Socialist Press no. 36

TRADE UNION DEMOCRACY SUPPRESSED

4%: TUC SPEAK ONLY

FOR THEMSELVES!

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

By endorsing the 42% wage deal agreed between Healey and the General Council in April, the TUC Special Conference has accepted a wage cut. But in doing so the union leaders do not speak for the working class. They speak only for themselves, and for the bankers and speculators who will benefit directly from it. social service The working class were never obviously accept cuts just as they asked what they thought of the Millions of votes were cast

CLILS.

of the Callaghan The crisis handful of people. by government in this situation 37 people T&GWU for example - d reformist government offering no on the Executive cast 1.8 million is shared by the trade votes, after consulting nobody at reforms - who union all. al y inseparable from the In the one case where workers politically the miners- they Labour leaders. asked - were In order to vote for the 42% voted against the 42%, though the and accept the totals were swung by the votes of cuts they are having to launch a foremen- and clerical workers (see full scale. attack on democratic back page). rights within the unions.

The argument • used by Jones The problem for the bureau- and Murray is that workers must cracy is that the working class is "save the pound". This is a com- advanced If its most plete fraud, which sections and those under the most workers lose either way. were called On the one hand they are told attack direct for the defence of living that a cut in real wages is needed fight standards, the response would be to save the pound. This of course has no real effect on the pound,

CHO HOUD.

bureaucracy is therefore since the crisis is not caused by The break determined to up high wages. section of workers, group of shop And on the other hand as the conference union pound continues downwards, sewards prices of imported which initiates goods go up, opposition. again slashing the living standards class. To follow working

UCATT CONFERENCE

Jones' line of "defend the pound" is to face a certain wage cut.

As it was, even before the TUC the UCATT The events at Conference was held Healey had Conference at the beginning of signed up a £3,000 million loan this month are probably the most from bankers striking example. international to the defeat of the "save the pound": Following While Callaghan and Healey Executive resolution supporting this cash comes the 4%, General Secretary Smith loudly declare attached", that announced he would not with "no strings especially the

TUC,

carry out the conference decision everyone, "unrep- knows it on the basis that it was means further savage resentative" cuts on social service spending are followed, but Smith on the way. Uproat stuck to his position saying that

HELD BACK

UCATT

delegation would at the TUC conference; abstain These cuts have been con- that the membership be would sciously held back until after balloted; and that then if the of the 4½% membership voted in favour of endorsement deal, to avoid further embarassing control this would prove wage union leaders like Drain of that the conference is unrepres

NALGO

and others with large would

ZESE

memberships facing and "reconsider" its future role.

CULS

Yet

UCATT

Biennial Tne But the TUC leaders are not Delegate Conference is, under hiding their of the rule, the highest body the acconce 1n Last week television union, the supreme policy making cuts. on Hugh Scanion said that body and comprised completely were "a with men ass affected for cuts matter unions of elected delegates. all workers, including all But A similar position prevails in AUEW members are hit by social the

T&GWU.

Jones acting service cuts, so it is clear where completely without mandate.

Scanlon stands. And all those who Though he obtained an

CACC

"save will argue pound utive decision in of the 4½% because fake lefts collapsed in front of him, Jones, Executive, is together with the acting contrary to the decisions of the last Biennial Delegate Confer- ence - as in UCATT, the supreme policy making body. the Indeed wages adopted at the T&GWU BDC sup- ports the social contract with the Labour governist on stringent stringent including massive conditions expenditure increases in public and no interference in the right of free collective bargaining.

STEWARDS ATTACKED

In order to flout union policy and get away with it Jones and his supporters have had to carry dictatorship into every level of the union.

In particular, they have had to attack the independence of the shop stewards movement. • In Hull docks all 16 T&GWU have had shop stewards their stewards cards suspended by the Regional Committeein an attempt to crush the power and indepen- dence of the unofficial port shop stewards committee. Ryder plan is in weyland te being brought into roduction as a introduction company wide bargaining individual plant opposed bargaining. This would be a major blow at the shop stewards movement. It would the further hamstring struggle for wages in Leyland, and Cont'd on back page

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO 36 * 16th JUNE 1976 * 10p

43% SIR? OF COURSE

HE AGREES!

SYRIAN TANKS

DEFEND ISRAEL

The true role of the Arab League's token "peace keep- ers" in the Lebanon is to put seal the Syrian the on invasion. They are there to act as a political "buffer" protecting the 12,000 Syrian troops from the armoured Palestinians and the Lebanese leftists. And this role is one that most elements in the PLO leadership are being driven to accept - all in the name of Arab "unity Minister Prime As Lybian as the chief Jalloud emerged "peace keeper' at tae weekend while Syrian armoured units dug themselves in round Beirut and PRO chairman Yassir Aratat nego- fated in Cairo for Bay ptian "sup-

CRUSH

The Syrian attempt, by its invasion of the Lebanon, to crush once and for all the freedom of the Palestinian liberation

HOYC

openly organise in the ment to country has received a set-back.

TIM

The Syrian invasion President preceded completely spurious charge t the Muslim left wing Leban and the PLO were: "implimenting a plot aimin the partition of Palestinian creating a state Lebanese soil instead of in Pa tine"

ESSENTIAL

On the contrary, the freed the to organise Palestir OI liberation movement in Lebar is essential to the struggie for liberation of Palestine. Assad's motives for stepping intervention in the Lebanese several. Firstly Wall WErE threat of left-wing Musi Palestinian deteat the bourgeois Maronite reg wing would act as an inspiration for Syrian masses to act against Assad regime in Syria itself.

Numerous military in Syria followed cri ism Assad's strategy withecondly, it the PLO gai Secondly, Cont'd on back pa

S. AMERICA ROUND UP

Page 2

BOLIVIA

ARGENTINA

members of the now suppres- Torres, ex President of Bolivia.

Bolivian military dictator, Hugo In Argentina, a new decree 40 more lhas outlawed over the most murderous repression of organisations, most of them

DONAE

"suspended' the (already on counter some of the rapidly mount- ing opposition to his regime from the "Trotskyist' include Workers Party (PST) as Socialist well as Peronist, Maoist and other talking during his left organisations. Notwithstanding its political prevented the workers from arming criticisms of these organisations, Socialist fress gives unconditional support to the protests being made throughout the international labour movement against these gross viol- Bolivian masses, if as nothing more Lations of democratic rights.

than a symbol of their hatred of We call for a united struggle of workers' organisations to overthrow Banzer declared national mourn- vicious General Videla's Jorge ing for Torres and arranged for his dictatorship. When Torres' wife insisted that the lying-in-state should be in San Andres Catholic university in La Paz and in the headquarters of the mineworkers union, Banzer refused and the body was buried instead in Mexico. " |• •*| events triggered a new 1 nesc development of the already strong mass action against Banzer.

The been in

IHIYORIRRN

turmoil for Last several weeks. than week the students of San Andres went strike against Banzer's on decision about Torres' body.

In Oruro on the following day, NiCULAHEIL O ue anD oI

ITALY

Fiat director managing ot murders Umberto Agnelli is standing as a Christian Democratic candi- elections date in the Italian because he the party says needs "renewing Phillipines Benigno Zaccagnini, the party's boasts the general-secretary through posters CICaLIdIl new Crack-down Democracy has already Curistian begun"

DESPERATE

At the beginning of last But there is nothing new about week the army arrested en the way the Christian Democrats in boc two hundred this election campaign over are conducting desperate and workers on strike in a factory unscrupulous fight to hang on to in Manilla, capital of the their neat monopoly ot bower.

Phillipines. Aided by anti-communist Cole The strikers, who worked in a paigning. clergy, by the Pooe rope-factory producing for export, their campaign has been strongly „are țolaca up under tne savage sante cowarus getcwg some o1 tae for the MSI inartial by 9% of the votes law exercised the cast dictatorship President Marcos, fascist movement in the last general OI and carted off to a military concen- election. tration camp. Violent incidents in the cam- This the latest in only paign are cynically used by the veries of acts of repression. A féw Christian Democrats (as they are by days earlier several hundred people the Communist Party) to point demonstratingb to elect a party of "law against the forcible the need eracuation of areas of the Manilla and order". dems Fere also arrested by the Christian Democrat Some leaders •have even fried The Marcos dictatorship, trad.

violence as an excuse to postpone ¡tionally a protege of US imperial- the elections. m Se Ada. is now attemptus after the collapse the ÜS

SHOT

Vietnam - a measure of diplomatic "Te-alignment". In the most violent incident of the member And, despite its utterly reaction- campaign a CP was character, it is being enthus- shot dead by of MSI

HOUO

istically courted by the Stalinist fascists which included one member renucracies both Peking of parliament (Sandro Saccucci)

"SHUI

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

deferment of for Among powerful tin an first for 2½ DIci years) at elected the former (nOW reformist and voted to The events death and murder of the mining areas.

CHILE

Banzer's representative was in congenial company when he attended the conference of the Organisation States in Chile. There he was able to rub shoulders with the others and hear boast of the "new democracy" devoted to defending human Aps secretat was t State Heney Secretary of State Henry Kissinger - not noted for his dedi- cation to human rights who arrived post-haste from a friendly visit to Banzer in La Paz.

Kissinger told this assembly of murderers that the US was anxious, even desperate, to hand out vast security service. With some reluctance, Christian Democrats voted to end Saccucci's parliamentary immunity and (after had been given time to dis- appear) a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was later arrested in CP has reacted to this not by calling for measures of workers' self defence but by calling on the fascist-wooing Christian Democratic government to "enforce the law"!

While the Christian Democrats the CP is fighting to avoid winning it.

repeat, is to share power - with the parties of the capitalists.

1 by the Trench CP in Paris, called "

"NATIONAL UNITY"

Euro-communism, working class but about unity" and "stability' In other words about giving the without CP help, it so desperately needs to impose the massive costs quotes a statement the former secretary-general France, saying that in Italy the CP most capable of pro- ducing this stability and unity.

This election is about power in a The Banzer government has reacted with panic. It has brought forward the university vacation and sent all students home. The army has occupied mining radio stations in the centres and Altiplano (the high Andes). It has arrested the mineworkers' Liteal leader still in Bolivia, Veta Lopez, along with many others. Torres' death prompted Banzer to offet amnesty to exiled ally Bolivian in Argentina who returned home. The three former ministers Torres government who accepted this offer are now also in: jail for their gullibility.

sums of to the Chilean money as it ceased to be junta, quite such an embarrassing ally and released some if its political prison-.

derstahet neredoe lay. hint. before Kissinger 60 atrived, ostentatiously prisoners were as before the visit of released, just US Treasury Secretary Simon four weeks earlier. Unfortunately it turned out that neatly all of them had only been atrested a few days earlier simply to be released in this public display!

