Soon Market, Ford unico socialist states or eurpse speakers include Ernest Mandel. Thursday 1 May ar 7.SDom in Diobeth Civic Hall Assho Hals. Organsed by Birmingham IMG. "THE STATE, the Law and Ireland': rew Cathonlet by Steve Cohen produced Tor manchester NG-re lable price 20p (plus 5p pâpi from Red Hooks, 97 Caledonian Road, London N.1, BENGALI FRIENDS in Europe and BlaRwhere, for Bengali hooks and 'Srani Dsl Biplab |Folath international noos!
contan- bengal, Do international coreer or the vicker and Nursery Sti IMG GAY GROUP: contact J. Mills, 153 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds FOR CHEAP, reliable IBM Typesetting with fast turn-around phone Carl or Martin on 01-837 9987.
MR OLIGARCHY says don't mis "Muggins no longer-Socialism or barbar Im. A play-a woapon, Confront the goris and steen cultural oppression. Unity Theatre, 4/5/6 April at 7.45 pm. SDp Then looking for bookings at 734 9083 HANTED by Up Aminst the Law: nares and numbers of policemen Involved in prosecutions Door Red Lion Square, Call, write or ring UPAL at 55 York Way, London, N.1, 101-837 4194I. IRELAND THE ACID TEST: Stiring Merxist Discussion Group meeting. Tues B Aprit at 7.30pm in the Conone Centre, DEFEND THE 14: Public meeting in defence of the 14 pecifists charged with conspirecy to contravene the incitement to Disaffection Act. Speaker: include Jian Maynard MP, Maureen Colquhoun MP. Ernic Roberts (Asst. Gen. Sec. AUEWI, Bill Hetherington (defendant). Saturday 3 May at 2 pm in NUFTO Hall, Jockey's Fields, Holborn, WCT.
100 MEN WANTED for orgenising and running creche for wormer's liberation conference in Manchestor, 4:5/6 April 1975. Picase contact John at 061-7944 L.C.I.
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fingers in every branch of the economy.
amply what was involved working class.
Various political groups in Portugal have had written into their programmes proposals for taking over the banks and other sections of capItal to tackle the domination of the economy by a handful of big mon: opolies, Among the most important if these was the Portuguese Connmust Party. Yet despite the CP's resence in the Government and its reat influence inside the mass moveent no progrew was made towards nationalisation of the financial instItutions. Indeed, Just a few weeks hefore the attempted coup the Governvent produced its emergency econ nic plan which made no mention of nationalisation, basing itself inst ad on the sort of typical 'austerity"
easures that European Governments ave been using to make the working dess bear the burdens of the crisis. WORKERS However the attempted coup ght a new factor to bear in the DI IN THE WAKE of the failed coup in Portugal, the newly-formed Revolutionary Council nationalised the banks and insurance companies. In any capitalist country, such a move would put immense economic resources into the hands of the state, but this is even more so in Portugal, where the banks and insurance companies are at the centre of vast financial empires which have their What is particularly important about this nationalisation, however, is not -after all, the capitalist state has taken over a big alice of the economy elsewhere without fundamentally altering its capitalist character- but how the nationalisations came about, and their effect on the situation - the bank workers themselves. In Portugal the bank workers have a relatively long history of independent and militant trade unionEm, dating back even before 25 April, In the northern city of Porto, the Communist Party lost the elections for the union executive late last year to left-wing forces because of the PCP's strike breaking policies just after the coup.
defeated was the Communist Party president of the union, Avelino Goncalves, Who had been Minister -Bank workers organise mass picket outside their bank to keep it closed and make sure the bosses remain outside. It was action like this which axposed the sabotage of the big bankers and forced the Government to nationalise the banks.
ol Labour in the first Provisional It is not surprising, then, that the bank workers should have been among the first to respond to the coup. All across the country, as scion as they leard the news of the coup, bank workers walked off their Jobs and shut down the banks, posting mass pickets to make sure they stayed shut and to keep out the management. This move was taken in order to stop capitalists from withdrawing their money and cutsInE an coonomic panic.
But even after the immediate throat of the coup had passed, the workers realised that the danger of ccobonnie sabotage wus still very much present, and so refused to permit the banks to reopen as long as they remained in the hands of private capitalists. A joint statement issued by the three bank workers unions of Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto argued The need to adapt Among those of the general assembly.
TRANSPORT persons hospital were owned by a nationalised insurance company, the hospital was automatically nationalised as well They met in general assembly and decided to dissolve the existing man agement of the hospital and replace it with their own management commiittee, made up of representatives from the ancillary workers, technic lans, administrators, nurses and doct ors, along with the two chief admanstrators of the hospital, whom the workers 'ratified in their functions". It was decided that this body would represent tac workers in contacts with all oubside bodies, and that it would operate as the executive body The mai way workers issued a poolic statement addressed to the workers of the country, warning them that the management of the railways is still dominated hy people who held high posts under the old reginie, and that the railway system is in a chaotic state. They demanded the Immediate nationalisation of the taiways, but pointed out that this was noE sufficient: It is necessary that a national plan which condin ates the railways with the other types of transport is put into effect ..the isolated nationalisation of Portuguese Rail will not produce the results we are secking which can only be translated into practice through the nationalisation of the nanona: transport system. Since this statement the rail unions have announced that they are going to carry out a purge of top administrative and technical personnel to eliminate inefficiency, Boycotts and sabotige by structures and Meanwhile workers at one Lishon bakery decided to impose "control hy the workers of production, acc ounting an astribution" In order to prevent crobo mic subotage by their boss. They accused the manag ement of distributing dividends which clearly exceed the wealth of the firs, excessive purchase of raw materials little of which hus been used in the tinal produel, grunting of credits for periods clearly Jonger than those in current contercial practice, An off-duty soldier serves his stir seaside resort of Cascais, just out the luxurinus premises of what y a favourite hangout of the rich.
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