its 'moderation' "No one pointed out that the ability even its limited programme depenas on the strength of the working class, not •" sector of the market may be stemmed' productivity and keep wage costs down the Troops Cot sentiment inside the then the industry may have a future.
Ise tunenual to the rock closures of pits, redundancies and the The miners, especially the left, have for many decades prided them industry and not just 'the rate for the against ocher enerio-producing indus tries. Nationalisation of _he minca was i victory for the working class. But it has hecome increasingly obvious that by itself nationalisation changes little.
It is necessary for the miners, along with the workers from the of refinpianis ere, to claborate a programme of workers control to put into effect an integrated plan of energy producopolies, capitalist industrialists, and The Troops Out Movement met in conference on Saturday 6 July. It had the lask of dociding its new policy in the light of the tremendous boost given to WOTKINg ClasS wilD the crisis bE moperi list stratepy following the loyalist victory. Unfortunatuly the TOM proved Sixteen TOM branches from most parts of England attended, Despite the fact that none of thu major political tendencies of the left outside of the IMG were there, the reprasentation was clearly a promising beginniog.
The TOM had previously chalked up Troops Out Conference on May 11th had accracted the first signiticant forces Inside the TU movement. And the Lon don rally on July let had gathered toecther thu widest lorees of the workers movement on the principled platform of troop withdrawal. Joar Maynard spoke from tie Labour Parry and the Communist Purty was there in the guise of the Hritish Poace Committoo, But although the TOM hud pulled aft these events the TOM itself had not Increased its members. Bocause of this the IMG argued in the conference that the TOM should be very flexible as to how ine movement snomic no organisa. or all the main initiatives of the TOM, united fronts should be formed which could include the widest possible representatior even from quarters that might nover play a consistent role in the TOM Sut unfartanately the deloriles adopted a constitution for the TOM of an incredbly dettiled nature which can only erect barriers to involving other forbos For example, involvement in the TOM had to be in laent committees of TOM pure, and simple. There was to be no national representation of the various national political organisations. All Instiatives were seen as being channelled through the structures of the TOM rather than united fronts of the widest possible forces. This is a big mistake. There is co way that the TOM, at its prescut stage of development, can mobilise cough forces to make a decisive impact an the consciousness of the workine class or to sarce a major shilt ir British strategy. Neither on its present cours: will it be able to deepen and take advantage of the incipient split inside the Labour Party on the question of troop withdrawal.
present decisions and structure of the TOM are irreversible. Practice will indicate very soon the wild over estimation that the TOM has of its credibitity and arrest its sectarian development. Afa local level and leading up to the next conferenoe, the ING will attempt to revorse the sectarian DECISH IS OT BEAST CONCENCE AND Fight for the widest possible wited front.
In any event some useful iniciatives HE POLE LEOM WIL CONCLUDE AG anti-white papers to be produced by the TON for wide distribution inside to working class und a rally is projected out side the TUC Conference. A mass picket of Downing Street is being called if the Emergency Powers Act is re-enacted by the Labour Government and a demonstration is being organised to the Labour Party Conferencu The IMG will support these initiatives but will light for support from the trade union movement and for the participation DOE OUTER JOLE FORCES ROL 10 00 103L10 particular it will fight for an sutumn con Jerenee of all those peepared to campaign for Troops Out of Ireland. Hopefuly the TOM will-balt its sectarianism and agree Red Weekly 11 July 1974 Page
01o: ROY CORNIVALI national average.
typewriters a dav This has meant a loss to the The agreement stipulated that the producing 168 typewriters a day.
working conditions. Low wages, grim work conditions and race discrimination lie at the roots of the Imperial Typewriters' strike.
Pay is in the region of E25 for mon and E18 for women. These rates are respectively C14 and 69 below the, backlash The wages structure is a piece straight from Alice in Wonderland - without the loughs.
In Section 61, where the dispute began, the bonus had boon based on producing 200 workers of over E500 in two ycars bonus rate would he calculated on Obviously the management were not too disturbed by this little oversight" but how explain the union's neglect? The Asian workers were incensed at the lack of interest shown by the union in their pay and many workers NOMINATED Seventy per cent of the worktorce are Asian - mostly in the TGWU. There were only 16 shop stewards for 1600 workers The Asian workers had nominated three official channels, The he arrogantly announced that he was not allowing meetings of TWE branch 5/221. He has talked about minorities dictating to majorities and people who do not "understand or respect our institutions and muttered about the possibility of a white The militancy of the Asian workers is seen - and quite correctly so - by Bromley and Weaver as a direct challenge to them. Before the workers started demanding their rights and before they insisted on determining what the union did, these two could lise nice cony lives, uninterrupted by having to come into conflict with management. Weaver's job as convenor -with a management-provided office - kept him away from the drudee of the production line. He kept that jub by proving his reliability to management, instead of representing the interests of the workers agast management To defend their positions, Weaver and Bromley have used the racism which so deeply attects - the National Front got 9000 votes in Leicester at the last election.
Despite these tremendous obstacles the strike has been fought by the workers with tremendous courage and tenacity. Forced back on their own resources they have been compelled to huild their own organisation to fight the strike.