Chile's And during the last month, ' of many thousands long-term political prisoners have been joined by 500 more. This is the biggest wave of for and arrests many

JOJAI

includes large numbers of the Com- of the remanng

REINTENY

munist Party.

CP ANXIOUS TO AVOID POWER

Berlinguer addressing CP rally in 1973 who is in the coalition. It could open up à road leading towards workers' power, but only il the treacherous colaboration of the SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976

GUYANAR

In Guyana there is now talk of the People's Progressive Party, led by Cheddi Jagan, of joining the government Forbes Burnham's ruling People's National Congress, Burnham came to power in 1964" with the help of the CIA's "destab- ilization" campaign against Cheddi Jagan's Soviet-backed 'Marxist" government. He has stayed in power through and an ination of election rigging an opportunistic "drift to the left", the main feature of which has been large-scale nationalisation now encompassing 80% of the economy.

This culminated last month in the nationalisation of the Booker McConnell Company whịch foI over a century has dominated the Guyanese economy through control of sugar and many other interests.

Bookers compen- sation of half the book value of its modest assets in bonds redeemable over 20 years. Although Jagan's Peoples Pro- gressive Party (PPP) has demanded plus the no compensation alisation of foreign banks, the Bo kers tiayionaligatis easing igh "justify" Jagan's ending 3-year boycott of parliament protest against election rigging.

Pe rar Burnham betwPeopths.

Burnham's People's, National Congress (PNC) began last year. announced "critical Jagar support" for the PNC government soon after a meeting with Castro, who also prepared the deal person- ally with Burnham. Thus in their own ways both US imperialism and world Stalinism are attempting to impose a stabilisation neutralise the indepen- wnlch can dent struggle of the working class.

The first step along this road must be the formation of a govern- ment of workers' parties for which it seems certain that the election

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th Jrine 1976

SPAIN

NO END OF REPRESSIONS

The monarchy "will ensure the ordérly access to power of distinct political alternatives, in accordance with the freely expressed will of the people" lied King Juan Carlos So speaking to the US Congress.

back in madra, lu was clearer what he really meant.

his government took fierce steps to suppress all newspapers carrying facts about barbaric tortures practiced his Jalls. His prosecutors were demanding an 18 year sentence for CP leader Sanchez Montero arrested for speaking to meeting Madrid university in February. It is true that some of those arrested for organising demonstra- tions in May have been released on bail (including Marcelino Camacho). Also the Cortes (Spain's largely "parliament") appointed passed a law which appeared to legalise political parties. Movement Unfortunately for the credibility of this measure, it has so far refused to change the penal code to allow anyone to belong to these "legal" parties! Commissions. Spain's remain as

ILLEGAL

Franco More important, the regime is legalising scarcely any of the organ- isations which workers have shown down themselves interested in joining and supporting. So Spanish the CP will remain illegal along with the democratic Communist JAPAN Bribes scandal lives on A desperate struggle is tak- won by ing place in Japan to remove Prime Minister Miki. The attacks on Miki come from his own right wing "liberal demo- Lockheed crat' party; other leading members ate appalled by his insistence that highly the general election must government" take place this year can only be The Workers Socialist League The Workers Socialist League was formed in December 1974 to struggle for the continuity Trotskyism in Britain and towards Fourth International. In the daily struggle to take the demands and principles of Trotsky's Transitional Programme into the trade unions, forefront of the fight for the sliding on ful pay - demands which at the only alternative to Jones' £6 pay plan and the wholesale acceptance of redundancies by the bureaucracy.

In today's fight 44% pay cutting proposals this demand (rising according to the rising cost of living as assessed by trade union committees) is the essential basis of consistent opposition.

In the Health Service WSL comrades have led the struggle for a sliding scale of NHS spending, (beginning with opening the books of the Health Authorities), along with the fight to end all private practice. Perhaps more important we have led the growing call for strike action to defend the NHS against the cuts and to implement these policies, who substitute the words for the action.

In local disputes also, WSL comrades have tested and developed the demands of the Transitional Programme, putting forward in every case the only real opposition to the Stalinists and the right-wing. Our struggle "open the books" demand in the motor industry has won a mass for the

LETEND

At the same time we have forward unemployment, calling for unity of employed and unemployed through the fight to mobilise the trade union movement.

WSL

The the that only transitional demands, going beyond mere trade union militancy to pose the political issues to workers.

parades ve entaned adoled stones the

S2-I I 7E:=31

#ste Trotsi: ! lade For itse item i

(MCE).

Labour Party rather than gradual reforms.

(PTE), the Revolutionary Workers Organisation (ORT), all Trotskyist and Maoist groups and the Workers "reforms" political itself in favour as on the day phoney break (ruptura died. But the CP and Socialist Party dominated alliance the Democratic Coordination (CD), and single a further perilous step working class collaboration Ine road to with Franco's successors.

The CD has always disguised its the ising collaborationist line by calling for a strength "break" (ruptura class to end fascism. months after Minister. Prime who was forced when it was 'coming clean' on the Lockheed bribery scandal.

increased by ments. The scandal broke in February Lockheed The when it was revealed in the US that almost completely paralysed had paid millions of dollars in bribes to "official persons 0WI Pally placed the Japanese remoyal is sales of to secure factions "acodern mage for the election.

aircraft and other equipment.

clean-up that the 'black identified and dealt with.

Japanese press is that Lockheed hearings. information been made, politicians is widely recognised.

of the principles of the rebuilding of the persons the Kodama, leader right-wing in Japan. the WSL has been at the His part scale of wages, and work sharing 1975 T&GWU Conference were the has escaped 'health reasons'. against the TUC's for a sliding scale of wages heed scandal the right wing prospects must for the start of workers' control of the service damaged. fighting those like the ASTMS leadership policy fight fights consistently for ibe bureaucratic manipulation League Arzilabde from A SL. 31

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

If the capitalist press has little given June 27th Portuguese dential elections, it is because they are confident that their candidate will win. And the main reason why he will win is that he has the endorsement of Mario Soares, right-wing leader of the Socialist Party. Gen. Antonio Ramalho. Panes Soares' chosen man, is commander in chief of the Portuguese forces.

REWARD

He was promoted to that post as as reward for his brutal suppression of the mobilisation of workers and soldiers on November 26th 1975 and states that his principal aim is to "crush extremist disorder, which is harmful to the country's fragile economy"

NEGOTIATIONS

Eanes fits in well with the desire of Soares to turn back decisively It has now frankly proclaimed the development of workers' power of a negotiated and to make the country safe for negociada) the capitalism. negotiations, of course, to be with He is still relatively the fascist government of tortuers and has a talent for low profile and minded enemies of the ambiguous statement. For the sake of the campaign he has The real break must be with all his uniform, and speaks of the need forms of class collaboration - mobil- visible united independent must be "cohesive and permanently non-partisan" of the Spanish working What this means is that forces mUst "rule of law" in a bourgeois parlia- This revelation came only two government, Miki prepared to smash the attempts of had become Because of his workers and farmers to themselves against economic crisis.

'honest' reputation he had replaced the previous Prime Minister Tanaka, The broad confidence that the Armed to stand down Crotces leaders Eanes is a major reason why Soares discovered that his personal wealth had been greatly supporting his Socialist Party financial decided embezzle- beginning that, in order to preserve the alliance with the armed forces scandal has the necessary to their aims, their candi- date would have to be a military government. The opposition in his.

claim that Miki's needed, to eliminate

REJECTED

more They also considered Pinheiro Miki himself has recently stated de Azevedo, the much that the party must undergo a big known current Prime Minister, but before the election, and rejected him because of the doubts sheep' must be of important sections of the armed forces. The only information about the Azevedo declared his candidacy scandal which has surfaced in the which was anyway, in order "to contest" one-man but made public in the US during the have the support of any party.

His information. No arrests have pontical line does not differ arrests seriously from that except that Azevedo is a bit more •but the role of leading open in for support imperialism, Top of the list of "highly placed' saying that munist Party will be kept out of the militarist Mr. "as long as the United of the

CALICO

States wants it that way" returned tanes has in the distribution of favours, bribes is well known, yet so far he intimating that he support the minority Socialist Party arrest because of government that Soares intends to form Whichever way the struggle over Miki's proposals to bring the Lock- Bonapartist president ported by a Socialist Party minority into the open goes, party's election be severely

OUT

NOW!

BRITAIN

6 issues.. 12 issues .

THE BATTLE FOR

24 issues...

TROTSKYISM

Two documents of the 6 issues.... WRP opposition plus an 12 issues account of the expulsions 24 insacr prepared by the Exeiutive Committee of Press. I moodd like. the workers Socialist

NAME

ADDRESS

PORTUGAL

ELECTION: BOSSES

CONFIDENT

government would gire the-bos coverage to the geoiste an ideal bass for prepar a decisive assault on the jobs as presi- living standards Portugue workers.

EMBARASSED

The CP also considered endor.

ment Eanes. They decidi against it in the end, not because his anti- working class position, bi embarrassment bei Tong in the con PR the ne armed wing bourgeois which have also declared for Eane as have the Maoist MRPP and AO The Stalinists therefore put fo ward a candidate of their own. I is Octavio Pato, number two in tl and known party hierarchy, "moderate' who supports openly class-collaborationist IO of the French and Italian CPs The Stalinists' strategy is to t to win enough votes to be able 1 strike a bargain with Eanes Pal has already stated that the CP w not show hostility towar members of the Revolutiona Council (Eanes and Azevedo provided the Stalinists are given unknown governmental role to play.

OBSTACLE

discarded which A serious obstacle to the CI manoeuvre is the candidacy populist Maj. Otelo de Carvalh the who is centri supported groupings such as the PRP and MI support the and the Maoist-influenced UDP and be Carvalhos has been released fro houst arrest for the campaig defend where he had been placed for i supposed in the Novemb part 26th rising, and has attracted have in large following of militants.

Seventy thousand people greets campaign. The the arrival of his special train from the Oporto. Carvatho's programme includ progressive slogans such as nation isation of industry and collectivi ation of land, but is full of confu ion and inconsistencies. He the stresses need "independence testead of cang or on capital", mobilisation workers again better- capitalism of whatever stripe.

And as if that were not enoug Soares as Prime Minister appoi Soares elected!

NO ANSWER

prevent does not None of the candidates provid any answer to the central questio of Eanes, of independent working leadership based on the organs American workers' power. the Com The demand must be for th Socialist Party Party, which together commande majority the parliamentar Soares' elections, to break from the Arme Forces Movement would and form workers' government based on th workers' committees. sup- SUBSCRIBE to Socialist Press

EUROPE

£1 6 issues. E1.1 .. £2 12 issues {2.31 -24 24 issues. ... £4.61

REST OF THE WORLD

£1.50 £3.00 .16.00 I vold "te to take out a subecription to Socicts: aes, I cacor :.

