all time record levels on the London шаткс wu cocoa conne wie d hair's breadth of its record 1974 level. Copper, lead and zine prices are also soaring (see graphs). The impact of the falling value of the pound and rising commodity prices Will be at least a 4 per cent increase in prices in the next year.
Add that to the fact that the employers will add on two per cent to prices just to finance the pay deal, and that Healey's changes in indirect taxation in the budget added 1 per cent to the cost of living and, even before "normal increases in prices are taken into account, we have 7 per cent inflation compared with a 6 per cent wage deal.
But that's not all! The bosses have made it clear that they want yet higher prices to produce bigger profits - mey re lookmg ror al least a 50 per cent increase in profits - allegedly to finance investment in industry. At the moment, are being financed' by productivity drives on existing plant, putting more workers on the dole - a policy being actively encouraged by the Government's industrial strategy and the National Enterprise Board.
Never mind, though, higher prices mean bigger profits, and CallA "sign-in" of unemployed teachers is to be organised by the Inner London Teachers Association on 26 May. It will take place at the National Union of Teachers headquarters, Hamilton House, between 5.30 and 7.30 pm.
The decision was taken by the Finance and General Purposes Committee of ILTA, which also adopted an amendment moved by supporters of the Socialist Teachers Conference calling upon the NUT Executive to endorse ILTA being represented on the 26 May Council and where possible by one person for each of the 2,000 schools in the division.
also moved that ILTA negotiate with to allow time off so that all London teachers could participate in the demonstration. This resolution was also passed overwhelmingly, and it was expected that it would be endorsed along with the others by the ILTA Council at its meeting on 11 May.
for the Healey deal demonstration by the 80-strong Divisional return to work.
North London Teachers Association meets in Scarborough to discuss the latest TUC-Government deal on wage restraint and other matters.
Not so long ago the AUEW was regarded in many quarters as the pillar of opposition to the Tories. But in the last year it has taken a major shift to the right, and the National Committee is likely to vote support Starting with his withdrawal of the AUEW resolution on the 'social contract at the 1974 TUC, Scanion has slowly but surely taken the union along the path traced out by rightwing general secretary John Boyd. He has played a leading role on the TUC General Council in working out the details of the new sell-out, he has openly called for cuts in public spending, and in the recent toolmakers strikes at British Leyland he intervened directly to order a Scanlon's move to the right has been made possible, however, by the silence of the Broad Left on all the key issues facing the rank-and-file. This alliance of the Communist Party and Labour 'lefts' has breathed hardly a word of criticism of Scanlon's capitulation. At no level of the union, apart from a bit of resolution mongering, has the Broad Left even attPhoto: ANDREW WIARD (Report) Ked Weekly 13 May 1976
Umons.
wage cuts.
and 26 May Not so long ago Hugh Scanlon was declaring his absolute and complete sup port for the Government's economic strategy in the wake of Chancellor Healey's slashing attacks on social spending. Last Wednesday he got the chance to prove it. Along with 24 other members of the TUC General Council, he voted for Phase Two of the Government's pay deal, Last year the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers executive opposed wage No less significant was the fact that Ray Buckton, leader of the drivers' union ASLEF and star turn at the National Assembly on Unemployment also voted for the deal. This was not mentioned in the Communist Party's paper, the Morning Star. Equally the 'lefts' in Parliament raised not a murmur of protest when Healey crowed over his triumph in the House of Com Meanwhile Tony Benn was informing the delegate conference of the Lancashire miners of his unqualified support for the next round of The complete and utter capitulation of the lefts' in the face of the new Healey deal has also exposed the Communist Party's refusal to break from the left bureaucracy and wage a campaign for independent class action in Kight to Work/26 May