NUMBER SEVENTEEN MARCH 1975 TEN CENTS While CPA reformists lament t aDortops ac wage·cut The Commonwealth Arbitration Commission hear- best to confuse, disorient and suppress this ings on wage indexation have dragged on for five struggle, particularly in the metal trades. In months. When indexation was first raised in 1973 spite of this misleadership, the working class by Clyde Cameron, it was in the form of a "flat was able to obtain an average wage rise of about rate", a sum determined as a percentage of the 25 percent during 1974, close to what was needed minimum wage and added to all wages four times a for most workers to break even on take-home pay year. It was vaguely expected that workers would (National Times, 27 January - 1 February 1975). accept this as compensation for buying power lost Th b .. f th . h d th ... . e eglnnlng 0 e receSSIon c ange e through ever-growIng InflatIon and that It would . 'f' f . d t· f Wh'tl b " . . slgnl lcance 0 wage In exa Ion or 1 am; y stem the IncreasIng number of strIkes for wages J 1 hId . th t d b th " u y e was a rea y sayIng a wages cause 0 whIch were embarrassIng the Labor Government. In. fl a t'Ion and' grOWIng unemp 1oymen t , an d ma k'lng It was primarily intended to create the il- increasingly frequen~ ~leas for wage restraint. Ius ion that the Labor Government was protecting In August came the VICIOUS verbal attacks on the working class against inflation, a supplement ~orkers ~or "anarchy" and "i::responsibility" by to the "Prices Justification Tribunal" which had InfluentIal ALP and trade-unIon bureaucrat Jack a~ready been largely discredited as a sham. But Egerton backe~ up by Cameron. But because of the this wage indexation was no more than a sop which spont~neous hIgh leve~ of st::uggl~ (a record year would scarcely dent the losses incurred by the fo: tIme lost due to IndustrIal dIs~utes~ ~he majority of workers through inflation. After the unIon bureaucrats balked at Cameron s orIgInal defeat in December 1973 of the prices and incomes ,sch~e, and by the end of September, t~e ACTU and referendum -- an attempt by Whitlam to pave the CabInet had come to an agreement centrIng ar?u~d ACTU Executive has accepted the government's con- way for dir~ct state control over wages -- wage a n~w sche~e for a full percentage cost-of-llvlng ditions for wage indexation, including a state- ~ndexation became a more and more important part (c-o-l) adJustme~t on all wages up to the average ment of non-support for trade-union wage claims' ~!y ~~~~s'P:~n~a~~~:~~iI~h:k~~~ope!!;ion ~:-r~~ t&~~rn~:~~~e~~~~h~~~~g~h~~~~~ t~~~o~~~~~ !~ci~~er~~t:~b~~~~ i~~~7- of the union bureaucracy. But the strike wave now the gove::ryment IS argUIng for the scheme not Financial Review, 12 February 1975), But the which broke out early in 1974 showed that workers as a c?nCeSSlon to workers, but openly as a boon Commission's va,in search for "real" guarantees were willing to fight to maintain their standard to busIness. from the ACTU that indexation will make wage of living and the bureaucrats had to do their Although avoiding this forthrightness, the restraint work has apparently made its accept- ance by the Commission highly unlikely. Hawke's eagerness for a firmer commitment for restraint has met some resistance from "left" union bureau­ Bosses use male chauvinism to fire women crats. But they avoid any struggle for real c-o-l adjustment (a sliding scale of wages). No such concession can be wrenched from the bosses through their Arbitration system but only through Fight the Everhot sackings! class struggle. The saga of Labor's "wa'ges policy" shows it is clearly nonsense to pretend, as sections of the On 24 January, 17 women workers set up a picket left have, that the recent ALP Federal Conference at the Draffin-Everhot factory at Bayswater near at Terrigal represented a major change in Labor's Melbourne, opening a long and bitter struggle against their retrenchment. The women -- all the policy; in spite of the profuse statements of solicitude for business and reversal of minor re­ female factory hands including an AMWU shop stew­ forms such as the capltal gains tax, there was ard, Edith Turnewitsch and even the canteen at­ really nothing new. Only those with gross il­ tendant -- had been sacked illegally, after the lusions in the ALP's consistent role over the end of work on the previous working day, without decades -- or with an interest in perpetuating notice. Refusing to accept dismissal, they were such illusions -- could proclaim Terrigal as a prevented from entering the factory on the 24th by historic change in the ALP, as does the Communist two newly hired security guards (there had pre­ Party of Australia's (CPA) Laurie Aarons (Tri­ viously been none at the,factory), and they im­ bune, 18 February 1975). Aarons' misrepresen­ mediately set up the picket