ONCE UPON A TIME Jack Jones and Denis Healey got together to explain how wage rises were bad hecalise they caused inflation. Hold back wages, they said, and we'll have inflation down to single figures in no time. That was 18 months ago.
Wages have been held back mercilessly since then. A survey published last week by Reward Regional Surveys Ltd showed that the average household is now E10 a week poorer than in July 1975.
Prices, on the other hand, have defied Healey's law by continuing to rocket upwards. They rose January by 2.6 percent biggest monthly increase for almost two years — to reach an annual rate of 16.6 per cent. Food prices have risen by 23.5 per cent over me as veat THE BIG LIE is falling apart, for all "Beaver Jones's efforts to dam up our wages in a third round of Day DOnCy. Bast weekDrus! Leyland shop stewards - many of them Jones s own members took the unprecedented step of summoning a 'rank-and-file TUC Birmingham debate a return to free collective bargaining. This will be followed by a day of action' and mass lobby when Parliament assembles after Easter -on 19 April.
These proposals support they have already wonshow the scale of the opposition which is building up to the Social Con-trick. But there are a couple of lessons which have to be drawn from those "18 wasted months'.
* It's no good waiting for action from the trade union leaders. The 'rank-and-file TUC seir une task or organising indep endent action, CommItTee Trade did Industrial Relations Bill. 3 April to it seems clear. the Leyland stewards' intention is merely to pressurise the bureaucrats into opposing further restraint. This is borne out by the • probably same stewards' action against Leyland. We say: support, extend, coordinate all struggles against the Social Contract now!
* This fight needs policies. No-one — not even the CBl against a return to free collective bargaining. The question is how, KIDS RO L ICT. WEEKLY