such, they are beginning to pose an even greater threat to the continued existence of the reactionary Zionist leader- ship than the Palestinian guer- rillas. At last, the old myths of 'one people' with common in- terests based on the accidents of birth and religion, are be- ginning to break down under the reality of the class strug- gle, intensified by the inter- national crisis of capitalism.

Caught in the same crisis every capitalist country in the world, the Israeli government, its counterparts in the like west, is being forced into a position of having to attack the living standards of Israeli workers through rising prices and unemployment. fellow workers Like their elsewhere, the Israeli workers are fighting back. In strike after strike they have wrung concessions from the employ- ers and are going on to de- mand more. Hardly any section of industry has remained un- affected. In textiles, workers who were previously employed • daily basis have solely on a the right to monthly won status after 13 years in the job, with all the increased job secu- rity and other benefits which go with it. They have also gained increased severance pay. Workers in the canning in- dustry recently won the right to monthly status after 131 years, increased severance pay and better travel allowances.

In the metal industry wor- kers won increased fare allow- ances, the right to double-time payments for work on the sabbath and national holidays, much increased severance pay and the promise of at least four weeks' notice instead of the previous two. In view of the dangerous and debilitating nature of their work, employees have pre- viously had the right to spend eight days a year on full pay in a rest home after 11 years' work. This has now been in- creased to ten days after 12 years. Agreement has been reached in the wood industry on better pensions and family allow- ances, and the employers have had to agree to increased pay- towards • holiday rest ment homes. Employers in the plastics in- dustry have been forced to pay full wages for any religious holiday that falls on a sabbath traditional and also for the six days of mourning follow- ing a death in the family. They will also now pay 75 per cent of travel costs. In the bakeries, workers will now get four shirts a year, two day February 6, 1973

ONDENT

pairs of shoes, tour pairs of trousers and four hats. This compares with their previous allowances of one pair of shoes two pairs and of trousers. They will also be entitled to nine days in a rest home in- stead of the previous seven.

Better severance pay rates were also won. One of the most popular strikes was that of the 1,200 Elite Limited, employees of of Israel's biggest com- one panies, which owns ten fac- tories manufacturing coffee; sweets. The chocolates and strike lasted 53 days. There were sympathy demonstrations in many of the workers' dis- tricts. Factory committees in other companies levied a day's pay from all their workers for the strike fund. Local kibbu- tzim organized holiday camps for the strikers' children.

The outcome of the strug- gle was a 40 per cent rise in wages, together with better fringe benefits and the lower- ing of the wage differential between men and women by cent back-dated to Su per January 1972. Investigations are now underway to prepare for the implementation of equal pay in the near future. In addition, the workers won the right to three weeks' salary a year severance pay from the first day of work up to 12 years. From the 13th year they will now automati- cally become monthly workers.

The struggle for the end of the day-labour system and for better severance pay has been recurring theme in many strikes, indicating the terrible lack of job security faced by thousands of Israeli workers.

The fact that these rights are being won has not only increased the fighting confi- dence of the working class, it is also a sign of the growing crisis facing the Zionist leaders. If they are to perpetuate their aggression against the Arab peoples, prepare to grab more Arab land and subdue now in Israeli- those Arabs occupied territories, they can- not afford to fight on two fronts. For the time being, at any rate, Israeli workers must be appeased when they put up a determined fight. But the cost of appeasement is rapidly becoming unbearable. No more than their counter- parts in the west can the Zion- ist leaders afford to go on making concessions the to working class. In fact, in an economy which is largely de- on handouts from pendent sympathizers abroad, Israel is in an even more vulnerable position than many other capi- Businessmen talist countries. are finding it hard enough to make ends meet at home these days without sending large sums of money to Israel as well. Even Israel's largest backer, the United States, may well be on the look-out for improving relations with some of the Arab regimes and cutting down the amount of money now channelled into Israel to help prop her up as an efficient Middle-East 'police force' against the spread of the Arab revolution. Like the Tories in Britain, Hardly any section o the government of sooner or later policy from the working struggle. This explains the emotional propagan anti-Semitism the long cracy Semitism for its owı and in doing so not on the most still which exist working and ILONdIRS NI their own rotten of astupuon they conomy o the Zionist mills But anti-Semitism new there and have managed to li for years many of an outcry HouCN more stories • зго lated in Israel abo atrocities committe Jews in the Arab o Zionism, also, vive by appealing to backward nationalisı Ines icraem working as a means of whi abroad back into fir moral support. Only of extermination at of alleged bloodthin an keep Jewish wc the

CONIS

from elicit inem sacrifices Lul c It is no War Six-Day when Israel invader grounds Lane immunen exenma she took action hard on large of Israeli workers emplo mimt number Israelis have that decai NeFived Nett of Friedman, the in Sinai, whick tion of the territory Israel during the w; that he had been as section of Israeli industry nent of Israel will have to start of taking away class those h have been won in lains the growth of propaganda about m in the USSR. Of Russian bureau- used anti- r lls own Interests, g so not only plays Trends in the Soviet fostering lic- Covere role in the the Russian add grist Semitism is nothing the Zionists Industry has been unaffecter War Ministry sever before the war starte of charge the sources after the land Even leading the Israeli army openly the at faced any real dange Matatyahy Dr former major-genera told army, 'Ha-arretz' papere thesis that in threatened danger danger annihila ot. the state of Isr that for its physical exis bluff which wak was developed ano In May war danger nation threatened neither individuals, The enurely. centrated 80,000 Sinai and of thousands dreds against them.' In an even greate than in 1967, the Zi have to use threat' again sacrifices Center ers abroad. What makes even more ironic Israeli government bour' government wh Minister, Mrs a friend not only Wilson, but Was the meeti guest at Second International Together with

TUC,

the Israeli caught in an intole tradiction. one hand in the to agree to making cessions to Israeli they, are to maintain at all over their foll their dealing with the the orner nal defenders of Israeli and as the represer unaffected. Above: striking ry several months var started to take Sinai oil r the land had been ding members of today laugh he idea that Israel eal danger in 1967. ior-general in y, told the news. rretz' last year: s that in June 1967 Israel, and annihilation te of Israel fought ical existence OSar engendered after 1967 Israel, viduals, nor in its Egyptians con- soldiers ve mobilizer hun- of n greater crisis now 7, the Zionist lead the use "Arab to demand from the ss and their back- situation the ironic is that the 'La- IS a ament whose Prime Golda Meir, friend of Harold recenty le meeting of the ernational in Paris. the Histadrut, they al c an intolerable con- ne hand they have making some con- workers maintain any hold followers and hands free for Arabs. other hand, as the f Israeli capitalism, of representatives a: striking dairy workers in Tet Aviv.