DEFEND AGAINST RACIST

ATTACKS!

BUILD WORKERS'

DEFENCE SQUADS

The racialist attacks continue. Deaths now stand at 3 in recent weeks with many more beatings-up. With the vote of the TUC in favour of wage cutting the press is continuing on the frustration its campaign to.turn union leadership into racialist channels.

Every action of the fascists is receiving massive publicity - whether it be a National Party member punching a Labour councillor on the chin in Blackburn (3rd item on Robert Relf's hearings at which a handful of National Front supporters have demonstrated. coverage of Relf's wife askin was mi to as much it There has been Every one of those minor fascist demonstrations was given as not more coverage than a demonstration of 4,000 through Southall, against racialism. More racialist attacks are going to take squads in those areas where attacks are already developing defence taking place is therefore becoming more urgent.

The task of revolutionaries is both to defend those being attacked and show that these attacks are a class issue, and that fascism is about breaking up the organisation of the working class as a whole.

Those immigrant organisations or individuals who have started the formation of vigilante groups have taken a step forward in breaking from the reformist position of appealing to the state, to defend themselves against fascism - which itself is a form of capitalism. Unlike the International Marxist Group and other groups we do not "Build labour movement elf-defence" (Red Weekly front page statement 10.6.76) or "Only the communities by of the black defence guarantee for protection against racist attacks" (IMG national leaflet).

We fight for the organisation of defence on a class basis; fascists have already attacked public meetings on Ireland and will be soon attacking pickets and the labour movement as a whole.

WSL members and supporters in tradse councils and Labour parties the fight for joint union branches, with immigrant organisations of workers defence squads.

formation Where we must fight possible, organisations urging immigrant.

abour movement as a whole in their struggle against fascist attack WSL members and supporters in areas affected must propose at their union branches, trades councils and Labour Parties that a fight is waged for workers defence squads organised jointly between immigrant and trade union organisations.

Where possible, we must fight for this within immigrant-organised defence squads by attending as delegates from the trade unions and unify with urging that they councils, in their fight against fascist attack.

LEEDS WHITE

VIGILANTES

Burnwal in The leader, or 'fuehrer" as eight he used to like to be known, house. Leeds-based British of the National Party has announced White formation the squads in a move Vigilante' racial calculated to stir up way. seek to and to violence intimidate immigrant workers.

The claimed object of these the "protect" local is to "vigilantes" from and property white people Making "continued harassment". a Mr. Eddie this announcement Morrison, national organiser of the force

BNP,

refused to Leeds, whether his groups of "activists" Bradford, would be armed. travel agency Morrison, manager, was formerly leader of the are Freedom National Democratic uniforms! Movement, which during its short The existence established a notorious reputation for violence. being

NDFM

only established The itself in Leeds with the aid of large- whole. scale publicity given to it by the The latest Yorkshire Evening Post. antes "White Vigil- setting antes" has also been splashed across and unity pages of the Yorkshire working class. the front Post and Evening Post, while only Bradford the mildest moral attack is made on editorials. responsiblity, them inside page caused by the trade TV news) or the continuous coverage for The necessity for police, the capitalist respect. support for Black organisations. any blacks themselves affected areas must raise at their for this within the immigrant workers to seek the support of the special A Warwick Trades Council has backed an ASTMS resolution calling for a trade union bodies, particularly trades demonstration in against Robert Relf and present racialist campaign to be held on 19th. has a ten year long record of racist violence, including • WIlU to be "Jew-ridden") and the fascist National Party (who stood a cand- only idate Yorkshire was Warwick), have been using his case miles from Jordan's tanm try to split to As well as encouragement from workers in the town. Automotive the press, the fascists clearly expect In full cooperation from the police - biggest factory right-wing leadership of the Shop and have announced their intention Stewards Committee to "cooperate" with them in every nothing Given the history of the local against immigrant workers release and this "cooperation" can only benefit propaganda. Leeds police The

TASCISTA

include not a single West Indian, and the main immigrant area of the city seems more and more like an ment occupied country. With this kind of plant • now coloured workers. Chapeltown, paand Manningham and the "White Vigilantes' have stated that they will not go The "vigilantes" into these areas. there in blue already of immigrant defence workers against the groups of thugs assembled by Mornson Is a a thousand task for the labour movement as a It must not be seel as a "black" vigil- question simply orite" vigilantes. versus Racism is an attack on the strength attacks whole of the the of the Leeds and Trade unionists in this must face up to London. build workers' and half the Over defence squads. The question 15 no More than 3,000 workers and youth, the majority of them Asians, marched through Southall last Saturday to protest at the racist killing of Gurdip Chaggar, the third Asian youth to be murdered in recent weeks.

The march, which started with less than a thousand demonstrators, quickly swelled as Asian youth cam from their houses to join the demonstration as it passed by.

As the marchers reached the spot where Gurdip Chaggar stration passed by in complete silence. Asian owned A number of contingents could be heard calling for workers defence squads to be set up. The enormous response of the local community in joining this demonstration makes the formation of defence squads a real possibility.

The local labour movement must now take responsibility for organising these squads jointly with local immigrant

LEAMINGTON: TRADES

COUNCIL GIVES LEAD

the These events make of meeting initiative Council's Leamington important. has been completely lead (which level) lacking open the way to clearing racists out Leamington of the labour movement. the 7,000 leaflets are to be distrib- uted through trade union branches.

and plant committees, calling on all June Saturday demonstrate, workers pointing out the divisive eflects or and the responsibility fascism Relf, a self-confessed Nazi who the Labour government for the bad wages and unemploy- housing, low supporters, ment that the racists seek to blame Movement British workers and which have on black consider the National Front opened the door to racism.

Tom Litterick, MP for Selly Oak in Birmingham, who poses as a 'left' in recent local elections in MP, has been invited to address the will end the demonstra- rally that black and white

TACH

This will be a test of whether he the Products, with more than the the will comè out атеа, in the conventional anti-tascist and take up the fight to remove the done have wing and end their Labour right fascists circhlating their petition for RelEs policies. The refusal of the lefts" up to racist making this point to carry out such a fight is a clear indication of the need for And an Indian Workers'. Associa- new leadership. tion leader claimed last week that MP Dudley Smith (a The local an unwritten deal between manage- has Tory) stewards in the right-wing asked to speak. Although he sits on of barred the hiring Relations Council the Community

EAST LONDON MARCH

Trade tingents from the A demonstration, well over TGWU (Fords and Royal

AUEW,

marched strong, Group of Docks) showed that wot- 'through East London last Sat- kers in East London are prepared to unite and fight back against the unday against unemployment, growth fascist social service cuts, and against Front and National Party.

racist thugs by harrassment of the Attempted which have claimed the lives by fascists

THRICH

of numbers of young Asians in of organisation degree militancy of the black workers who have begun building defence squads marchers were against the fascists in Fast London.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 was murdered the chanting stopped and the demon- shops in the centre of Southall closed briefly as a mark of for his anti- he notorious Trades which he has immigration stance, extremely the local recently trade-union reiterated He is correctly hated by Indian workers locally and would can platform. union disgrace a Tresee are no unde to us other other presence Tories employers' representatives in fight against racism. It is a class question which can and through the only be resolved mobilisation of independent of the working class strength against who hold It is those employers. this fight that workers back from breeding ground of provide the racialism. keen to Indian workers are demonstrate if support from white workers is forthcoming. Mobilisation for the march in is and estate every factory so that the fight for a imperative, new programme and new leadership destroying any can move torward phrases, foothold the fascist parties may backward haye gained amongst workers. Demonstration assembles 10.30am Saturday 19th June, Eagle Recrea- also been Flavel's); Ground (opp. tion Clarence Street, Leamington.

The Communist Party delegates Unions - to the Newham Action Committee, West Ham with which together Council sponsored the Trades march, argued that the issue of the march should be only unemploy- National avoiding the completely question of racialism. showed the disgraceful line by the and This Stalinists is an attack not only on those black workers currently of the growth of taking the brunt

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976

CHAPELTOWN

The trial is now underway in Leeds of the Chapeltown 12 11 blacks and white arrested after a violent clash police and black between 5th. youth last November The incident had arisen out of a clear provocation by the police, who despite a declaration that they would "low profile' maintain a sent patrols into the Chapeltown which finally succeeded in died. creating a confrontation.

Immediately a waiting force of a police vehicles were rushed dozen into the area. ine youth resisted, bricks, black throwing and two youth, along with a white reporter community paper were arrested. tota facing chargesto pushed the Subsequent. arrests The defendants challenged 56 members of the jury to obtain one consisting of workers under the age of forty. But conspicuously there blacks the pool of

WELC

PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report.

jurors. the United Caribbean Association Chapeltown of has attempted to put the November Sth - with 25% events in their context of Leeds unemployed living in that and the one constant police harassment of _ the Chapeltown youth News, though supporting the youth, separates this case from the general problems facing the working class.

Meanwhile the police are all set.

to use the case as a pretext for even further intervention and harassment The lengths to which the of youth and unemployed. Stalinist-right wing Broad Left' leadership of the NUS

BRIXTON

will go to contain the militancy of their members were revealed at the special delegate conference on the student teacher occupations

-TRIAL

on June 5th. Pressed by constitutional resolu- tions to recall the NUS conference (which by constitution they were obliged to do within 6 weeks) Fifty black youths demon- they called instead their ad hoc delegate conference, strated outside Brixton police which colleges of education and station June on Ist when universities with education Victor Johnson, a local shop- departments had 3 delegates each.

keeper, was arrested after Other colleges and universities were allowed observer status only.

being stopped and searched by Immediately the police. conference opened their ruling was challenged Three others who went to his by observer from Heriot-Watt assistance were also arrested after a University which although having bottle thrown at no student teachers has been then called in reinforcements.

occupation in sympathy. Harrassment of the com- The conference supported- his munity by the police is a common call for all constituent organisations feature of life in Brixton.

