kept out in the General Flection.
The trade union leaders will he doing all they democratic wishes of the mass of trade unionists do mol rock Callaghan's election bout.
Pressure at the hase of the labour mement and the need to put up a left smoke screen on the 12-monih rule means that the demand for the 35 hour anck will figure prominenily in the Insid that productivis working week, opposition to the manoeuvres must be So to Phase 4.
35 hour week deuling'TUE proceedings. But once again there will be a catch when the TLC leaders and reduction in the The key themes for fighting The TUC-Callaghan No to the 12-month rule', and 'For the No productivity left to win the movement to socialist policies'. period. has changed, CLIVE TURNBULL explains:
Tie demise of the Broad Left in the AUEW. signalled so graphically Bob Wught's defeat at the hands of a righr-wing nonentics, reveals the bankruptcy of the CP's strategy. The old lettst such as Hugh Scanlon and Jack Jones had become champions of the Government's Social Contract, defending an incomes policy. cuts and VERBAL The CP chose not 10 Dreak WiLl Scanian. There was vertal opposition to Labour's austerity measures, even an LEDTU conference in three years, but no action, no independent initiatives ПООСК АПОСЯГа. set at the special TUC in tune 1976 ENE DANCE MA where Ken Gill, the CP leader of the ALEW-TASS, abstained despite his union's decision to oppose wage controls:
The most recent example has been the Speke closure. There was no real difference between the rationalisation of Brinh Lauland in 1975 and Cost of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders in 1971. The asked to pay once again for a capitalist crisis of over-production and declining profits. LABOUR Only this time it was a Labour Government trying to save a lame duck Tony Benn was not available this time to lead a demonstration through Liverpool against closure, as he had done in Glasgow seven years earlier. He the sackings.
And the CP had also moved on, now occupying manngement positions in this particular subsidiary FROM THE mid-1960s to the fall of the Heath Government, Britain saw a series of working class struggles unprecedented since the Second World War, The Communist Party was in the forefront of every major battle. Their strategy was: unite with the Labour In the unions, from national executives to branch meetings, the CP allied with the Labour lefts, as the "best fighters" against the right wing, the employers, and the Tories. They succeeded in occupying the space opened up by the left trade union bureaucracy They mobilised for the demonstrations and strikes against the Industrial Relations Act and supported all wage claims in the But since the election of Labour and the collapse of its left, a lot Britain Lid. brough participation. by In the last two weeks of Janunty.
Morning Dulfy. opposing Michael Edwardes' plans to carve up LevianE chairperson oF BLMC combine shop sewards. Longonaee convenor, and Labour CP mensber. finishing with the cry: you have only obe course.. fight the plan to carve up Leyland.' The fallowing day the Morning Star reported that al the Kenilworth meeting where Edwardes land tobesplit -12,500 jobs for the axe" were presented, to 'have voted against would have Ard man CP members sul wonde why the Morning Stur is in a state of REDUNDANCY further Acting "responsibly provided only token opposition when 2 plant. "Not a nut, not a bolt will leave the plant', "responsibly he remained silent on how this was to be achieved, Nothing was done to mobilise for a fight against the full-time officials who using lo segotiate better redundanc terms.
The Speke struggle highlighted the second major weakness of the CP's industrial strategy The call by the BLMIC combine shop stewards for opposition to the Speke Ciosure was hased solely on trade union solidarity — the operation of our long standing resolution on the transler oi work Great Butibe Edwardes plan means closure alternative to the LUTILEMILEILS the Derek Robinson, WUESTS participate in the working class. chen wrote a fenture For - close ranks, unite and capitalism transitional CTISIS appeared imrespoutible."
Such developing relianoc KOOLINOI Were simply 3,000 it's programme.
"pure to struggle.
redundancies at Long bridge, speed-ups at Rover, victimisa lion at Cowley, and so on Inscead of allowie Edwardes to play oll bitc section of workers against anotber, an steel we do could pete a us an Speke closure workers in a common scruggle for work-sharing with no loss of pay and the fight for the 3f hoer week. TRANSITIONAL But the CP does not tike the needs of the working class as its starting point. Its slovan is: "Save Leyland employers Leyland' as a sourceof profits from car ANCE Sons hived off to private capital once rationalised at the expense of the working class, Mililant Her ninne socialists, can't such schemies. Dur starting point has to be the interests of struggles are linked to the fight ngainst demandwich dearly identify the demands These Inflation, unemplowment, etc • with lue canta ist class, and otter a solution at the expense of that class INDEPENDENT melbod 15 based the independent self-activity of the working class, placing no bureaucracy, or the bourgeois state, IC carry through the struggie The third major weakness of the CP's industrial strategy is its failure to build this independent self-activity of the working class. When was the Broad Left ever mohilised as a campaigning organisation, taking the fight on wage or amalgamation onto the shopfloor? Where have CP members fought te build local committees of the LCDIL inthe towns and factories up and down the country? What happened to the action committees called for by the delegates of the Labour Movement Assembly in 1976? REBUILD LEFT The reaction of militants to the failure of the L.CDTU or the Broad Left can't be to cheer, or imagine that some alternative launched by revolutionaries can fill the gap. A fight bias to be started for a united apposition means fighting to rebuild the left in the unions, uniting with those members of the CP or Broad Lett who are prepared The CP and Labour left cannot be For ignored. Despite the setbacks they still command a base out of'all proportion to the satall forces of the revalutionary lell. winoing thai hase means lighting for united action with the CP and Labour lefts wherever possible, but organising independently the minute they hang back This is the political alternative we at the Socialist Challenge Trade Union conference on 1 Transporito SC.TE canference MANCHESTER: Sc Peters Square 8.30ams. Cost t2 Contact Socialist centre 061-236 2352.
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