imperialism in the Middle East charged with holding the line against the anger of the Arab masses, they have to ensure that no unity can be built be- tween Israeli and Arab Wor- and also to hold the kers, class back Israeli working from making the sort of de- mands which would undermine the existence of capitalism altogether. The Histadrut places great importance, therefore, on its national ability to negotiate agreements covering whole in- dustries, which appear to offer a few benefits to the extra workers. In this way they hope to a standstill. The more far-seeing employ- . ers also realize that certain minimal concessions have to be made at this stage. Yitzhak Ben-Aharon, gene- ral-secretary of the Histadrut, recently let the cat out of the for a moment when, speaking at a special meeting of the Knesset (parliament) called by extreme right-wing parties to debate 'The social ferment and its effects on labour relations and on the economy' ', he said: The policy of Histadrut is directed, and upon my re- sponsibility, towards ensuring improv- a minimum wage and ing conditions for the low- This is the income brackets. first time that a minimum wage has been introduced... as a vital condition for the signing of any labour agreement. We have so far signed agree- ments in almost all industries and in some of the service branches — collective labour agreements affecting 250,000 workers who will, for the first time, enjoy social benefits closely similar to those of the monthly workers... This is being done with the active help of the employers both in the building trade and in industry. The Histadrut incorporates private capital in its enter-

prises. Both the Histadrut and the labour movement have always favoured encouraging capital investments... In the present situation, it is a fact that profits are rising in all branches of the economy, in- cluding industry. It was the employers who throughout the years insisted that the Histadrut base its wage policy on the state of economic viability of enter.

prises and branches of the economy. And now, this year, we proposed to the employers that, in order to prevent in- cidental wage hikes springing from sudden economic fluctua- tions, the question of workers' participation in profits be separated from the overall wage policy. (Our emphasis.) At the same time as the Histadrut willingly helps the employers keep wages down to the minimum, which they can get away with in the face of an increasingly militant working class, a recent meeting of the Histadrut Council expressed its 'profound anxiety' about who, it the plight of Jews alleges, are suffering in Arab countries. Ben-Aharon told the meet- ing that acts of repression and persecution perpetrated are against them and many are thrown into prison merely for being Jews. "The Jewish people will not forget its brethren in the Arab states, he declared passion- ately, 'until the last of the Jews there leaves for Israel.'

The Council issued a special appeal to the nations of the world and to the workers and their organizations to take action to save the Jews of the Arab countries, to free them from slavery, and secure them their liberty and the right to emigrate for Israel.' Discrimination and hostility against some Jews in Arab countries may well exist, tan- ned by the state of semi-war with Israel, but the Histadrat Council had no word to say on the jailing and torture of hundreds of Arabs in Israel merely for being Arabs, nor on the plight of those Jews from the Arab countries who had emigrated to Israel only to find that poverty and discrimi- nation were still to be their lot. A number of such young Jews who banded together in calling a protest movement themselves the Black Panthers, have been subjected to con- harassment, police tinuous brutality and imprisonment.

For all its best endeavours, however, the Histadrut cannot hold back the Israeli workers.

And the unions have been forced to begin a campaign to organize Arab workers in Israel to prevent them being used cheap labour to as undermine the existing wages and conditions. The Histadrut estimates that L

LES

rotsky Now available from New Pa 186a Clapham High Street, of 'Black Panthers' demonstrate in Tel Avlv.

there are " now than more 75,000 Arab workers in Israeli unions. As a member of its Executive Committee recently commented: 'We learnt during this organizational campaign that the basic problems are similar among the Jewish wor- kers and the Arab ones.' So the war drums have to be beaten again. Once again • Israeli workers are being ex- horted to make sacrifices so that the state of Israel can survive. Zionist sympathizers abroad are being asked to dig still deeper into their pockets to defend the 'Jewish • home- land'. The government has recently announced the largest defence budget in its history. Letter- bombs threaten Jews around the world-although, strange to say, only one of them has actually reached its destination with much publicity, while bombs directed against Arab claim their guerrilla fighters toll in injury and death all too often with hardly a mention hat in the capitalist Press.

By LEON TROTSKY Paperback. £1.00 Iliustrated Sharp pen-portraits of leading figures : of the Second Interna- tional in Russia and Europe, for the first time published in an English edition. The translations were first commissioned by the Socialists' Young Keep paper Left' Their enormous success has led to the completion of the translation of the whole book, which is the first part of Volume 8 of Leon Trotsky's 'Works' pub- lished in the Soviet Union in 1926. It provides the most vivid picture available of the historic figures the Second Inter- national, their strengths and weaknesses, written by an obser- ver who was also a participant in the daily struggle of the Euro pean and Russian working class.

• New Park Publications 1 Street, London, SW4 7UG n Tel Aviv. Above : Golda Meir and Nixon " by Desperate attempts Palestinian guerrillas to bring the plight of their people to the attention of the world by terrorist methods are met by even greater terror as Israeli planes bomb and strafe Arab villages and refugee camps, killing of men, hundreds and children. As in women 1967, brutal aggression is covered by the excuse of the battle for survival. Yet it is true to say that war, preparations are those also directed against the Israeli working class. They will be the next victims of Zionist aggres- sion unless they are able to break from the reactionary racialism of Zionism and re- cognize their true allies in the Arab masses struggling to free themselves from imperialist exploitation. Of course, the Zionists are aided and abetted by the Arab leaders who lump the Jewish workers in the same camp as their Lionist rulers and reject the idea of a democratic secu- Jar, socialist, multi-national Palestine. Time and again, however, they have shown that their of the dispossessed support Palestinian people is confined to little more than rhetorical speeches. Egyptian students who re- cently tried to call President Anwar Sadat's bluff in demon- strations demanding less words and more action against Israel are paying the price today in the closing of the universities and the jailing of many of their colleagues. The only way forward for Israeli workers is the building of a revolutionary Trotskyist party which will turn the pre- sent aggression of Zionism into a civil war against the Israeli ruling class and-together with the Arab workers and peasants —go forward to the establish- ment of a socialist Palestine within a federated Arab socialist republic of the Middle East.

MARCHAIS

WOOS THE

CHURCH VOTE

Many priests were among 800 people at a French Communist Party meet. ing in Eure-et-Loire to hear leading figure Roland Leroy call on Christians to vote com- munist in the March elec- tions. Leroy recalled the late Maurice Thorez policy of the 'hand stretched out to the Catholics e first put forwari 1936. welcomed the changes which had been taking in the Catholic Church place and cited with approval a sub- stantial section from the docu- ment adopted by the Assembly of Bishops meeting at Lourdes last year. The passages he cited, besides calling vaguely for social justice, pointed out that some Catholics were using th vocabulary of the class struggle' as a means of under- standing the situation in which they found themselves. Leroy clutched at these threads claim Christian sanction for the CP's common electoral with programme Francois Mitterand's Socialist Party and the 'left' Radicals. He insisted that the pro- religious guaranteed freedom and that the educa- would be based nonal system on respect for all beliefs and would not teach 'official philosophy'. In the question period he repeated an ance by CP secretary Georges Marchais that priests would be to keep teaching «oe jobs.

M. FAURE ROCKS

THE COALITION BOAT

All is not well between the French Communist Party and its 'left' Radi- cal partners in the elec- toral coalition based on the common programme of the left. This appears so from a com- ment the CP's daily 'L'Humanité" on statement which the Radical deputy Maurice Faure made the Paris evening France- paper Soir'. In it he said that his still remained supporters faithful to the basic ideas of the Radical programme drawi by Jean-Jacques Servan- up. Schreiber called 'Heaven and Earth'. was a programme for the of capitalism reform adopted before the Radicals split, one part moving towards the Gaullists, while the frac. tion to Which saure belongs joined forces with the Socialist Party and the CP. 'L'Humanité' asks how Faure can still this pro- support gramme and put his name the common programme of the left. Jit also peculiar Inas ll that Faure should say of it: 'We certainly have no illusion that all this is possible in miracle of 24 hours. It will require five years!' The Radicals intend to put even on the mild reform measures proposed in the common programme. But Faure has let the of cat the bag too soon for the CP's liking. Unfortunately, 'L'Humanité' does not say who this Maurice Faure is, with whom they have ress, Tuesday February 6, 1973 PAGE 5 Maurice Thorez: 'hand stretched out to the Catholicsf In fact Marchais made a big concession to the church. He has found a form of words which make it appear that while priests could continue in the educational system, they would not be able to do so as representatives of the church.