But the of the NUS to be allowed delegate speed and determination with status. which the youth organised the This was the first blow against demonstration is an indication that the Execu te's plan to contain the such harrassment will not in future action within the student teacher go unopposed. section. They argued that the present action had to be "consolidated" and then ended tidily "with a show of strength". They should all end on the same day said the Broad Left instead of "fading gradually

MONKBRIDGE FORGE

-BAN CALLED

An overtime ban has been called Shop by the Joint Committee Stewards at Monkbridge Forge, Leeds, in An 'ad hoc' defence committee an attempt to save the jobsof has been formed with plans for 355 workers declared further pickets and public redundant. meeting in defence of the "Railton Forge is owned by 4" Monkbridge the Nickel The Lambeth Council for Com- giant International Many of the company of Canada. Relations has called for a company's smelters have been hit public enquiry into relations bet- by a series of long and bitter strikes ween the police and immigrants in which must have left the employers the borough after this and other with little room for manoeuvre in recent incidents of police harrass- Britain. ment. But the defence of the black The firm makes the majority of community against police and turbines manufactured outside the fascist class

USA,

but its high quality product Lambeth Trades Council, question. the Concorde has come Lambeth Labour Party and local under increasing from trade union bodies must take lower grade machined turbines and responsibility for launching from carbon fibre turbines.

nUS: BROAD LEFT

RIG CONFERENCE

Starting from such pessimistic perspectives, the main plank of the Executive's position the we do NUS demonstration they national had planned for June 15th to lobby Parliament. The composite amendment in opposition to their it was the position argued that who through their deals with the Labour govern- ment were allowing unemployment and education cuts and therefore the major focus had to be on the lobby of the TUC on June 16th.

SPREAD

The composite position also argued for the action to be spread to the whole NUS membership in order to strenether and broaden the fight, and that NUS should act with the rest of the trade union

HOVENIREN

These positions won the vote Broad Left screaming out for a recount and making accusa- tions of non-delegates voting etc.

After a recount the Executive had to concede defeat, by 171 to 169.

Then the full extent of the Executive's manoeuvrings emerged.

When asked if they would carry out newly agreed policy they declared that since the conference

NUS

was not the constitutional conference they were not decisions, mandated by its but would only take advice from the conference! The central importance of the teaching unions discussed will be equally tough in defence of its profits in Leeds. The overtime ban is not enough to fight The stewards

THIS.

must fight for the opening of the books of the company in order to expose the full international ramifications and workings of the firm to all the Leeds workers. This will establish the case for the nationalisation of the firm without compensation of many the machines are already owned by and leased to government •Monkbridge Forge. There must also be SeriOuS preparation to occupy the plant to prevent the sackings going through. The redundancies are only the prelude to further attacks for the saked face toe period While those on the dole those remaining would face a The Manchester conference widely by the conference. The main point raised was that if the NUT policy since 1969 of not teaching classes of over 30 was implemented 58,000 more teachers be Would required nationally. The conference agreed that NUS should demand that NUT executive implement thi ta and aso extend their refusal cover' actions nationally. twas also agreed to demand full trade union rights for unemployed teachers. Action must now direct towards opening the books of the LEAs to elected committees of students and trade unionists. Local teacher union leaders be forced to break from the policy of negotiating the pursued in many

CULS

NUS President Clarke Further inquiries would reveal the massive sums paid out to educa tional suppliers, school building boards. firms, and examination of cuts the budget 1n there must be a huge injection of finance into education, along with all other sections of the social services, and a sliding scale of expenditure to protect these services from inflation. The educational suppliers and building firms must be nationalised, instead of vital social services funds going straight into the pockets private shareholders. *The 'Broad Left' leadership of Leeds University Students Union (where there is a large Institute of Education) called a special meeting fight lo discuss the at 4 hours notice! When only 30 students attended, they then claimed this showed that was interested. When WSL member demanded why there had been no warning, no publicity or campaign tor the meeting, the Left Broad and members the Executive walked out of the hall. Militant students Wighting

NATFH

PAPER

OPPOSITIO

Against the opposition third of the delegates conference annual of further and higher educa teachers'

NATF

• union, passed a resolution wl supported the 42% pay p however, Attached. provisions that the should control prices and divide and matt

RYCENCE

nationally, and locally real level education spending on and social services. Since all these provisions! already been violated, then logic NATFHE, even on the basis of resolution, should be committe oppose the wage policy. objective The of the mot however, is not that logic shoul followed, but that the leadersh obvious readiness to cave in on question of wage cuts appear to be tempered by attempt to protect the conditi of members.

RETREAT

The other resolutions passed apparent reposition ton he Las conference contain government's spending cuts wi in reality covers the retreat of leadership. the SHot instance, emerge: motion on the student ladl occupations ties its support for students' demands to support the NUS Given the retreat of the N leadership this over issue.

NATFHE

leadership need little fear that its backing for N actions will actually commit it any concrete action. the sit-ins s The policy on sequentiy adopted by the execut is a clear example of where si resolutions lead: the NEC say th understand the for students' action; but they give not a word of support, let alone they call on NATFHE members take any action. On the question 0f put cuts as a whole an en spenals mous resolution declared absol opposition to the cuts and instr ted the NEC to take 15 forms action. But not one of these invo tions to 'urge', 'encourage", 'resis 'oppose' or give the clos attention to' really commits t executive to do anything but tal for which it needs no encourag ment. The strongest words of t resolution ask the NEC to resist t effect of "by cuts all appropria means'. It is left to the executive decide what is appropriate.

It is clear that very strong feeli exists in the against Labour government's econom policies. This was shown up by th hostile reception received Education Minister Fred Mulle when he addressed the conferenc Mulley displayed grosse cynicism studer advising teachers who would be unemploye next year to find a job som where else. did not volunter any advice to the other 1¼ millio unemployed.

REJECTED

The Outer. London Region Council of

NATFHE

overwhelmingly rejected Labour government/TUC wage policy and many other regions hol the same view. The clear majori! of NATFHE members who oppo the government's economic polici must realise that those passed the conferen than papr opposition. The task is now to take up fight in the union to demand th national executive organis th national strike action policy of cuts has been reverse This is the 'appropriate action'. Bu it is one which the national leade ship, for all its earnest profession

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

PROBLEMS OF THE

The world's first victorious roletarian revolution took ace in the most backward of major capitalist countries.

devastation and destruc- World War of the First Dn ade the economic effects of his backwardness even more tense. Production collapsed, rich terri- supply ere shattered. The revolution was multed by immediately com- ete economic boycott by the cap- hist and shortly

DOWNED.

capitalist military inter- ards by ention alliance with Russian who for no years waged a civil war against priet power.

ECONOMIC

REVOLUTION

PART 12 OF OUR 'HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION' SERIES

enemies of the revolution. For five years after the size of one country famine, was producing only a small fraction of the goods Inalistila. before which had been produced 1913 and was wracked by hyper- In addition there were mistakes resulting from inexperience the flood of tensions created by just demands from workers and peasants which could notatonce be met. All these Lenin observed, ....difficulties which are due to the fact that the workers and poor peasants for the first time in

COI-

with their turies are themselves, hands, organising the whole economic life of Russia'.

ideal but as a perceived condition for the survival oi the revolution in Russia. The Bolshevik revolution was seen as the first step in a revolution of the European, and eventually the world, proletariat. There was agree- three which ment on points Trotsky summarised: 'the workers' state cannot stand unless it over- throws imperialism the west; in Russia the conditions are not yet for socialism; the problem of ripe socialist revolution is international Russian The fact that the didn't imply that the was not economy socialism revolution had been premature. The political breakthrough wąs as essential to the development of the world socialist revolution as were the more developed economic resources of the industrialised West.

On many occasions Lenin repeated the idea (very close to Trotsky's theory of combined and uneven development) of this mutual of the advanced interdependance and backward sectors of capitalism.

begin 'For us it is easy said May 1918, revolution', he 'but harder continue it. In the west it wil be harder to begin a revolution, but it will be easier to continue'.

FORCES

Lenin and Trotsky saw socialism as Marx had, as dèveloping in the womb of the old society. Capital- built up the social needs and the forces of production which to classless were necessary At the same time society. working class, the developed the only class capable of leading society towards socialism. But the develop- of capitalism was contradic- ment tory and uneven and socialist revol- ution could not hope to escape the consequences of this. The birth pangs of the new society would be The contradictions of the arrival of the proletariat to power in the 1918, he warned that: backward most economically believe that social- those of Europe, the where ism can be built at a time of peace peasantry were the overwhelmin and tranquility are profoundly mis- najority of the population, coul taken: it will everywhere be built at only be resolved by the internation- at a time of a time of disruption, al revolution. Lenin believed that, famine. That is how it must be".

if that did not come soon Lenin did not need to specify to save the revolution in enough building spoke of he THaT then the experience gained Russia, was not thinking of socialism' he by the Soviet revolution would still the possibility of the construction revol- benefit future proletarian of socialism in a single country, let utions. alone in backward Russia. Of such idea, which Stalin was later to atic the con of one of hises ot

INHERITED

of the principles betrayal Bolshevism, there as Trotsky was, revolution is bound to Every said, 'not a peep' from any section Bolshevik leadership until inherit its own particular of of the set of the 1924. problems, enot the previous statement of Lenin and contradictions Every development of capitalism in that Bolshevik leaders on this other counte There could therefore he SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 Mutinies and revolutionary struggles in G pursued by a revolutionary govern- ment. It would be an idealist petty bourgeois position to insist on the such application a formula, regardless of the conditions which were in fact inherited from the old society, for such making was in May 1918, Lenin mistake, that, attacked Bukharin and the group known as the 'Left Communists' in Left-Wing his scathing pamphlet, Childishness and the Petty-Bourgeois Mentality.

INCENTIVES

Bukharin had opposed many of the economic policies of the leader- ship, in particular the use of piece- differences as incentive to work, measures taken control. one man agalls wolkcis industry and the management in failure to establish collective agri- culture. Lenin turned their accusation against them. If they did not have a petty bourgeois idealist conception of the revolution, he argued, they would see that, in comparison with the existing state of Russia's economy, state capitalism would be an advance. No one denied that the Soviet economy was an economy of trans- ition between capitalism and social- But the 'Left Communists, Ism. said Lenin, failed utterly to under- of that trans- stand the

TALLIC

ition.

FRAGMENTS

present "The system contains elements, fragments of • socialism' both capitalism Moré specifically there were structures various socio-economic co-existing in Russia: 1) patriarchal peasant farming; 2) small commod.

ity production (the majority of peasants who sold grain); 3) private 5) statism. Tete cast alicon and socialism. There was, accordin to Lenin, no conflict between 4 anc State capitalism involved large- scale production organised on national lines based on the latest discoveries of modern science and, important, founded on

HONI

'national accounting and control of production and distribution'.

This . the way was a necessary step on towards socialism and planned economy.

WORKERS STATE

Moreover, state monopoly capit- alism was no danger to the revol- ution, because the character of the state which owned and controlled it was firmly proletarian. In Russia, therefore, there was a between struggle commodity production and private capitalism on one side and state capitalism and socialism on the other. 'Russia cannot advance from the economic situation now existing here without traversing the ground which common to state capitalism and to socialism (national accounting and control)'. Lenin used his idea about the progressiveness of state capitalism to emphasise further the essentially international nature of socialism While it was Ruesis Where the nool.

CIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 many 1918: The failure of this revolution left Soviet Russia isolated.

