of the Labour Government policies to the Tories.
bosses. Look at the figures.
as fast as wages, one and a half million.
cent growth per annum.
Labour pact. "look like tea parties'.
Transport General Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers bargaining' formulas.
not be opened up for twelve months.
And when 1978 17.5 per cent.
workers will face savage attacks this winter.
workers against the pay policy could expect * across the board claims the drop in real wages under substantial increase in living * for a E50 minimum wage;
income.
Solidarity against wage controls. Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.
Distribution 01-359 8371
the social contract LET US take a hard look at the facts and figures of the Social Contract. Denis Healey accused the two left MPs, Jeff Rooker and Audrey Wise, of delivering up the gains The only gains that have come have been for the The Government's Central Statistical Office show that in the last year living standards have declined by five percent. Prices have risen over the last nine montns twice Profits have soared by 26 per cent.
Dole queues this summer will number in their ranks Far from trade union sacrifice leading to growth, production still stagnates at one per The electoral disasters that have beset Labour as a direct result of these policies have forced them to shore up their parliamentary position through the LiberalBut thereal foundations of the policy, the twin support of Scanion and Jones are beginning to crack. Ben Rubner of the furniture workers union described their dilemma very well. Speaking to a resolution at the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Workers Unions for'an immediate return to free collective bargaining at the end of the second stage of the Social Contract he said that If the resolution was not passed there would be disputes which would make the toolroom and Heathrow strikes The resolution was passed by the Workers The top leaders of the trade unions know they cannot openly canvass for a further round of incomes policy. So they cloak their intentions with all sorts of 'free collective The real content of such manoeuvres lies in what the TUC is promising the Government. Murray, Scanion and the rest have heavily emphasised that wage contracts will That means for many workers there will be no increase until 1978 and for some the summer of 1978. This means enduring another year of rampant inflation with no compensation.
even the best-organised workers face a declaration of intent by the TUC to keep wage rises under 10 per cent when inflation is running at Butthis generosity will not extend to the low paid and public sector workers. Faced with wage controls, Tory councils, cuts and rail-roading trade union leaders these The big-business magazine, The Economist, calls for the next step in the attack on the working class to be the taking on of the public sector and crushing them.
The massive deployment of police at Grunwicks shows what sort of treatment any prolonged struggle by such The ruling class aim to divide and rule, by smasning up the low paid, giving concessions to the strongest of the strong and isolating the rest. By putting forward policles which further divide the working class through their agreement with a Phase 3 'by the back door' the Scanions and Murrays are aiding Callaghan, the Tories and the employers in this attack. Faced with the manoeuvres of the TUC the reply has to be clear and to the point: * an immediate return to free collective bargaining;
for full compensation for Phases 1 and 2, and tor a standards;
* for equal pay for women with no strings attached;
* forinflation proofing of all wage deals to maintain real all those going Into combined with these demands should be the basis of organisation for class struggle militants In the fight conditions including:
fulfilied, and yet Jones behind the 5 per cent pay limit. RESISTANCE pay policy can carry free collective bargaining.
ES LOCONE that:
a total social programme ory Service.
of the bargain. own union beadquarters!
illusion that "neutrally" arbitrate between agement and struggle Lodge for Jones the le. pounds shifting his delegates across the Irish Sea.
Jack Jones, architect of the Social Contract, will have a bit of explaining to do. He sold the Social Contract to the last conference in 1975 on tight lower unemployment, massive public spending Contract, by increases", and 'strict price controls'. None of these conditions have been used that motion as his "authority" to put the TGWU's 1.9 million votes at the TUC One brief and terse motion at this SALLOEU rear's conference from the powerfu London Region Car Trade Group committee sums up the membership's sense of betrayal at Jones and the TGWU General Executive Commitice'sconduct of the last two years, The resolution proposes That this con ference ensures that the 1977 BDC policies are upheld and pursued to the benefit of the membersof the TGWU'.