Leroy reinforced his appeal to Catholics to vote for the common programme by insist- ing on the communists' love of country, evoking at the same time Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, Jean Jaurès and Louis Aragon!

Whether this fawning on the priests will win many votes is far from certain. In areas where the church's political influence is strongest even mild men like Leroy and Marchais are still represented as wild with knives Bolsheviks be- tween their teeth. There is no doubt that the faithful will be told to vote for right-wing candidates. entered into such a close political relationship. In fact he is an old-line politician from the days of the Fourth Republic who controls an important 'La newspaper, Dèpêche du Midi', and has financial interests in a number of big firms. He holds directorships in companies operating in Cam- bodia and Africa as well as in France. During May 1958, when General de Gaulle took power by the favour of the and settlers' revolt in army Algeria, Faure was Minister of the Interior! Until 1967 he was opposed to any kind of political under- standing between the Radicals and the Communist Party. Not to put too fine an edge on it, was pronouncedly anti- communist approved and American intervention in Viet- nam. However, his to conserve seat in the 1967 elections he needed the votes of Com- munist and Socialist Party elec- tors in the second ballot. He thus made a purely opportunist shift towards the left alliance of that period, which has led it: him now to support the com- mon programme-with all the reservations that his article in 'France-Soir' hinted at. This is the kind of ally , for reasons just which the CP been as opportunist, has angling for. It now has to find way of warding off some criticism from its militants who truck with want no careerist capitalist politicians like Maurice Faure. Hence the hypocritical little piece in 'L'Humanité'.

PAGE 6 Workars Pross, Tusaday Fabru Part four. Ebbw Vale

BY IAN YEATS

In the crisp dawn of October 30, 1937 'A' furnace at Ebbw Vale steelworks, South Wales, was blown in for the first time since 1929. Earlier, in January 1936, lorries, excavators, dumpers, and bulldozers tore cranes down the obsolete 19th cen- tury furnaces to make way for.

what was to be the most modern strip mill in Europe.

day Fabruary 6, 1973 v Vale. Return of a Labo When it opened on Septem- ber 30, 1938, as the first shift went to work, the bells at Christ Church tolled and re- tolled in endless peals as a token of the community's thankfulness that work had once again returned to the valley. The long years of slump and closure in which grass and weeds covered the steelworks and rabbits multiplied where bars and rails were once rolled appeared to be over. Today men who never dreamed that they their or sons would ever return to the hunger and rags of the 1930s are faced with the dole once again. The British Steel Corpora- tion's that statement steel- making will be ended at Ebbw Vale by 1975 is the third time workers livelihoods have been seriously threatened within living memory. The furnaces blown were out in 1911, 1929 and now finally, and irrevocably, in community Ebbw Vale town centre. A 1975. ened for the third time in its history. Above: The Eb iron- With the I vang men1 Bu tages as ce

WHATS ON IN EBBW VALE

alrea In turni £4 1 steel Wale A exper was supp porte and valle RE Th not New docki work build Ne merc built around steelmaking, it is now threat- work bove : The steelworks. the 1

Ebbw Vale had been an iron-making centre since 1789.

With the transition to steel in the 1860s the town was in the vanguard of the new develop- ments. But by 1911 the disadvan- tages of the Welsh hill plants as centres of steelmaking were already apparent. In 1911 Ebbw Vale was turning out steel bars for £4 12s 6d a ton, but Belgian steel could be bought at South Wales ports for £4 9s. A large factor in the expense of the top town's steel their distance from was ore supplies which had to be im- ported, landed at the coast, and transported by rail up the valleys. The 1911 closure affected not only the steelmen, but Newport, Monmouthshire, dockers, miners, coke oven workers, limestone quarry men, builders and engineers. Newport Chamber of Com- merce, in conjunction with the works committee, argued that the works could • be restarted profitably if a tinplate works was built to feed sheet steel into the expanding home motor industry. The plant and the Bessemer furnaces were continued at full blast through- out World War I and the re- construction which followed up to 1920. Throughout the 1920s the phenomenon first seen at the turn of the century of high- cost British steel manufactured in miriad small and expen- sively located sites-losing out to US and German companies -again reared its head. This time the crisis was compounded by the worldwide crisis of capitalism which escalated throughout the 1920s to the ultimate financial and economic collapse of 1929.

By the mid-1930s Ebbw Vale's owners had learned the lesson of their high-cost loca- tion and Sir John Beynon showed little enthusiasm for reopening the works which was now the lone survivor of South Wales's famous top-town iron works. Anticipating that the slump would end sometime and with Hitler and Mussolini already on the rampage in Europe, the Welsh tinplate makers were looking for a cheap site, close to ore supplies, for a new integrated works. Sir William Firth, chairman of the Richard Thomas Com- pany, the largest of the Welsh tinplate makers, announced he would build such a works —not in Wales but at Red- town bourne, Scunthorpe, chosen • by the Tories for current expansion. • Against all market logic, Firth gave in to the Welsh tin- plate and a political lobby campaign led by Aneurin Bevan to site his new works at the bitterly distressed Ebbw Vale.

Thirty-four years later the very same factors which led the owners of 1911 and 1929 to question the future of steel- making at Ebbw Vale have once again emerged to ring its death knell. For over 100 years the almost wholly working-class community of Ebbw Vale has been held at the mercy of the ebbs and flows of market con- ditions. Each time the steelworks ith has closed, hunger, poverty Workers Press, Tues and even death have appeared in the town. In 1911 and 1929 when world recession hit steel, some town's then of the 45,000 population could find work at the pits. 1973 only 700 of the SE In town's 13,000 working popula- tion work in coal. Of the rest, 9,000 are directly connected with steel, plus at least 1,000 others in associated trades.

The loss of even the planned enough. would be an unimaginable disaster. Work in extractive and heavy manufacturing industry has been leaving the valleys of the South Wales coalfield for more than a decade. Unemployment in the area, includes Ebbw Vale, which Brynmawr, Tredegar and Aber- tillery, is 5.3 per cent, or over 1,000. There are about 40 vacancies.

DETERMINED

Ebbw Vale, in conjunction with Tredegar, has opened a new industrial estate at Tavar- narbach. So far the only taker is the government, which is planning an advance factory.

There is no sign of any indus- trialists wanting to move in.

Not all steelmen come from Ebbw Vale. 70 per cent live in the town, 20 per cent travel from Tredegar and about 8 per cent from Brynmawr-an iso- lated hamlet 1,200 feet above sea level on the edge of the Brecon Beacons and barely visible under dense low cloud.

With the ruin of not just one but four communities imminent, the determination of the steelmen to fight is understandable. Action Committee leader Colin Hudson told me at his Ebbw Vale home: 'Unless we get guarantees of alternative employment, we'll stop the plant. A lot of the lads are pushing for a strike and they couldn't afford to ignore us at this point of time.' council Labour chairman Mr Harry Evans is also a steel- man. He says: 'We're not going to take this lying down. We as a council will move heaven and earth to prevent the gov- ernment and the BSC killing Ebbw Vale.' As at Shotton in north Wales, the men at Ebbw Vale are unaccustomed to industrial action and there has been no major strike since the war.

