Socialist Action No. 7, 28 April 1983

Socialist Action · 28 April 1983 · 16 pages, 19,443 words read by machine

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Page 1 scan of this page

No. 7 29 April 1983 30p

ACTION

Vote

May Day

Labour

5th

May

Page 2 scan of this page

CND National Council debates strategy

2 Socialist Action 29 April 1983

CND

CND Diary is a regular column in Socialist Action, giving a round up of useful facts, news and dates of forthcoming events in the Anti-Nuclear movement.

The listing of events is free ang the reach us by the Wednesday, one week before publica

Diary, Street, London N1 2XP.

* Fri 29 April Two anti-nuclear films,

1 Cinema, 74 Victoria Crescent Road, Glasgow. Tickets £2 (€1.50 unwaged). Organised by Glasgow West CND. * Fri 29 April Public meeting on 'Labour's Non-Nuclear Defence Policy' with sneakers Jonn sukin Mir. Foulkes MP Avr Town Hall *Sat 30 April East Fife CND march from St. Andrews to Leuchars airbase. Meet 10am in Queens Terrace, Anorews *Sat 30 April Scottish CND/ Anti-Trident Campaign joint fundraising booksale, Renfield St. Stephen Centre, Bath Street, Glasgow. Offers of books to Scottish Third Floor, 041-331 2878). *Sat 30 April East London Labour Movement Conference Against Cruise and Trident, to be held in Queen Mary Waterhouse i 3598 Detor Ken Cult Hornchurch 53518. Details/credentials + Sat 30 April Fringe meeting at Wales Hilary Wainwright, Chris Parke (AUEW/TASS). 7.30 Central Hotel, Penarth Road, Cardiff TU CND. * May March from Truro to Exeter via Plymouth, Barnstaple and Somerset (only for the fit!).

Tel: Plymouth 268724. oleolch nurect *Sun 1 May GLC May Day festival for Peace, Victoria

Park, London. Starts 11.00am.

Toal Ma Ilam with a demonstration irom amdankment mar ching to Brockwell Park. Bands, speakers and a festival Villare *10-12 Mav Demonstration outside Defence

ponents Expo

or details. * Thur 12 May Day of Action against Arms at norn- Krvmers aruscow stem annica. urealls ed by Region CND's committee London wri. speakers at inis luncanne, meeting will include Ken Livingstone (GL.C), Jonathon Hammond (NUJ President), Paul Lefley (Sec Trades Connel. _LOU LewIs Organiser), Jeremy Corbyn (Haringey Councillor and PPC for Islnoon Nort

Conference Trades Union Strategy. Starts 10.30am at Riddles Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh. Speakers will include Gavin

Alan Rogers MEP, Allan Roberts MP, Women for Life •ocaKes.

* Wed 18 May Meeting, Ealing North Labour Club, The

* Thurs 19 May Public meeting, Acton Town Hall, 7.30

Comp Can Normal A No Phan

reace

State' Organised by S.E. Birmingham CND Meeting House, Hall Green, Birmingham, starts 7.30. * in the New Village Haleaker Sure

* Sat 21 May South London CND Labour Movement Alaistair Macrae (NUPE Nat Officer), Pat Arrowsmith. Workshops: NVDA and industrial action, Alternative

TUs and the Labour Centre, Lavender Hill, London SW11.

* Tex 24 May Glasgow Women for Peace.

sor for International Women's Day for Disarmament,

George Square, Glasgow. Rally

Greenham, Has ane. STUC. - pm. For more information contact

Peace, the Women's

Glasgow G2. Tel. 041 221 1177 Sats. atter 1pm

+ Tue • 24 May Women's day of action of peace. Dera k

McConnel, Tel: (0273)-604265.

„Tr » Mir Meeting organised by Bnstol ILL D

Reg Race

soman. Also Iwo films.

Victoria St., Bristol

* Sat 28 May Greater Manchester CND trade union con-

ference. Speakers: Ron Todd (T&G), Les Huckfield MP,

Ureenham Further details, 061-682 9334.

TOLSN' late at Barns Ness, near Dunbar. Details from SCRAM,

031-557 4283/4.

Tess Hamps Ma Community ere, vinome:

community Street. London NW6. Organised by

and Cricklewood CND

* Sal 4 June Anti-Trident

Arena, ulasgow, 1 lam to 4.5vpm. Deltals nom. Are,

230 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow (tel. 041-332 3141).

EVENTS

details should

Socialist Action, 328 Upper

and 'No Place to Hide', 7.30pm at Studio

George Keith Macdonald (PPC for Ayr). 7.30pm,

420 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 (tel.

TUC. Speakers:

Cardiff. Organised by

Details from

Youth CND Festival for Peace. Starts at

Com-

'83, in Brighton: Contact (01)-278 1976

Trade Union subDetails from LRCND; 6 Endsleigh Street,

factory Balc

Haringey (UCATT Ron Blanchard (Haringey Councillor) and

Nuder Disarmament.

Starts 2.00pm at Penhys Community Centre.

Hal. 7.30 Ruskin Hall W3. (All part of Ealing

Party. Battersea Arts £2/£1 admission. aV OTAC

2-2pm with speakers womens resua Women fo Centre, 57 Miller Strez

Green am COMBOA Starts at 7.30pm at Transport

Afternoon workshops.

• Torness Festival of Re-Creation, 2pm till

West Hampstead

Convention, Kelvin Hall

RES

GREENHAM

CND's national council meeting on 16/17 April rejected a series of attempts to water down the campaign's policy.

'he national council gave full support to the 2

lay International Women's Day of Actio

It went on to discuss two resolutions on the demand for a nuclear freeze.

One called for support for a 'bilateral' freeze between the United States and the Soviet Union, the other called tor unilateral nuclear freeze by Britain.

Both were passed

By Andy Miller

The basic argument put forward in favour of the 'freeze demand was that while 60 per cent were opposed to cruise and Trident, only supported unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Therefore prioritising the treeze demand was 'realistic' and a 'bridge' to unilateral nuclear disarmament'. Prioritising the freeze demand was

THE BIGGEST challenge facing the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is to root its campaign against nuclear weapons in the factories. Last year's annual conference of the campaign voted in favour of directing C.ND's activites towards the labour movement. Yet even though more trade unionists are affiliated to CND than to the Labour Party - over six million -potentially vast reservoir of support.

The major reason for this failure lies with the national leadership of CND.

By Mick Gosling, TGWU 1/1107 Branch (personal capacity)

Winning support for (ND in ine workplace is placed on a par with churCler and groups because the CND

not have a strategy of mobiliseing the only social force with the

NO CRUISE

IS GOOD

NEWS!

SUPPORT THE

mistake — it offers neither real gains for ment nor real solutions.

A nuclear freeze would not stop the arms race. Even a nuclear freeze bi Britain would not stop airlaunched Cuise missiles being deployed at American air bases in Britain, with or without the connivance of the United States.

The demands for no cruise and no Trident should not be seperated from the fight for unilateral nuclear disarmament. If they are seperated then CND's cutting edge Wit be dined. especially Labour government were elected.

The debate on CND's tactics in the general election reflected two different

CND belongs in the factories

precious little has been done to mobilise this

power to stop the bomb, but one of putting pressure

to change their ways

Unive Al local level number move

Trident have the latest

over 6000

PLANS for a women's day of action against the missiles — an International Women's Day for Disarmament took a decisive step forward last week with The Women's and Scots TUC support.

The Women's AdVIsory Committee -of the TUC met on 19 April and voted to recommend support for the action to the TUC General Council

By Anne Kane (Glasgow Women for Peace)

In Scotland, following the STUC's general coun cil's vote of support for ac tions being organisMay, Scotland May, delegates. at last week STUC conference Rothesay gave a positive

Greenham ICO DUISC women lobbying for supDULL

At a packed meeting on Wednesday delegates

other women, responding with a large tinancial con tribution and pledges to build for the day. views of what CND should be doing. The first view was that CND should intervene the election primarily to get anti-cruise anti-Trident candidates elected: the other was to use the elections to take on the Tories on unilateral disarmament.

This difference was

reflected by the executive's

proposal to change the

slogan from 'Vote Nuclear

Ford workers along with

the TGWU and

South East Essex AUEW

shop stewards are all sen-

ding large delegations to

this.

At this conference the

connection between the

Tories missile madness

and mass unemployment

and public spending cuts

will be made. Workshops

will concentrate on

building CND in - the

workplace.

At Ford Dagenham

we've had some small but

useful experience of this

There has been a CND

group in the body plant for

CND's time Easter aniu activities

members of both 1/667

and 1/1107 TGWU bran-

ches in the assembly plant

won the unanimous back-

Womens TUC and Scots

TUC support 24th May

an opening

delegate Rolls

the workonce day. Other including the Fire

The at the STUC was

Greenham women.

tant secured of support. the Timex occupation …HOW the Greenham

struggles:

Jobs not Bombs. our Greenham Women.

up the telegram

tion on gain Positive

Among the • unions NALGO are showing the way by encouraging positive action to be

Free '83' "Trident •Stop

Cruise, Stop

Don't Vote for World War

Three. Eventually it was agreed that 'an essentially

unilateralist slogan'

should accompany those against cruise and Tri-

dent.

On NATO, the na-

tional council decided to

organise an educational

campaign on the

withdraw and to give more

ing of their branch

meetings for TGWU

leaflet on the shopfloor to

mobilise support. Because

this was a union leatlet it

was widely distributed by

shop stewards as well as

CND activists. Difficult

At a wider level the

trade union committee of

London region CND is

taking up the most diffic

tul task of all - starting to

argue "jobs not

amongst armaments

workers themselves The

committee has called

midday action on Thurs-

day 12 May Thorn-

Brimar, Mollison Avenue,

Enfield.

Thorn-Brimar

(Brimsdown site) is one of

News

organised by women

and industrial action for the day.

The labour movement must build these statements of support. The lead being given for the 24 May by the

can be a stepping stone for mass action against the missiles later in the year.

Women all out for Peace

• This model resolution is suggested for your trade union branch:

"This branch expresses

support ine Common/

paign, and in particular of-

support to all members who take action on the 24th May as part of the 'Women All Out Fo

(International Women's Day for Disarmament.

Contact: May 24th 16 Arundel Rd Brighton E Sussex. Tel: 0273-6064265 until _16 Apri then 0273-553466, until end of May.

For Scotland contact: Women for Peace, c/o the Women's Centre, 57

Street, Glasgow 2.

Tel 041 221 1177 (Sats)

pronty to the issue in the anti-cruise and Trident campaigns.

Although the educa tional campaign will be

members, least a small positive step towards implementing last year's conterence decision to prioritise the issue.

Mixed

The council rejected a proposal that • future

tions at Greenham Common should be mixed anc

thereby showed its suppor

for the independent role of the women at Greenham Common.

On non-violent direct action it was agreed to

prioritise secome dry

tion against firms supply ing nuclear bases

Overall the national

council marked new stage of the discussion

within CND

London's major arms pro

ducers producing

amongst other thing,

special • cathode ray tubes

missile guidance

systems and multi-pin con-

nectors Iol all types of

military wiring.

It is this hard, grass-

roots work in the factories

that needs to go on behind

CND's spectacular na-

tional demonstrations if

we are to build a move.

ment which goes beyond

protest and has the power

to win unilateral nuclear

disarmament

East London Labour

Movement Conference

against Cruise and Tri-

dent. Sat. 30 April Queen

Mary College, Mile End

Road, London EI. Fur-

ther details/credentials

phone Ken Cull, Horn-

church 53518.

Page 3 scan of this page

Peoples March can be an inspiration

News

Photo: MORNING STAR

Arches LAST WEEKEND unemployed workers strode out of Glasgow to begin the 500 miles Peoples March to London.

The TUC and Labour Party have ficially backed the march but neither organisation had one of its general

'MY KNEES are

knocking' said the

young man from

Nielson. That's not so

good with 500 miles to

walk I

thought. Beside him

were iwo young

women from Aber-

deen, holding bright

red carnations: 'We're

not staying in London'

they said scornfully

'we'll be coming

straight back.'

Behind the yellow

jackets the pipes

started up and the

bright banners of 40

different unions surged

forward.

They had to battle

against the torrential

rain the heavens had

unleashed on the 5000

assembled in George

Square, Glasgow to see

off the 1983 People's

March.

Police, camera

crews, paper sellers

and latecomers splash-

ed through the streets

to take up their ap-

pointed positions.

Nobody noticed

Michael Foot as he

stepped on the sodden

platform to wave us all

goodbye.

