At the recent conference of the General & Municipal Workers Union, the executive reported that low paid workers could not hope for a favourable award from the Pay Board, the latter being 'a creature of the Government." Something "broader" was needed - and the next day G&M leader Basnett spelt it many) might qualify as 'special cases.' It is to men like Basnett that Vic others to change the rules to give more Basnett's plan amounts to volunteering and Tom Jackson of the UPW, leaders with his violent atlacks on the Com the TUC to do the capitalists job for of poorly organised, low paid sections munist Party at last week's UPW to frame! But Basnett maintained a their fellow trade unionists. By this Trade unionists should, of course. PAPER OF THE INTERNATIONAL MARXIST GROUP brewing behind the scenes of the TUC-Government talks.
Basnett, who is one of the six TUC If in line with the norm.
gued that the trade union movement as a whole should be responsible for the level of wage increases. The Industrial Relations Act, Phase 3 and the Pay Board should all be swept away, to be replaced by .. the TUC. Under this plan, the TUC would go along to a body like the National Economic Development Corporation and work out a pay norm in line with the profit indicators of the capitalist class. Wage claims submitted by any group of workers affiliated to the TUC would then have to be vetted by them and would only be approsed The fight to free the Shrewsbury 24 goes on. These militants charged with offences linked with their involvement in flying pickets during last year's building strike are in court again on Friday. 15 Our response then should not simply be a repeat of the preceding two demonstrations These were very important in bringing together those militants who understood the importance of the Shrewsbury trial and making wider circles within the trace union movement aware of what was going on. But it is necessary now.to go beyond making a token protest outside the courthouse and take up the task of organising a mass struggle in defence of the 24, building on the awareness our protests have aroused.
PROTEST It should be clear, however, that protest alone will not free the Shrewsbury 24; protest alone will not drive negotiators with the Government, at• In return for unions surrendering their power in this way, the TUC in its capacity as agent for the capitalists would decide which groups not too It would also give support to strikes...
than the norm.
them — but with less unpleasantness, conference: 'If intervention is inevitable, then let it be our own people implementing a policy we have helped (BRITISH SECTION OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL) discreet silence as to what disciplinary powers he thought the TUC should be given to use against dissident members.
Feather will be turning in the next power to the just as long as they weren't for more few months as he tries to achieve his of workers who are in the best position of course. As he put it at the GaM to come up with such schemes. They can pose as the defenders of the poor Frank Chapple of the EEPTU. and needy, while actually preparing to POLICIES line up with the Government against bureaucracy hopes to tart up its betrayal of the class as a whole.
To prepare this dangerous course, the bureaucracy has launched a series of attacks on those orginised forces in the rank and file. The leadership of APEX pushed a motion through con ference banning the APEX Action group and adding the International Socialists to its list of proscribed organisations. The ASTMS conference saw an attempt by Clive Jenkins and executive. The NUT conference was persuaded to restrict crowning ambition of a voluntary deal the power of local branches to take before he retires, It is men Eke Basnett action on their own. Now Jackson conference has ended up in the same aim p as that notorious red-baiter industrial stoppages Rec PRICE 5p 1st JUNE 1973 NO.5! cowardly da manoeue, the always defend the rights of any wark ing class grouping to organise in th unions and put forward its views, an the rank and file should always b anxious to bring their leaders mor directly under their control. But a effective fight against this offensive b the buresucracy means fighting agains the anti-working class policies whic they are preparing to force on th movement by these means.
Ten days ago the Trades Council Conference at South port, representin three million workers, demanded tha the TUC should break off its talk with the Government. This was agains the advice from the platform of suc 'lefts" as Terry Parry of the Fir Brigades Union. This is the way t challengo the preparations of th bureaucrats for a voluntary deal witl the Goverament, This bould be thi focal demand coming from the nex round of conferenoes, and delegate should, where possible, be elected on this platform be expected from the trade union leaders. Both the TUC and UCATT have opposed any action to defend The leadership in this struggle will have to corne from the rank-and-file.
Some form of initiative from a body with national influence and prestige throughout the trade unions is urgently needed to push the fight forward. A decision by the Communist Party to give its full support to this fight would be very valuable.
Of even greater significance would be a commitment by the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions to launch a determined cam paign to mobilise the rank and-file of the trade union movement in defence of the Shrewsbury 24.
The LCDTU must not limit itself to resolution passing, the CP must ge beyond sympathetic news stories in the Morning Star. Every organisation genuinely concerned with the inte rests of the working class must put all its energies into defeating the capitalist state on this question of burning importance for the future of the class struggle,