together with our comments.
REPLY TO THE CALL FOR AN OPEN FOREM..
He welcome the proposals put forward by the IMG to the NOISS for a degree of unity. It/s important that unnecessary right are avoided.
Unity at all costs howpror, is not some thing we can support but rather leave to the call fot an open Forum to be another aftempt to found a broad student 440020402040200IES opposition to the majericy on the NUS Executive and the Broad Left. Unfortunicly all previous attempts have boen lunal failures in seriously challenging the a Lant and a rolane to tre mass or adents There is no reason to suppose at a truso alicmpe will overcomo any at a joint sate for the NUS elections and a scrolutionary contingent on NUS demonwald be a mistake. The job of revolu saties is to intervene within the sents from their own colleges and separate themselves from those i to their ideas Whibt we support • for demonstrations for which cal organisations une the main forcu al, Anti-Fascist), we oppose it for US demonstrations in the same way we ppose the idea for demos with largely ade Union delegations (the recent We ape aho opposed to a joint sate ot the NUS elections, and believe it resume Batil March.
News of management's intention when they were told that the company had no contracts and work would cease with the contract for a due for completion. Union officials were invited to inspect the plant's books and confiren that it was in lact running at a loss.
and transfer of orders abroad which i affecting the whole industry, this another sad chapter in the Scottish oil bonanks. When news of these redundancies broke. several MPs offered support for the plant and promised they would take action lo bring work to Leith. A 3-party action group was formed and a numbet of letters were quickly sent to the shop-stewards expressing sympathy. The stewards have nol beard of'any further actions-nor will they since they are now on the dole.
QUESTIONS Meanwhile back at the emply plant, tiere ure some questions that need attending to. Bredero's virtually identical pipo-coating plants at Immingham (near Grimsby) and coincidence that both these plants have appalling undermanning and safety records, and both are weakly organised.
student movement. Forus the key a work amongst rank and file students in the colleges. This cannot be done on simply an ants-Broad Left bash as you sist. Revolitionaries must try and and intervene in stadent strucks. be exploited by cither the Broad Left or the peonsitates work not just around NUS since it is a small minority who an remotely interested in NUS elections bat in propaganda and agitation. on a whole range of issacs.
Hut this is not sufficient. We need TCIEHCBEULS COLES CEL strugie. This cannot he done, by resoluLink has to be provided to a tiving organcation inside the working class.
That is why ninety IS Societies exist in every soctor of education. In a non*claran atmosphere we attempt 1o win заста о тоннотау pouacs and involve them in activities of the IS Societies and the local IS branches.
A joint slate at a national level which was not represented at base would be a ELINAGNIN MISESKE. We are only Interested in winning elections in as far as they represent our real strength in the 848923 the vital task of Bighting for our ideas amongst tank and be students las elected would not be answerable. That is why we will fight the NITS elections as members of NOISS We therefore asjoct the proposal for lus anti-Brow Left alliance.
feel that it will benefit any tendency nor the left as a whole, We welcome discussion on resolutions and spocific campaigns at national and local level. In particular on resolutions for the Faster conterence we the GMWU, the Leith workers joined the TGWU, which the dockers they whale work furce at its plant in Leith, the usual compulsory struggle for worked with were already in. After unson recognition, they succeeded in gaining concessions on manning. safety, redundancies and significuntly was glven to stewards on 17 January, -mised their basic rate from a previous: Steady 4öp per hout to 89p per hour inside two years. Many of these benefils won by militant action at Leith British Gas Corporation pipeline then then had to be conceded to the other plants particularly the rises in wages.
Moreover, the company has still to be puid for both their main contracts of last year (BGS and Oeekentall. Once these are entered into the In the face of the peneral cutback books there is no question of the plant running at a loss for, we bet, of invitations to inspect the books]. announcement may have seemed just. Nor was there any necessity for redundancies, since work-sharing could easily have been instituted with Immingham, us happened in reverse last year when Leith was stretched beyond capacity. It is pot a question ol finding work for an ailing firm, but simply allocating the company's prosent hefty work-load and doing the same with all future contracts BREAK The fact is that management wanted a break. Where last ycar's lay offs failed they hope this year's pay-olf will succeed. Work will begin on a new gas contrael when the management feet contident that the present union stop-floor organisation has been effectively broken. Since ion negotiating righ is will he ip for. grabs and the G&M will be in there Leging to manage the new American-style contrect which management want to While the union at Inmingham is enforce. Despite the lay-off agreeEaster.
by contacting the local IMG.
we willing to discuss with the IMG and the maximum useful unity.
IMG STUDENT COMMISSION REPLY TO THE NOISS the organisations of Lie revolutionary We do not teft and any independent socialist students are not based on a conception of "unity at all costs" nor do we soo it as an attempt to found a broad student organiWe, like the 1S, see that unity around a full programme for students is not at peesent possible because many differences ment won last year, management will then be able to screen the men they want to re-hire and control the rate at which this is done. If they succeed the rule will of course be "Scabs first militants never.