At 12 noon there

was silence. Then the drum beats started.

'Go on! Go on!'

shouted anxious stewards and a young unemployed woman from Maryhill and her

friend holding the Peoples March banner took their first steps on Britains long march.

The bagpipes burst the air behind them

for the labour movement

council members marching.

As Britain's. cucues grow day the right to have a job and a lving ware becomes burning issue for millions the

leaders are mistrustful and unhappy dOUL ficial' and parliamentary' actions like

A Marcher's journal

and a great cheer went up. The rain meant no speech from Foot.

The march was half a mile long that' said a police sergeant. It would be lost in those wide London streets' he confited to me. "Step in in case some capitalist car hits your backside.'

executive taking to the streets for

jobs. dole Such an behoves by day and trade union leadership

that serious fight to save jobs.

SuCa The local unions and

local labour parties must make the

extra- national leaders have fail-

Led to do.

CH

FOPLES MARCHIZ FOR JOBS

The coppers are nervously friendly, everybody knows why.

At the front someone is giving out '2000 if more red carnations.

Foot disappeared. He used to be good at marching.

As we crossed the Clyde warm sunshine breaks up the cloud. 499 miles to go.

march

attitude illparliamentary mounted no Is d

dole queues. be used hatred of response their which condemn

Dundee

The

Timex

B!

workforce

profit. and sixty

occupying lory.

The movement

Timex and firms redundancies.

company

will

must

route of the March.

In every city, town and village through which the

goes the labour ine way to movement must turn ou in force to show that there

working class cuter replaced native to depression and

It must also to build up dards.

Tory policies

people to the misery of the poverty line of social security.

Peoples

march

for jobs

workers are giving full support 10 the Times occupation.

shop stewards say this is not just a fight for the jobs of the

workers but is about the right of every worker to have a job.

retusing to accept redundancies the

iS saying jobs must come before

Five hundred out of workforce of 640 are

their fac-

trade union in alliance with the Labour Party must have an answer 1o

all other threatening

They must tell the either guarantee jobs or we

nationalise you without compensation.

That must be the message at Timex and it

also be the message right along the

People's

It must show that the Timex occupation points

•save lobs and that the Tories must be kicked out of office and reperment pledged to de Labour fend jobs and living stan-

Let the Peoples March aul as an lispiralon 1or a fight back.

'83

APRIL - JUNE

Timex — a fight against sackings

Soçialist Action 29 April 1983 3 PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT

RECEPTION

VORKS ENTRANCE GOODS I ATLES ER OFF C S ROAD

Page 4 scan of this page

Reply to Ken Livingstone

4 Socialist Action 29 April 1983

IRELAND

UNFREE

North to be

strike-free zone?

By Martin Collins TOP LEVEL plans to ban thé right to strike in the North of Ireland were revealed last week. The revelations were made by NUPE regional officer Inez spoke in a debate at the Northern Congress of the Irish TUC in opposition to a resolution against the Tebbit proposals.

There was, she said, a sting in the tale of the conference resolution which allowed the ICTU's Northern "special circumstances' that would make the Tebbit legislation unnecessary in the North.

She illustrated what cumstances' might be, by fidential letter sent by the Labour Relations Agency (similar to ACAS) to Semes Prior has responded positively to the Agen- Terry Carlin. cy's ideas, 'strike free zone' in agreements WIld equivalent mainland.

Such plans were first discussed at a high level and a very private conference held in rark, Uxrorasnire last year. I resent al lue meeting were Southern Gowrie from Thatchers' Northern Ireland Office, US government representatives

of 'Representing' the workers side was Terry Carlin.

The report from the Ditchley Park conference indicated a

traditionally capital and labour'. The strike free zone they said would be an attractive selling point for investment in the North.

Workers on the march in Dublin

Militancy rises

North and South

LAST WEEK saw another example of the strike-breaking role of the British trade union bureaucracy in the North with General and Municipal officials scabbing on the pay strike of Belfast bus workers.

Bus drivers, like so many workers in the North, are divided into two separate unions, the militant Dublin-based the right-wing led London-based GMBATU.

The Citybus workers set the pace with a week-long strike in support of their 10 per cent wage claim. But their hopes of a united response from all bus workers in the city GMBATU officials refused to call a membership meeting and vetoed proposals to join the strike. Frustraied ATGWL roled to accept management's sis per

Mexertile cares inore factories in the 55°€ 1T10

EDUTIE IT

mines North rad south it is He KIT SOU religion not partition that causes the main division of the Irish working class.

McCormick as she

Committee to discuss

these 'special quoting from a con-

Northern Committee

involve making the North a

exchange for parity

Ditchley

premier Garret FitzGerald, Lord

and people from Northern Ireland.

'high level of consensus between those

opposed of DELIURA other sections of

ATGWU and

were crusned with general

members then crat offer

her

тег

criminal that sections of the

In Socialist Action (1 April) there were no less than three hostile comments on the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy: one by Ken Livingstone, one by Walter Wolfgang and one — for good measure — by Wolfgang's interviewer. one thing in common. They make no attempt to criticise CLPD's actual position.

Ken Livingstone limits himset to Hake du founded allegation that the recent CLPD/Labour Coordinating Committee Party: Slalcillcill, unity, amounts to 'cosying the right

UD wing' and to implying that the two organisations abandoning the fight for socialist policies and against expulsions.

Ken rightly draws attention to the danger ot the coalition plans con-

bers of the Parliamentary Labour Party and trade union leaders. Yet he seems to believe that the left can frustrate these plans by adopting a tactic of confrontation with the right wing, a tactic which would divide the Party even further.

Because of this he denounces the CLPD/LCC

attempt al 'accommodation with the

which Call only facilitate further purges and aid plans for a coalition with the Social Democratic Party.

Belief

Ken's basic misconception derives from his belief

of the next general elec-

the Labour left is LOR. bound to gain in influence and strength. He said

as much in a recent interview with New Musical Express (9 April).

CLPD takes the opposite view. Quite apart Irom the fact that we would Tort Alliance victory as an unmitigated disaster we should do everything to avert, we also oeneve Unal another victory of reaction at the polls would find an

inevitable reflection

advance within the Party.

In the climate of despondency and demoralisation which would follow another lost election the charge that

who fought for democratic reforms and

policies SOCaus WELC responsible for the defeat (because they split the Par-

FICE OF TO

Isn't it wonderful! Thatcher and her

whip round to

such ventures as Che

Falklands campaign and

the war in Northern

Ireland!!

By Vladimir Derer

All these comments have

ty and failed to take account of the conservatism of the electorate) would find a sympathetic echo among the Party and trade union membership.

The Party's right wing would be strengthened and in the event of a 'hung parliament it would push through its coalition соп-

well the support of the majority members should the Party split. Far from gaining ground the left would find itself increasingly isolated.

Victory

This is why we believe that the left must đo everything ensure Labour electoral victory, and that it must be seen to be doing so. Bermondsey has shown that even traditional working class elecLOES will divisince be party is a

Since the Party broad coalition, unity not possible without some kind of compromise. The joint statement outlines its suggested terms.

But these things are nothing like what Ker claims. They propose give

both sides.

acceptance 'existing policies, the existing leadership, the existing mem bership the • existing parliamentary candidates and the existing selection procedures for Leader, Deputy Leader and parliamentary candidates.

This does imply that there should not be public campaign against policies as "outlined in the campaign document and later the manifesto, nor against a leadership determined by normal constitutional procedures even though this may mean the possible acceplance Denis Healey.

But it also implies the acceptance of all existing parlamentary candidates and the existing membership; this leaves the CLPs the right to determine who is accepted into the Party and who is to represent them in parliament.

I think you are labouring under misapprehension The plan, I believe, ist to make the organisers of demonstrations the wages of the police 4 who...

Vladimir Derer

selection Leader, . Leader and

tion

present and mandatory reselection, and that presently go with them,

tion

statemeal.

impartial conditions,

in the

tail the

NEC DISC

which

OICSSUrC groups of Labour Party members, and which conference alone would be entitled to administer, al C written into the Labour Party Constitution.

Right

Ken is right in thinking that such conditions despite the concessions they involve, will not be acceptable to witchhunters. He must be naive, however, if he believes that we think that they are.

Our appeal is not addressed to the hunting right but to the broad Party and union membership It is being promoted in the form of a model resolution to the annual conference.

Even though our conditions are unacceptable to the the, we believe, acceptable witch-hunters,

the Party as a whole. Widespread support for them would ensure that the 'moderate' extremists would be forced to accept them.

What about Free Speech?

Tories

pay

Let Brent

East select

of Brent East

reselection in Brent East.

wants to

views directly.

tion is threatened through

below.

'In 1981 we

reselection with Reg Freeson, MP.

VULE However the regional party official refused to come to an executive committee meeting to start up reselec. tion.'

Colin Adams

What has irritated the party is that despite its attempts to follow the constitution original disagreement about reselection for the local elections in a couple wards has been blown up into a national affair.

•We feel this party has been run as well as most other parties and we're very dissatisfied about the scrutiny we've been put under'.

The right complain greatly about a left caucu

held in Brent on the sub ject of the reselection. They claim the meeting contravened the constitu-

the : Under the

free speech is rather expensive...

News

LABOUR

BRIEFING

this is Colin says NOC 'On shouldn't consider itself to have any iurisdiction: the matter was totally unofficial. The party can't be held responsible for it'.

When asked about the role of the sitting Labour MP, Colin is diplomatic: 'He was quite helpful in agreeing the proposed procedure in June 1981. But

March this year GMC condemned him for calling for a further quiry.

Colin's diplomacy

justified. Freeson fighting his own redundancy harder than he's fought any other. He now claims Ken Livingstone is a member of Gerry Healy's Workers Revolutionary Party

If Brent East is to select it's going to require merely the acquiesence but

National Executive. The

takes

three month made it dine

ficult anyway.

Colin is optimistic

•We expect the NEC given the evidence, to give mediately. O-at ad im-

But he does add that the GMC 'would feel cheated' if it weren't to be allowed to reselect. • You can held Bren East in your Labour Party by passing the following resolution:

"This CLP notes the conclusion of the assistan National Agent's repor

Brent East CLP

une reselection procedure in Brent East to proceed immediately.

Support the lobby of the National Executive meeting al 9.30 am Wednesday 27 April outside Labour HQ at Wal worth Road. (Elephant and Castle Tube).

CRAPET

• At : this very minute S.P.G. are preparing a bill for Blair Peach.

Page 5 scan of this page

Asian workers fight sweatshop

News

Aire Valley Yarns strikers SINCE Colin Roach died in Stoke Newington Police Station January, a staggering 96 known arrests have taken place.

The campaign around the death of Colin Roach has been one of the clearest recent examples of growing police repression.

East and North London courts have been processing black youths at a rate comparable to a

But while the courts have fill defendants, it's another matter when it comes to public access to the coroner's inquest into Colin's death.

St Pancras Coroner's Court will only allow 30 members of the public to attend because of space.

The week seen blatant manouevres by Dr Chambers, coroner, but most notably by the police, to stop the inquest moving to a bigger place.

Perhaps they've had some problems finding a local venue, especially as the Old Bill plus new Police Bill?

EITH osce

Police harassment of

Colin Roach campaigners

are jammed full of black

youth? Not so! Both the

and Hackney

Borough Council were

fered large room at

Hackney Town Hall for

the inquest.

What's behind all

this? The Home

Secretary Willie

Whitelaw - has refused

By Jeff Charlton

to hold a public inquiry

but proposed a coroner's

inquest on the

Inal InIs was the same

thing. This just isn't

true.

Dr Chambers has correcty

stated that the Home

Secretary has been 'badly

advised'.

court can only establish

the who, what, where

and when aspect of the

death.

and

degrading treatment af-

forded

Roach family, and the

wider aspects of policing

Hackney and Stoke

Newington are outside

the coroner's scope.

The Police Bill that

the Tories are now trying

NAZE

to introduce will rein-

and legalise the current brutal policing

and black youth

these day in and day out.

The Roach campaign illustrates the importance for the labour

democratic riders ding

democratic rights civil liberties.

A number of activities are being planned which Socialist Action readers are urgeo to win support for. Messages of

requests for speakers should be sent Roach Family Support Committee,

Gc/0 50 Rec tory Rd. London N16 (01-254 7480).

Bill!

NATIONAL CONFERENCE Sun 15 May

the Police Bill, c/o Room 50, Hackney Town

No limits on numbers of delegates.