demanding their jobs tation is intended to justify the CPA's attempt back, obtaining support from about twenty of the to replace the ~'honest" reformism of Cairns and plant's 70 male workers. After six weeks the Whitlam with the CPA's more deceptive brand which fight continues, with the company refusing any gives a "revolutionary" cover for limiting the meaningful concession. class struggle "initially" to something very like There is much more at stake at Everhot than Stalinists' "advanced democracy": "Two alterna­ ju~ the 17 jobs. The company is carrying out a tive paths of change face the working class and coldly calculated campaign, directly supervised people [I] today. One is that proposed by the by the Victorian Chamber of Manufacturers (VCM), right backlash .... The second path is the in which getting rid of workers without effective struggle for democracy and workers interests, to opposition is only one of the aims. The company defend the unions and oppose the rightist bid for is trying to smash any effective union organis­ AMWtt'shop steward Editl!--,~1Jrnewitsch. a monopoly of political power [?!]" (Tribune ation at the plant. A key part of this is get­ editorial, 21 January 1975). An editorial the ting rid of Turnewitsch, who had won a number of has insidiously played on male workers'preju­ following wee\ further developed the CPA's sym­ improvements by militant means against constant dices that men are the "breadwinner.s" and­ biosis with the ALP; "Workers wih look to those company obstruction. Given the marginal lever of "women's place is in the home". The /struggle is cOI}f{lrence delegates with a left reputation for AMWU organisation in many Melbourne plants and all the more important as an expre,ssion of the anla1ternate policy .... The need today is for a the direct involvement of the VCM -- one of its capitalist class's general intention to undermine big mass campaign for the stated objectives of officials, Clyde Wilson, took part in talks with resistance to the recession by exploiting the the labor movement~ including the government's the union from the beginning -- it is obviously a sexual divisions among workers stemming from the test case for the bosses, and if it succeeds .... the Labor government can be saved from it­ subordinate status of women in capitalist so­ self" (emphasis added). A letter opposing Tri­ similar operations w~ll be attempted elsewhere. ciety, setting workers against one another to bune's line and typical of more left-leaning el­ The sackings were openly and avowedly dis­ prevent unity against the boss. ements in the CPA appeared recently in the Tri­ criminatory. A company letter to male workers. ,The company's chief henchman has been one Gary bune letters column (signed by "Peter Earley and who were supporting the picket said, "It is hoped Brain, an AMWU shop steward who no longer does 12 others") taking this last editorial to task that by retrenching the ladies now it will not be his normal work in the factory but apparently for its obvious endorsement of "extra-parliamen­ necessary for further retrenchments in the works full time for the boss organising the scab­ tary" support for social-democratic parliamen­ future"(!) and in fact, the company has given bing and the intimidation of workers, both those tarism and illusion.s about the program of the ALP some of the women's jobs to men from the after­ inside the plant (he has organised "meetings" of leadership, but begging the question of what rev- noon shift, has employed one new male worker and has others on increased overtime! The company Continued on page seven Continued on page seven editorial notes .2 o .s::: Q. Q. Demonstrations demand: Let the PLO be heard! (/) ..: In response to Whitlam's craven capitulation exploited by the Zionists. Conspicuously absent to anti-Arab hysteria in refusing to grant visas from the demonstration were the Communist Party to three m.embers of the Palestinian Liberation of Australia (CPA) (apart from a few scattered Organisation (PLO) delegation, demonstrations or­ Tribune sellers) and the Socialist Labour League ganised by the Friends of Palestine were held in (SLL). The CPA seems to be making a practice of all major capitals on February 13. The demon­ ignoring demonstrations that it doesn't control, strations, large)y consisting of Arab migrant as it has with actions in defence of black mili­ workers, drew more than 500 in Melbourne and tant Denis Walker. The SLL's Workers News gave about 1000 in Sydney with smaller turnouts in the demonstration front-page billing, in a piece Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide. The demon­ headed "Powerful Demonstration in Support of strations were called around the demand "Let the PLO", but forgot to mention that the SLL's "sup­ PLO be heard". port" was a lone photographer. Although the mood of the