More than that, the town is steeped, almost smothered, in the reformist traditions of the Labour Party begun by Tom Richards and carried on by Evan Davies, Aneurin Bevan and now Michael Foot.

It is this which lies behind Harry Evans' remark: 'The council have said they'd do their utmost to bring this Tory government down, but really we've done very little because the only real indicator of mass dissatisfaction is at the ballot box." And Colin Hudson's: 'Even if we have a strike here, and I'm not saying I'm calling one, I wouldn't like to say it would be to bring down the govern- ment. The only way to change this government is by election.'

at this But stage, the workers' response to the enor- mous crisis which has hit them like a bolt from the blue is understandably confused and even contradictory. With 3,000 jobs lost since 1960, only 1,400 of the 9,000 jobs at the steelworks are held men over 55 and the majority of the younger men are on the heavier steelmaking side which is to close. There is no other work and no alternative but to fight. Mr Hudson knows that, and despite his regard for the rule of capitalist law, he can still say: 'But we are not going to give in just to go on the dole!

The action committee pre- sided over by Michael Foot has three lines of defence, all of which are almost certainly doomed to failure. ress, Tuesday February 6, 1973 PAGE 7 As Foot put it in the Tory 'Western Mail, whom he thanked for the opportunity.

FIRST they will seek to persuade BSC to change its mind and modernize the steel- making side of Ebbw Vale.

SECONDLY they will plead at least for the retention of the hot mill. THIRDLY they will ask for guaranteed alternative work.

None of these things is probable or even possible.

Understandably the works' action committee still has some confidence in the power of negotiation. Until the Tories and their banker friends leaned on him to see sense, BSC chairman Lord Melchett had reprieved Ebbw Vale in 1970 and promised the retention of at least 8,000 jobs. Why, asks the action committee, can't he do it again? Because this time Tories' recognition that slump and war is a trade play for keeps. The entire in- dustry is to be restructured— whatever the social cost.

As Mr Hudson himself admits: 'Economically BSC has been strangling the Ebbw Vale works. It hasn't put any capi- tal investment in over the last six or seven years.' As at Shotton, the commit- tee is talking of impressing the Tories by pushing up output.

But compared with the hoped- for economics from the gov- ernment's master plan, an extra 500,000 tons would be chicken feed. Mr Hudson almost sym- bolizes the confusion inevit- able in the process of a group of workers being torn brutally from everything it has ever known. He told me: 'We don't want a strike here. But we're not lacking in guts. If it goes to that, we'll take them on.

'If the government and BSC force Ebbw Vale to a confron- tation, I would expect the general secretaries of the steel unions, Davies, Scanlon, Jones, Chapple and Smith to back us with a national strike. 'We can't do any more. We've had first-class labour relations and we've co-operated with them on productivity and no strikes. We've done what- ever we've been asked and now we're being ignored. 'We couldn't move from Ebbw Vale if we wanted to with a million on the dole. But why should a community that's been in the steel industry for 35 years move?' Mr Hudson asks another why important question: should men be thrown aside as if they worked in private in- dustry when their employer is the state? He says: 'If nationalization works as it is meant to work, it is a good thing. But as it has worked it's only been of assistance to the business people. The nationalized indus- tries have been run like the businesses.' said nationalization should benefit the nation, the workers in the industry and incorporate the principle of the strong helping the weak. •The first thing we've got to do is go for the return of a Labour but I government, think it must be the Labour government as it was originally intended. I think they have got to take their minds away from profit.' At Ebow Vale, behind the reformist platitudes of men like Foot, is an underlying primary will to fight because workers know there is no other • to keep their families' way bread buttered. That is why Mr Hudson con- cludes: 'If this government is prepared to make a stand which takes away the right to work at Ebbw Vale by con- firming the BSC decision, we will take them on and I would expect the TUC to confront the government.'

CONTINUED TOMORROW

PAGE 8 Workers Preas, Tuesday Febru

BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDEN

Mikis Theodorakis, the Greek composer whose latest song cycle, The Bitter Motherland, was given its world premiere in the Albert Hall, Lon- don, on January 30, is a bear of a man. He is im- mensely tall, heavily built, with just a sugges tion of a paunch, has long, wavy black hair and a lined, passionate face. He looks a proud, even arrogant man: He is liable in.

argument to explode with great gusts of energy, even though he is known to have suffered from tuberculosis. Indeed, vitality inforras spontaneous much of his music, more than melancholy or elegiac moods.

For all this, despite his immense stature or indeed because of it, his present political position is completely indefensible and could simply lead the Greek working class to yet more defeats and be- trayals in their struggle against the colonels' regime. say that This is not to Theodorakis himself is not a man. He was first tor- heroic tured in 1942 at the age of 16 and has known and survived conditions of the barbaric imperialist prisons and con- centration camps for much of his life. He is dedicated to the liberation of the Greek people music reflects his and his deep-felt identification with them. For 30 years or so he was a member of the Greek Com- After munist Party. the colonels coup of April 21, 1967, he broke with the leader- ship of the Party as he thought, rightly, that they, the Stalin- ists, had been directly respon- sible for the coup by failing to prepare and arm the Greek working class. Involved in • the Patriotic Front, he remained a Stalinist in the leadership of the interior bureau of the Party, that sec- tion opposed to the dogmatic pro-Soviet line of Koliyannıs and grouped around the former leader, Partsalides, partisan sent to jail himself on January 29 by an Athens court. In London last week for the première and to publicize his book, 'Journals of Resistance' Theodorakis issued a statement on his reasons for resigning the Greek CP, or its from interior bureau. His statement, however, simply reveals that he remains no different from Togliatti or any of the present Italian CP leaders he so pro- fesses to admire. said 'certain Theodorakis international circles' are taking advantage of his resignation, so he was going to clear out the confusion. As in his book, he rightly sees the basic subservience of the Greek junta to the demands of US imperial- ism - though he never uses those terms. His idea is that the interior bureau of the Greek CP did not remain 'unconditionally attached' to the Soviet Union like the Koliyannis section, but 'continued to believe in the international communist movement'. His statement goes on: "This movement has remained true to the traditional viewpoint, or • day Pebruary 6, 1973

PONDENT

Grock pollce in action. Abovo: Mikis Parts airport by Melina Mercouri.

and for this reason it suffers from repeated divisions and at the same time cannot follow the mass revolutionary move- ments, especially those of the developing countries, and of youth which are seeking direct and dynamic their forms; characteristic points are spon- taneity, originality of choice in the field of organization, formless cohesion and lack of a In noting all this down un- critically, Theodorakis is, of once again disarming course, the Greek working class by pretending that its spontaneous development and action will be sufficient to overcome the extreme right. It is a con- sciously anti-Marxist and anti- Leninist attitude. He goes on to say in this written statement that his own role in the leadership of the interior bureau has convinced him that the international com- munist movement no longer expresses revolutionary change and that, because of its close : with the socialist connections it has entered into countries, an era which exercises a para- lysing effect on revolution.

Naturally, as a reformist he does not call a spade a spade a shovel. What he or even would be correct in saying is that Stalinism is counter- revolutionary and has been viciously and brutally whether in the Soviet Union or elsewhere, since the struggle •: Mikis Theodorakis boing grooted at against Trotsky and the Left Opposition. Like all Stalinists seeking to a reason for their discover break with the Party they have slavishly followed for decades, Theodorakis speaks as if the counter - revolutionary nature of Stalinism were some new phenomenon suddenly alight- ing out of the skies 'in the last two years', as he puts it.