CWU • Support the black youth arrested by joining pickets of Highbury Magistrates Court. Mom, old Street Magistr. 10am; May, ates Court: 10 May, 10am & 2pm; 11 May.

For further details contact RESC (address above) or the Stoke Newington and Hackney Defence Campaign, c/o Oxford House Derbyshire Street, London E2. • March and Rally for independent public inquiry into the death of COnn Roach.

May, 12.30pm, Bethnal Green Gardens, (Bethnal Green tube), E2. Called by RFSC

Stop the Police

• Organised by the National Campaign Against Hall, Mare St, London E8 (01-986 3123 ext 280).

the Second World War. Now it is Asian workers.

up and increasing workloads.

The end result of this process can be seen at Air Valley Yarns Ltd, a smal mill employing just over 30 JUDI and situated in Coa Lane, Farsley, about half way between

The strikers say that the company pay £1.02 an hour for a 60 hour week worked in 12 hour shifts. The day shift starts 7.15am and ends 7.45pm with a half-hour break for lunch. Weekend working Stlll al basic rates, is compulsory.

There is no first-aid kit in the mill and injured workers have been told to make their own way to hospital. Carding machines, which cause quarter of the accidents in the textile industry, are not

ning machines have no lootbrakes and operators have blistered their hands stopping the spindle. Heavy wool dust causes

problems and chest ailments are rife.

Earlier this year a

MAL

ORDER

• MirrorComment

Witch

hunt

IN rid women have Been die m

against ever since human

said thi

revolt has and

which connot be defended. excesse

Two London lesbians have.

been sacked from their jobs as chil

care workers For discriminatin

against boy pupils

Victims

mastup to bo ge bordered.

Their dions of a a witch-hunt.

victims seemed

THIS pernicious

editorial appeared in the

Socialist Action 29 April 1983

conditions

IT USED to be women who did all the lowest-paid jobs in the textile industry in Bradford. Then it was Ukrainians and other East European refugees after

In an industry with only 50 percent unionisation, and with high unemployment, those still with jobs have been under tremendous pressure from speed-

group shop-floor workers decided to join the Textile Group of the Transport and General Workers Union as a first step improving their working and the shop steward, , Liaquat Ali, handed out the union cards. The following day he was summoned by director Derek Bedford and told to take back the cards from the members. Bedford also offered to refund their dues Dismissed

After Liaquat Ali had consulted members the offer was declined and on 14 March he was summarily dismissed. The day shift stopped WOrK IDEmediately and were later joined by the night shift. On 16 March they were all sacked and are now in official dispute

The police have en-

through the picket les

through the picket sately every morning and Mirror on Wednesday 20 April.

Letters of protest should

SelL Editor, Daily Mirror, Holborn Circus, London ECIP 1DQ.

Peace prize

LABOUR Euro MPs have called on the EurooCal Parliament nominate women from the Greenham Common Nobel Peace Prize. camp for the

Alf Lomas, (MEP), who submitted the motion, said that 'the

of Greenham have been one of the most significant forces in the world this year in op posing the lurch towards nuclear confrontation'. Clevedon

campaign

CLEVEDON'S Triangle Club is the only private club in our local 1 area where the working class communit can get together for chat, drink of snooker. they are male, that is.

In common with many other working men's clubs in the coun-

5

evening and although one

of the strikers was iniured

by a car, no action has

0CCI Lakcl against the

driver.

Liaquat Ali has receiv-

ed threatening phone calls ana nis car nas been vandalised since the strike began,

Tebbit's law is being invoked in an attempt to prevent successful

solidarity action. An associated company

Aire Valley Atlantic Yarns, have taken legal action against the union,

interference

their contract with Charle Busfield & Co where workers were refusing to touch wool intended for

Atlantic Yarns.

The 21 strikers are call ing for support from the labour and trade union movement and the black community. Proposals for a mass, picket are under consideration.

According to Peter

Booth, national organise

the TGWU Textil Group, the issue is as fundamenta Grunwicks and is a fight for the rights

worker country.

• Messages of solidarity and donations to the strike Jund should be sent to Mr

Ali, 34 Dirkhill St, Bradford 7, West Yorks.

try it doesn't cater for working and unemployed women.

Women are discriminated against in number of ways.

They banned from playing snooker: from the bar on sundar lunch-times; from becomilg , full members and going to the club

by man; and from voting on the club's committee.

The newly formed Clevedon Women' Group approached the secretary of the club, but he just laughed, so we resorted to direct action

make our feelings " known.

Saturday 26 March eighteen of us

distributed leaflets explaining our anger. We chatted to several members who all gave us their full support.

The club's committee have noW agreed discuss with us

But if the discriminating we'll continue to campaign until are able to participate in the club on an equal basis (Alice Walsh, Clevedon Women's Group) • We would like to hear from other women on their experiences of fighting sexism in clubs or elsewhere ... so drop us a line to the address below. DRIVER. Send contribu- Compiled HILARY

Order'

Socialist Action , 328 Upper Street, London N1 2XP to arrive not later inan nurs. day a week prior to publica. tion.

Page 6 scan of this page

FA BUENAE

6 Socialist Action 29 April 1983

WORLD

ple shouted anti-Russian

MNR

slogans. leader shot Workers hunter Orlando Cristie FORMER control

has been shot dead.

He was the general BOLIVIAN tin miners,

secretary of the counter- who have a long history

revolutionary Mozambi-

que National Resistance gle, have been on strike

Movement (MNK).

support of demands for The MNR is backed

by the South African nibbl mines are an.

and has

been responsible Ior a fected by the strike.

series cross-border

raids aimed at sabotag-

ing key Mozambican in- resume production under

Cristina

shot dead at a farm out-

side Pretoria. nounced that the union

generally regarded as the

military Wone y00 oOS• ble officials to supervise

political leader of the the running of the mines.

MNR, former

member of the PIDE Electrical

the Portuguese

secret police, dissolved resistance

after the 1972 revolution. Afghanistan AMERICA's death row

Usage goes on. offensive The latest iudicial

killing was that of John Evans in Atmore,

A BIG Soviet offensive is Alabama.

underway against rebel It took three

guerrillas 30-second shocks of 1900

Afghanistan. Over the volts before Evans was

past month Ine area pronounced dead.

around Herat has come Alabama department

of correction spokesper-

under heavy DOM

bardment from Soviet son Ron Tate said that

planes. the electric chair in ques-

The offensive is one tion was probably

more sign of a big escala- faulty - it had been suc-

tion of the fighting cesstully used to CIcC-

Afghanistan. trocute 154 people

Heavy fighting has previously.

also been reported Evans 'probably had

around the cities of Kan- some special resistance to

dahar, Ghanzi and electricity'.

Mazar-I-Sharif near the During the execution

Soviet border. a puff of flame erupted

On April Soviet from Evans' temple and

soldiers shot one man leg.

during a demonstration Another person

in the capital Kabul in due to be electrocuted on

which hundreds of peo- 13 May.

Vietnam blow

to invaders

DURING THE PAST month Vietnamese forees have launched & series of attacks on the bases of Kampuchean dissidents on the Thai-Kampuchea border.

Predictably, this has been presented in the "yestern press as Vietnamese 'expansionism' and aggression. The Vietnamese attacks have been on encampments of forces loyal to Prince Sihanouk and former prime minister Song Sann.

These two forces are in barbarity 'com-

de 1acic allance with now rally to the Pot Poi's Khmer Rouge aid of the Pol Pot forces.

Vietnamese troops CIA operatives have train. DiLa

building ed his soldiers and aid 32-kilometre barrier along comes in from China and the border to keep out the the United States, via the dissident forces. Thai government and the

United Nations Border

Without doubt the at- Relief Opeation (UNtacks on the rebel bases

BRO). are detend the struction of the barrier. Invaded

The anti-Vietnamese forces along the border

unqualified sup. Vietnam invaded Kamnave bae port of the United States puchea in 1978 and over-

threw Pol Pot. ano most oi the otner im-

GODENS

hero of the

Carpio originator of the political strategy which brought dictatorship and

El Salvador to realOl its knees. The formation of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front and the development of a political strategy ordinating mass work and

struggle, many respects the result of Carpio's genius.

By Phil Hearse

Sixty-four years old at the time of his death, Carpio was for many years a leading militant of the Salvadorean Communist Party. Under She impact of the Cubar revolution, ce bols exoosve debate broke the Party on armeo strug gle.

In 1969 Carpio, by then the party's general secretary, agreed with his supporters the necessity to

La split.

UraaNc

In 1970 they announced the formation of the Farabundo Marti Liberation Forces (FPL), to this day the most influentia] organisation of the resistance.

In embarking on armed struggle, ColrOd jected the 'foco' strategy adyocated by Regis Debray which stressed the role of the small guerrilla nucleus in the countryside. The foco theory, said Carpio, 'was the result of the experience of some guerrilla groups in murderous policies of the

Whether or not invason was une conrect Dolc

duool. dispute that the rule of the

Kouge

Cayetano Carpio -

Salvador revolution

her murder, and

South America and In other countries that were removed from the people, that failed to reach out to them, to organise them, and that succumbed to militaristic desions.

Instead, Carpio put forward the idea that the FPL would initiate military actions, carrying out bombings, ambushes and assassinating the hated killers of the fascist ORDEN and that these military actions would act as the starting off point for mass organisation.

"That conception took us away from the idea that a guerrilla force on its own can make a revolution, 1118 solated from the peopl wHert HOTCH

can reo ace the people in their task of carrying out their transformation,' said Carpio. In 1974 she FPL launced worked. the Peoples Revolutionary Bloc (BPR), a mass front which organised in the towns and countryside. Fronts

While the FPL itself took on the structure of a party, the BPR organised

worKers. students, shanty town dwellers and peasants.

The strategy of armed struggle combined with mass work was soon followed by the other main organisations of the Salvadorean left. Sectarian detractors contend capitalist social relations, but most of the country's

infrastructure.

emptied and a policy of based on forced labour in

rillaist' and

originality

ception

armed COHUCHCIL

weakness

LOCaaLe

The

responded ideas of revolution

stressllg

an country,

and

'Peoples

anemaet

could tasks.

FERG

agriculture

Tyranny

The

grasp

how

the the

soon

imporwhich the

these

himself

economic based on Millions died

For most of the period of the war Carpio remained in El Salvador. But by 1980 the danger was too great, and he spent most of his time abroad, living in Cuba.

Enemies

His imperialist enemies pictured him as a hardened killer. But he always stressed that revolutionary violence was only the necessary response to the violence of the oppressors.

He said in an interview in 198l:

"The result of this inhuman war the depopulation of entire areas. Even someone who is hardened to seing peo. ple suffer so much struck by how many com-

AYER NICARAGUA_ HOY EL SALVADOR

States has been to the fore

the United

al tully Nations and other internatonal lorums is aie the recognition the proVietnamese Heng Samrin government

continued recognition of Pol Pot

China has played an ACOUS role this whole episode. Because of the alliance of the VietCaSIeSe with the Soviet

International

paneros are lost how many children murdered.

'One of my strongest Tecolecio. 311N visits to the war zones are the CHlOEN SUICICIC where villages are completely with

UVaUV! weeds. Beautiful little houses left behind. You can see the care that the peasants peases. Al of this, their

all of it, covered with weeds. All the furniture, whatever these humble peasants had, burned. Dozens and dozens of villages like this over a huge area.'

When the murderous thugs responsible for this carnage fall, as they soon will, allt art lorgulen. Salyador Cayetano Carpio will be remembered as a crucial inspirer and organiser of victory.

MANANA SUATEMAMAY

Union, the Chinese have sponsored the right wing Kampuchean rebels,

particular courted Prince Sihanouk.

Maintaining 'Chinese influence' in the region apparentiy means backing the most reactionary and barbaric forces.

Most critical of all, in oraer to put the Vietnamese under pressure the Chinese began

al lil y series of attacks on Vietnamese border positions.

Defeat

The United States has never reconciled itself to

humiliating defeat Vietnam. Its support for the Khmer Rouge is part

against goin social and

against social and economic successes of the Vietnamese revolution

In the present conflict the issues are clear. While the Vietnamese cannot forever substitute

thet ald sovern gn kaen-

dent and sovereign pucnca presen fighting has clearly been provoked by imperialist and

ro-imperialist aggressio

Socialists wi defend the Vietnamese and Kampuchean forces against the Khmer Rouge, the Thai army and any aggression against Vietnam by China.

