I" the first three months of Labour rule prices have gone up by more than 5%, while workers' wage packets have only just recovered from the big cuts they suffered under the three-day week.
Little wonder, then, that hundreds of thousands of workers have gone into struggle over the past few weeks trying to force their bosses to pay out 'threshold' pay rises.
While workers have been fighting to keep their heads above water, the Labour Government has used every conceivable weapon -from its infamous social contract' with the TUC burcaucrats to the Tories" Phase 3 pay laws-to try and trip them up The one spot of relief workers have been able to find from the relentless wearing down of their living standards has been the threshold pay-outs.
These are scandalously inadequate they cover only a small proportion of workers, do nothing for those on pensions or other state henefits. and after taxes and other deductions do not give most workers enough to make up for the rise inthe cost-of-living. But even this miserly compensation is too much, according to Mr. Harold Wilson.
Speaking to assembled dignitaries at the thrice mis named "Socialist International Leaders" Conference" Wilson whined: *But no one certainly not the Conservative Government last October when thresholds were introduced -foresaw. an increase of perhaps [4 a week for the many millions of workers covered by threshold agreements. Nor was there any adequate perception that many thousands of workers not covered by threshold agreements would he bound to resent the protection accorded to those who were, and would put pressure on their employers to secure a similar degree of insurance for themselves."
Clearly Mr, Wilson would prefer to see millions of workers having their pay packets shrunk week-by-weck. As for those who fight against this prospect-their struggle is dismissed as 'resentment." What cheek!
After all, the Labour Government came into office with millions of Rocking class votes, pledged to keep prices down. As Wilson himself told the socialist leaders: This Government has taken office on the basis of a new strategy for fighting inflation ...
And how is this "new strategy working our? Well, Britain now boasts the worst rate of inflation for over 50 years, with prices under Labour xooming ahcad at the rate of 24% per year! And this is after Labour has put into effect its much vaunted gimmicks for holding back prices-food subsidies, rents freeze, etc.
Having failed absymally to do anything to tame capitalism's inflationary monster, Wilson is planning to feed him on a steady diet of workers' paypackets, students" grants, and old people's pensions. That is the real meaning of his dirty little sabotage operation against the threshold struggles.
It is clear that workers cannot count on Labour to do anything about inflation, The only way to defend workers living standards is by seizing on the present threshold agreements and Oghting to extend them-to cover every worker, to cover state payments, and to pay out enough to give 100% protection of living standards.
Encouraged by Wilson's words, the boses will launch a big drive to do away with the threshold agreements when they expite in the autumn. They will be counting on Lahour's support.
The trade union movement must prepare its offensive now to defend and extend the thresholds Whatever measires are necessary up to and including a general strike must be prepared to smash the hosses offensive, force from them threshold agreements that rowliy protcet wages 1005 (u sliding scale of wages 1 and force the Labour Government to break with the capitalists and make such protection compulsory for all wages and all state benefies. Here women strikers leaflet the factory. One of the most important features of the Imperial Typewriter's strike has been the direct involvement of Aslan women.