Motions to discuss May Day at last week's conference of the Electrical and Plumbing Trades. Union were voted down in line with the aim of EPTU leader Frank Chapple and the right wing to use the conference to push for a deal with the Tores over the summer, Chapple used the occasion to renew his attacks on the TUC, garnishing them with antiCommunist cracks: I find it difficult to understand why a TUC General Council can send a delegation half-way acrosa the world to visit a Russian trade union organisation - a satrap organisation - and yet will refuse to go to Downing Street, a bus ride away, simply be. cause this is a Tory Government we don't like. Chapple's contempt for the working class movement is coupled with cynical bureaucratic abuse of his own members. Motions to make him take up the presidency of the union which he won last year, so leaving the post of General Secretary open for election, were deTeated under the pretext that no elections for such posts should take place while the possi bility of a merger with either the AUEW or the GWU existed.
After the delegates bad spoot a good half of the conferco ce discussing constitutional questions during which they voted themselves an 80% increase in conference expenses - the question of the Industrial Relations Act came up. Here there was an upset for the Red Weekly 12 May 1973 Page 2 EPTU leader Frank Chapple Chapple wants the TUC to endorse registration, but to do this he has to avoid any hasty registration of the EPTU. When his own base pre sented motions calling for a ballot which they thoughe they could tix in tavour of registration. Chapple tried to get conference to pass both these and others supporting a tougher line against the Act, so leaving him with a free hand. But only those opposing the Act were carried. Still, not to worry. Chapple explained afterwards that 'the EC still has to govem the union" and a ballot could not be ruled out pation as a focus to explain the purpose of the campaien to the mass of the students, to forec their governors and Academic Board mombers to take a public stand on the campaign, and to show the NUS that occupations and similar actions can be used to take the campaign forward, It was in order to begin to centralise such experiences that the MG took the initiative at the end of last term in calling for a national Grants Conference. The conference should attempt lo provic some definite series of measures which can be co-ordinated by NUS and taken up by all militants in the Grants Campaign, in order to provide a sharp generalised defence of the rent strikes and the campaigo.
The NUS Executive is sending along two consultative representatives to the conferenco, which takes place io London this Saturday, 12 May. The International Socialists are backing the conference, und a number of CP students are expec ted to attend as delegates. The conference will be open to delegates eiected from students' unions or Grants Action Comittees, and to non-voting observen, and will take place in the of wages in an effort to keep down costs, keep Old Theatre, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2. Registration begins ut 10.00 a.m. and the conference will end at 5.00 p.m. All correspondence to: Andre Gros, Thames Polytechnic Student Union, Wellington Street, London S.E.18 (01-854 3162).
LAWRIE SWIFT cach struggling to maintain an es change rate which permits its exporters to make profits at competilive prices, and could well ignite the not world monetary crisis. In addition, by forcing up import prices, it would mean a further politically provocative squeeze on workers living standards.
WORKING CLASS But in any case the Tories canoot solve the problem without sharpening the economic attack on the working class. Another was this could happen is through deflation reducing imports by cutting back (through credit controls and higher taxes) the present growth in produetion and raising unemployment again. The Tories must try to avoid this siree It is only growing production, along with Phase Il wage control which gives any latitude for restoring some of British capital's still hard squeezed profitability.
With so little room for economie manoeure, the Tories will be forced to answer the balance of payments problem largely in the way they answer the profitability crisis from which it derives - by maintaining direct legal control up compecitiveness and reduce purchasing The astoundingly bad trade figures, therefore. are no aberration. They result from ongoing economic trends, and they should serve as a clear warning to the working class of the Tory government's intentions for Phase Ill of its attack on wages. / Michael Price
Next weekend the Anti-Internment League is holding a conference on the röle of the troops in Ireland. Here GERY LAWLESS looks at the latest