There is another problem: after a break of four weeks men may lose continuity of empicyment and the employer his legal liability to make future redundancy payments coverine previous employment. This gives bosses a marked preference lor those claployees who have worked the Shortest time with the firm. The casualisation of the industry will greatly strongthen the land of management in the new negotiations or which so much depends. While they are unlikely to ahieve their full aims they will have succeeded to the extent that their ability to break workers continuity of employment goes anchallenged.
This single example shows that y workers solution cannet be reached plant by plant, Workers must com bine to impose their demands on the Medial as a whoie. of Bredero-Price show the necessary of workers having direct access to company books and contracting information at ult times, and the need fur link ups through combine committees and to utilise this inform: tien in defence of jobs and unien organisaLon and to impcose condiLons. The workers must begin lo organise the indestry if they are not to he disorpiasied by it. Only throug such organisatan con the démrand Jor hall national sation of the industry uncer warkers control be given Force, and a reai fight to smash the oLf motopolies power be launched.
Edinburgh INC Support for the 'Open Forum' called by IMG students to begin the organisation of effective opposition to the bankrupt leadership of the Broad Left inside the NUS has not been slow arriving.
This meeting is open to all socialist students whatever their political sympathies, and will be held on 23 February in Birmingham University Students Union, from 11 until 6.00, Items on the agenda include the grants campaign this term; the irish, Women's and Eastern Europe cam paigns; as well as the forthcoming national conference of the NUS at 140 students in Birmingham have already signed the call for the Forum. They will not be the only people there. A few of those backing the call are: Fred Carpenter; Neil Taggart (President Leeds University); John Hinton (President Dacorium CFE), Andy Kypri (President Surrey University): Alan Davies (President UMIST); Alan Howarth (President St. Johns and Chairman Manchester Areal: Deve Carter (NUS Universities Cttee); Alisdair Macintyre (General Secretary Manchester Poly); Steve Fauikner (Northern Counties CFE and Newcastle area, Ann Bond (Women's Action Ctteel; Nick Mullin (Enfield Poly exec); Taffy Craven (Poly Action Groupl; Brunel Womens' Group.
These are just some of the people going-make sure that you do too any individual socialists in erder to achieve SECONDIS Our proposals for joint discussions between V The manoeuvres sacoeRs. exist amongst revolutionary srudents.
The proposals we make take this intu We are proposing a single revolutionary slate at the Llandudno NUS conference and a revoludonan contingent on the next namonal Nos demonstration These specific proposals une put at this time because of the totally inadequate res ponse it the Broad Lett leadershsp to the needs of students who are attempting to detend their living standards during the present severe economic and social the IS.
Despite the failings of the Linison Committee for the Defence of Stadents Unions (LCDSU) it did show that if revolutionary students unite around specific initistives it is possible to make a big impact on the mass or studenis The most outstanding example was in 1972 when the LCDSU Jed five Thousa students from a Nus demon stration to the National Coal Board in The function of a revolutionary contingent would be to organise similar actions. We ngree with the 15 that this is a tactical question depending upon the impact it makes upon the mass of students. It is precisely the favourahie situation that exists for revolurionaries inside the colleges that makes such a move posable today. For it is only hy waging a systematic campaign kor support al a local level that a national revolutionary contingent would have any chance of When we look at the recent events in the colleges we see that much point work has heen undertaken. In all the outstanding struggles revolutionary students have played a leading male Esses, Kent Birmingham, Loods, ete. IS, ING and independent socialist students have supported basic action programmes that differ completely with the strategy and tactics of the Communist Party, In many colleges-for example, Oxford, Susex. and Warwick-joint candidates have been stood for local student union elections.
At national conferences 15 and IMC students have jointly argued for troops out of Ireland", 'no platforin for fascists hy any means', and for a militant polles to oppose Witton We are suggesting that a joint alate nabionally wow be represented at the hase and wold hack up the leadership revolutionary srudent have provided locally The unity we are proposing is specilie and principled. We think there is, or could be, agreement on the grants and cuts campaign: Ireland: Soviet dis sidents: and opposition to the social contract, We would not impose demands like the sliding scale of grants on such a platform. Likewise we would not expect the Is to project chat stadents con only relate to working cinss stroggles dough Although we have differences with Hugh Lanning, a member of the NUS executive who recently left NOISS, we echo his words when he wrote that he www convinced that there are many student union militants and independent socialists who are looking for an organiss won what wal curecavely challenge the Broad Left from a principled left position.
We think a principlod basis for unity exists We tink the situation inside the NUS objectively calls for such unity. We would ask the NOISS to reconsider thole position and attend the Open Forum so the soundations for 1 cevolutionary sirernative inside the NUS can be laid, BRISTOL
Only 150 delegates were at Liverpool
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AT THE END of January oil pipe firm Gredero-Price (UK) paid off the Edinburgi, Work is not expected to
the contract of employment recogns- in Holland have full order books and ing the T& Gend on 17 February, and are working to hill capacity. It is bo the T&Gerpense on a factory bills. un