Still consciously sowing illusions among the working class, the composer says that the experience of the Greek people, both in the past and the present, shows that 'the forces of revolutionary change' 'not had any specific have direct revolutionary help from the Soviet Union or the other socialist countries, or from the international communist move- ment'. contrary. Quite the As Theodorakis knows only too well the Stalinists betrayed the Greek Revolution after World War II, shot Greek workers and handed them over to first British, then US imperialism.

And now, all the Stalinist countries are falling over back- wards to trade with the junta while heroic Greek workers and intellectuals are still tor- tured in jails and camps.

Theodorakis remains a dis- illusioned, pessimistic upholder of the false doctrine of "peace- ful co-existence'. He writes of of •... the confrontation which two super-powers the excludes today - and in my view in the near future-the possibility of profound revolu- tionary change, at least within the zones of strategic influence' And, at a Press conference on January 29, the composer said: I would not sacrifice myself for a system like the Soviet system to be established in Greece-I say this because I have been struggling for 30 years for this system to be established there and I know that if it were I would be one of the first victims. Of course that doesn't mean I don't re- positive sides of cognize the the system!' He said some poetic things about freedom. He even said was as Partsalides much symbol of resistance to the Greeks as Winston Churchill was to the British! But, above all, he peddled the myth of the popular front as a force to defeat the Greek junta and, just like the Stalin- said ists, King Constantine ought to return. Now Theodorakis knows full well that if the colonels had not seized power according to the NATO plan, then the King, as a continuing part of his anti-democratic actions, would have got his generals to do the same, as they couldn't tolerate the inevitable victory of the Centre Union in the elections. He said that he was still to Constantine, but hostile added 'we would not lose any- thing' by his return. suggested that He even Konstantin Karamanlis, pre- mier from 1955 to 1963 and leader of the rightist Radical National Union, would be yet again acceptable as leader! The man who continued to fill the jails, presided over the killing of Lambrakis, rigged the elec- tions with the help of Papa- dopoulos in 1961 and is virulently anti-working class.

Theodorakis believes Kara- claims manlis — whom he to have fought and still is fighting —has the confidence of the US, EEC, NATO, most of the Army officials (as if that were a great seal of approval) as well as the support of 60 per cent of the Greek people.

He talked of popular unity- the possibility of the left parties being organized on a new basis through equilibrium of powers and mutual compromise that we have a period of time that will not lead us directly to socialism or real demo- cracy, but a period that will permit these powers to go on to their purpose.

IDEALISM

Theodorakis knows full well what this means. And he knows, as he said it, that the crisis of working-class leader- ship was the real crisis that gave birth to the colonels' junta. But he refuses to draw the necessary conclusions from this, deliberately hiding behind Stalinist slogans or lapsing into poetic idealism. Or saying: 'I have stopped believing in the parties and personalities. They want to put themselves of masses—it is difficult, but I day hope that it will be a when we democracy » Will have direct At the end of his Press conference, after pouring out this appalling mixture of self- justification, he said that the struggle was a common struggle.

'Freedom will not come only by the Greeks or the Argen- tinians but by all-together.

Maybe we must create a new International!' But the freedom that Theo- dorakis talks about is the freedom of the middle class and the petty bourgeoisie establish their little Utopias.

It does not mean the smashing of all the state institutions- certainly not the monarchy or the expropriation of monopoly capital—under the dictatorship of the proletariat. His international' is a call for an amalgam of centrists of every hue which is a diver- sion from the world revolu-

With living costs rocketing, share prices falling and in- dustrial trouble looming, the 'get-away-from-it-all' movement among the idle rich has reached new heights of silliness.

It seems that BOAC has started up a special reser- vations list for flights to the moon-and that 114 people have put their names down for the trip. Pan American already has a similar list in the US, which is better subscribed. Some even people in both countries wanted to put down cash deposits. To pile nuttiness onto silli- ness, one man on the BOAC wanted to continue his journey to Mars, while another expressed has the desire to take his dog to the moon.

But these eager lunatics—in the most literal sense-seem destined for disappointment.

As Jack Cowley, BOAC reserv- officer, commented ations cryptically, airlines have got their hands full at the moment with the much-troubled Con- corde and their existing fleets and routes. If you haven't already suc- cumbed to the subliminal sex in the TV adverts and put down your first deposit on one of those summer package holi- days in the sunny south, it's worth looking at a lovely little package offered by the . Heron Corporation. All you need to enjoy the privilege of swanning round the Med in your very own luxury cruising yacht is lite- jackets for the family all and... £175,000. Heron, which normally con- centrates on property develop- retailing and petrol ment, vehicle distribution, is sufficiently - confident that is Heath's pay-control law going to be 'fair' to the right people to have launched a new subsidiary, Heron Marine, to handle the yacht trade. It claims to have contracted £1.75m worth of business al- ready. David Laurent Giles, the company's general manager, is quite open about the whole thing. Heron's potential customers.

he says, 'are people who have £lm in the bank'. And he's confident that there are enough of them around to go of the package. make a Meanwhile at Butlin's ...

The gift of an antique silver coffee pot to Labour Education Minister Anthony recalls another experience of a Labour minister. It was mid-way through the shortly Labour government, setting up of the after the Shipbuilding , Industry Board. This generous body lavished millions of pounds into private shipbuilders' hands. in question The Labourite was a junior Minister. He was to go along with his invited boss to the launching of a ship at one of the country's leading private yards. After the an ceremony, executive of the company pinned a magnificent brooch on the wife of the Minister. He turned to the junior then Minister's wife and gave her one—a smaller one. cluster of Both were a diamonds. Outrageously expen- sive. The junior Minister's wife regathered her cool, took the dress and broach her handed it back. Great was the consternation in the Ministry. of the incident As a result the junior Minister had his knuckles rapped by his boss and his senior civil servant told him that his wife's attitude was 'not helpful' in dealing with the shipbuilding companies. He was not invited to any other launching. Below: Crosland Where is Britain Going? Paperback 37гp • Problems of the British Revolution Paperback 35p Lessons of October Paperback 60p In Defence of the October Revolution Paperback 15p Marxism and the Trade Unions Paperback 25p Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International Paperback 10p Postage: 10p per book. Order from:

NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS

186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG In a desperate attempt to in Moscow the United States Communist Party has mounted a witch- hunt against Trotskyism in the anti-war move- ment. The January 20 issue of the Party's paper, 'Daily World', article by hack carried an 'theorist' Mike Zagarell, author "Trotskyism-the of the book Inside Job'. The article was headed •Problems in the Peace Move- Trotskyist Friends of ment: Nixon's Treachery'. It attacked the Pabloite organization, the Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) and its youth section, the Socialist Alliance Young

(YSA).

The article opposed these because they organizations have been waging a campaign in their Press against the peace treaty' in Vietnam and against the Stalinist 'Sign now' cam- paign. The SWP's position on this question is not consistent: it makes certain correct criticisms of the Stalinists while at the same time politically trailing behind the Communist Party in the anti-war movement.