Germany where state capitalism that is, monopoly capital integrated state into a national econ- by the omic plan during the war - was most developed. (which 'History' Lenin said Menshevik block- nobody except heads of the first order ever expec- "complete" ter to bring about socialism smoothly gently, easily such and simply) taken ar.k peculiar course that it has given birth in 1918 to two unconnected of socialism existing side by naives side like two future chickens in the single shell of international imper- lalism. In 1918 Germany and the Rüssia nare striking embodiment of the of material realisation the economic, the productive and the socio-economic for conditions socialism, on the one hand, and the political conditions, on the other'.

IDEALIST

like the *Left Commun- Some, ists" held idealistsic positions about what was economically possible in Russia. But apart from this there was very little disagreement among the Bolshevik leaders that the strategic revolution aim could not be the immediate intro- duction of a socialist society.

the leaders saw the general question as being one of holding on power until the pro- to Bolshevik letariat of the West could come to the aid of the Russian working class. This was not seen as any kind of military-administrative holding op- eration. As Lenin said: 'We can give serious co-operat- ion to the socialist revolution in the west, delayed for a number of reasons, only to the.extent that we ucceed in solving the organisation- before "Problems Stalin - advocate of 'socialism in one country" That was the strategic aim of the Bolshevik leaders. It was rained despite major disagreements over tactics and two very major tactical changes in policy.

These changes were the intro- duction of "war communism" from mid-1918 onwards en then the change the Economic The of Russia's consequences economic backwardness appeared in the first major economic decree of the new government - the Soc- ialisation of the Land. All land was to be nationalised and iedistributed, with the peasant given the right to the use of his own plot.

SPEED

The measure was carried out with extraordinary speed and led to a very considerable equalisation of land holdings. The proportion of the rural population having more than 4 desyatins (about 11 acres) of land fell from 31% in 1917 to 8% in 1920." The number of landless wor- kers. was halved. enormous as it was. Jutik TeOu remained, as the Bolsheviks knew. vour:cols tomocralic ano socialist measure. Socialism countryside would require the rationalisation of agricultural holdings into large, coll- ective, scientifically managea unIls (the application of industrial meth- ods to farming.). For this was, as the nOTT tic ref- Gov- and then to political easants grouping of land To begin therefore, state farms had already capitalist nitially no dramatic equivalent to the exp- ropriation of the land. The policy was to leave industry under its for- mer management but make those workers' con- sublect to Itaulazels through the factory ittees. Nationalisation was punitive and spontaneous; is, It was olly to be carried out against capitalists refused cooperate and it by local groups of wor- was cont kers, and not centrally by the state.

The priority in industry was seen to be the organisation of national trusts for each industry. These were to be run by the state together with the capitalists and managers.

It was of the highest importance

HOL LU

lose any of the forms of national accounting and control which capit- alism had developed - but these must be exercised increasingly on a national scdit Events forced enormous and rap- id changes in this initial policy. In the first place the degree of capital- ist sabotage of soviet plans was even greater than had been feared.

There was clearly little chance in any industry collaboration from the major capit- alist firms.

WORKERS CONTROL

Secondly, 'workers' control' was being widely interpreted by factory position over the assets of factories by their own workers, without any Russian peasant farmers. 'Workers' control', which should less and less common; there were hardly industrial products have been a step towards socialist any available to be exchanged for food; planning was thus given a syndical- interpretation and and for was exchange money Debute pointless since the inflation made it therefore, a step towards economic worthless overnight. almost anarchy. In factory Attempts were, therefore, made to some places on the basis of committees sold off all the assets the peasantry of distributed the the size of their holdings but these factories and difficult to administer and proceeds to themselves. Were rapid was under- easy to avoid. wallpang! taken by the national leadership inevitable It that against this form of "workers' con- increasingly the food surplus was trol', which gradually gave way to a mobilised by combination of greater participation of the nation- and force, though ally organised trade unions in econ- good deal of it still found its way to omic and in taking lanning the town through the black market.

responsibility for the maintainanc In the summer of 1918 the poor of production and labour discipline.

peasants' committees were set up in the countryside to help identify the Tendencies towards the collapse of labour discipline and productiv- surplus in the hands of the kulaks and better-off At the lly also led to the introduction oi beds ILIY and other material same time the Péople's Commisariat piece-rates to the maintainance of of Supply and the Soviets organised incentives armed detachments of workers to production. Scarcities of goods, however, to the countryside and, in and rapid inflation soon made such cooperation with the poor peasants' incentives almost confiscate. and committees distribute the food surplus. The practice. poor peasants were to have some, for but most was destined the

GERMAN

and the army. It was made towns the duty of all peasants The of increasing purchase surrender any surous they bad it Russian industry by German financ- excess of their own requirements.

ial interests, along with the growth of capitalist opposition and sabot- age, prompted increasing nationalis- ation measures. The first major expropriations had been the banks at the very end of 1917. This was then followed in June 1918 by the decree authoris- ing the nationalisation of all Russ- ian industry apart from one-man businesses. All these expropriations were kopek of carried out without a paid to the capital- compensation -ists. The old managers and experts still encouraged however, were (sometimes with material privileges) to stay and continue their normal work. The nationalisations were not in practice carried out all at once, but over the tollowing year or so.

WAR COMMUNISM

The difficulties of the early months were soon to be dwarfed by the problems created by the civil war and capitalist military interven- tion. The greatest of these, and the problem which dominated the first five of the revolution, was years that of food supply. The Lucal Brest-Litovsk signed in March 1918 involved the temporary loss of Russia's largest grain-producing areas; and during the civil war other

ZISU

temporarily lost. That was one problem: In addition, there was the question of how much surplus. was produced in which dcas Zinovier (top) and Kamenev Soviet control. And thirdly, there supported Stalin revisions.

was the problem of mobilising that surplus and distributing it where it These moves were the beg- new was needed in the towns and inning of the period which came to cities and increasingly in the army.

De known as Theoretically Possile solution to the problem of there were industry, war communism involved giving top priority to the supplies peasants' food Red mobilising needed Army which VY Lila suplus getting them to exchange 'had to be produced regardiess of it for money or industrial goods or Financial

COMI

HARANOIEN

confiscating it. industries virtually ended between Page 7 by had been introduced the Provisional Government, now became virtually the only way of distributing goods. And with the inflation accelerating even further, it became pointless to pay wages in cash; rationing was administered work places and whole wage came to bt kind. At the same time paid in labour was increasingly directed to where it was required. The policies of war communism were never conceived in advance by the Bolshevik leaders. They were a specific response to the acute crises produced by the civil of supply 'Having war. As Trotsky remarked,

• IICC1

obliged to guidethe horse - in peril of breaking his neck

ACCIDENT

design, More by accident than they produced a situation which on resembled fully of distribution. socialist mode Production was not for the market but was considered a duty; consumption was by right, through rationing, and was very egalitarian, a result of the extreme mainly as shortage of goods. Money had been abolished, both in the virtually distribution of consumer goods and in transactions between productive Some Bolsheviks came to see the measures as desirable in themselves step towards a fully and a major Trotsky socialist economy. Lenin, and most of the leaders, however, were quite clear that the policy was a response to most respects immediate problems.

SCARCITY

Some of the forms of a socialist system existed but not on the basis material which abundance, socialism would require, but on the material scarcity. The objective basis of socialism actually receded during the period The of communism. food shortage in the towns forced many workers to the country- return side to find food from relatives. The number of employed in WOTkErs industry fell from 1917 to 1,240,000 in 1921. And real wages in the towns fell to one The size third of their pre-war level.

of the urban proletariat shrunk at • population of enormous speed. ine Petrograd fell by 57% in 3 years 44%. In 1920 • by production fell to a mere industrial 1912. 16% its level

COI

figure metallurgical industries the was 6%. by Bob Sutcliffe article second The on Economic Problems of the Revolution will deal with Economic Policy. the New

Page 8 "Although Communists not may bourgeois publications today, the Communist publications for part are most The explanation for this is that the apparatus journalists. of the press and party, materially independent of the party membership itself, has grown upon a narrow internal organisational base and now not only provides employment for Communist journalists, but journalists, attracts bourgeois incompetents who are unable to make successful careers in capitalist In particular. the press. of principles, the absence of any individual merit in it and its readiness at a moment to call black white and vice versa.?

Communists and the Bourgeois Press.

1akc.

MOL

* The moblised a contingent of shrill and empty

NEWSLINE': THE

ROT GOES ON

for be writing nonopoly of all political rights to his hand-picked run by second-rate bourgeois Congress trade purel banned limited activities' and to monstrous proportions recruiting except with the approval of the regime. students in most often dictatorial 'reforms' was crushed by - about a dozen troops 'were reportedly killed. this explains the Ever while the WRP cuddles up to Gaddafi, independent views or military French Lebanon - an open invitation Leon Trotsky in 1929, writing on world imperialism report itself is unable entirely to disguise the reactionary the regime. . It says: "Very few women attend these yet meetings rallies], but no-one where their allegiance lies.

ipport for thi Tane caste in • Down with corporatism! •Defend your basic democratic rights!

• No return to the 1930s!

• Force the Labour government to resign! • For a General Election now!

• Build the alternative leadership to reformism and Stalinism! • Join the Workers Party Alliance! what he was saying. The News Line editor, General Nationa Mitchell (formerly of the Sunday were

LIO IN

an interview to professional Times) even gave mystical-vegetarian-radical the from magazine Time defended the employment demonstration by left wing Tynan: 'There's a waspish, idiosyncratic Benghazi against these view of the world which we feel we should reflect. Tynan's a doyen of students him have a say." critics, so let art Since theatre criticism is Tynan's this suggest that spoliah his opinions on the police he is making calls for though intervention are dangerous rubbish, to the theatre is worth listening crush the In Line of May Even the News Line News Tynan took space to celebrate the nature of opening of the new Theatre on the South Bank (seats over £4 a head, case wondering about going to confirm [Gaddafi's public his opinions). doubt can After a few banal inches on the

TRADES UNIONS

ALLIANCE

CHERS SECTION

Lost in the crowd, the two-man WRP need for a on to plead for Arts, lynan which will leave 'emotionally of being. sort my (sic!) someone anxieties, and anAT - Trevor Griffiths such playwrights David Hare - who "would be and Willing to dedicate enterprise thạt was going to show sherpret pepples lives. *e people, people Now who are these playwrights?

Gaddat David Hare very constructing the involved dialogues between backside and the middle-class public find going His absorbing. consequently successful in the West End.

POLITICAL

Griffiths, on the other hand, is explicitly politidal playwright, an as and his standpoint is, ably, that of psuedo-sympathetic' He has written one play ('The Party') which political portrait of the blaving the part of tormel

WRP

General Secretary Healy. The predecessor of the News Line, review his work with a view bringing out the significance of his plays. This what SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 Revolutionary and the All Trades Unions Slogans from The News Line 'When the commercial television Alex chiefs spend tens of thousands of pounds on the lavish production of of workers during the great strikes of 1920, they know what they do...

polished and Lenin's ird International against even Griffiths identified Leninism with his view of "Round this central lie various to. 10th Griffiths distorts the entire political situation in Italy in 1920."