Page 7 scan of this page

«THE ACTION INTERVIEW

Interview

THE SUCCESS of Green and Alternative lists in West Germany Austria and the distrust of the Labour leadership's commitment to unilateral disarmament has led to a discussion as to whether the peace movement stand candidates in the general election. The question will receive further attention as the result of a 'Green Rally' to be held in London on 27 April. Below we publish two alternative views.

REBECCA JOHNSON has been part of Greenham Common peace camp since 9 August last year and has been speaking around the country raising support for Greenham. She recently debated Lady Olga Maitland of the pro-nuclear Women for Defence television. She is against Michael Heseltine in his Henley constituency.

PAT ARROWSMITH has been active in from the first wave up to today. She has joined Labour Party and is member of the CND national council and Labour CND's executive.

Photo: CHRIS GREGORY

Pat Arrowsmith

A number of people associated with the Greenham Common camps have indicated that they intend to stand in the general election as Life on Earth' candidates. your view on that!

One of the problems of people standing as independents is that they tend misleadingly censory vote

suggest that the the credit side you get the advantages of the election address and the canvassing of people on the doorstep

But the most central point is that while in the past there was no major party that had a unilateralist position,

game when the Labour Party has a unilateralst policy fudged. This makes the whole. situation very different to in the past.

How did this question come up in the

first wave' of CND?

This used to come up all the time 25 years ago. Standing candidates was always a hot Issue. because didn't want to lose votes for Labour even though it wasn't Some people like the Direct Action Committee against nuclear war around this by advocating a refusal to vote - the spoiling of ballot papers if there was not a unilateralist can-

the

and

should

the on standing

CND

the

What's

ly debatea, tor similar reasons. THIS can The one campaign for

cam- dent candidates Independent Election Committee.

People like

1964

wider basis including Vietnam Race Relations. stood

Meanwhile

issue of Vietnam.

than 200 votes. unilateralist.

got damental platform

unilateralism'

didate. But this again was always hot-

indepen- in was INDEC the Nuclear Michael Craft stood in Twickenham for this group

Richard Gott, John Gittings and Stuart Hall supported him.

Some of the same people formed a

called the Radical Alliance, which fought some seats on

tne war in and on the white paper on

against the Labour Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart in

Gott stood against Kevin MacNamara in

It was quite an imDORaIL Cacola because leadie could have deprived Labour of its small majority. In the event he got less

In Fulham there was a Communist cancidale and we naa tne same run-

- we were saying the same things about nuclear disarmament, Vietnam and race relations, so it was a bit silly. I got a rather poor

•We have to get Labour

in power committed to

Pat Arrowsmith

"The Labour Party has

to be pushed kicking

and screaming into the

twentieth century'

Rebecca Johnson

These campaigns had some value that they were waged Labour candidates who were totally

before Labour unilateralist policy. I think it is now a different situation. After 1970 general election I joied the Labour Party because of the nuclear disarmament policies adopted.

I'm now on the Labour CND executive, and we're concerned about this is used against aD by case used against Labour right wing. I can see that there perhaps a case for standing nuclear disarmament candidate against people like Callaghan, who is so remote from being unilateralist especially if there is no possibility of losing him his seat.

Some of the women who want to stand would say that Labour promises are one thing, wnat wey will do l power is something else. In that case tney are not really standing agamst a party which is thoroughly and unequivocally unilateralist,

will produce a government which is unilateralist without question. against

I think everybody in Labour CND's executive this. but this seems an argument for the being in the Labour Party to make

unilateralism stick.

Labour CND's pressure has led to the campaign document being not as bad as it might have been.

joined the Labour recalled back in 1960 went unilateralist for a short while, we in CND let things go

party back again, unilateralism.

And it seems to me that's an argument for getting Labour in power committed to unilateralism, happened before, standing candidates even where the candidate is not unequivocally unilateralist. which

Socialist Action What ISSUCO. we'll Labour.

party, like

what the and

day.

James

Jane's case.

extremely conscious of

We think that I'm

After a great deal of thought I

Party because I when Labour by default, SO

away After

Consequently it seemed to me im-

sure it retained its unilateralist policy.

which has not and therefore not against Labour

about it.

29 April 1983 Rebecca Johnson

do you think about womes from Greenham standing against th Labour Party?

Heseltine is doing a suave PR job He's going round the country justify ing and expounding lory policies ol defence and I felt he must be forced t face us on his own territory in Henley a safe Tory seat by the river

I see it as another way of gettin information out to people about th

increasing the possibility people discussing them and coming t the realisation of the need to chang things. By standing in the election th press is lorcea to • give issues mor space than they might otherwise do don't see myself as heading for 'parliamentary career'.

You're one of the Greenham who've decided to stand as a ca didate in the forthcoming election goginst Heseltime. Why w you made that decision?

Henley there is a unilateral Labour candidate and of course ther will be. Labour candidates constituency. So if we use this tacti

always standing air lin While I think in the conte of today's politics the Labour Part! the best hope for unilateral disarm ment there are people in the Labor

Denis Healey, who'll d their best once elected to ignore t conference mandate.

the dangers standin against the Labour Party, but afte

Labour Party did in 196 1974, reneging on conferenc decisions, I think we have to challeng the people in the Labour Party wh might be tempted to do the sarne to

Who is standing and where?

Simone Wilkinson is standing in Fin chley tor the Ecology Party agam Thatcher. Jean Hutchinson, 1 think is still going to stand in Leeds again Denis Healey. Helen John has decid ed to stand down in Cardiff becaus the constituency she was standing in

Callaghan's, was adjacent t Jane Hutt's, who is a Labour Part candidate, a unilateralist, a femini and a member of Women for Life o Earth. She thought she might damag

ut you feel quite happy in Her

anding against the Labour Part

Yes, I feel quite comfortable about it

going to speak on Labour Pan

Party is the best hope but I do no trust them fully. They must be prodd ed kicking and screaming into twentieth centurv through peace an disarmament. If you're standing, as am, in a safe Tory seat you can rais issues that the Labour Party may no be able to make such a noise about.

the injunction th Greenham women I got the front pag in the local paper. That enabled me t get to people on disarmament and th peace issue that the Labour Party can didate wouldn't have been able to.

DOLES politicisation which I strongly believ in. I said to Lady Olga Maitland in m debate with her on T.V. that 1 wa glad she'd realised there was a threa and I'd hope she'd become politicise

Page 8 scan of this page

MAY DAY, the day of the international workers' movement has its origins in Chicago.

In the mid eighties America was swept by the demand for an eight-hour day. And right out in front of this movement of skilled and unskilled, men and women, black and white, native and immigrant, were the workers of Chicago.

So in 1866 when the American Federation of Labour adopted its historic resolution that 'eight hours shall constitute a legal days labour from and after 1 May 1866..' it was the workers of Chicago who led the way.

A Labour journal John Swinton's Paper reported that by the middle of April in 1866, 'there is an eight-hour agitation everywhere'.

Soon one quarter of a million workers were taking part in the struggle for this demand. In Chicago alone 400,000 workers were on strike.

A newspaper reporting on the dispute wrote 'no smoke curled up from the tall chimneys of the factories and mills and things had assumed a Sabbath-like appearance'. The employers, determined not to give in, used their press and their control of the city administration to spread stories of violence and anarchy.

For two days the strikes and lock outs were peaceful. Then the police opened fire on strikers at the McCormick Harvester Machine Company. At least one striker was killed, five or six others were seriously wounded.

On the night of 4 May a protest meeting was called in Haymarket Square and later transferred to Cranes Alley because the numbers were smaller than expected. Near ten o'clock as the meeting was ending a

8 Socialist Action 29 April 1983

The origins of May Day

police column of 180 men led by Captains Bonfield and War arrived. A bomb was thrown at the police. One policeman was killed, six others died later. Then the police opened fire indiscriminately.

To this day no one knows how many demonstrators were killed or wounded.

In an atmosphere of hysteria encouraged by press and pulpit eight of the workers' leaders fac-

By Bob Pennington

ed trial charged with inciting the bombings.

Closing the trial Grinnel, the state's attorney, said 'Law is on trial. Anarchy is on trial. These men have been selected, picked out by the grand jury and indicted because they were leaders; convict these men, make examples of them, hang them and you save our institutions and our society' Hang them they did.

August Spies, Albert Parsons, George Engel and Adolph Fischer went to the scaffold on 1l November 1887. Louis Lingg cheated the hangman by committing suicide. It is estimated that 500,000 mourners lined their funeral route.

Three others were sentenced to prison and on 26 June 1893 they were pardoned by the governor of Illinois who said he believed they were innocent.

This judicial butchery had provoked a storm of reaction in the world labour movement. The call for the eight-hour day and the use of a general strike to win it gained ever-widening support.

It inspired the first action of the newly formed Second International. Meeting in Paris in 1889 it carried a resolution calling for 1 May to be a day of international labour demonstrations for the eight-hour day.

May Day had been born out of the bloody class struggles between the workers and the employers' state. But despite their fine words the leaders of the Second International did not have the stomach to lead general

strikes. They knew that if general strikes were used as political weapons to win an eight-hour day they could be used for other purposes like overthrowing governments.

To the reformist leaders, May Day is a time for speechifying and reminiscing. They even throw in the odd word about socialism. Then for the next 364 days of the year they can go about their normal business of class collaboration and sell out. Attention Workingmen!

MASS-MEETING

TO-NIGHT, at 730 o'olook,

EATIARKEY, Randolpe SL, Bet. Desplaines and Falsted.

Workingnes Arm Yoursatres and Appear in Full Force!

Natung, Urbeiter!

Diafen-Berfammlung

Sente 2benò, is llhi, auf bem eumarft, Barbotel,-Btrage, sett

Bureaucrats and reformist leaders misuse May Day. The Haymarket martyrs would have treated them with contempt. Those who died on the bosses' scaffold in Chicago and those workers who fought alongside them wanted to sweep aside their class enemies.

They had a vision of building a better world and in their struggles, their heroism, and their hopes, they inspired the idea of May Day being international workers day.

It is the guerrilla fighters in Central America and the workers of Solidarnosc and all those forces who defy capitalist reaction and Stalinist bureaucracy who have inherited the traditions. of the martyrs of Chicago.

May Day does not belong to Len Murray and the Stalinist bureaucrats. It belongs to those who want to otherthrow exploitation and oppression.

LENIN

of 'wars

sian

struggle.

death, the

phrases

Central America. principal prop

fighting for

world tyranny.

establish Solidarnosc, THE IXROUTIVE COLUTTER

MAY DA

historic struggles

characterised the present epoch as the 'epoch of imperialism' — that of the 'transition to socialism' and

and revolutions'.

Since the victory of the Rus- heroic

revolution there has hardly been a day without war or without revolutionary

In 1983, the year in which we celebrate the centenary of Marx's

liberal and social Day. democratic detractors of Marxism are repeating the old hackneyed

about the 'failure' of Marxism and revolution. But two crucial struggles are living proof of the world-wide fight for workers power and socialism - Poland and

Both these struggles, at a crucial stage, symbolise central aspects of the proletariat's fight for human liberation. Joltale World socialism, the 'free association of the producers' of which Marx spoke is impossible without the twin tasks of destroying world imperialism and its

world More than ever it is impossible to be a genuine partisan of the world working class without fighting for the interests of the workers East and West, without

destruction of the Stalinist and imperialist bastions of

The struggle of the Polish workers

their own organisation, and to re-mould Polish Nicaraguan Militia on parade

society, is the most politically advanced working class struggle anywhere since the Spanish revolution of 1936. Polish workers have built a mass move.

around the theme of • self-managed socialism. Ten million members of Solidarnose conducted an

struggle make socialism under the control of workers, socialism with workers power, a reality.

Despite the brutal repression which followed the December 1981 coup Solidarnosc has not died. Its provisional co-ordinating committee, after meeting with Lech Walesa, has called for massive demonstrations this May Discussion

It has continued the work of political discussion and elaboration. The 'programmatic statement' of the provisional co-ordinating committee outlines the programme of a 'republic based on self-management'

'The objective of our struggle re

the of the pro. gramme of the First National Congress of Delegates of Solidarnosc • that is the building of a republic based on selfmanagement. •In such a republic the government would be under the control of society

Managetories would biesun by the

bodies municipalities and provinces would be

cruella sell-managemen bodies. The country as a whole would have a democratically elected parlia-

• There would be independent courts to maintain justice.

Page 9 scan of this page

• The means of production would genuinely belong to the society and would assure those who work in them a real share in the income that they bring in... The perspective of a republic based on self-management does not run counter to socialism.'