In fact on the very day the 'Daily World' was attacking SWP its members were the taking part alongside the Com- what it Party munist termed a 'united-front' demon- stration under the slogan 'Sign now' Clearly the of purpose Zagarell's attack is to hit at basic principles of Trot- the skyism which are defended consistently in the United States only by the Workers League. Zagarell is more at home with crude slander than with reasoned polemic. He refers to "Trotskyite Nixonists' and calls for their expulsion from the anti-war movement: 'The Trotskyists have been declared renegades throughout the world peace movement. Of all the nations in the capitalist world, our peace movement in the US has the greatest res- Workers Press, Tues ponsibility. It is time that we began to examine new and higher standards in the peace movement.' A little late in the day, per- haps. Although it has not brought peace to Vietnam, the aim set by the Stalinists for the 'peace movement' - the signing of the Paris treaty — has taken place. The Stalinists apparently consider that with the Viet- nam 'problem' out of the way, they can return to their real task-defending the Soviet CP and peddling slanders against Trotskyism. In his article Zagarell says: •..the main argument of the Trotskyists is that the Viet- are selling out. The namese Trotskyites are embarrassed to attack the Vietnamese freedom fighters directly. 'So they try to use anti- communism, particularly anti- Sovietism, to hide their long- standing hatred the Democratic Republic of Viet- nam (DRV) and the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) of South Vietnam. "They do this by implying that the Vietnamese don't want to sell out, but they are under "pressure" from the Soviet Union. But try as they may to position, anti- hide their position Sovietism, their full slips through. This is a particularly crude example of Stalinist thought- processes. Zagarell makes no real effort to disprove the SWP's charges against 1 Mos- coW. This would be difficult, be- cause they are attested to by almost every bourgeois ob- server-and by the North Vietnamese and their allies themselves. To pick one example of the many instances of the kind of crimes Zagarell is trying to cover up, it is not necessary to cite Nixon's visit to Mos- cow or the blatant remarks of Soviet officials in Hanoi quoted in 'Newsweek'. Let us simply quote Prince Norodom Sihanouk, whose book 'My War with the CIA', written jointly with Wilfred Burchett, was published earlier this week. ress, Tuaeday February 6, 1973 PAGE 9 Le Duc Tho and Kissinger after the signing of the Vietnam treaty.

Now US Stalinists try to cover-up the fact that pressure to sign was put on the North Vietnamese by the Soviet Union and China.

Sihanouk leads the Cam- bodian National United Front control of the which has greater part of Cambodia, only the leaving capital, Phnom Penh, and a few pro- vincial towns in the hands of the US puppet regime. He describes the Soviet Stalinists' treachery in Cam- bodia and their support for Lon Nol's puppet regime cor- rectly as a 'stab in the back for the NLF' in neighbouring South Vietnam. 'Premier Kosygin was very emphatic that I prevent Lon Nol and Sirik Matek from stabbing the NLF in the back.

We, in fact, had done our best tackling the Lon Nol- Sirik Matak coalition, the Saigon forces and the Ameri- can air force without outside help. 'What more could he ask? And who is stabbing who in the back now? Lon Nol and Sirik Matak never stopped their betrayal of the NLF, but, nonetheless, the Soviet Union rewards them. 'Not only do the Soviets keep an embassay in Phnom Penh and maintain diplomatic relations with the traitor regime, but they send medical surgical and equipment to patch up the troops of Lon Nol, who we have put out of action, so they can attack us again. 'In October 1971, the Soviet Union renewed financial agreement with that same Lon Nol regime which premier Kosygin assured me he would "never forgive". I am now, in the NLF; 1972, with our troops fight side by side' This is how the Soviet Union 'aids' the struggle of the Vietnamese. As Zagarell says, the peace movement' could certainly do with 'new and higher standards. It could the clean-up by asking start the US Stalinists why they are up for Moscow's covering betrayals.

PAGE 10 Workers Preas, Tuesday February 6, 1973

TODAY'S TV

9.30 Schools. 12.30 Ar y trymydd. 12.55 News. 1.00 Pebble Mill at one. 1.30 Andy Pandy. 1.45 Ask the family. 2.05 Schools. 2.50 Sixteen plus. 3:15 Rolf Harris. 3.40 Dat at the office. 4.10 Play school. 4.35 Jackanory. 4.50 Scooby-doo. 5.10 John Craven's news- round. 5.15 Vision on. 5.40 Wombles. 5.45 News. Weather.

8.30 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LIKELY LADS? I'lI Never orget Whatshername 9.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS. Weathel 9.25 DOCUMENTARY: 'THE LONGEST DRINK'. The Story of a city's water. 10.15

FILM 73.

10.45 MIDWEEK.

11.30 NEWS.

VIEWPOINT. Hail, Gladdening Light. 12.00 Weather.

11.35

12.02 MEDICINE TODAY.

ITV

9.30 Schools. 10.30 This week (London only). 11.00 Schools.

2.05 Mr. Trimble. 12.25 Pinky and Perky. 12.40 First report. 1.00 Lunchtime with Wogan. 1.30. Emmerdale farm. 2.00 Harriet's back in town. 2.30 Good afternoon. 3.00 About Britain: 3.25 Kate. 4.25 Junior showtime. 4.50 Magpie. 5.20 | dream of Jeannie. 5.50 News.

6.00 TODAY. 6.40 CROSSROADS.

6.40

CROSSROADS.

7.05

FATHER,

DEAR FATHER. In All Directions.

COOL MILLION. Now You See Her, Now You Don't.

7.35 LOVE STORY. A Face of Your Own.

10.00 NEWS.

9.00

DOCUMENTARY: 'WHO BEAT

THE ALL BLACKS?' But 10.30 Good Old Sospan Fach.

PROFESSIONAL

WRESTLING.

11.15

12.00 A CHANGE OF COURSE.

BBC 2

11.00-11.25 Play school. 5.50 Open University.

OFFICE. To file-or not to file?

6.40

OPEN UNIVERSITY.

7.35 COLLECTOR'S WORLD.

7.05 INTERNATIONAL TENNIS. Commercial Union Masters 8.05 Tournament. PLAY 'HOME'. By David Storey. Royal Court Theatre 9.00 pro- Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Dandy duction with John Nichols, Mona Washbourne, Warren Clarke. 10.25 LEAP IN THE DARK. No 2. Telephathy, precognition.

THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST.

10.50 NEWS EXTRA. Weather. 11.15

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ALL TRADES UNIONS ALLIANCE MEETINGS

SW4 WANDSWORTH: Monday February Clapham Manor Street, Fight rising rents and Defend basic rights' democratic 'King's Arms Detend basic Force the Tories to resign Tuesday February rents and prices'. 'Prince Wharfe p.m. OUTHAMPTON: Tuesday Febri Hinkler dale Road, Kings Cross. 'Lessons Road. Build a Tou Sil of Action The Stal 8 р.т. Trade Union Hall (down- of the rents fight. opposite Watford Junc- Ting 050 HARROW: Tuesday February

BAGANNAMA

Hon sation. 8 p.m. Labour Hall. 'Defend basic CLAY CROSS: Tuesday February violis.

TOOTING:

EAST

prices. Defend basic 'Selkirk Hotel. ruary p.m. Market, Street February 'Defend basic rights'. COVENTRY: Tuesday Wood End Com- 14, 7.30 p.m. Tuesday February munity Building February Cante 20, 7.30 p.m. AEU House, Mount St Mathews Road and CLAPHAM: Tuesday February 13, Brixton Hill). Clapham Manor Baths, Febru-

SHEFFIELD:

Wednesday 'Dog and Part- ridge', Trippett Lane.

