management manage'.
property.
The reality is obvious. Every extra minutes work, all 'flexibility of labour every increase in effort capitalism can extract from the workforce the greater is its profit. The attempt of the working class to maintain its living standards, job organisation, and health is consistently experienced by capitalism as an obstacle to its needs and 'right to manage Theretore while capitalism accepts working class 10b organisation grudgingly during periods of boom it constantly tries to weaken and smash it in times of economic crisis.
Il IS perfectly logical therefore that as Britain has moved into recession the witch hunting organisations which tried to stay in the background during the 1950s and 1960s much openly emerging into the daylight. One of the most basic rights which capitalism proclaims but can never grant is the right of people to The reason is simple. Any democracy in the workplace is completely incompatible with the famous 'right of rights democracy and the rights of property are in contradiction capitalism naturally supports the rights of them. The League answers enquiries from the media as well as its own members and necessity to be reticent about the fact that we have such information or that it is available.
The use made of the Economic League similar organisations by British companies is quite clear. The personnel director of Shell explained company policy clearly to The Guardian at the same time the Economic LcaLut changed its policy to come out more into the open. He said:
'We are interested in identifying overt opponents of the system to which we are committed. The last thing we want to do is have political subversives on our payroll or on sites in which we have an interest. (Guardian 29.6.78)' A director of Ford's Sunday on August this year that his company operated a 'rigid system of selection technicucs and rejected people who were 'unsuitable for whatever reason'.
The official policy of the CBI, outlined in a confidential internaly memorandum in 1976 and reaffirmed to Tribune last week, should Consul the Economic League very necessary function of identification of and preventive warning about individual wreckers'.
The Economic League has a staff of more than 100 and nine local offices up ana down tne country The way it operates was clearly explained by a personnel director of Wnance mausanar corr. pany Pames on 1 Au Fin. Financial If he wanted to check a job applicant's record, he would type the company's code number on the tog right corner of a blank sheet of paper, give .the person's age and national insurance Halllc address number and send it to a postal box.
Twenty four hour's later he would ring the League's regional office to find out whether the applicant should be employed zd o de cn dvc cy the person's past which were on the computer.
UCATT branch officers. incretaries. ive including branci Among the members of the central council of the Economic League are Lord Hewlett - President of the National ,Association of Conservative and Unionist Associations, and Lord Matthew: proprieter of the Daily Express and Daily Star. Both LOTO Hewlett and Lord Matthews are of cuuls staunch defenders of democracy - in particular the democratic right of the Economic League to ust computers blacklist people and deprive them of jobs.
Futility For the point is simple. Capitalism and democracy are incompatible at every step. is the right of people to join with OLIICIS lU decide on their they want their oo oreausauon. waeme jobs or not, how they will work.
control over one's life cannot be confined to a five second casting of a ballot every five years. But the right to decide the questions that affect a person is totally incompatible with managements 'right to manage' Capitalism is the most fundamental obstacle which exists democracy in our society.
A 'liberal' paper such as the Guardian expresses it exactly. In its editorial of August the Guardian writes that 'Even Trotskyists have to earn a living But then it goes on:
'Mr Musgrove (the BL director) in retrospect, got himself bogged down unnecessar) nonesense over Red Steph's O-levels Had he managed to say that the function his company was make cars, not revolution, company time, he would have been on sure mora and intellectual ground.
The Economic League have scarcely bettered the language. Apart the remark about 'making the revolution ir company time' (try work ing in a car tactorv anc find out how much time there is to 'make the revolution') the positi( " of the Guardian is perfectly clear.
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Cowley plant have a job regardless of their political views.