If Poland shows the reality of a struggle for self-managed socialism, it also shows the reality of bureaucratic rule and Stalinism. New beginning of leaders of Solidarnosc and the KOR (Workers Self-Defence Committee). May Day 1983 must be an occasion for socialists the world over the pledge themselves to build support for the Polish workers.

The stakes in the struggle in Central America, despite the smallness of the countries involved, involve the future of the whole of Latin America - and hence the fate world-wide.

The recently leaked document of the US National Security Council shows a Tear that if El Salvador communism, then the whole of Central merican from Mexico to ould become a single socialist federaion. That perspective is a realistic one.

Central America is in reality a single ountry divided by conomic and social problems cannot e overcome within the existing naional colorites. alvador would link up with Cuba, Vicaragua, and Grenada. Guatemala, le richest and most populous country n the region would be the next to fall.

The United States is indeed on the erge of suffering a spectacular defeat

El Salvador. Mangana's regime is in

Y 1983:

it a crucial stage

position.

Jose Garcia military

snow trials are the FMLN.

Terror

and the US been

of workers struggle

Nicaragua "lost' of the death squads.

Columbia empires right and freedom. imperialism. Its On May Day

socialist Polish workers.

the realm of freedom'.

a state of military and political decom-

Inside the government there is a bitter struggle between Magnana and the leader of the Assembly, death-squads supremo Roberto D'Abuisson. The recent resignation of the defence minister

reflects the series of defeats suffered by the Salvadorean army since the beginning of the year. More and more of the territory of the country is under the effective control of the left wing guerrillas of

The only method of preventing defeat has for the military dictatorship

systematic terror from the indescribable horrors of the death squads in El Salvador to the indiscriminate murders carried out by the insurgents during the recent invasion of

The morality of Reagan and world imperialism is precisely the 'morality'

They stand in defence of their economic and political

against every basic

1983 the cause of socialism and workers' power is tar from dead. It lives on in the struggles of

and Central AHeN Call These historic struggles show once again that the fate of humanity, the fate of human freedom, lies in the hands of the working class - the only social force capable of remaking the world 'from the realm of necessity to Freedom fighters of the FMLN

Leading members of Solidarnose Socialist Action 29 April 1983

Page 10 scan of this page

10 Socialist Action 29 April 1983

SOCiAList

ACTION

Coalitionism

comes out

DAVID STEEL is the first ruling class politician to address realities of the forthcoming general election.

Speaking on last Sunday's World programme he admitted that the SDP/Liberal Alliance was not likely to win an outright majority, but thought it pro bable that they would balance of power in a hung parliament.

Conditions

Accordingly he laid out his conditions for assisting either the Labour Party or the Tories to form a government.

Steel was not whistling in the dark. According to him the question of coalition has been broached to him in 'vague conversations, hints and jokes by Michael Tories too have approached him on the basis that a link-up with the Alliance would be a means of changing the Tories' economic policies.

In our opinion this confirms the incorrect-

of the week by discussion on organising moves within the leadership of the Labour Party and trade unions was defeatist talk.

Active

The topic is under active discussion within

members of the Communist Party. The rank and file must be forewarned!

Coalitionism would spell the end of any commitment by Labour leaders, Labour conference policy. As David Steel con firmed the first casualty would be withdrawal from the EEC. Suppress

The second result of coalition would be stepping up of the witch hunt as the right tried to suppress left opposition to such a move. Finally, using any pact the Labour leaders would become working people in battles against the bosses, working people in battles against the such as that sold out at Cowley.

Opposition to coalition, sent struggles against the Tories, against the witch hunt and commitment to those conference policies which meet the most burning and immediate needs of the working class are the policies of the Socialist for a Labour Victory campaign due to be launched nationally next week.

Cease

The Labour left should sand attitudes to coalitionist manoeuvres and organise against the coalitionist plots and coalitionist policies of the Labour right. Support for SLV is the first step on that road.

Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent Socialist Action's views. cuitorials.

Cend all correspondence regarding subscriptions. and receipts to Socialist Action Distribution, 328 Upper

areer London N1 2XP. (Tel: 01-359 8180) :a Socialist Action Editorial at the same address. Wie regret thai due to the high cost of postage we carnor 4-- • among Insole Copi or Motoras

-is diamparied by a camped addressed ecisine

himself publicly to the

Weekend

command the Foot and Denis Healey.

advice offered to our readers last Tony Benn when he asserted that

against coalitionist. certain

however vague, to , support for the pre organising cease head-in-theThese are expressed in

sales

material for publication (including adverising) s

Tribune and CND

YOUR editorial headed

'Tribune's call to arms'

(SA 15 April) is grossly

misleading.

You suggest that I ad

vised the strengthening of

the armed forces by the

re-introduction of na-

tional service. I did not.

I merely pointed out

that CND demonstrations

will not by themselves

convince the doubtful

that there is a realistic

alternative to nuclear

weapons.

then challenged

CND and the Labour

Party to produce for

public consumption a

credible defence policy

that did not involve the

use of nuclear weapons.

Conscription I men-

tioned as one possible

alternative.

I went on: "Alter-

natively, if there is some

other way of mounting a

credible defence policy

that does not depend CP and Labour IF I might hasten a Marxist view in regards to Gerry Cohen's articles on the vote or Party in the Bermondsey by-election (SA15 April).

It is WOTt recalling that it was in London that a ur oranch l tac reccul past marched in support of Solidarity in Poland. the hostility of the British

evells years in Czechoslovakia ruledry. Poland and Afghanistan.

The opportunism of the CP in the events followed the denunciation of Stalin at the twentieth Congress of the CP of the Soviet Union Everything in the Soviet Union trom then on was wrong.

This has led to many working class communists

The rise of the New Communist Party is a case

ahea secretary of the Liverpool when I as ine

I am now a member of

In taking the headline

the same article the Com-

seems to me

public

Politics is not about

The CP used the

wing for the

t ney say lnis Is because

But the right wing in

So this is a

There is only one real the working to take

The argument that

CND has still to win

either on nuclear weapons or conscription, that too must be explained.

During the course of the next few weeks I shall be inviting contributions

El Salvador

THANK YOU so • much for printing the letters of Marianella (SA 22 April). It brought home to me more than anything else I have read the horrors of American interference in Central America.

PAM SAUNDERS, Birmingham.

Horwich

action

I WAS rather worried by your report (SA 15April) that the Horwich Workers

that the closure British rail workshops halted by imaginative tactics' which involve pulling out key workers.

There is nothing new or imaginative about this. It is one of the oldest ploys in the book.

Unfortunately it rarely leads to success. There are tremendous pitfalls

fighting particularly redundancy. The bosses Call simply escalalc by sacking those involved (see your POEU report, same issue).

Those striking can become isolated and demoralised and you may not momentum developing among the rest who are working normally. those at Horvich suffer- With group like ing from the general im pact of the downturn, the recent defeats on the lalways and. a limited tradition of industrial action it is tempting for the leadership to look for painless cut-price ways out. Just now you get the results you pay for.

The Horwich Action Committee have done an excellent propaganda job. The only The crystallise their efforts that they

is to take their members forward provide chance halting the closures by movement towards an all-out stoppage.

from people with constructive ideas on the subject.'

CHRIS MULLIN, Editor, Tribune

I'M

collate debate on

prehensible waffle

(SA 15

Hereit economic crisis.

did

and the only out is the

society.

instituting planned

need.

by his of 'transforming the •CrISIS

don't know.

while it made to the labour in

pean social democratic

didn't even working yet alone

socialism.

even a day strike may be UlIC useful if they are tactics integrated into a strategy of all-out strike action and are clearly perceived and fought for part preparing the membership for this eventuality.

To rely on these

methods as able to do the job themselves would be to fatally transform tactics into strategy. Remember the NHS or , even more

clearly the Civil Service

strikes.

Horwich trade -ine

unionists should work

ROCK AGAINST

REAGAN

Rock against Reagan I think it's time

iris gerappy ichiger Let's Mad america he's a nuclear cowboy

got moonshine

fascist gunslinger hardline rightwinger ham actor

Rock against Reagan while we still got time wants to put all Europe on the nuclear firing line jor a nevuious suunu baked hard or medium dry wants us all to be heroes we all gonna die

Rock against Reagan he ain't no hawk only wants a LIMITED nuclear theatre to bargain wnile ne talks Big Bad Bear approaching they said better dead than red we need a Cruise on Reagan present a

economic summit in May on of the assorted

Prime of

(not

forgettin! poor old

You know

were elected on

dards of their UWI workers

'correct'

and

rubbish helped mis-educate reader

But,

out of the actual experiences,

ing people

tuals.

Let's and

are actually engaged

This rubbish

London.

by campaigning for an all-out strike all the WO SHODS • CONCIC. with a one day strike of all rall workers

Arguments and links

with other workers are vital. But the biggest contribution they could make towards this would be by stopping Horwich now.

MARK STARR,

Oldham.

gratulations.

328 Upper Street,

Letters

By Alex Warner

REAGAN

GREETINGS Tony Wheeler (Chairperson, Leamington and Warwick Trades Union Council) 'GREETINGS to Socialist Action. The objectives you have set reflect the urgen

ple. "To Labour

campaign involving

trade movement. "The opposition

from

•The you

change

Wayne

David (Secretary of Wale:

LCC — in a personal capacity) 'IF Socialist Action can help to strengthen the labour ment's opposition to Thatcherism and contribute to the fight for a socialist alternative it's appearance is welcome'

Write to us!

This is your page. Send us your comments, criticisms or even con-

But please be brief -letters over 300 words will be cut Write to: Letters, Socialist Action.

London N1 2XP. (Tel: 01-359 8180)

Page 11 scan of this page

When the Wind Blows

Ken Jones and Patricia Routledge as Joe and Hilda the book.

that be.

That means they think if they follow the instrucLIONS aisnea out in lying publications like Protect and survive nuclear bomb will not harm them.

When the Wind Blows, Whitehall Theatre, London. Reviewed by Bob Pennington

Joe the more 'knowledgeable' one wne reads newspapers and

knowingly Nuclear Superiority to Hilda. She can't get it into her head that the war this time Is against the 'Russkies' not the Germans.

Space

Woman

Friday 29 April, 7.30,

ITV

NEXT MONTH

woman will be blasted in-

to space for the first time

aboard the shuttle, bold-

ly going where no.

Wait a minute, didn't

a Russian woman do it

vears ago? Yes. but you

wouldn't know from the

film is about NASA's

female

who are apparently caus-

"intectious ex-

citement' at Houston. Queimada!

Friday, 29 April,

11.00, BBC1

GOOD Gillo Pontecorvo

movie from

THIS IS the stage version of Raymond Briggs' anti-nuclear cartoon book. The play faithfully follows

It tells the story of Joe and Hilda Bloggs, two working class Tories who have utter faith, bordering on the reverential, towards authority and the powers

Ken Jones and Patricia

Routledge really cablulc

Brigg's cartoon. As they

construct their 'Inner Core

unev

about the last war. Looked

back on it appears rather

good fun. There was Vera

Lynn singing away. Cuts

tea the shelters,

Churchill puffing nIs

cigars, benign-looking

Joe Stalin who Hilda lik-

ed, and of course they sur-

vived which alwavs makes

things better.

In their innocent way

they assume a nuclear war

will be more or less a re-

run ot word War Two

The naive stupidity of Joe

and Hilda

lucasure the cynical

CHOICE

Marlon Brando put up a

lot of his own money for

this film about perma-

Caribbean island

The File on

Jill Hatch

Friday, Saturday,

Sunday, BBCZ

AN INTERESTING

unree-part drama that

manages to cram in the

Second World War, the

black civil rights

movements in the sixties

and the Brixton riots.

It follows the story of

a black serviceman who

marries an English

woman in war-time Bri-

tain. They return to the

US and come up against

Alabama laws against

mixed marriages.

stupidity of the government's precautions.

As they pack their survival tin-openers, candles,

and disinfectants Sallies they meet the there being no peanut butter, which incidentally none of thern like anyhow, but the instructions do recommend it. They try on ine bags they are supposed wrap themselves in which even they think makes them look rather silly. Radio

Then voice from

Ene the radio tells them that a

done in a realistically horrific

flaulict. blinding flash, the wind rumbles ali manner and you are given

glimpse of distant fires It's all begun, or more correctly for the majority of people it is all ending!