SKELMERSDALE

7, 8 p.m. Quarry I would like information about WOOLWICH: Wednesday February Street,

THE SOCIALIST

SE18. "Defenc • Se rights'.

LABOUR LEAGUE

Thursday 7.30 p.m. Peel Hotel, Boar Lane.

FIll in the form below and send to NATIONAL Hall M.

SECRETARY

SOCIALIST

LABOUR

LEAGUE,

(opposite Town Hall). 'Build Councils of Action.' 186a CLAPHAM HIGH ST, LONDON SW4 7UQ.

. 8 р.т. Name. to the with Stalinism Down imperialism. Address.

BASILDON:

Sunday February 11, 5.30 Barnstable Community Centre.

TUCaccepts Common Market corporatism 'Lefts' included in policy switch THE TUC has taken major strides towards accepting the Common Market and the corporatist style of trade unionism which exists in countries like West Germany and Italy.

Later this week TUC leaders will travel to membership. And the talks That the Brussels to attend the was meaning about EEC legislation of the Industrial Relations founding conference of notorious coins ere demarce

ACI

arel

TUC

and Labour Party court: this is the meaning the new European which of the conference policy treacherous scneme Trade Union Confede- WaS

LO DUL

union stooges favour of a boycott on all the board room. ration. Common Market bodies We can also reveal that some monopolies At the same time hints Workers Press can reveal have that the worker-director have emerged from major scheme has the support of trade union union offices that British for these and there Const labourcauca pIci Party. are paring to accept the con- names suggested! It is in worker-directors line with the cept • Mr the boards practices of Stalinist Jack Peel, right- on of major Parties are endearer wing general secretary of British companies. have been secret National Union 01 The 'Financial Times hiers Workeas, Vorkers will Tex caulations labour editor remarked of big will Tween The encers business and the trade yesterday: nominated for a senior post for this policy 'This marks a be quickly implemented. sion's social affairs depart- switch of policy, particu- ment. larly for some left-wing forms part of the Tory strategy to smash the leaders such Mr His the Union acceptance £9,500-a-year 'job is in Jack jones or tne transport maependence or tne trade workers, who have union movement and to recognition his for con- its leaders ever more traditionally believed that Neeow, my faithful Victor, we have more parts for union support for the EEC.

my corporate monster. close to me state. ment and unions should be kept separate.' The acceptance of partici- Shopworkers stage London pation monopolies is in line with

EEC

legislation on bustal was released last month. pay rally

USDAW,

the Man- leadership has suggested This suggested that the chester-based shop- case against should the in unions workers' will laws the

BOW

workers big rally County Court, London. stage a in all public companies with 500 London tomorrow This miserable diver- more than employees. sion is aimed at channel- The protest against the Tory The order holds up laundries. covernment asked the TUC to consider state pay laws. £l-a-week ling of the anger of the increase The move by Employ. this proposal. membership away from Mr which General Secretary Mr politics and into the and Hugh Scanlon Alf Allen and president should have been receiv- Jones Maurice legal arena. Mr Dick Seabrook will ing since January as Loyed a London ment of the Amalgamated Union part of a long-term Members Engineering agreement signed in May workers members of a special meeting who have to operative Society 1971. Fields before march appallingly which has intended to the of DalLy and lobby of parliament. ow cre Tory Faw. recommended defiance sive she

CANCLE!

between of principles with his covers give right-wing Order 50,000 and 60,000 shop class collaboration came into effect banning leadership rough assistants and about In face of with wage increases for about the this ception their poli- the class employilig Class. 22,000 workers in radio legal attack by enemy. 80.000 Co-Operative wor the lor kers, mostly

USDAW

servicing government, the best trial action against the deevision Yet all of the discussions

USDAW

members. cafes, restaurants defence the Tory laws. anc went on in secret and with- Lecture ¿

SLL

1933-1938From the German founding defeat Socialist Labour League Public Meetings Fourth International

LECTURES

Central Committee)

UNITE IN ACTION TO DEFEND BASIC RIGHTS

ACTON

DONCASTER

CLAPHAM

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14,

Wednesday February 7 Lecture 2 8pm Sunday February 11 London South Island Library Wednesday February 14 The revolutionary part South Island Place Lecture 3 In Britain. SO Conta CHANDA Stockwell, Woodlands Hall # Slaugh Crown Street, W.3. 8 p.m.

SPREAD EAGLE HOTEL

Westlaithgate

EAST LONDON

7.30 p.m. Crown Street Thursday February ® Lecture 2 speaker: MIKE (SLL Central Cttee)

SHEFFIELD®

Thursday February 15

NORTH KENT

NDSWOR

Lecture 3 ONDAY FEBRUARY 19, 8p

URSDAY FEBRUARY

Monday February 19 • Shakespear 8pm The economic crisis and the Old Town Offices Powis Street socialist answer. Woolwich Poplar High Street Monday March 5 SLL Nationa party in (SLL Central Cttee) The E.14.: 8 p.m. rovolutionairy Britain.

BEONE ANY FEDUARY 1A.

aLASGON Young Socialist Premises

NEWCASTLE

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 11

Portobello 30om ovan. South Town Ha Monday February 12 (near Jessops Hospital) Middleton Baths angland Road nearest underground Viddleton, Mancheste 8 p.m. Monday February 19 Lecture 3 speaker:

G. HEALY

Lecture 2 Ford Arms SLL National Sec 1924-1933—The Left opposi- Shields Road, 8 p.m. tion's struggle against Stalin ress, Tuesday February 6, 1973 PAGE 11

FEBRUARY

FUND NOW

STANDS

AT £65.62 WE ARE now at the sixth day of February and It is a slow start so far for this month's Fund.

We have only 28 days this month to complete our £1,750 target. Let's press on with the As civil war breaks out in Ulster, serious dangers face the working class. British im- perlalism will ruthlessly try and crush all those who fight back to defend themselves against this system. Workers Press was the first daily paper to speak out against British troops in Ulster. Our paper has been in the forefront of the struggle against the Tories and all their attacks.

Fight back today with Workers Press. Help us raise our Fund early this month.

Collect as much as you can.

Post all donations Immediately to: Workers Press February Appeal Fund 186a Clapham High St London SW4 7UG. 01-720 2000 01-622 7029

MEDWAY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 27, 8pm Aurora Hotel Brompton Road Gillingham speaker: MIKE BANDA (SLL Central Cttee)

SLOUGH

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28

8pm Britwell Community Centre Long Furlong Drive Britwell Estate speaker: G HEALY (SLL National Sec)

DAGENHAM

THURSDAY MARCH 1, 8pm Manor Park Library Romford Rd/Rabbitts Road opp Rabbitts Pub speaker: G HEALY (SLL National Sec)

BIRMINGHAM

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 25, 7pm Digbeth, Civic Hall Digbeth, Birmingham speaker: MIKE BANDA (SLL Central Cttee)

Clydebank rents deadline Port bosses' Trojan horse PAGE 12 Workors Prozs, Tucaday Fabi

ITV

SCREENS

were blacked last night between 8 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. in pro- test against the political ban on the World in Action film, "The Friends and Influence of John L. Poulson? The black became certain at midday yesterday when both the film and television shops at the Grenada head- at Manchester quarters decided to support their film union colleagues in London. The screen black-out is the first time industrial action has been taken by members of the ACTT to. disrupt commercial networks in protest against govern- ment censorship. The hour-long film on the bankrupt Yorkshire archi- tect was to have been shown a week ago, but the IBA, a stooge body of the ruling class, arbitrarily banned it.