National "The Italian working class (and you're Griffiths has chosen to falsify Ex WRP General Secretary Gerry Healy their history. It dirty 1s a Minister of occupation. Press, September 7th, (Workers him 1974) exhilarated, All this the News Line throws overboard along with giving space of thing to Tynan in the very next issue for comments on the reactionary actors union, Equity). evieweendent From having hopes." reviewers politically serious books, plays, and films drawn tron of the party two itself, and the ranks. journalists. training themselves as the WRP's press has degenerated to the hiring of idiosyncratic wasps' (Wasps such Tynan. who, should be added, clearly treat their lightly that they contributions so off the top of their dictate them expert heads, with the result that they are almost unreadable.) Many other examples could be deckchair theatre- cited. But what is important is t recognisably grasp that the degeneration of the party press is part and parcel of the.

political degeneration of the party itself. His the pro hich Trees described which bourgeois writers brought on to the Communist press: "live double lives, and bring duplicity and outright moral corruption into the of the ranks unmistake From this there party. sophisticated, orotelanan follows an imperative necessity to anti-commu- protect the from party contamination by the hired journalists of the bourgeoisie slanderous who of people by virtue their Workers adaptability and agility easily take and was first responsible positions in the proletarian party, crowding out the Gerry (Communists and the Bourgeois Press, 1929) James Cannon once said that it care to to great deal easier train Bolshevik as a journalist than it is political tur journalist into The

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 A review of "STOP THE CUTS" a 'Rank and File' pamphlet by Paul Foot.

PAUL FOOT'S

OPEN HOUSE

by John Lister This book is a 'must' for all those who like the moralising, are phrase mongering, anti-politic- Because "socialism" al brand put ot forward by the many-faced crats and IS, International Socialists group.

sed as heir appear and File guianisati oh, or doubly masked as their File" ysis reformism. "Right to Work" offshoot, its simply posing as Socialist Worker supporters, the IS can be recognised by a common political tendency. This booklet is no exception Written by Paul Foot, editor of "It's Worker, Socialist all the it bears hallmarks of complete political con- control fusion and misdirection which have turned IS into a virtual appendage (pIQ). This of the Stalinists in the Communist Party in union branches and trades councils throughout the country.

DENUNCIATION

perhaps On It begins with denunciations of the scandalous record of the Labour government " at hints that, no point going beyond the kind of material 'left' MPs and Stalinist union that bureaucrats trot out endlessly when called to speak at anti-cuts demon- strations and rallies. And it goes on to draw exactly the same conclusions do the lefts'. and CP. Foot tells us it is not ing the job of the leaders to lead the fight against the cuts - but the job slashing just ° to coked fier militant has know every heard this story time and time The bureaucrats translate it again. into "You take action, we're right behind you!" days of the The IS give it more of a 'left' can turn of phrase: "MPs won't go on [!] voting against the cuts trade union leaders won't use the industrial trength of their unions

UNLESS

to believe.

THEY

ARE

SHOVED

INTO

Indeed

ACTION BY THEIR RANK AND

FILE : (p16) verbal By this formula the IS divert completely away from the daily betrayals by the reformist and

READER'S

LETTER

Dear Comrades, I would like to raise some points from the review of "One Flew Over in Socialist the Cuckoo's Nest" they The argument is that the film possibility the tries to "direct audience's feelings from reality" away and towards "the whole bag of campaigns America which their substitute for revolutionary actively politics". struggles However the reviewer revolutionary incorrectly lumps together in this bag campaigns which have nothing or next to nothing to do with the groups. struggle for socialism, such as "back nature" and "ecology" along with campaigns which do actually groups espression.

TOTES

and test to - LOEs ICE

ECHT FOR

FRIGHT TO

Stalinist union bureaucracy which enabling the employers to implement the cuts. if no action is taken, then, according to both the bureau- it is the fault of the rank and file, not the bureaucracy!

latest booklet is a sharp indication of the way the IS anal- consistently backs 'left' up Certainly it emerges clearly in

CUTS THREATEN.

their conception of the economic crisis. On the one hand, Foot tells us the wicked capitalists chose to have a recession: caused, deliberately and would be directly, by a class of people who planned, production for profit". and again in ah IS literature.

not only suggests that capitalism is planned and conscious- ly directed by the capitalists, but bring about even worse leaves the door open to capitalism to socialism. who want to believe that Only Trotskyists "reasonable' more employers would solve the crisis.

the other hand, and 1n foI this change with such a view, Foot utionary overthrow if only the unemployed which could all be given jobs, capitalism could continue to function as it did the working during the boom! fight for socialism This is

THIRTY YEARS

fight against the "We could afford all the spend- These demands start which Healey and crisis by back going workers unemployment rates which We are possible - because (p9) This speaks Foot's on longing to get back to the 'good old capitalist boom, and illusions only strengthen the within the working class that the cuts can be stopped through simple reforms of capitalism. This again is control of the social services.

what the 'lefts' would love workers This crucial IS fight but for the the also against capitalism takes the form of themselves. propaganda simply telling workers in a valaty of ways that area for the books wasteful capitalism is nasty, evil, and undesirable - while socialism The struggles of women, blacks precisely such The problem with them is their protests. limited form and the illusions that frequently

SOW

in the of avoiding and evading the central issues. Yet we do not reject and should not parody and deride them for weaknesses and worse; but seek to channel their into the building of a party based in the wer struges but aying foreseed struggles oppressed Di Parkin (Oxford)

LETTERS

is the book basiness. racon letters from for struggies ader Letters for pablication dord be kept a brief as posedate emen basic trade anion rights

JOEL

TACT

TERN

The Black

ENGINEERS

- 100

CHARTER

ck Leyland Worker

WITCH-HU

PLATFORM

co

EABEE

HEaTHE HEAT

HOSPITAL WORKER

OBS, EARNINGS RONN

wholesome, pleasant, them to assess future plans, waiting and lists, manning levels, and the major productive much profiting better. This theme is plugged again firms from What they leave out of account Only on the basis is of course how workers are to knowledge can the fight to control the change from these employers and for the nation- alisation of social service suppliers focus their (nowhere mentioned by IS!) of for activity within the working class on a sliding scale of spending to pro- the necessary political preparation social services LeHI - for the revol- inflation (a demand opposed by IS) be firmly taken up. capitalism can only be brought about by the mobilisation of the mass of class around a pro gramme of struggle leading to the the importance in the lefts' have been a major forward transitional demand putting

• CUTS OI

from the problems faced simply adding on "No redundancies hey are ander up i ate les they capitalism, this is to be fought for.

show in practice the necessity fot workers to overthrow capitalism if they are to defend living standards.

appoinal paragrais Foot hond

CONTROL

the reactionary role of substituting for new leadership. One such demand is for workers' to

HILO

defend jobs and working conditions defend the services Labour Party members, A first step towards munists, Welsh and Scottish Nation- the social service authorities to be opened to The Rank and File FIGHT THE elected trade union committees for CUTS campaign requires only. [our

DOK BRANCH

AND

TRANSPORT

GENERAL

5/8as o WORKERS

BLACKMA

BRANDI

UNION

St James Press: Recognition Strike One of the industries in The latest, is a strike by NUJ Book Branch members of the St. which unionisation has spread James Press Chapel. most rapidly over recent years The have agreed company principle to recognise the union but A sossequence of this has been refuse to concede the union's claim that 16 freelance™ recognition against for concede

TOTT TI

should fall

IDIE

strike by Nalgo Actio DOCKWORKER ts w anth

CHRYSLER

RAILWAY

WORKER

WORKER

20 APRIL:

REVENUERAN

we're strit (staft Side). Section Region By kind permi

MAGE

WHY WEN

Some of the many faces of IS emphasis] a willingness to fight retres the cuts by mobilising th the social th of such working people". (p21). Foot extends a completely uncri against widening the gue simply to get everyone together a trad th broadest possible layer of worker to recognise the daily treachery o the bureaucracy through the figh today conditions and today's conscious ness to the struggle for the socialis shoul strenethen the bureaucrac sto star The bombastic title favour, the union's company closed down the project the workers wert on and sacked them working along with two permanent member of staff, the MOC and anothe NUJ member. The sacked workers are now the company's offices in picketing St., WI Percy and demanding and six security of tenure while the union is recognised and renegotiates wages and conditions. The company's only answer so to offer two weeks security lar 1s and this has been rejected.

indirectly james Press owned by Mac Millan, one of the biggese Book Branch ta in.

Book Branch is therefore urging the executive to call

. NUJ

out their members MacMillan. This is clearly an essential next step since the struggle cannot be won by the St. James Press Chapel alone.

Many messages of support have been received. The Book Branch's own public- ity states that defeat in this struggle would severely weaken the branch's abilty to detend its members jobs in a period of very high unemploy- Conversely a victory would give in a boost to union recruitment in the book industry and for much bigger struggles which workers who undoubtedly come. the company Messages of SuppOrt national sbould be

*II IO

ITO=

JaDes PrEss Disposate

FIDE

Ladie

INDUSTRIAL NEWS

CIRCULATE BOSSES' FORM

lage 10

STOPI

Marching under the bannet of the Tate & Lyle Employees Action Committee seven bus- of loads workers from the dock-side refinery joined the Liverpool May 26th day of action demonstration against unemployment, protesting against the threatened closure of the Refinery which would mean the loss of 1,920 jobs. Ever since Britain's entry into Common Market a the question mark has hung the over sugat refineries of both Tate & Lyle and of Manbre & Garton. Both companies have refineries in the ports of Liverpool, Greenock and London and both have over the years made super-profits out of the starvation wages that were paid to workers in the sugar cane producing colonies of the British Empire.

COLLABORATION

The crumbs that the employers dropped from this imperial class-collaborationist union leadership. Entry into Europe has undermined this relationship because the agricultural policy Officials of the General and Municipal Workers Union have worked out a new of way weakening and dividing their members in the Warwickshire County Council School Meals service. Proposals, prepared jointly with management, for a reduction in the number of permanent school meals workers to the level needed to cater for the lowest possible number of meals each site, and to supplement numbers with temporary staff hired on a termly nass. de veing curcuiated members. Attached to these proposals is a sie which the officials have asked FOrKers to complete, stating whether they agree or disagree with the proposals. But here is the real reschery. The forms are not part of a trade union test of opinion - are to be sent direct management! This has not gone

FIGHT FOR SUGAR JOBS

NOW

the EEC is to provide its sugar from grown by its own farmers at the same time as stockpiling beet in order to continually push down the quota (currently 1.4 million tons) cane Britain is still permitted to import from her former colonies.

