Leeds City Transport is not well loved hy its workers. The pay is low, and the dis cipline irksome, However the baseen (members of 9/112 heanch T&GWL}, far from direct ing their resentment at its cause, have chosen to focus it on the immigrants in dominately white 9/112 branch voted for a resolution demanding that Sikhs on the Loods huses no longer he allowed to wear turbans.
A picket of T&G headquarters cal led by the Indian Workers Association and the Sikh Temple predictably brought no response from the buncancrals in side. Throughout the argument the T&G officials incum hrunch lerol upwards hree fronted happily along the racit trail Nazed by their white members The Leeds situation lus all the mak imps of'a repeat of Mansfield Hosiery and Imperial Typewriters The Loods Jobour movement must at once press for The T&G leadership should waken from is slumber and take the Sachs tate out of the hands of white racists The formation of a black caucus within the union to sufeguard the interests of such immigrant workers is an obvious necessity.
MARTIN C'LEARY
Vote Labour - but Lord Chalfont's resignation from the Labour Party mises again the question of what attitude the revolutionary leff should take to the open right wing in the Labour Party.
One position is that of the Tribune group who in effect say that "unity is ail Important. They simply deciate that Jenkins should call on his follow. ers to work for the biggest Labour majority posuble at the next clection:
The reaction at the base of the Lahour Party is very different. Taverne was chopped at Lincoln by his local party. Now the MP for Sheffield, Brightside, has hit the dust. Far from seeking "unity", the response of the ordinary members it to pet rid of the open right, It is worth examining what social reality there developAltr 1945 Labour became a terence: "Thank heaven for the trade union movement at this time. Thack heaven for what ir called the block vord!
RULING CLASS BACKERS In the past the right wieg, no marter what its isdividual sociel origins, was based on union burcaucrats who were hy their very position, and despite their viess, firmly part of the working class morement, Now the situation is different, Jenkins and company want to bacak the Labour Parts away fram its bece in the trade un fors, not pive praise to the black vote, Jenkins has his base in the Timet, the Ghardian, and the rulling class backors of the Libcral and evee Tory purtics, and not in the trade union bureawcracy-let alone in the working clame None of the Labour burcaucracy, In cluding the "Sefts", break with the historic interests of the raling clase: bur the Jenkinsites are derece aponts of li bourgeuisie within the workers movement. They are a eliquc, lacking the old base of the labSOE DRE TO TAE BOCKENE class movement is their formal member ship of the Labour Party. That link shoule should be expelled from the Labour Parгу.
Pisce of Strife, fit the Sociai Contract. attack on social justice."
Jenkins ami hir supporiers JOHN MARSHALI standards still further, RUNS I LABOUR PARTY leaders lave never been the most stunning guests at fancy dress parties. In 1966, they turned up decked out in incomes policy. Later they wore their anti-anion in In this election, however, croperor Wikon has rurned up without any cothes at all. He'r caliing the outVery few are being taken in, least of all the raling class. The Feonomatr is downright insulting: "What is really bappeningl Are the people to be fooled again? The social compuct is no tore than a voluntary incomes policy ... concesled as an M. anwhile, Labour's election Manifesto, published this week, tries to hide the naked truth: At the heart of this manifesto and our programme to save the nation, lies the Social Contract between the Labour Government and the trade unions...It is not simpiy, or narrowly, an understanding about wages, It is about justice, equality, about concern for and protection of the lower paid, the needy, the pensioner and the handicapped in our society.
But Iry how you may to look behind the cosmetics, it's difticult to see anything bul an incornes policy to drive down working class living company are now breaking the Soclal Contract themseives. They are trying to.get a new wage agreement with Ford workers before tbe last one has run out.
THE ELECTION Lw ater-Iall This political window-dressing is simply meant to fob off the Lahour Party left wing. But it's also a lie.
During the last election campaign, one of the most astute maves hy the Tories was to get Tony Barber to work oul the cost of implementing Labour's programme. Sme enough. the computers concluded that such a bill stood no chance of being met through the normal channels the ruling class use for raising public mon ey-taxing the working class - Labour's cover is blown. No malter how heart-rending their promises of social reform in return for wage restraint, they have no pian for an attack on the wealth and power of the employers to pay for their sociai prograninte. . The cost will be borne by the working class Wilson admits as much himself. He talks in the manifesto of 'improvements in society. many of them cost money...the timing of them will depend on how quickly
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smash the Social Con-trick !' Now kick out Jenkins & Co