TGWU must fight wage control

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that the Tory move is insignificant. In seeking to drag unemployed youth into their war machine, and school them in military discipline, Thatcher plainly hopes the reactionary environment will shape their later attitudes. Many, they hope, will decide to join the professional gangsters in the armed forces -others return with new or reinforced racist and pro-imperialist prejudices.

Already, too many young people have been forced through 'economic conscription' into the desperate "solution" of a career in the forces. The labour movement must step up propaganda and other campaigning to prevent more being drafted in. HE political back-up for nanagement, who have been ighting strikes over the past ew weeks, was reemphasised esterday by Tory Chancellor reoffrey, Howe, when he said hat despite the advances hich have been made in prouctivity, there is still a lot of inefficiency" to be "rootedut".

The message is very clear. The ffensive against the working class n the shop floor and against the op stewards' movement is to be ressed forward, despite the irrent fightback by thousands of orkers.

Despite this determination by oth government and emplovers appears that the AUEW EC : its meeting on Tuesday made •_ moves to make the strike : the Cowley assembly plant fficial - a situation which could fluence the TGWU which meets Cuts bulletin - available for SAE from 25 East Park Close, Manchester 1 ailed report at a press conence in County Hall. lepresentatives were there m the Hackney Health Eme icy Campaign, St Mary's W campaign against closure o , clinice in Hammersmith, Greenwich Health Camju, South London Hospital, conard's, Barnet Health hority, and Dreadnought men's Hospital. jontact: Lucy de Groot, c/o 34 ston Lane, London E8.

CZARARRI on Thursday to consider official backing.

This creates a dangerous situation. Although official sanction is not the most important factor in the strike, decisions for official support would demonstrate that the TGWU and AUEW are serious in their support for the strikers and would give them confidence to continue.

Like other strikes at the present time, the main danger is isolation in front of determined employers. The Joint Shop Stewards Committee at the Cowley Assembly Plant will be meeting at 11 am on Thursday, two hours before the next mass meeting, to consider the outcome of negotiations held last Monday.

The stewards are certain to recommend rejection of the latest "offer" by BL which is merely to postpone the introduction of bell-to-bell running for an extra week. At the moment it appears that the full time officials, who for the first time ever at the Cowley assembly plant are claiming to be leading the strike, will support such a recommendation.

The officials, particularly David Buckle of the TGWU, are using conditions created by management under which convenors who speak publicly in support of the strike face disciplinary action, to become the public spokesmen for the strike.

The shop stewards meeting on Monday took the important decision to elect a strike committee, and charged it to administer the strike between shop stewards meetings and to take part in negotiations if necessary with BL management.

• There is little doubt that short of a complete reversal by the officials before Thursday's mass meeting, that the vote will be to continue the strike, which is seen by the workers not just as opposition to bell-to-bell working, but as fightback against hardline management.

Initiatives

BL, however, are unlikely to sit back and see the strike continue without taking initiatives to try to smash it. Up to now they have held back from their usual tactics of sacking threats because of the sheer strength of the strike. But they are now in a very difficult position. Four important models have been paralysed for three weeks, including the new Maestro, the most important new model since BL was formed in 1968.

They will therefore be forced to make some move to try to break the strike. Workers and shop stewards must be ready for that move when it comes.

Labour Party leadership in the event of Labour returning to power.

Current policy oî the 1.8 million strong union is for free collective bargaining and against any form of wage constraint. That has been the policy since Jack Jones was defeated on the social contract issue at the Isle of Man conference in 1977.

The conference is back to the Isle of Man again this year, with Moss Evans having equivocated over the last year, on the wage policy issue.

As usual there are a number of resolutions on the agenda against any form of wage control. This year there are l1 resolutions calling for free collective bargaining with three in favour of a social contract. My own branch, the 5/293 has a resolution along the following lines: "That this conference is opposed to all incomes policies and all controls of wages by any government and will defend the principle of free collective bargaining.

The significance however is not in the fact that there are more resolutions against the social contract than in favour. The most significant thing is that the General Executive Council have no resolution on the agenda on wage policy, whilst at each conference since 1977 there has been a clear (though inadequate) GEC resolu-s tion against wage controls, which did at least declare their position.

This year there is ominously no GEC resolution at all on the subject. Delegates to the conference should therefore be prepared for a possible battle on the issue since the pressures on the TGWU leadership to fall into line with Michael Foot and the TUC as an election approaches are very strong.

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