CREATED

By this means market for the created in Britain EEC's own beet produce. With the restrictions that have been placed on the import of cane sugar the British Sugar Corporation see their chance of very profitable expansion. The BSC is a capitalist enterprise 36% with Government holding which was established in the inter- period home develop produced sugar beet based industry in the event of war and blockades.

for Now its director asking approval for the Bovermel of millions in ot teng capital intensive equipment that by his own admission will notcreate a single new job. The only strat can programm defend the jobs of the Tate & Lyle workers is the demand for a single nationalised industry that must be committed to the defence of the jobs of every sugar worker.

Instead of this however the Tate

G&MWU BUREAUCRATS

were first outlined by the officials and submitted to the shop stewards committee, they were rejected. Stewards recognised that if the plan went ahead it would enable management ease to casual labour, impose speed-up, and that it carried in any case the threat of actual redundancy, though of course only talking about "natural wastage"! They also pointed out that the slip to be sent to management would provide the employer with an instant blacklist of militants, and would pick off union members as individuals. Such matters decided at a branch meeting, the Eventually the branch meeting convened only be interrupted

G&MWU

by the District Official who informed the meeting that a "new contract" had been negotiated which meant no redundancies, no cutbacks and no slip to fill in One G&MWU steward correctly argued that there were new taking their members on a suicidal the Action Committee distributed a leaflet which called for a ban on the expansion of BSC beet production.

cultivated from the days of Empire that now sets the refinery workers leaders in alliance with their bosses against the workers of Europe and the BSC. This suits the management secretay сеят interests of workers and employers benefit from the representatives of the Port Refinery to argue against nationalisation in a report to the Government.

the industry shoul serve the needs under private ownership, provided TAKe companies Tate & Lyle and Manbre February of this year. as each recommended options that of the working class the trade union representatives end up arguing that their plans for capitalism to make logical than those circulated to the shop stewards and referred back to a branch meeting.

This was rejected without reply. Ten days later the vurtually proposals unchanged were circulated to members individually together with their and wages, together with the form to complete for management. The only real difference was a layout of the leaflet, change designed now to suggest the official had won real concessions from the Clearly the proposals must be rejected by workers in the school meals service linked to a fight for the independ- from union authority of union branches to take decisions on such questions and not individuals. At the same time a committee must elected from the branch meeting to open the books of the Warwickshire CC, and paying particular attention to the finance in the school SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976 Strike to save Hospital The 'long-term' threat to joint stewards committee threaten- axe the unique Elizabeth Gar- ing strike action if the annexe is not reopened. rett Anderson (EGA) women's Plans spread hospital in London became a to the strike throughout Health the Area short-term reality last Wed- Authority have been discussed.

nesday when the hospital's At meeting on Saturday of ASTMS delegates from 50 hospitals Hampstead maternity annexe throughout London, a motion was calling on the national water officials of ASTMS to approach the was discussing in other NHS unions to jointly organ- hospital how to fight the projected ise a London-wide strike to demand EGA mater- the re-opeping of the organising a fleet of ambulances to nity annexe and the full restoration of facilities on the main EGA site, a developer's paradise, near Euston closure only after the Significantly, this motion which patients was already under way.

challenged the ASTMS leadership to call positive strike action to back ing from the closure of their militant posturing against. the was opposed by CP and IS members at the conference.

common Despite the alleged interests that the Tate Lyle management and leaders nations risk little by developing a proclaim, John McLean admitted that the company had denied them lands will grow many crops and the access to the company's accounts; "the union needs train accountants and economists to read these books so that we know what they te up to.' exploitation [!] and inconvenience But instead of seeing this as the first and immediately necessary countries would have to bear. The struggle for workers control John McLean relegated it to a distant and hazy future allel tut present business at hand was dealt "As secretary of the Action Committee interest is to my main work myself out of this job and get back to proper trade union work as secretary secreards Committe, loint the Shop workers that are no less strong and

NOT SEPARATE

production in England and refining But unfortunately the two York and Peterborough. cannot be separated for the manner in which the Action Committee is wound up could well determine detence of all sugar workers jobs whether or not there will be a joint yet the danger to the jobs of the Shop Stewards Committee go back to. Indeed the fight to open the books, which the management will away, exposes the false unity with the workers which refineries BSC turn their workers they propose. The Action Committee must pawlers hitle maintenance workers out of season take up the fight to open the books and take on cheap imported labour of all the refinery companies and time to prevent union involve the BSC workers for a single nationalised sugar industry.

Open the books of the sugar refiners! costs Tate & Lyle would have no Work objection to the Government taking sharing full pay! over its refinery section provided it Occupy the plant to oppose al redundancies! Fight for a single nationalised made profits of around £50 million.

sugar industry! Committee Disbanded At the meeting of the full other bureaucracies union Oxford District Committee of nationally). the T&GWU, held on Thurs- In the past two years the right- day 12th June, the right-wing wing have split the 5/55 T&GWU successfully moved that the Branch; repeatedly and unsuccess Automotive committee - set Assentied to laird Pothe Coroy up by the District Committee Assembly Plant Shop Stewards Committee; and enlisted and representing 14,000 car the TUC bureaucracy to try to workers in the - be area close Oxford Trades down the disbanded. Counci when they lost their The move, apparently organised majority on that. by extreme right-wing District Each time their tactic has been Secretary David Buckle, was the same " provoke a confrontation proposed by equally right-wing Bill and then claim "disruption".

What they mean by "disruption" Koche convenor of the

BODY

Plant and a senior is dissension. representative Council of the top Cars In other words if you keep your Ryder 'participation" scheme.

mouth shut and agree with them The move to disband the Auto- there is no problem motive Committee came after the The problem for the bureau- right-wing had lost their majority cracy is that their actions don't go which had begun unnoticed by the working class.

on it, a process vith the left-win victories in the A growing number of workers lections of the 5/293 branch las are learning very solid lessons as to December. exactly what the trade union It is the policy of the right wing bureaucracy represents. in Oxford to close down any com- This understanding ensures that • any successes the bureaucracy may mittee on which they don't have a (And majority. as shown by the can quickly be turned

LEYLAND CONVENORS PREPARE

CORPORATE BARGAINING

Led by Derrick Robinson, * fruits of ine of rodes pine.

the Stalinist convenor from fruits Ryder plan. Robinson is only carrying forward Austins, a meeting of senior of "participation" which the logic shop stewards from the Cars tackling the management's Division of British Leyland, problems is that plant bargaining Wednesday, last accepted gives individual gropus of workers Company proposals which are the right to struggle for wages.

Last Wednesday's decision is an a major step towards corpor- extremely important move. Some ation level bargaining. major principles are at stake.

The meeting, which was convened by under the Ryder set-up, decided to set Agreeing to give up the right to up an ad hoc committee to organise common review dates and negotiate negotiate wages at plant level and common fringe benefits for all hand over to the national officials 64 Leyland plants. Although, by way of an amend- ment, the meeting did not take a stay in the hands of the stewards) decision to negotiate the wage rates is the same as accepting handing centrally - there is no other reason over wage bargaining, on a national for common review dates except as scale, to a deal between the TUC a step towards this. It would be a further attack on the rights of Leyland workers and

STAGES

subject them to further centralised control giving a considerable advan- In fact this was confirmed by tage to management. Saturdaon under questioning at hot of the Saturday's Stewards Committee the whole combine would be at the mercy of the first ones to accept.

Birmingham. Full corporation level bargaining would in any case "have to come in stages" he said. struggles He went on to say that plant time for the level bargaining is 'outdated" against Ryder to be opened. Oxford which is exactly what the employer Already the District Committee of the AUEW and the has been arguing since 1968.

OFFICIALS

HULL DOCKS

As reported in previously Greendale who sits on the Finance

T&GWU

Socialist Press' the and General Purposes Committee of the

T&GWU

General No. 10 Regional Committee Executive Council. has removed the shop stewards The excuse for this bureaucratic credentials from all 16 as the refusal of action was given T&GWU stewards in the port the dockers to lift their blacking of the BACAT system - a catamaran of Hull. type ship which releases barges The stewards affected include direct into the waterways, Walter Cunningham, thus the convener, bypassing the docks. Tony Fee who is the chairman of Since removing the credentials the Regional Committee and Walt

TRANSPORT AND GENERAL WORKERS UNION

REGION No.

D. R CARNS

BEVIN HOUSE

GEORGE STREET,

HULL MUI 308

MEAN QUOTE BEAUT

and June, 1976 Toc AX Dockworker Members Iployed by Hull and Does sirs and Brotbers, future operation of Hall Liari ted DACeNSATY oration of the c are reparated to attead tbese *arg the Docke articer 1401547 interested ahould contact tre at Beria House an soon ex Shop Stewarda and so sorbara of the egotiating Comete are so ease o attend theos,

1B00L.1B•

It so votinteers one forthooning then the by officiate of the 0610 4 1 will be etres ty way of sewsietters, Is so theat out pollsteers W111 decorato, * l lateras oftices, The letter barring the elected stewards from representing their members

INDUSTRIAL NEWS

TEIN: 10

British Leyland's Cowley Assembly Plant the shop stewards committee at have Service Division in Cowley rejected the Wednesday proposals.

This gives good lead. should be passed by Resolutions branches and shop stewards committees the ad-hoc committee should be withdrąwn

EXCLUDE

the Regional Committee has been attempting to reorganise the dock.

they attempted to stewards, elections for were unable to obtain any nomin- They then to the port employers - successfully persuading to refuse recognise disciplined employers had previously avoided, fearing retaliation throughout the circulated a letter to necessary for the officials to meet employers inviting any - with the exception of the disciplined stewards. Because this is such ail open and blatant attack on democratic rights Cairns will not get any volunteers, but this will not concern him.

TACTIC

His tactic is that by making the offer he cléars the IOr the (non-elected) officials to represent the port themselves. that the next thing the Hull dockers will have to face will be the deals capicycle what the officials want. degree of independence. line with the actions nationally of the I&GWU bureaucracy, stamp out that independence.

In addition to this they want to

MITTERRI

an influence in the the unofficial com-

CONTRADICTION

In other words the issue for the T&GWU is bureaucratic control There is a contradiction in the situation. The unofficial committee and full discussion on the implication of corporate bargaining conditions in the plants.

