On Saturday 10 March, over 600 people took part in a march through Oxford in support of the struggles of the Gas and Health workers against the Wages Freeze and the Tory Government. The march was organised by the Oxford and district Council of Action, the Trades Council and the Gas and Health workers. There were delegations from the Hospital Branches of the tour Health unions, from the local Gasworkers Branch of the G & MWU. from the stewards committees at the Cowley car factories, from local Branches of the CPSA, from the student committee set up in the Oxford Colleges to organise support for the march, and from the Oxford Women's Action Group (who gave out a leaflet against rising prices).
A STEP FORWARD Although the organisers had hoped for larger numbers, this march and rally was a real step forward. It successfully involved groups of workers who have never taken industrial action on this scale before, far less come out on the streets on a political issue. The march demonstrated the support that can be won for the struggles of the lower paid in the shop stewards movement in the car factories, with their traditions of militancy and strong organisation. In this way it countered the propaganda of the Tories, which is intended to get lower paid and weaker sections to blame the relatively higher paid for inflation.
The march was also important as the first time the Council of Action has initiated and organised united action of this kind. The Council was set up last summer on the initiative of the local Confederation of Engineering Unions and the Trades Council, when all working class organisations in the district were invited to elect delegates. The Council was to coordinate the struggle against the Industrial Relations Act and the Tory Government. The IMG welcomed this move and has been active in the Council of Action all along. But the Council was not convened when there was most need of such a body, during the strikes over the jailing of the dockers' leaders in July. It met several times during the following months, but apart from debates on its programme and constitution, the Council did nothing. It played virtually no role in the main struggles that took place in Oxford: the fight to defend NUPE in the unionisation of college staffs, and the strikes against the Siming of the AUEW. But since the New Year the Council of Action has held a successful public meeting on the Industrial Relations Act and the Freeze, organised a large delegation to Above: Militants rally before Oxford Demo.
the lobby of the TUC special Congress, as well as organising the march and rally last weekend. THE ROLE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY Many of the problems encountered in building the Council of Action have stemmed from the behaviour of the City Communist Party Branch. They supported the setting up of the Council, and CP members were elected Secretary and Treasurer. But as soon as the Council looked like acting, the CP started to have second thoughts. CP members threatened to withdraw unless the Council returned to its original terms of reference. To them this meant action solely on the issue of the Industrial Relations Act. When an IMG sponsored resolution was passed, which said that the Council had not gone outside its terms of reference (it had done nothing), and proposed solidarity action with workers striking against the Freeze, the CP members withdrew. Since they had no mandate to do so from their organisations they had to mislead these organisations into thinking that the Council had gone off the rails. Some organisations elected new delegates, but others remained misled.
As the struggles against the Freeze developed Oxford Council of Action some CP members, particularly in the Health Unions, realised that the Council of Action was the only body taking any effective initiative for united action. And when the local Gasworkers endorsed the proposal of the Council of Action for a united march and rally, George Anderson, Regional organiser for NUPE, Chairman of the local coordinating committee of the Health Unions and a leading member of the CP had little alternative but to cooperate. In this he had to fight those in the CP who think that the Council of Action has to be smashed. To save face, Anderson insisted that the march be organised jointly with the Trades Council. This was accepted, but the joint organising committee never met. (In contrast, members of the University Branch of the CP played a full part in the student committee to prepare for the march.) THE NEXT STEP A delegate meeting of the Council of Action is to be held soon to build on the success of last week-end's march and broaden the base of support for the Council. If this is successful the IMG will propose the organisation of a local conference of militants to discuss the way forward against the Freeze and the Tory Government.
Compromise at Stirling
Red Mole Reporter The campaign against the victimisation of students at Stirling University has come to a temporary halt. The occupation of the Administration Block has been ended after a compromise settlement by which Professor Asa Briggs, vice-chancellor of Sussex University, will be asked to nominate an 'independent' investigator to conduct an inquiry into the disciplinary hearings which followed the demonstration against the Queen last October.
But while this agreement obviously represents a limited victory for the students over the previously unyielding administration, it does nothing to resolve the basic issues at stake. This becomes clear if one looks back over the course of the struggle to its origin.
The original demonstration suffered from a lack of clarity about the politics of the action. The subsequent fury from the ruling class surprised the student body, and this has made it possible for a section of the leadership in Stirling to fight the victimisations on purely reformist grounds: the courts were biased, the press were biased, etc., and to see the issues as primarily internal to the university. There has been progressively less concern to defend the original demonstration itself as attack after attack has been made by the authorities.
The majority of students, and sections of the left, had not been prepared for such a ferocious attack, not understanding the serious function of the monarchy for the bourgeoisie. It is used as a card by the ruling class to rally wavering support to its side. Thus the Queen may soon be called upon to support 'our troops' against Irish 'terrorists", or 'our government" in the fight against the trade unions. To allow the students to show disrespect for the Majesty of her person without reaction, would reduce the effectiveness of a Royal appeal in the future. Thus it was necessary to discredit the student demonstration and show that it was just a few drunks and lefties who participated. Thus also it is necessary for all to side clearly with the Stirling students.
'SO LONG AS THERE IS IMPERIAL. I.M, THERE WILL BE WAR' Mick Gosling reports on the Yorkshire Indochina Solidarity Conference.
Well over 200 people attended the Yorkshire Indochina Solidarity Conference held in Leeds