demonstrations was . At the Chifley Square rally in Sydney the SL contingent in Melbourne demonstration. militan~nationalist politics predominated, re­ speakers were Friends of Palestine President John vealing the persistence of strong illusions in Bechara, Labor MLA George Petersen and BWIUof­ Salby merely enthused over the support of Pales­ the petty-bourgeois Palestinian nationalism of ficial Ernie Boatswain, while at the second rally tinians for the PLO, according to Salby the "true Yasser Arafat's PLO. The shift in emphasis of at Martin Plaza an AUS representative and the representative of the Palestinian people"! the protests from the defence of democratic SWL's Sol Salby (introduced by the Arab national­ For the SWL, CL and the supposedly anti-Pablo­ rights to the promotion of chauvinist fervour was ists as "our Israeli supporter") spoke. Salby's ist SLL the fate of the Palestinian, Arab and actively abetted by the Socialist Workers League speech nicely summed up the SWL's liquidationism. Israeli masses remains in the hands of a class­ (SWL) and the Communist League (CL), the Even Bechara and "left" parliamentarian Petersen less "Arab Revolution", led by reactionary sheiks Australian "twin" sympathisers of the fake­ had ventured a few words about the "class and colonels. The Spartacist League has consist­ Trotskyist United Secretariat. In the Sydney struggle" (Petersen) and "Western capitalism" ently argued that bourgeois nationalism, whether march they constantly intervened with the chant (Bechara), but not once did Salby mention the Palestinian or Zionist, can only deepen national "Palestine Yes, Israel No", a slogan that only working class, capitalism or socialism! Without hatreds and further divide Arab and Hebrew reinforces both Palestinian nationalism and the a word of criticism of the PLO, not even of their workers. It is only by uniting against capital­ fears of Hebrew-speaking workers in Palestine acceptance of the treacherous "mini-state" deal, ism that the proletariat of both nations can open a way out of the morass, and this unity can only be achieved if the working class of both nations defend the national rights of the other. That is QACC condemns pOlitical suppression why the SL joined the demonstrations raising the The cowardly and undemocratic bureaucratism of speaker. Andrew Jamieson of the SWL promptly slogans (in Sydney) "Let the PLO be heard!",' "For the SWL/SYA during recent demonstrations to de­ rushed up to announce that the committee had de­ the right of self-determination for the"Pales­ fend Denis Walker in Melbourne was reported in cided to have a closed platform and that the tinian Arab and Hebrew-speaking nations!", and the last issue of Australasian Spartacist. At a Spartacists could not speak! Open platforms at "For a bi-national Palestine workers state!"; and meeting of the Sydney Queensland Act Confron­ such demonstrations are a necessary component of (in Melbourne) "No ban on the PLO!", "Not tation Committee (QACC) .on February 11 the Spar­ workers'democracy. Once again the SWL/SYA has national war but class war!", "For a bi-national tacist League presented the following motion: shown its affinities for the methods of the workers state of Palestine!" and "Smash Zionism "The Sydney QACC believes that the repeal of labour bureaucrats .• and Arab national ism! " .• the racist Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Act can only be achieved by a movement which guarantees the democratic rights of all those prepared to fight for those aims. It therefore condemns the actions Trade unions must act against unemployment of supporters of the SWL, and of the Black Freedom Organisation, and others in preventing the Spartacist League from speaking in defence Growing unemployment is the greatest im­ TIES FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING WORKERS (eg of Denis Walker at the December 5 and January mediate threat to .the wor.kers JIlOvement. Not· bene"i-t-"rorms in allianguag-es}. Free Eng­ 31 ~!elbourne Walker defence rallies." . only are the 400,000 presently unemployed lish lessons for all unemployed migrants." At the meeting leading SWLer Jim McIlroy pro­ forced to live on a poverty-level dole, but The working class must give special consider­ tested mildly that QACC did not have enough in­ the bosses hope to use the reserve army of ation to the problems of its most oppressed formation to make a judgment but at no point de­ unemployed to intimidate workers into sections in order to breakdown the divisions nied the veracity of the Spartacist report, which accepting drastic cuts in their living stan­ fostered by the bourgeoisie and to achieve was confirmed by a neutral observer, Rod dards. All workers, employed and unemployed, class unity and power in action. Pickette, a delegate to the AUS conference who must organise