Despite reassuring

Now with a daughter,

Jill, they are active with

the civil rights move-

ment. In the third part

Jill moves to London and becomes involved

with unemployed kids in

Brixton just prior to the rIots.

An unusual mix that might work.

Charles and

Diana

Down Under

Sunday, 1 May, BBC1

JUST IN CASE haven't had enough, here's another minutes worth. We're promised previously unseen footage. Prince William choking on his rattle? Throwing up his

myself that I was in West End . theatre, that part sent shivers down my spine and made me feel really queasy. Joe and Hilda do survive but you see what happens to them you realise instantaneous death would have been better.

electricity and no gas. side the road has melted. All dominated by an eerie silence.

They are alone to suffer the ravages of radiation. They develop cancerous sores, they lose blood when they go to the toilet.

They start to lose their hair the vomiting starts. Wearily they get in their paper bags and crawl

To the believes Joe pathetically emergency services will

Nobody has . told them that what emergency services might be available will be used for different things than saving working

lunch all over Charles's dinner suit?

Alexei Sayle

The Young

Ones

Thursday 5 May, BBC2 REPEAT of the best comedy series of recent

CORI class people, even if they are Tories. In the end they try prayers but if there is a God it is certain that he is a paid ot the chat source did hoi seem

source did not seem too likely.

Laughed

I read the book before I saw the play and I must admit I laughed a lot at Joe

comerow play made me laugh less and when I did it was more often than not an uneasy спискіс In the book. Joe and Hilda are drawings.

stage Ken Jones and Patricia Routledge invest LUCI with the dimension of life and watching two people slowly and painfully disintegrate can never be amusing.

This is good theatre. The characterisations are excellent and it has a lot to say abuut a subject that really matters - our sur-

times with Rik Mayall

Sayle and Co.

Certainly better than all

coms that pass for comсну.

Honourable members

Thursday, 5 May, BBC2

SERIES about MPs! Unfortunately it seems to consist largely of the subject talkin the about

first

rogramm called

White Male anc Middle-class' and looks at the make up of the elite club.

Sue Slipman and the SDP are shown as blaz. ing the way for women candidates. This series will be tedious.

Socialist Action When the Wind Blows By Raymond Briggs Published by Hamish Hamilton £4.25

tninks that there is something to be

the road to certain destruction.

The Autobiographies of the The Haymarket Martyrs Edited by P.S. Foner Published by Monad Press (£2.75)

anarcho-syndicalists

same time inspiring story TOOk

sinister autobiographies of republished was labour

workers died for their cause

France, England.

137 Digbeth, Birmingham 4.

29 April 1983 11

GOOD

BOOK

REVIEW/

RAYMONO BRIGGS

When the Wind Blows

IF YOU are not able to see the play reviewed on this page, then do get the book. Combining humor with anti-nuclear propaganda is no mean feat, but Briggs manages to do just that. Ideal for your own reading and an excellent present for someone who

• said tor civi defence precautions. It also makes the point that \ puttng your taith in pro-nuclear governments 1

HAYMARKET

MARTYRS

Philip S.

Foner, ed. autobiographies of the

IN OUR centre-spread we carry an article on the origins of May Day and the death of the Chicago

who were framed by emplovers and heir state. Mor those of our reader. who want to know more about this tragic but at the

should read this ines . It has a short but informative introduction which explains the background to the Chicago strikes and then goes on to explain what happene between the police and strikers and how the tria

frame-up the book the the eight arrested men are from the Knights of Labour which weekly. Through these autobiograpmes we learn not omy about lest

leaders who suffered and five of whom But through their lives we learn about the international labour movement. Ot the eight, tour were born in Germany, , one in

and one in Contras ther offer narrow-minded national and barely reformist ap proach of America's trade union leaders today.

These books are both available from The Other Bookshops, 328 Upper Street, London N1 and

Page 12 scan of this page

12

DIARY

These listings are free for all major labour movement and camoarens acuivines. emidisplay advertisements cost Sp per word and must be paid

aavance sene Diary, Socialist Action, 328 Upper Sireet, London NI 2XP Cu llve later inan Thursday, one week prior to publication).

MA

24

AR

s/a yos

ay for Disarm memt ='3,4 Day for Disarmament May. For more information picase contaci May Zatn' 16 Arundel Rd, Brighton, E.

Sussex.

lA May Glasgow Women for Peace are calling KOSIAV OACOR Rally in George Square and Festival. For details contact ulasgow women s cenlie, 57 Miller Street or ring 061-221 1177 Saturdays after

• Hunger Strikers Commemoration Rally, 1 May in Birmingham.

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Socialist Action 29 April 1983

Assemble at Spark Hill at 1. JUDE.

• 'Plastic Bullets' public meeting (exhibition and suacsnow witn Austan Renwick (ex-British soldier) and Andy Harris (GLC Councillor). Wed 27 April, 7.30pm, 1 Thorpe Close, Ladbroke Grove tube.

Organised by West London Troops Out.

resna ana LADonr public meeting with Ker ivingstone (ĞLC leader) aru cnve bolcviur ucoul şpokesperson on N. Ireland).

Called by Islington South Labour Partv. Tues 7 June 7.30pm, Islington Central Library, Holloway Road. • Socialist Republic lcwspapei ul r cubic s Democracy in Ireland. Latest includes report trom PDs conterence articles on the Labour Party. & unions and on the Antiaucuucl Campaign and more. Price 25p (plus 15p p&p) from The Other 328 Upper St London N1 (226 0S71) o1 :137 Digbeth, Birmingham B5 (021-643 5904).

• Ітоор: out now! Public licculis wcu. zI Aor Lambeth Town Hall, 7.30pm Speakers from Roach Family Support Committee; Irish Republican Socialist Party; Sinn Fein; GLC; TOM

BuS Mob ement be merit Sat

Out Movement benefit 30 April. 8 'til late. With African Dawn, The Morons and Chris Ransome. The LougIDorouEI rIolcl Loughborough Rd, SW9. £1.50/75p unwaged.

• El Salvador - — Bristol ouble meeting. Speakers:

Meagan Martin (El Soc); Perry Lees (T&GWU

Name

Address Age Union/CLP (if any)

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Lionair hedohe en Hengersicas bycaling or

regional officer, personal capacity); and Solidarity Wilt Lan A merica representative. Film: Ballots and Bullets Sponsored by SLAM and Bristol T&GWU. Wed 27 April, 7.30pm, Transport Hse, Victoria St. contact kose cooper, y Albermarle Row, Hotwells, Bristol for details. • onusn oocasts &nd Irish Republicans'. Red Acuon pudnc meeting, rri o May, 7.30pm The New Inn, Tottenham Court Rd (Warren St or Tottenham Ci Rd tubes).

Socialist Action Forums

EALING 'Getting rid of the omb. Speaker Alan Lentor (London Region CND Exec., personal capacity). Thurs 28 April, 7.30pm Horseshoes pub, Southall High st (opp Town Hall). MANCHESTER 'Labour and Greenham Common'. SI peaker Linda Balfe (Manchester Greenham

7.30pm, Millstone , Thomas St Manchester 4 (off Oldham

Soalition and Proportional

hanesetr.ton - a debate. Thur 19 May, , 7.30pm, address as above.

Tel

LAST weekend, Soc-

ialist Action organised

its first event for sup-

porters.

The Trade Union

school held in London

attracted one

hundred activists who

discussed the political

problems of building a

left wing the

unions.

Speakers included ex-

Rover militant Pat

Hickey, John Ross from

the International

editorial board and

Patrick and Ann, both

railworkers.

Looking at the hist-

ory lem. in the

By Martin Collins •

unions from early days to

the present, the conclu-

sion wnich kepi on crop

ping up was th le failure of

the lett LaoOli

Party to organise in the

unions. and the tallure ot

the various left union

_vuls lo 1 alsc

MAY 7th DEMONSTRATION

midinted by the mitee umanmit Polachta.ed with rihh Aim Bhi con

BRITAIN OUT OF IRELAND and SELF DETERMINATION FOR THE IRISH PEOPLE peakers: Mario Cappana (lalian MEPI, Ken Livingstone. Suzaoue Bubting. Dri

1 OUHICLIOl

ASSEMBLE 1.00 p.m. SPEAKERS' CORNER, HYDE PARK, LONDON.

Donations and enquiries to

commice ru box sos. london wuo suh.

'The Fight against th roLce DIu yay correrene to launch a national campaign and establish a broau, Halioually representative committee.

Speakers from LP, trade unions and ethnic organisations. Sun 15 May, 10.30-5, Hackney Town Hall. Further details from National Campaign against the Police Bill, c/o Room v rakuc Town Hall, Mare St, E8 (01-986 3123 ex 280). GREENHAM COMMON ¡AND LABOURI • 'Turkey - a people in cnans Hounsiow oociansı Forum discussion led by a member of the Turkey Solidarity Campaign. Sun 22 May, George IV pub, , 185 Chiswick High Rd, W4. 7pm.

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for disarmament, women's rights

• People's March for Jobs oconio evenis.

Thurs 28 April assemble 3.30pm, Newton Rd, Lochside for march intc Dumfries and rally at Mill Green. Sat 30 April assemble 10am on western outskirts of Gretna village to see the march across the border.

• Nottingham Campaign

public meeting with speaker from the Roach Famil Support Citee. Sun 8 May, 3pm, International Community Centre, 61b Mansfield Road. • Women Against Rape public meeting with Johr Tilley MP and other socakeis. Ionowcu ov d women only discussion

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Further info: 01-837 7509/387-3244

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Qhilapayun

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SUNDAY IST MAYAT 7PM aaassI racism. for a united Ireland to end the wald are the stuff that made of, not rie riare election victories wing clap-trap of Foot and Healey who nave sold out at every opporLuHLV Fightinfor a Labour

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240.30 Birmingham Total this week 965.2 Total so far £2331,24

OTHER BOOKSHOP THE

St London NI 01-260571

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For red books, black books. peace books. feminist books, left books, story books, labour African books, Asian books, American books, gay Irish books

books, soviet books, old books, new books Mail order (including overseas) and bookstall Open Mon/Tues/Sat 10.6, Wed 12-7. Thur/Fri 11.7 YOUTH CND ROCKTHE BOMB

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Zth Assemble Victoria Embankment | am March to Brockwell Park Brixtnn.. Clint Eastwood & General Saint The Damnea Gallery Macabre Hazel Oconnor •Johnfeel Madness • Stule Council

A FUTURE WITHOUT FEAR

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Help us to stop the missiles!

Page 13 scan of this page

Back from the brink - 'Supermike' and his labour friends

Surplus Value

MICHAEL EDWARDES' account of his five years at British Leyland is based on

"Great Man' theory of the history. It tells a story of how Edwardes, alone and unaided, took on unions, defeated 'disruptive established management's right to manage, and saved BL for the nation.

The catalogue 'success' is indeed striking. When he left the company, 90,000 jobs had been axed,

(Speke, Canley, Solihull, AEC Southall) closed, plus a number of ancillary plants and BL had all

engines and gear-boxes.

In addition, Derek Robinson

stewards organisations reduced to

wages had been slashed and sweat shop conditions introduced the shop floor.

To mark this achievement, Micheal Edwardes was given a knighthood in James Callaghan's

resignation honours list.

Basking in honours awarded by a Labour prime minister placency is understandable when he Dad.

'And so I leave the hot seat with more to be done but with a feeling that the foundations are well and truly laid; and that the continuing persistence of the Board... will complete the job.'

The Cowley strike management's right speed-up by dictat complacency is inapprodnate From the Brink is not the end of the story. It closes a chapter.

When Edwardes courtesy of the Labour government, the company had the strongest and most extensive shop organisations in the country. He soon recognised this is as obstacle to his rationalisation plans.

Stewards

In Rover Solihull we had about

shop stewards for every members. Most plants had a full-time plant committee, consisting of convenor, deputy and six to seven senior stewards.

The basis of the shop stewards power were the 'mutuality agreements which made management to reach a agreement

SIOu stewards and besfore changing labour levels and track speeds. The result was a constant running battle with management.

'On one particular day, 30, with Bathgate on strike, I analysed the figures and found that out of 13 major interruptions to production, 12 involved a total of only 160 people out of a total workforce of 190,000. Fewer Inan l per employees were causing widespread disruption and damage business, flying in the face not just of management, •Ul their unions.

From this he developed his tactics for dealing with the unions:

"There was no doubt in my mind that responsible union leaders would welcome a positive strategy from BL management, provided it emerged in the form of action rather than an explicit statement of what we intended.'

