is involved.
A look at the wage claims coming up, and those being fought now, show two glaring problems. First the energy of the workers movement is being used up in ragged, decentralised strugeles. And second, no major groupwith the fading possibility of the NUM has the weight to pull this fight together.
The key to this is that the social contract has not been clearly smashed. This is not just because its woolly limits can be expanded or contracted at will by embarrassed ministers, but because no big sector has launched an all-out national fight for a substantial wage claim.
The result of all this has been a spread of clains and a rash of struggles. The AFU claim is therefore a watershed for millions of workers, at least on these issues. The Labour Government will certainly want it to be curtailed by the Government will certainly want it to be curtailed by the social contractand seen to be curtailed by the rest of the working class So far Scanlon appears to want to play Wilson's game right down the of the basic rate for skilled and unskilled of 20 per cent, He argues for this in terms that it does not increase our In an astonishing proposal made on Monday, Labour Minister Michuel Foot launched a new, partially tarted-up, version of in Place of If you are a militant in the AEU, your eyes will probably be focussed on the debate in the national committee this weekend. PAUL SMITH explains that the importance of the discussion, around the nature of the AUEW's claim to be presented to the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions and then to the employers for 1975, means that more than just the AUEW standard of living but holds it steady. and therefore it is within the social Acceptance of this proposal would mean an extra £6.40 odd on the basic rate of skilled workers, bringing them to ahout £38.40 a week. But even Wilson's game is not cood enouel for the bosses. They need their workers to accept a cut in living standards.
The fact that the nervous Labour Government cannot move to this line without a prospect of being toppled does not engage their sympathy.
Meanwhille the militants are playing the numbers game. Their demand is likely to be for El8 for skilled, and the same proportion for unskilled. Whatever claim finally comes out of this weekend's dehberation 1s certain to set the corridors of power buzzing with de cussion. It will meet with the same reaction in in the workers' movement.
EFFECTS A big clain would have some immediate effects. It would be less easy for George Smith of UCATT to complete his stumbling run to the right on the big builders claim (107 per cent for skilled, 87 per cent for unline. His demand is for a consolidation skilled). And it would set up a mod.
el for groups like the local government workers to aim for in their own Torthcoming pay struggles.
Only united fight can save these men's jons-NCB plans to wipe out South Wales coalfield COLIN GROVES looks at Labour's latest union bashing schere. -Her tribunal" which would "try" cases of workers expelled from their trade unions by fellow union members: anent protection from inflation, be dramatic.
tract supporters would be immedwould see a formula protecting all workers wages. A general offensive would gather steam, BACK-OFF ed to lead his third back-off from a about not showing our cards and just passing an enabling motion allowing action up to and including -- -firm against the productivity deal the executive majority of 14 votes Tor, to 11 against will look a little sick. The 11 votes cast against represent a majority of union members. The Yorkshire delegates, well aware of Gormley's phoney majority spelt this out in the resolution put to their delegate meeting on 29 October.
WARNED A unanimoos vote of the dele gates warned the NCH that they would 'retaliate" if the Coal Board continues to distribute propagada on the productivity deal to ind THE MUCES The Yorkshire meeting also called for a substantial wage increase, Their spokesperson Arthur Senreill said he thought "t5000a year tor ince workers would bem une with what was needed." His apt comment on the social contract was: "The onty qualin 1 have ab out the social contract, is that ----- The decision of the Yorkshire miners, a decision tikcty to get the Kent miners, could lead to a tieno:
The real issue, inside and outside the AEU, is organisation of the claim baloneyand the fight. The impact of a claim which included the demand for pertithrough a nil norm threshold would All the waffle of the social conlately undercut. Low paid workers against the bosses, on a united basis.
More immediately important, low- as the first line. And preparations ever, is whether Scanlon will be allow for that must take place in the national fight. All the talk last time EICH SES<< //_ The see-saw straggle over the National Coal Board productivity deal continues BOB PENNINGTON looks at the decision of the Yorkshire miners to throw out the pit-by-pit productivity deal, and spells out what their decision entails.
If Yorkshire and Scotland stand throupl. chopping axe. positields. a national strike" was shown to be The embarrassment of the Communist Party at the national gathering of engineering convenors at this time was so thick you could cut it, They had the facts about Scanlon and the EC's retreat, and they had the weapon in their hands to reverse it. But the sacred alliance with the left burcaucracy even in beltet-skelter retreat won the day again.
Tins time any serious militant must get the commitiment to prepare for all-out strike action written in months to come. It would then be clear that the gloves were off in the - workers movement as a whole. A very necessary lead would have been battle in the NUM. Gormley the right-wing president and devoted -fan of the social contract and a keen believer in productivity deals said on radio: What I am more concerned about is getting this 120 milion tons of coal which we have promised the Acceprance of Gotmley's tine will lead to the breaking of the national unity which was built up in the 1972 and 1974 strikes. In the meantine, as Scargill reported, the NCB incends to clase down a whale series of pits once the productivity deal bas been got CLOSED He says that most pits in Durham and Scarland will be closed. The rest of the remaining Cultibrian pies would go. Nortinibernd awald Jose most oi its pits and the South Wales coalfield would Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and the Mid lands would not be exempt from the NCB The fight in the NUM is essentially shire and the other coaltielis against the new deal sust mount a campaign right through the coal fields. That mensa fight to win the rank and file anay from the right-wing leaderships in the ocbier Workers at the Lucas Acrospace plant factory in Wolverhampron have seized a file of 50 drawing and designs of the Hawier Siddeley HS-146 airbus.
Lucas stopped all work on the drawings after Hawker Siddeley scrapped all work on the airbus. The TASS shop stewards committee have issued a statement saying the designs were "withdrawn from the company's hands..."
The Lucas workers have acted in support of about 100 workmates at the Hawker Siddeley Tactory in Manchester who ace continuing wark on the designs. A workers" take over of the factary was staged in order to gel bold of the blueptints At the Haaker Siddeley factory in Hrough, Hall, workers are conticuing work on the H5146 in deflance of the company's order to atop all work DECISION The docision to begin the work-in was taiken by delegates from die Lues Hawker Siddeles plants ar Brough, Hatheld and Manchester tollowing their icet ang with Been on Friday. Bera told the delega lion that in the government's view the 146 project was still as viable as it was a year ago, in spite of the fact that in the short term sales prospects were not as good as expected.
It was the anly new civil airlines PESCE E BA SHAMA DOSE DE COC mument, and Hawkers decision had been taken unilaterally. Asked about nationalisation, Benn said that it would not be possible to get any nationalisa tion measures throagh immodistely. In view of this stalement, the unions decided to "work-in wotil sach time as nacionalisation was practicable.
At a mass meeting last work at Hrough, members of ALEN, TASS. APEK, ASTMS, etc. employed by Hawker Siddeley voted overwhelmingly tu support the work-in decision, Werkera are occuping the fectory s dessen officer to prevent the compon frou destrosing the pians of the 1+0as bapperiod le the case of the TSR2 project. The workers correctly fear that nationalisation is on the cards, it praject. It is to he hoped that this exprople of die haplemeatation of wockers" control asa necessary prelude to nationalisation will be taken ap elsewhere Al Brough 34-40 warkers, mostly TASS members, were expecting to be made redundant al the end of thin усосо на шонаму, ллц шеге што 2150 more general fears of redundances at