urgently in a united fight The leaflet demands a decent standard of had attended the January 31 rally. Denis Walker, against unemployment. who may have his own reasons for wanting to con­ living for the unemployed, for "INCREASED UN­ demn only the Black Freedom Organisation, moved a An unemployed workers action group in Syd­ EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, EQUAL TO A LIVING WAGE an amendment to delete any reference to the SWL. ney has been established to work towards this automatically adjusted to keep abreast of in­ flation and price rises ... FOR THE RIGHT OF This amendment was carried and then the amended goal. Active in this group are the Sparta­ motion was passed with the SWL and the Communist cist League, elements of the Communist Party MARRIED MEN OR WOMEN TO RECEIVE THE DOLE EVEN WHEN THEIR PARTNER IS EMPLOYED" and for the League voting against. The final motion glosses of Australia (including the Glebe-Balmain "SUSPENSION OF HIRE PURCHASE,GAS AND ELEC­ over the SWL's active role in the suppression; branch), the Communist League, the Unemployed TRICITY PAYMENTS". but at least one SWL/SYA member was active in the Women's Collective, unemployed members of the Black Freedom Organisation and the motion con­ Builders' Labourer's Federation and a growing An effective fight against unemployment demns the actions which were in fact carried out number of other unemployed workers. Small­ requires the support of the trade unions with the direct participation of SWL/SYA members. scale united fronts such as this group can since the unemployed by themselves, isolated The SWL cannot evade responsibility for its contribute to mobilising workers against un­ and cut off from the power of organised actions. employment provided that they are based on a workers to stop production, are in the worst Moreover, the SWL/SYA's open rejection of common agreement for the organisation of con­ possible position to fight. workers'democracy continues. At a rally organ­ crete action. The united front must promote The 20 March demonstration provides an im­ ised by the Unemployed Workers Union in Melbourne the widest possible unity around the immedi­ portant opportunity for broad united-front on February 14, a Spartacist representative ap­ ate concrete demands while allowing each par­ action, but fighters against unemployment proached one of the demonstration organisers to ticipant to present and fight for its own must not confine themselves to its limited ask if the Spartacist League could have a political program. demands. Revolutionaries see that it is also The group is organising a demonstration necessary to: Build factory committees to Australasian against unemployment for 20 March and calling fight layoffs and plant closures! Open the I for unions to strike that day in support of company books! Implement workers' control of SPARTACIST fA the demonstration. The group's main leaflet industry at all levels! Occupy all factories mobilising for this demonstration calls for closing down! Plan production to meet social "Reduction in working hours with no loss in needs! Nationalise the car-building industry a monthly organ of revolutionary Marxism for pay". Virtually all major trade unions give without compensation! Nationalise all fac­ the rebirth of the Fourth International lip-service to a thirty-five hour week, but tories threatened with closure! it is urgently and immediately important to published by the Central Committee of the The working class can only finally solve actually fight for a thirty-five hour week the problems that the capitalist system Spartacist League of Australia and with no loss of pay, and this must be ex­ saddles it with by a revolutionary fight to tended to a complete sliding scale of hours smash capitalism and take state power, which New Zealand, section of the international to maintain full employment by spreading all is what its present leadership consistently available work around. Spartacist tendency and treacherously opposes. Oust the Whitlam/ The group calls for "JOBS FOR ALL, regard­ Cairns/Hawke bureaucracy! For a revolution­ EDiTORIAL BOARD: Bi II logan less of age, sex, marital status, race, ary leadership of the workers movement David Reynolds (editor) nationali"ty and skill" and for "FULL FACILI- pledged to expropriate the capitalist class! Adaire Hannah GPO Box 3473, GPO Box 2339, Sydney, Melbourne, NSW, 2001. Victoria, 3001. DEMONSTRATE: 20 March, 3.30pm (02) 660-7647 (03) 429-1597 Assemble: Trades Hall, Goulburn Street, Sydney SUBSCRIPTIONS: One dollar for the next twelve issues (one year). AUSTRALAS I AN SPARTAC r ST is reg i stered at ·the GPO, Demonstration called by Unemployment Action Group Sydney for posting as a newspaper -- Category C.