In other words, management was going to deal with the strength of the TALK and file by using the bureaucracy against the members. It was to prove an effective strategy:

"There was a large and effective group of shop stewards - and the

the the minority',

of his producing

on

birthday

comagainst

shows that such

Back

came. to BL,

stewards

the central

for the

sections

August

should be... only and better managers. cent of

LO the

time OWI

unveiled

voted Significantly,

union ordinary

conditions.

3 MINUTE

WARNING

management had let them get the real power. What happened in BL over the five years is that management regained initiative and the employees as a whole followed management. That is how it

We have to have stronger

He got off to a flying start. On 1 February 1978, three months after he arrived at BL, a meeting of 720 full-

officials and senior stewards gave him a standing ovation when he

corporate plan. 12,500 jobs to be axed. The company Tys Pete vote on its persist.

voted against.

Derek Robinson was the one of those who supported the plan at that meeting. The first fruit of that meeting was the closure of Speke No

By any standards it was an extra-

meeting. 720 senior representatives of the best organised workfotee in the country voting in favour of an attack on jobs, pay and

Showed a crucial

By Pat Hickey (former deputy covers 5;,

Harold Musgrove (Chairman and Chief Executive) and Geoff Armstrong (Personnel) — Edwardes' heirs.

weakness at the level of the shop stewards.

In the previous three years since BL had been taken into public ownership, senior stewards had beer drawn into the participation structures set up after the recommendations of the Ryder Report to 'Save BL'. This had meant the stewards

involved cutbacks acet changes in working practises to make BL competitive.

Strategy

Robinson and the CP had been foremost advocates of which had meant workers stralegy,

representatives been 'given more in

formation about their company so that they can better managements problems and operate more constructively in solving these problems.' (Ryder Report)

When Edwardes arrived participation had begun to eat into the shop stewards organisations. One result

Rovers Solihull) was that the combine committee all but disappeared.

company-wide bargaining, and Edwardes dealing with the company as a whole in his corporate plans the initiative passed on to national officials. The rank and file had no effective company wide leadership which could and credible

Edwardes

was the Labour leadership. He was pushing at an open door. The Labour dove me vee pank col to attack the workforce. In a discusthis sion with Prime

Callaghan on the closure and the transfer Callaghan said: your new Board will always act in a appreciate co- basis the TR7 should be scrapped and businesslike way

not transferred elsewhere?'

similar / line. government they

Socialist Action 29 April 1983

defenders and officials.

federation

stewards.

petitive

signing it.

tacking Voted

degree to

undermined.

with Fords, Labour austerity fuelled

problems.

to right Photo. building

concerns.

wardes had With plant bargaining replaced by

union

alternative to the

For Edwardes the next problem Terry

Wing hard.

Minister Jim of Speke early of the TR7, «You have said that

Surely on that

Edwardes The trade union leaders were on a Under the Labour

were the main

13

of incomes policy, en. couraging workers to scab on strikers and threatening to expel the BL tool room workers when they struck in the summer of 1978.

By the time Edwardes came to the decisive confrontation the workforce was softened up. The company had established the practise of taking its major plans to bailots of the shop floor over the heads of the stewards,

with the support Unio.

In September 1979 the third Edwardes plan was announced — 25,000 jobs and 13 plants to go. The Con-

Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions put to a ballot of the workforce. Of the 80 percent who voted, 87 percent supported the company. The ground was prepared for & decisive « confrontation with

The BL combine committee produced a pamphlet attacking the plan. Weak and ineffective though it was (it started from 'our vested interest to ensure that Britain remains a com-

producer of manufactured goods) Robinson was dismissed for

The pamphlet was a pretext for at-

the shop stewards. It had hardly been seen on the shop floor. On the day Robbo was sacked I found 500 of them in the stewards room at Solihull which the convenor had not bothered to distribute. A handful of us gave them out free.

The AUEW headed off the growing walk-outs by establising a com. mittee of enquiry into the sacking. Robinson stayed sacked.

Despite a vigorous defence campaign a Longbridge mass meeting voted overwhelmingly not to strike in his defence. It was a symbol of the

which the shop stewards the shop floor had been Although it was the • middle of the 'Winter of Discontent',

the lorry drivers, and public sector workers all taking ac tion, the response to the sacking was confined to a militant minority.

In the face of mass redundancies and the repeated refusals of the national leadership to lead, the members refused to follow their traditional leaders. Instead, as Edwardes put it. 'the employees as a whole followed te managemenl

BL was not alone. As the effects of the world recession combined with

governel imposing the militancy which had stellards oreggrations for nearly 2p the growth of the years, proved inadequate for the new

As has been demonstrated time and again since, sectoral militancy is not enough. The rank and file leaders of the class need to be able to put forward solutions which appear credible

the workers and can defeat the

wing leaders. This means cross-sectoral organisation which puts the key national questions around which the battle in the Labour Party is being fought to the fore of its

After the Robinson sackings Ed-

La cake walk The BL workers has been defeated less by Edwardes than the sell-outs of the trade

leaders and the political weakness of the stewards. When the chips were down, we were unable to confront the leadership's betrayals.

"Supermike's' reputation rests on

labour leaders. He got knighthood. In fairness, so should

Duffy and Moss Evans. No doubt they will in due course. As the Cowley strike has shown, they are try-

But as the militancy of the Cowley strikers has also shown, it is far too

for either BL management or the Labour traitors to rest on their laurels. Provided that militants learn that defeating the labour traitors is not a task that can be accomplished by any plant or section on its own

and his successors in BL and elsewhere can be defeated Edwardes. Collins. $9.95. Back from the Brink. Sir Michael

Page 14 scan of this page

Scottish TUC cop-out on pay restraint

14

Cive us

Future!

Scottish youth march for jobs THE SUPREME BODY of the Union of Engineering Workers, the national committee, continues its meeting this week. It will record membership figures now under the one million mark and only 670,000 of these are Unemployment has taken its toll.

The back Ko pane fine April issue the union Fournal •escade.

ALEW as 'the union tha

But ago the journal claimed me union was not on v caring. but 'leading and fighting' as well.

The change in slogan is appropriate. When Duffy leadership has fought, it has mostly been against its own members.

The Laurence Scott strikers fighting closure Bad to deal with their employer and the sabotage of Duffy and general secretary John Boyd.

Wales TUC:

THE ANNUAL conference of the Wales TIC meets in Cardiff

30 April. Several debates may create problems for the largely right wing leadership.

They face a big obstacle in any attempt

repeat the promise achieved at the Scottish TUC over incomes policy leaving the door open to disguised wage controls

. a national economic assessment between the trade unions and future Labour govern-

Bet the Wales TUC conference has rejected wage

This was most explicit last year in a motion from the public employees

NUPE, which stated firmly "there must be no wage restraint or interference wage

egotiation'.

Socialist Action 29 April 1983

edinburgh outh sus,

Engineering union

— where there's smoke there's fire

Amalgamated

paying members.

Other engineering workers have had the same problem. The leadership's do-

policy allowed LOLLIES Michael Edwards to get away with sacking Derek Robinson and that followed in BL.

By a Manchester AUEW branch secretary

Engineering workers got a 'massive' 4.8 per cent pay rise in the recent wage negotiations and the nationally agreed rate - the Minimum Time Rate stands today £87 per week for a skilled worker

Problems for right wing

Unemployment Wales stands around 18 per cent of. ficially and in reality much higher. If further attacks on basic industries succeed neary on in lour workers could be jobless.

By Barry Wilkins

resolution from from Newport trades council union leaders in steel, coal anu rais to organise Ine triple alliance Wales to light Thatcher's butchery. But the kind of militant

which could organised through the triple alliance, is far from the thoughts of George Wright the Wales TUC general secretary.

Instead the Wales TUC leaders set develon. ment of workers cooperatives as an important part OI tackling unemployment. has sponsored workers cooperatives advice centre

investment fund which it hopes will create

and £62.60 for unskilled.

But the "moderation' of Duffy and company ondefend their membersin affects now they terests. When it comes to supporting the right wing of the Labour Party they are far from moderate.

Duffy of Labour and Trade Union Press Service, self-confessed NATO front organisation. He vigorously fights against unilateral nuclear disarmament being taken up by the union or the Labour Par-

At last years Labour Party conference Duffy was even prepared to question withdrawing from the BEC, in complete defiance of union policy. Duffy and his friends fully backed the witch hunt of the one thousand jobs in the next three years.

But at that rate would HiKe 34 replace the 18,000 jobs

Wales lost single month in 1980 when

steel was massacred by Thatcher!

Transport repeats the Wales TUC commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament and the closure of all nuclear bases in Britain, but without inarcaung now trade unions should campaign for these aims.

Ebbw Vale trades

one way by calling for Wales LUC sunport to set up workplace CND bran-

A call for trade unions to campaien for a Labour government commited to policies based on socialist principles is made by the technical section of the «engineers With

election looming this will provide an ooportunity delegates discuss the kind of labour government workers need.

the four years since Thatcher came into office.

the Engineers

11,000 shipbuilding jobs in the next 18 months.

This would wipe out virtually the whole of ship building in Scotland

Conference pledges to fight butchery were given flesh and blood with the presence of occu-

ying workers from the

Timex factory in Dundee who received an emotional

Tributes came too for the women of Greenham Common as the conference stressed its com

unilateral nuclear disarmamen and backing for work place CND groups.

The significant debate of conference was around pay restraint. A resolution was passed declaring any incomes policy, imposed informal, or Militant.

But they are not having it all their own wav. The membership is refusing to lie down. Three factories

presently involved in al C sit-ins against job closures ings in Warrington Dundee, Greenings and Firth Derihon in Sheffield. AUEW members are involved in the fight for steel jobs in Rotherham and in the BL dispute at Cowley.

There was tremendous support for the Laurence Scott strikers trom engineering workers countrywide. Hundreds of AUEW branches financial and other support and Duffy was shaken by the growing number of passed censuring the executive and new elections.

Tens of thousands have demonstrated against unemployment and there is a groundswell of support

the union for disarmament. For the se cond year running the National Committee received

Not resoluagainst cruise and

This will to fight Tory missile madness shown the union's women's conference last month. Although two motions in favour of disarmamenu deleated. the conference unanimously backed the Greenham Common women, describing their struggle as 'an historic contribution the peace movement'.

In last years election for John Boyd's successor as general secretary, Broad Left candidate Ken Brett came within a whisker of beating Boyd's chosen heir Gavin Laird.

Now broad lefter Jimmy

divisional orcause. and former leader of the UCS work-in looks set to win the vacant executive seat for diyision one, so becoming the only "left' on the seven person

Duffy knows that the National Committee

THE SCOTTISH TUC met in Rothesay against the background of doubled unemployment figures in

Delegates were further stunned by a report of Chris Finnerty, national officer for shipbuilding of

and Managers Association. To the dole heap of 350,000 Scottish workers may be added

which their aim wage regulations and free collective bargaining 'Congress re-affirms its support for free collective bargaining, opposes all forms of restraint and supports the decision of the 1982 TUC which opposes any discussions on wage restraint'

But along with this the Scottish TUC backed Labour's Partners in nebulaing with the national economic assessment. he movers of the resolution, the Miners and Civil Service unions, had originally spelt out a rejection of the wage restraint contained in the new economic assessment.

When unions like the incal ho FIGHT Laurence Scott workers had to deal with Duffy much his way. will go pretty much But the AUEW leaders strained by the feeling of the ranks. Even when they try to consolidate their position pushing through rule changes — as

Transport union threaten

Led to withdraw support if this remained, Clausc made.

Clot ellist Wa.

This leaves the danger of policy being slip. ped in through the back door When moving the resolution Campbell for the stressed 'We seek trade amon opposition to wagt however achieved and that includes a national economic assesSullell.

But the fact remains that water tight com mitments were dropped against a pay deal through the partnership of officials and Labour government.

By Celia Pugh fudging on Socia contract weakens the labour move the face ot arguments put up by Michael Foot at thè conterence. motivated that workers may have to make

Amalgamated Union of Engi

SOLIDARIY

WIT H

LAURENCE

SCOTT'S

SIT

SEL

LAURENCE

SCOTT FIGHT CADE

they did at the recent rules revision conference THeoria - they haven't been able to achieve all Inel objeclives Their own supporters broke ranks at this ference and voted down

In the Unions

sacrifices explaining 'People lucky enough to hold jobs under a Conservative government will nave to assist us in coming to the aid of the poor first'.

In the incomes policy debate George Bolton turned these arguments. should bea an e capitalism's crises the boss class or the working class?

