ARTHUR SCARGILL president of the 65,000 strong Yorkshire area of the National Union of Mineworkers has called for the formation of a single power workers' union.
The union would include the entire workforce of the British power industry and would have about one million members. Workers in mining, gas, oil, electricity and nuclear power would then be organised under one banner.
Scarpill has not restricted his proposals simply to the level of union organisation but urges the formation of a National Energy Authority which would be in charge of all energy resources.
SUPPORT
Such proposals merit both the serious consideration and the support of the workers movement. The anarchy of capitalist production is not simply restricted to the private sector. In cupitalist Britain the state subordinates the nationalised enterprises to serving the needs of private capital. If the different types of fuel are to be integrated in a compumentary manner-rather than competing with each other as at present-the power of the capitalist state has to be broken and a planned economy introduced.
Scarpill's proposals offer the basis for mobilising the most powerful and decisive sections of the working class-the Daily Telegraph 19 March, whines that such a union around an issue which raises the issues of nationalisation and plannin Furthermore such a struggle would find an chormous response in every other section of the working class movement and could detonate a series of struggles over the control of the economy.
To make such proposals is a first step, but the real task is to organise to put them into practice. Attempts to nationalise the oil companies would provoke furious resistance, not only from the oil companies themselves but from the entire capitalist class.
These victories were won because of the campaign built by the London Teachers" Defence Committee and the work of teachers in Jocal NOT branches When the Phoenix Governors were meeting, over 200 teachers from all over London were lobbying outside. As the Phoenix reachers said in a statement. "The disciplinary charges brought against us are an attempt to intimidate all London teachers This fight is not just an issue for tusch ers. Many councils are cutting back on education speoding Richmond authorities aim to chop the oducation budget by Il million by sacking 80 teachers Faced with stnke action the authorities have now agreed to discuss with teachers not Of bat where the cuts abould be made, Fley are trying: lo co-opt teachers into cutting their awn throats At nearby slitton the Council is threatening to sack 44 roachors This will prob ably first hit schools which ompicy tenchers to handle small ruading graups. Sutton NUT is asking for a national NUT deputation to be sent to the Council These teachers are concorned that Tocy councils should not penalise working class children by savaging the United advances that hase heen made Brough the education systems But teachers must beware of atteagle by councils to pet tie to scropNor are such proposais likely to receive much support from the Labour leaders who only recently capitulated to the oil companies by levying a Petroleum Revenue Tax at the absurdly low rate of 45 per cent.
The Labour Government is interested in increasing the confidence of the capitalist investors and will resist any proposals that attack capitalism, hence its prostraLion in front of the oil monopolies.
ORGANISED
What Scargill is proposing can only be carried out providing that a campaign is organised right throughout the rank-and-file of all the power workers unions. Such a campaign will have to explain the need for nationalisation and workers' control. Scangill's suggestion of a new "National Energy Authority" is inadequate because it would leave the power in the hands of the representatives of the capitalist state. The need is for the workers in the enengy industries to break the power of the ruling class representatives who control the boards of the nationalised companies, not create some superboard for them to control.
Scargill claimed that if such a union had existed before it would have prevented industrial strife in Britain in 1972 and 1974 (the years of the two NUM national strikes). Actually the presence of such a union committed to fighting for an integrated energy plun under the control of the workers would could paralyse the country instantly - Jet all hell loose in ruling class circles.
What is important is not thut it would prevent industrial strife, but that it would so shift the relationship of forces in favour of the working class that it would help to make sure that the workers came out on top in Relations Acr READY SUPPORT Scanlon withdrew opposition to er of the social contract, but is rise so power.
the LCDTU did not meet for so INCLA Be MELINELL DOCES TANT SHOP SENDI The Liaison Committee for the Defence of the Trade Unions met in London on Saturday for the finst The LCDT has never been more than a front for the politics uf the Communist Party in the tradeunions. Nevertheless, since it wastormed in 1966, it has won widespsend support from militants and is still the organisation which has the potential to unite hundreds of thousands of workers on a class-wide basis.
On Saturday, only 300 delegates attended. Only eight of these were women workers. This must rank us the worst supported LCDTU since the heady days of the battle against In Place of Strife and the Industrias On these, the Cl could win ready support from the trade union "left" leaders like Jones and Scanion. In defence of the Labour Government the social contract at the TUC and Jones is not only a staunch defend que of its principal architects. These darlings of the CP are now well-established in their unions and can be less sensitive to the demands of the shop floor on which they based their Labour MP's.
The CP are unable to rely on suppOIt from these leaders. That's why Obeying the letter if not the spirit of the law, To satisty police requirements limiting declares phoney war long and abo way the Shrewsbury movement has been crushed by the CP insistence it could only move forward with the official support of the whole of the TUC and left "DECLARATION' Delegates overwhelmingly passed a Declaration which called on the TUC "to make 1 May a day of natA delegate speaks at LCDTU.
Islay Fullerton (Wandsworth NUT) said we must go all out from this ECDTU and work to make 1 May a massive dem onstration to force the pelcase of the jailed pickets. But we had to realise the poley followed up to now of Limiting setion to winnigg the favour and support Ol be trade Biod leaders instead oi building a movement committed to rel ever the eventual wish of the officials ation in the movement over Shrewsbury We must cecilalso the movement by taking up the case of the 10 scaffolders faced with criminal charges for picketing in Newcastle.
Phato: CHRIS DAVIES (Report!
sonal action to free the Shrewsbury Two.' The resolution also said: "If the TUC tails to do this, then irom this conference we call on the whole movement to take industrial action on 1 May.
Il is possible that this week's TUC will back a day of national action on Shrewsbury. If it doesn't many militants will readily take up the call for independent action from the LCDTU. But the demoralisation in the working class on the Slurewsbury question will make the work for a big action that much harder. Many militants just don't believe any more in the ineffective protest pol itics of the CP which still hasn't sprung the pickets from jail Now. the empioyers and courts have been encouraged to hammer scaffolders from Eidon Square in Newcastle with criminal charges for picketing. As IMG delegates said at the LCDTU. the best way to get all-out action on 1 May is to include the defence of this new "Shrewshury at Eidon Square in the