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

THE ANTI-UNION laws, un- der which five workers have already been jailed, had not undermined basic trade union corporatist-style rights, the Industrial Society said yester- day. At the unveiling of their new booklet, 'The Industrial Relations Act in the Courts', , authoress Joan Henderson said that one of the main troubles was that the main unions had refused to co-operate with the Act and the National Industrial Relations Court.

Head of the Society, John Garnett made it clear that they were against trade union refusal not to observe the law. He said it was a challenge to democracy to argue laws should be broken. is right for "That tyranny and not for a democracy,' he said. Mr Garnett, an ex-ICD execu- tive, added that Society, which many leading trade unionists on its governing body, believed unions should register. He said that recourse to the NIRC should be the 'last resort' for managements, but that now the Act had become the law of the land, it had to be recognized.

The 40-page booklet, which reviews all of the important cases come before the court, to promises to be another massive money spinner for the Society.

Registered as a newspaper at the Post Published Office. by Workers Press, 186a Clapham High Street, London,

SW4 7UG.

Printed by Plough Press Ltd.

. (TU), Clapham 180b High Street, London,

SW4 7UG.

aday Fabruary 6, 1973 A HIGH COURT order instructing Clydebank council to implement the Tory rent Act expires today. Tory Secretary of State, Peter Walker, has said that tenants of Clydebank's 9,000 council houses must pay up to 75p a week more. But on the very day the Court of Sessions ordered them to im- plement the Act, Clydebank council voted 13 to 8 against.

From today they are in con- tempt of court and could be faced with unlimited fines and imprisonment. Officials say that the court's most likely first step could be to instruct the town council's full- time staff to levy the increases.

be immediate There would opposition from tenants, who de- monstrated their feelings at the THE JONES-Aldington re- port has done its job-it has slashed the docks labour force by more than 20 per cent inside six months and handed the employers a dan- gerous weapon for attacking in Henderson Industrial Soclety chief John Garnett with authoress Joan Henderson and her bookiet 'The Industrial Relations Act in the Courts'. Their earlier work on the anti- union laws, 'The Industrial Rela- tions Act at Work', grossed over £50,000 with sales of 70,000.

The policy of the Industrial Society is strictly at variance with even the TUC's milk-and- water opposition to the Act.

The first booklet and this latest publication are designed to ex- plain the workings of the Act to industrialists. Mr Garnett said yesterday that this was not designed to encour- age them to use the Act. He could see no serious difficulties between the Society and the trade unions over this policy.

Union leaders who are on the Society's governing council in- clude Jack Jones of the trans- port workers, Jim Conway of the engineers and Lawrence Daly of the mineworkers. Other evidence of union sup- port is afforded by the Society's Westminster office. The transport workers, the general and municipal workers and the public employees all con- tributed to a £136,000 fund for the building which will be officially opened in April by the Queen mother.

BY IAN YEATS

weekend in a 2,500-strong march Last night's meeting was also the town. through expected to vote to withhold its payments from the Public Works AT CLAY CROSS, Derbyshire, Loans Board. a full meeting of the council last Because the council refused to expected to operate the rent Act it received night pass housing subsidies this resolution urging tenants to no withhold their rents. Mr Wellon told me: 'We shall Council leader Mr Arthur deduct from payments Wellon told me: 'The rent and the Board what we feel we strike which began a week should have had in housing sub- rates We determined ago has got off to a good start sidies. to and it moved into top gear this keep rents down in Clay Cross'. weekend. The Board is a Treasury body The council has taken Labour and is owed between flim and Party advice and decided to £1zm. The council repays the f6,985 £180,000 a year. appeal against sur- charge slapped them last month in lieu of arrears.

AT York- The effect of these legal man- shire, 15-strong oeuvres can only be to postpone council's fight against the rent the inevitable head on clash with Act hung in the balance yester- the Tories. day.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT

dockers' organization and the industry under the report's fighting strength. special severance terms. These facts emerged force- Yesterday's post brought in the fully yesterday as employers' final applications for severance announced spokesmen the these up to 14,000 for men over 35 or terms, which can numbers of men who have left Torc lodustrial Relatinas Act in the Courta John Garnett Defend trade unionism and basic living standards Unite in action to make this Tory government resign The road to power is through the building of the revolutionary party

YOUNG SOCIALISTS AND SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

APAGEANT OF HISTORY-THE ROAD TO WORKERS POWER

chrIRE PooL WEMRIcY I would like to take part in the Pageant/come to Empire Pool.

Please send me further details.

NAME...

ADDRESS.

No. of tickets required Amount enclosed (E1 each £ Complete form and return to : Pageant Office, 34 Hamilton Gardens, London, NW8 Tory, auditor Mr. F. Hools- worth has now finished his ex- amination of the authority's books and some councillors are worried about the extent of their personal liability for arrears.

The council's 2,000 households owe about £14,000. Voting at yesterday's meeting was expected to be close. At the last vote it was seven-SIX against. Yesterday's decision will be ratified at a special public meet- ing of the council tomorrow.

AT BEDWAS and Machen the Tory commissioner Mr E. Lewis arrived yesterday and the first rent increases of 85p a week will be levied next Wednesday.

Labour Council chairman Mr W. A. Richards told me: 'We have gone as far as we can go.

Now it's up to the tenants.'

meeting special of the town's 1,700 tenants has been called for tomorrow night to discuss the situation. 'unfit for most forms of dock work'. By mid-morning the total num- ber applications of received since last September, when the terms came into , effect, had reached 8,533. The estimated cost to the government rose to- wards the f32m mark. Where there were 40,500 regis- tered dockers nationally at the end of the national dock strike last year, there will be only 32,000 once all the most recent applications are cleared.

The port employers yesterday made two vital admissions about this swingeing cut in the labour force: • That it takes them close to their strategic aim of a 9,000- man cut by the end of 1974 with 23 months to go! • That their own secret plans at the time the Jones-Aldington report was published provided for • cut of exactly this order. In fact, despite the report's sooth- ing claim that the 'essence of the present problem' was a tem- porary surplus of 1,650 men, the employers counting were alone on ridding themselves of 7,300. Yesterday's announcement of the final tally was made by Donald Redford, chairman of the National Association of Port Employers and a member of the Jones-Aldington committee.

Exuding satisfaction, he told reporters that the main question now facing the industry was to get everything in balance'.

And he laid heavy stress on the efforts of the National Ports the National Dock Council, Labour Board and NAPE to assess and meet the requirements of those ports where severance has now produced labour short- ages. It is at this point that the on dockers' organization attack • comes in. Redford revealed that there are now more than 2,000 'sup- plementary dockers nationally, and that there has been no case since last September in which the National Dock Labour Board has turned down a port's request to open a supplementary register.

Supplementary-registered men enjoy none of the job-security provisions of the Dock Labour Scheme, which protects dockers on the permanent register from the sack. The employers' chairman at- tempted to deny yesterday that these men are 'casual workers' But he was forced to concede that they can, in fact, be sacked notice either from at a week's the Dock Labour Board or their individual employer. The breakdown of those who have applied to leave the in- dustry is: London, 2,500; Liver- pool, 2,809; Hull, 360; south Manchester, 317; 360; coast, Preston, 133; Tyne and Wear, 404; Bristol, 162.