At the end of the one year trial period (in November) participation' must be thrown out and the full rights of free collective bargaining each individual plant protected

STEWARDS

has virtually unanimous support in the port. Yet the bureaucracy has with allowed get these attacks. is the unofficial The problem leadership on the dock. Sections of the leadership refuse to move because they see it as a Hull issue and refuse to draw the connections with the actions of the bureaucracy of the T&GWU nationally. 42% TUC pay cut on the T&GWU Executive after he was disciplined) in with the Jones dangerous. It is not enough to have support of the it would be a defeat for the whole the Regional Committee to reverse decision Hull the struggle must be extended restore the credentials • I&G"L seruds 1x.0 170 Ng l1 9,000

HUMBER

FISHING

JOBS

TO GO

The Labour government's typically imperialist attempt at boat diplomacy in confronting Iceland over her 200 mile limit instead of re equiping and reorganising the trawler fleets on the basis of nationalisation has now added to the mass unemployment in the industry. such attacks it is right Against that the fishing grounds.on which the Icelandic people are completely dependent should be defended. It was therefore inevitable that an would eventually reached the of limitation catches.

DIVERT

By the policy adopted the Labour government has attempted to avoid its responsibility for the attention jobs lest and diverted instead towards Iceland. In fact, the Labour government has a lot to hide. Even before the sackings begin five trawlermen 'are in every unemployed with the figure in Hull reaching one in two. James Johnson, Labour MP for Hull West chairman and of the Commons All Party Fisheries Com- mittee, said of the settlement: "The outcome of the settlement will be 30 vessels laid up through out the industry with the loss o 600 seagoing jobs, 450 of these in Humberside. And this. optimistic assessment"

REDUNDANCIES

With this scale of cut-back it is clear that deep sea trawlers will not continue to operate from the three Humberside ports of Hull, Grimsby and Fleetwood as at present.

It is likely that two ports will close and the industry concentrated backs are that 9,000 of the 25,000 workers employed in the and processing industry in Humber- high unemployment rate There is no doubt that many of the employers are happy with the have been allowing the fishing fleet to deteriorate for the employers, Birds Eye, Findus and Ross have been awaiting the oppor- tunity for extensive rationalisation involving the speed-up and reorgan have been scrapped years ago and The T&GWU, who represent the trawlermen and fish dock workers ation - which clearly is not enough.

distribution conside presented for the natio te government provide the cash to ret as the middle grounts - for = tá the existing bozis zre too large

FOREMEN SWING MINERS BALLOT

12 the aid of 12,950 With "officials from and votes staff" added to those of dep- uties and other management backed by grades and an intensive propaganda cam- paign by the Tory press and union leaders, the NUM right PHOTO: John Sturrock. Report.

last week won a slim wing majority for the TUC 44% wage cutting plan.

NUM

General Sec- Scottish Bill MacLean correctly retary pointed out that coc result b a distortion of the views of miners themselves, stating that a majority of NUM who actually dig coal clearly voted "No" to the pay pian.

REJECTED

In five areas where a principled divides the strength of the union, call for rejection was issued by the workers to vote as indiv- clear council majority against the 4% deal - in interests of the employers and the Yorkshire a massive 62% voted for it to be thrown out, and in Scot- Decisions on union elections should be held as 63%, while in the smaller coalfield only Kent 700 out of branch meetings or special mass 2,000 voted for acceptance.

meetings of members by show of What the decisive impact of leadership in the strug-

PROPAGANDA

gle against the baretaced betrayals now being carried through by the Labour government and TUC.

But the time the Only in this way can trade technique of ballot voting - which unionists counter the weight of

NALGO-DRAIN

HOWLED DOWN

Geoffrey Drain,

NALGO

of public sliding scale expen- General Secretary, was howl- diture and wages, allowed National Council to Executive ed down by delegates to the home by the skin of its scrape union's Conference at East- teeth on the old reformist ticket.

bourne last week. of "unity" and by the defeatism This deliberately fostered by platform marks a further develop- speakers. ment the consciousness of NALGO members - facing TUC The disillusionment and frus wage cuts and mass redundancies of conference delegates tration through in while was further compounded by the spending. rhetoric of the guest

MILITANT

speaker Michael Foot MP. With all the skill befitting this great parliamentarian, he avoided The conference opened with any reference to the cruel realities facing

NALGO

and members, with casual cynicism delivered a expenditure cuts, an end to sup- mere party political broadcast.

port for the Social Contract, for public ownership and control of

CRUSHED

manufacturing industry and for an The Executive Council showed.

irreversible shift in the balance of their great strength and resol- wealth and power in favour ution in crushing all initiatives and proposals for action from the motions branches. Unfortunately these qualities debate the General Secretary, have been totally absent in their negotiations with the government.

head off rank and file action in But while this conference has breathing continued talk of allowed them further reforms with the TUC Economic space, next year it will not be so easy. The fight must begin at once in all NALGO branches for a prog- longer possible under capitansm in crisis, Drain's age-worn and ramme of demands that can unite the labour whole movement drew such howls of anger from delegates that against capitalism and capitulation and for a sliding scale of public for several periods he could not be heard for the uproar, expenditure to keep pace with the rate of inflation as determined by However the lack of an alter- partly due to the with- committees of trade unionists and native, housewives. drawal of the motion demanding a

£6ОO FUND

The May Fund closed at £539.22. With the June Fund now well under way, we have to date received the following amounts.

£40; Winsford, £1; Oxford Assembly Plant, f6; Central London, .50p; South

NHS,

£41; North London £35; Coventry, £12; Bolton, London, £10; Oxford PSF, £3.25; Aylesbury, £5; Oxford General, £21; .80p; Bambury, £1.97; London col- East London, £20; Leamington, lection, £5.57. Total so far: £203.09 With half the month now gone the fight is now on to go one better than the full £600 fund target. All donations month and Socialist Press Monthly Development shoud be sent to: Fund, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR.

Now they applied to workers by Pressure propaganda in the press and mass media, and draw on the strengh of the class. In the case of the NUM ballot, the complete control was taken outside the trade union movement a Using the excuse that they complete confidentiality? thre the NUM exec- utive withdrew from the count on Friday June 4th its two official observers Jack Collins and Peter Tait. This means the NUM preferred

SYRIAN

TANKS

DEFEND

ISRAEL (cont'd). premiership to pass man and welcomer of US Marines to the Lebanon in 1958. Sixth Fleet has standing by together French troops ready to step into the breach should the Syrian However, by the week Palestinian and Muslim left had succeeded halting forces in aided the Syrian advance, by desertions from Saiqua, the Pales- tinian commando unit under and the Syrian Army control, reluctance of Syrian general troops to fight the Palestinians.

ARAB LEAGUE

This set-back has resulted in the entry of troops from the Arab League countries to attempt to defuse the situation and especially US action. The preempt Libya presence of troops from à 'left' face to and Algeria gives the action and has evoked Chris Davies Resom pHonA. Scargill (left) and McGahey opposed the 42% pay cut plan.

must maintain the fight for the £100 a week claim.

to accept the word and reliability of Major and his wrank Britain staff the bourgeois Electoral on Reform Society to that of their This is a own representatives. disgraceful attack on union demo- cracy. The strong vote for rejection in five areas shows the need for them to press forward at the NUM con £100 the a week demand put forward before the 4½% deal, To the £100 claim must be added the call for a sliding scale of wages to provide automatic increases to keep pace with rising prices - as assessed by trade union committees. At every point the right wing must be fought and the real attack on living standards embodie l the 4% deal exposed to those miners who were tricked into sup- the Executive porting recommendation. shrieks of protest against 'outside interference' from the US and from the Soviet Union. their own The Stalinists for supported the Syrian reasons Lebanon interventions in compensate for the recent defection of Egypt to the US by strengthening ties with Syria, and also more basically in the hope of avoiding another Middle East war which would expose the weakness.

of the Soviet bureaucracy.

SUPPORTED

of course Soviet policy by the Lebance CP carried out which has supported Syrian inter vention. In this they have been joined by Arafat, the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organis- ation. AraS lost according to

PIESS

credibility in the reports midst of massive palestinian resis- Syrian forces to the, tance to extent that he found it necessary to leave the area hurriedly for Cairo disguised in a wig and a flower shirt. Similarly, the leader of the left Muslim forces, Jumblatt, though opposing the candidacy of Sarkis for premier, his support of Edde the left of centre' candidate and the National Bloc Party showed he was incapable of defen- ding either the freedom of the Palestinian liberation movement or the democratic rights of the Lebanese Muslim masses against the manoeuvrings of the bourgeois parties.

LESSONS

The bitter of the lessons Lebanese war for the Palestinians and the Arab masses is this - that Syrian tanks and nationalist dema- gogues like Jalloud act together to break their struggle The nationalist politics of the

PLO

leadership groping the capitalist support of governments Arab states, unable to appeal over their heads to the class interests of the Arab masses - leave them trapped in a situation where Syria has become the effective guardian of Israel's northern borders. SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 16th June 1976

O'BRIEN

NO APPEALI

dismayed Joe Gormley A last week had to rule out an appeal by leading Yorkshire NUM right-winger Bill O'Brien against the two year ban on in the union holding office imposed on him as disciplinary measure. The Yorkshire Area Council had disciplined O'Brien for correctly union documents and supplying information to lawyers representing the Sheffield Star newspaper.

The information was used in the action Yorkshire

NUM

president Arthur Scargill.

Gormley was forced to uphold the Yorkshire decision after lawyers painted out that there is nothing in the union rule books to allow an appeal against such a decision by an area council. Though this has clearly been the case for years, the right wing now seem likely to begin moves seeking change - in case the rules another right-winger is caught the same way. TUC (from front page) would concentrate democratically in the hands of the appointed national officials.

In addition to this the T&GWU bureaucracy has the Joint Shop Stewards Committee the Cowley Plant Assembly because it repesents a threat to Ryder; have disbanded the Oxford Committee Automotive because the right-wing lost their majority on it and it could have been used to criticise their policies.

In top of this they have enlist d the TUC bureaucracy to disaf filiate the Oxford Trades Council in fighting because to stop the cuts it exposed the role of the local and national leaders in the Social Service unions.

RULE 14

In line with this, using in each case the same argument as Smith - "unrepresentative' " Rule 14 is initiated unis posing Tie policy. new recent conference of Trades Councils held in Swansea, Council refused to allow a vote the 42% - because it looked like being defeated - saying that if a vote was taken he would close the The problem for the bureau- crats is that they are acting from weakness and not from strength. Their attack on union democracy is creating new conditions in the working class.

EXPOSED

The nature of the bureaucracy often obscured past by in Ene fakers with left reputations such and Wright has been as Scanlon, exposed to important sections of The working class will not accept the 44% or the pianned cuts in public spending. The coming year will see struggles and on these central to every struggle will be the tole. of trade union leaders. Every one of their betrayals highlights the burning need for a leadership which will not start from the requirement of capital- ism but from the requirements of the working class.

COVENTRY

WORKERS SOCIALIST

LEAGUE

PUBLIC MEETING

Wednesday 7th July at 7.30 Hertford Tavern Junction St.