The 35-hour week will feature prominently in the discussions at the TUC. But any campaign for its implementation is strictly something for the future. least that's how the bureaucrats would like it, for the campaign for the shorter working week to create more jobs has been indefinitely postponed. With wage resuraint destroying more joos by ine day, the resolution from the Transport and General Workers Union calls for 35 hours only after return to collective bargaining!
Even last year's recommendation from the General Council that at least negotiators try get 40 hours industry has remained a dead letter. And not surprisingly. Under the £6 limit any reduction in hours was at the expense of wages.
In the engineering industry around 1 million hours a week overtime is worked. The imposition of a national ban on overtime by the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers would create 40,000 jobs. Yet stage two of the pay policy puts exactly restrictions as the E6 limit on gaining a recuction in nours.
EMBARGO The 35-hour week, a national embargo on overtime, the first steps to force jobs have to be based on the clear principle of work-sharing with no loss of pay. The bosses must be forced to which would mean a further 200,000 jobs in the mechanical enginsering industry alone if the 35-hour week was implemented.
million unemployed, the fight for work-sharing with no loss of pay also has to be extended to the unemployed by demanding that they cuestoned.
remproyment oy exporting it workers abroad discrimination from their members does not augur well for this.
receive full pay. So far, very few unions avan alow members, let alone campaign for programmes or socially works to be paid for at trade union rates. BACKHANDER free The TUC's 'warnings' about unemployment have been limited to applause Government's ployment subsidy in 100,000 off the dole queues by giving backhanders to the bosses workers' taxes schemes. Instead of demanding opening of the books and popularising the initiative of the Lucas Aerospace shop stewards in producing plans for alternative socially useful production, Ine TUC has simply asked National Enterprise Board be major role in industrial recovery' Sama The NEB's idea of industrial recovery cost 30,000 jobs in Leyland last year.
Only a prooramme of nationalisation under workers control, paid for through the expropriation prepared for through the opening of the books, can guarantee the right to work.
Perhaps for once we can leave the last word on jobs to the bureaucrats.
National Union ployees has submitted a motion which concludes unar in me dosence or such create socially just society, Congress believes that the imposition of wage controls will fail to solve the deep-seated crisis of capitalism, attacks on living working people as the crisis recurs and deepens.
Let's make them do something about it!
Shamim Khan is thirteen. His parents live in Slough. Last week he won a stay of execution on a deportation order. He arrived at Heathrow Airport without a permit order eight weeks ago, since when immigration officials have been challenging whether Shamim is his parents' son - a fact that the Inland Revenue has never That such inhuman practices exist is a result of the immigration laws. instead of waging a campaign against immigration controls, the TUC over the past year has called for a further reduction in work permits issued to foriegn nationals - a logical counterpart to its reactionary call for import controls to stem that it divides and splits the working class. But before the TUC can effectively tly combat racist poison, it must put its own house in order by dropping its call for cuts in work permits and taking a principled position of opposition to all forms of immigration controls. The unfavourable TUC reaction to a Home Office suggestion that shop stewards be held responsible if they fail to take up complaints of racial | unemoove• to remain useful public temporary which has kept out ol and "job creation'