Along with the miners" conference, the TGWU is one of the last major union conferences of the summer Union conferences over the last few months — especially NUPE's - have shownastrong rank and file resistance to the Social Contract. However, in four branches, most cases the burcaucracies have conceded certain ground, but beld on to the central terrain of agreeing to discuss with the Covernment further Murray and Healey are twiddling heir thumbs in 'low key" discussion: al present, while they await the conference decisions. Exactly how far they can push a third year of wage restraint will depend very much on whether the executive of the TGWU their principal motio abelling the third phase of the Socia Contract as the orderly retura to cent rise . As can be seen from this motion, the orderly recurn makes a lew concessions such differentials, but in reality it is lictle different from the 1975 catalogue of unkept promises Jack Jones argument for his policy will not be perely defensive. He will be saying, as he wrote in the Februar issuc of the union paper, the Record, developed... not as a pay policy but as In chat article he cited pension increases, cqual pay, the success of the Arbitration, Conciliation and Advisand the Employment Protection Act, as evidence that the Labour Government had kept its side These cynical arguments are not hard to expose pensions have failen by 18 per cent in real terns since the last rise. If equal pay has been won, then why was it necessary for the women at Trico to strike for 21 weeks, and the Yardley equal pay strikers to occupy Jones The ACAS machinery rests on the body сал that:
InSE workers. As for the Protection Act. the Grunwick strikers. could explain the Tailure of that piece of legislation strugale of hotel in work opportunicy. workers at the Randolph and Linton The union recognition gives Jones' social programme is capped about the possible mass lobbying of the conference to spend several thous off by the Bullock report, under the disguise TOUSICI democracy". Jones attemps to extend the binding of the working class workplace-by-workplace integration into management asture power destructre o full-timers responsible to him or her Committee welcomes the Bullock report. Unfortunately there are no motions tabled in opposition to To denounce Jones' programme 1s not cnough. The call for a return to free collective bargaining by itself fails to answer the arguments that the Social Contract is a total social programme'. It fails to overcome the divisions between lower and highe Jones argues in the Record that under the Social Con tract "millions received the highest pay award in their lives'- Many ow-paid TGWU workers accept this line of argument.
That is why it is encouraging to see a number of motions from branches around the country that put forward elements of an alternative programme, a real "social programme in the interests of the working class.
Nine branches put down motions calling for a sliding scale of wages, Including motion 25 endorsed by which instructs the GEC to break off all support of the Social Contract, to return ta free collective barganing and to give no support to incomes policy whether voluntary or statutory' and goes on *Instruct the GEC to work together with the membership to light for substantial wage increases to restore living standards and to fight for the inclusion of a sliding scale of wages clause in any wage agreement, so that real after tax wages are increased monthly by I per cent for every 1 per issessed by elected communes o trade union members.
Several motions also call for a Since the last TGWU conference, a number of isolated struggles have been fought by TGWU members.
Many militants in the union have registered their disgust at the union's policing of their struggles on behalf ONE BRANCH of the transport union which will be leading the figh class struggle policies at the isle of Man Conference will be the Co 5/293 branch. And it seems that this is one reason for its threat dismemberment by union officiaidom and the right wing.
Alan Tharnett, ai branch delegate to the isain opposition resolation.to the Social Contruct palicies of the Jones" leadership.
This year, as well as fighting alongside other branches proposing an anti-capitalise wagepolicy fortheunion, the branch has pur doun motions which include the declaration in view of the failure of the Sex Discratination Act and Equal Pay Act 1c achieve suanly Jar WOnSEn workers, Conference resolves to ensure chat equal pay for egant work is conceded at all rimes and will strive toaholish the cootinuing inequality Conden apartheid, 'supports the African liberation struggles" and cails for a total bluck on al trade with South Africa. of capitalism's "Social Contract 57,000 votes received in the n General Secretary clections by candidates Riley, Thorett and nett signal an emerging leit op tion to the leadership.
The TGWU is very casily contr by the General Secretary throug historical power of a structur full-timers responsible to him or and through the divisive wa which the differeat trade group played off against each Lothe organised opposition will be dif across so diverse a union This conference provides an or tunity to start to construct suc opposition around the linked tions of union democracy anc Social Contract. The delegates those branches which have t motions for the sinding scale ne organise together at the Villa Ma fiercely resist being composited and offer a real way forward: mass of TGWU members who their votes and their motions Jones new caltion o1 the Contract.
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AT THE VILLA MARINA, Douglas, Isle of Man on 4 July delegates asser for the Biennial delegate conference of the Transport and General Worl Union. It seems that the leader of Britain's largest union is concerned eno