'A Labour government has a choice Either to challenge the wealth and DUWCI OI the multinationals, monopolies and banks with the support of the trade union movement, mobilised through free collective bargaining to fight for better wages and conditions. Or to bow

pressures of the enemies of labour'.

Despite these firm the back room

deals at the Scottish TUC show that the ranks of the labour movement need to remain vigilant if the Scottish challenge to wage restraint is to mean anything. SNIP

some of the more draco-

nian proposals

So if there's any trace

of smoke at the National Committee meeting, there

are certainly smouldering

fires and hot embers down below.

Page 15 scan of this page

Strike beats Bury privatisation bid

News

POEU

photo.

Striking British Telecom workers r11

WORM'S

BYE

VIEW

Tea for the workers

appreciated. also

nice to know that not

everybody slags off the

carworkers. And its even

nicer to learn that the car

215e really ар-

preciatve of their

workers' efforts to boost

production.

Fords

Dagenham, lines run and

schedules are being met.

HA

JELa

Bogle

Francis

Everyone is sweating. Last week over 1000 cars were produced in a day.

was for first time in five years.

"The response of the management was simply munincent. They gave every worker a tree cup of tea dope tests are pending.

The workforce was knocked over by this

By Mark Hackett (Bury NALGO Joint Shop Stewards Committee and GMC delegate, Blackley CLP)

IN BURY, Lancashire, we've just won the first fight against privatisation in local government through mass campaigning and strike action.

On 12 April Bury council public services committee voted not to sell the refuse collection services to private contrac-

generosity as they say it's

much nicer getting a gift Sid's

Lubianka?

The NUR new head-

quarters in Euston Road

will be opened in early

May by Michael Foot.

ine near leparte Sid

/eighell had been expe

ting perform this

ceremony, but that little

• his

stopped all that.

But the operation of

the new building shows

that sid has not

forgotten. NUR

MUCHOC wanting to do

business there must have

an appointment, after all

you can't have the union

members going into their

own building just when

they thinker emportant.

glyell they

then get a special badge,

THE TORIES have introduced a bill to privatise part of British Telecom. In response, the National Executive Council of the Post Office Engineering Union is running a campaign against government institutions, now in its fourth week.

branch, but at the request of the London City branch, other engineers have pulled out of the Bank of England.

secretary of the London City branch of the POEU about the action.

What is the purpose of the selective action?

o stop the Tory bil

rivatisation would resül in a loss of jobs for our members and the destruction of the public service supplied by a nationalised industry.

But the NEC's present action cannot achieve this Cuu. The action

•єррси и The present

IEC strategy of attackin government institutions is welcome but it is not a strategy to win.

This government cannot be embarrassed by publicity. Nor will it give in because the civil service and government departments, even defence departments, are inconve-

The Tories worship only profit they have demonstrated this • with their attitude to unemployment.

Our power lies in at tacking the only section of society that the Tories listen to. That means going for the centre of

The Tory privatisation plans were reversed by the threat of indeinite strike action and a public campaign which won over the majority of local people 1UL wets decided not to risk losing seats and control of the council in the May local elections.

Bury shows that united campaign that takes

the Tories' main political can win Our strike on 2 March was a real turning point.

We learnt important lessons. The branch stewards committee made leaders sure we had official sup. port right up to national

Sid Weighell

otherwise they might get

mistaken for an official,

and that would never do.

To make sure they

don't get lost or go stickinions their nose the

business they

must always be escorted

by an officer or an EC

member.

Somebody says that

une will was wanks

the rooms seem to have

Was lo make • Sure loa

nobody . got up to plot-

ting against the old

'. Sid as you know was

So far this has been confined to the Westminster

Socialist Action talked to JOCK CAMPBELL

finance capital and the multi-nationals. Our action has to hit the City of

not just Westminster.

Do you think the NEC's strategy due to their right wing policies?

IONS

officers, general Brval

that we could win.

They have no wish to

through our action. look to their own political

the mant ersh hit

BleW government institutions to get publicity.

But we want to totally

we need to hit the Tors

British finance and business.

The membership have been very patient. In the L0fO0I they welcomed the action and

the national levy, which level, as well as full in volvement of the rank and

EZER

and workers.

• all to divide We never

bin system may be intion.

• we hope

very sensitive 400U plots, especially the one: He was rolane

A lot of union асtivists are not too keen on these arrangements which might be OK for

the Lubiank and Sid

Weighell, but are hardl the best way to run a - democratic union. They are dead keen that the NUR's new leadership open the doors to the membership and lets them use Ine headquarters in the way such a place should be run.

Anderton is

not Oliver

Cromwell

Mr James Anderton, chief constable of Manchester, devoutly religious man who thinks that a suspect should not

Socialist Action 29 April 1983

"We want to stop the bill'

JACKPOT

Fiances Bo

IPROJEC MERCURY the NEC has failed as yet to implement. But many members think the levy is too low at ti a week and are demanding an escalation of the action.

The membership are disappointed with leadership and they won' wait for ever. If the NEC is not prepared to step up the action it will become ineffective.

Vill an early general ele

ion affect the action

General secretary Bryan Stanley and our sponsored MP John Golding would want the action called off immediately.

They would use the pretext of the election and a candidate in the NALGO national CACLuLIVe elections which are under way Her election with other left candidates could start the move for NALGO to fight for the many good policies it has adopted in the las few years.

We hope that the lessons can be taken inte the Labour Party too so that the Party campaigns vigorously against privatisation. This could be a big vote winner in the local and national elections.

Leaders of the local Labour Party have been slow to realise that it's not canvassing that wins elec-

APPARENTIYAT have the right to silence. He doer not because he wants to intertere our democratic rights.

Mr plains that 'we owe God an explanation' and surely when God is not around due to pressing engagements elsewhere the police are his standins.

Mr Anderton is also a believer in reincarnation

15 possible return of a

would se it. We need and would oppose it. to take action, whatever the government.

Our fight is an industrial dispute should keep up the fight until we win Of course 1 is also a political dispute and we would fight for a Labour victory, but our action won't that.

On the contrary it will help. permanent ficers, through the right

are scared of ou power. They do not want to defeat the Tory govern ment through our action That is why they have no strategy to win. tions but mass struggle and political campaigning that relate to people's everyday lives and concerns.

• Labour movement organisations wanting speaker about our experiences should contact lan Stephenson. NALGO branch secretary. DrulCI Office Town Hall. Knows ly St. Bury.

The cartoons are taken from the Labour Research Department pamphlet Public Private Available from LRD Blackfriars Rd, London SEI.

day Times. He thinks that in one of his previous existences he was Oliver Cromwell. Now if you or I go around claiming that we

someone else either get nicked for deception or committed for being potty.

Strangely enough Anderton has not beer charged or committed, has never been oliver has never been

is a well Cromwell. 11 know fact on the left that a former general secreta known for his lecturesun far-left group • dialectics and the English civil war was and still is Oliver Cromwell.

contribu-

Socialist Action, 328 Upper Street, London N1 2XP 'to arrive not later than Thurs day a week prior to publication.

Page 16 scan of this page

"Thatcher you're

SOLD AGAIN! This will be the reaction of most BL workers to the ending of the Cowley strike.

The overwhelming vote to return to work at the Cowley mass meeting came as no surprise.

Only three days atter voting by more than 2 to 1 to carry on striking and to resist management's threat of the sack, the workers felt that they had little choice but to accept the deal put forward by the trade union leaders.

The deal gives them nothing in return for the five week strike. They are committed to giving BL

productivity measures needed introduce Audited Plant Status (APS).

By Pat Hickey

This is the final turn of

productivity means that not another drop of sweat can be wrung from the workforce. This will include 'bell to bell' running, ie., cading the three minute

rashing-up period. The measures will be introduced by the end of May, when there will be a national meeting between union and management,

'resolve vulstall

ROTHERHAM

AFTER four weeks on

strike Rotherham

craft. workers have

won against British

Steel redundancies

and new enforced

patterns.

Rotherham BSC

crafts convenor,

BERNARD CON-

NOLLY explains.

We've won. The at-

tempt BSC to in-

Edwardes style 'decree'

has been defeated.

There will be no com-

pulsory redundancies

anu all apprentices com-

ing out of their time this

year wil be guaranteed

jobs. There will be no

new shift patterns. Work

We're resuming work the JALI basis

before. Management has

conceded that the so-

called Survival Plan

be subject to established

negotiating proccuures,

with no time factors or

deadlines imposed.

After ensuring that

no-one who has backed Pace a a Bad ore Try tie, Londo London N. red as a news

SoCiAlist

ACTION

SELL - OUT AT COWLEY

MARESTRO SEL ding problems.

This meeting will also take the results of a joint union/management inquiry into industrial relations Cowley. Apparently, the leaders of the T&GWU and the AUEW (3.5 million members between them) need this understand why the strike happened.

AI Ine Holiday Inn where the deal was cooked up a waitress commenteu that she was unable to tell the difference between the bosses and the union men

suits looked the Unfortunatel it's not only the suits.

Throughout BL the Cowley strike was seen as

We've won!'

our fight was being sub-

tion, we recommended a

return to work. our ob-

jectives having been

achieved.

This is a victory for

the whole trade union

movement. weve suc-

cessfully defended our

right to negotiate over

jobs and conditions, as

opposed accepting

management by dictator-

ship.

stake at Cowley and at

Fords, not just at BSC. Success

The lesson of our suethat unity is

strength. ine Iron and

Steel Trades Confedera-

officials

held secret talks with

management on

own, and then instructed

work, without any

of us involved.

The ISTC's

ment accepted the Sur-

vival Plan, the new shift

system

management, no guaran

that wasn't signed by

BSC.

the big test for the unions. This was the first fight wack agalst productivity in BL for two years. It was the longest strike Cowley since the early 70s.

Reports from other BL

showed had management carried out ine sackings unere would have been widespread support for the workers.

This is a bad defeat for BL workers. But Cowley has proved that the unions are not broken in BL. The burning question remains that of forging ship capable of dealing with the labour traitors.

Michael Edwardes reviewed - see page 13.

Rotherham Crafts decided to reject this surrender to management and to stay out on strike.

but bites own after the ISTC went

work, but went out to win support.

Our local full time of-

cicers be wad got the

we'd got the same backing nationally we could defeat Thatcher in a fortnight let alone BSC Once we were joinTinsley Park and Shep- the Crafts cote Lane, management

The mass meeting on Monday 25 April, where

work, brought together the 1400 craftsmen from all three works. We're going to build on the experience of the unity in this dispute so that continue to develop common policy and necessary common ac-

As I explained at the meeting, we've won a

tinues. We ended the meeting with an appeal for the biggest 2p sprit

VUl April against Thatcher's visit to Sheffield.

WARNING

These premises are protected by

group 4

SECURITAS E Firth April 'Thatcher you're not welcome.

hasn't seen redundancies.

Public services are being squeezer ahae

cheap fares' bus policy o

South Yorkshire council threatened by government legislation.

Now Thatcher is rubbing salt in the wounds by

Sheffield on Thursday 28 April to dine with the City's bosses.

She may be toasted by the bosses but from the

MODERN

TIMES

God bless mummy and daddy and grạn, and please stop Mr Duffy from selling out any strikes ...

Sheffield workers say:

not welcome'

THE Wils

FIGHT AL

LONG

HAPPY

FROM THE LADS

THE PAST three years of recession and Tory rule have hit South Yorkshire hard. Unemployment in inner city areas of Sheffield runs at one in five. There's hardly a steel or engineering plant which Word shei get a differen working type of welcome - what been called by the labour movement an 'unwelcoming'.

She will be met by craft workers from the Rotherham steel industry who have proved that jobs can be defended by industrial action. With them will be workers occupying the Subscription rates.

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Derihon workers in Sheffield are occupying their factory to fight redundancy. They join the chant on 28

Firth Derihon plant against redundancies.

By Rich Palser usands! be joined b thousands trade unionists mobilised demonstrate by the Sheffield District Labour Party, trades council and the Hi-welComi Necier Disarmament Wil The Campaign also be there in force, endorsing the demonstration slogan for jobs and services not bombs and missiles.

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WORK

AND SL

Thatcher's visit Sheffield — just one week before the local elections is part of her assault against the very heartland of the labour movement. South Yorkshire can never be the socialist republic of which it boasts with Thatcher and the parties of the bosses in national government.

That's why working people in the area will be striking, occupying and demonstrating against Thatcher and for a Labour government com. mitted to socialist policies.

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