Page Two AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 NUMBER SEVENTEEN MARCH 1975 TEN CENTS While CPA reformists lament t aDor tops ac wage-cut The Commonwealth Arbitration Commission hear- best to confuse, disorient and suppress this ings on wage indexation have dragged on for five struggle, particularly in the metal trades. In months. When indexation was first raised in 1973 spite of this misleadership, the working class by Clyde Cameron, it was in the form of a "flat was able to obtain an average wage rise of about rate", a sum determined as a percentage of the 25 percent during 1974, close to what was needed minimum wage and added to all wages four times a for most workers to break even on take-home pay year. It was vaguely expected that workers would (National Times, 27 January - 1 February 1975). accept this as compensation... for buying power. lost Th e b eglnnlng.. 0f th e receSSlon. c h ange d th e through e~er-gro~lng lnflatlon an~ that lt would significance of wage indexation for Whitlam; by st~m the lncreaslng ~umber of stnkes for wages July he was already saying that wages caused both WhlCh were embarrasslng the Labor Government. ln. fl a t'lon and' growlng unemp 1oymen t , an d rna k'lng It was primarily intended to create the il- increasingly frequen~ ~leas for wage restraint. Ius ion that the Labor Government was protecting In August came the V1C10US verbal attacks on the working class against inflation, a supplement ~orkers ~or "anarchy" and "i::responsibility" by to the "Prices Justification Tribunal" which had lnfluentlal ALP and trade-unlon bureaucrat Jack a~ready been largely discredited as a sham. But Egerton backe~ up by Cameron. But because of the this wage indexation was no more than a sop which spont~neous hlgh leve~ of st::uggl~ (a record year would scarcely dent the losses incurred by the fo:: tlme lost due to lndustrlal dls~utes~ ~he majority of workers through inflation. After the unlon bureaucrats balked at Cameron s orlglnal defeat in December 1973 of the prices and incomes ,sch~me, and by the end of September, t~e ACTU and referendum -- an attempt by Whitlam to pave the Cablnet had come to an agreement centrlng ar~u~d ACTU Executive has accepted the government's con- way for dir~ct state control over wages -- wage a new sche~e for a full percentage cost-of-llvlng ditions for wage indexation, including a state- ~ndexation became a more and more important part (c-6-l) adJustme~t on all wages up to the average ment of non-support for trade-union wage claims' of LaOOl".,illfl'te heW _~c_ 1i!~I"M TSA .,....J1j~,<;1}d a fl~p:rease .P~~~;I,,,~~,,th,:, ave,r:a;g.: ;~;, ..b.a:?~oQ~.Ert~. beyond those granted under index- key to this plan has always been the co-operation wage fo~se 'Wl~-~verage earn1"ftgs. Artd" ation CACm 'resolution adopted 11 February 1975; of the union bureaucracy. But the strike wave now the gove::~ent lS argulng for the scheme not Financial Review, 12 February 1975), But the which broke out early in 197.4 showed that workers as a c~ncesslon to workers, but openly as a boon Commission's Vain search for "real" guarantees were willing to fight to maintain their standard to buslness. from the ACTU that indexation will make wage of living and the bureaucrats had to do their Although avoiding this forthrightness, the restraint work has apparently made its accept- ance by the Commission highly unlikely. Hawke's eagerness for a firmer commitment for restraint has met some resistance from "left" union bureau­ Bosses use male chauvinism to fire women crats. But they avoid any struggle for real c-o-l adjustment (a sliding scale of wages). No such concession can be wrenched from the bosses through their Arbitration system but only through Fight the Everhot sackings! class struggle. The saga of Labor's "wages policy" shows it is clearly nonsense to pretend, as sections of the On 24 January, 17 women workers set up a picket, left have, that the recent ALP Federal Conference at the Draffin-Everhot factory at Bayswater near at Terrigal represented a major change in Labor's Melbourne, opening a long and bitter struggle policy; in spite of the profuse statements of against their retrenchment. The women -- all the solicitude for business and reversal of minor re­ female factory hands including an AMWU shop stew­ forms such as the cap'ital gains tax, there was ard, Edith Turnewitsch and even the canteen at­ really nothing new. Only those with gross il­ tendant -- had been sacked illegally, after the lusions in the ALP's consistent role over the end of work on the previous working day, without decades -- or with an interest in perpetuating notice. Refusing to accept dismissal, they were such illusions -- could proclaim Terrigal as a prevented from entering the factory on the 24th by historic change in the ALP, as does the Communist two newly hired security guards (there had pre­ Party of Australia's (CPA) Laurie Aarons (Tri­ viously been none at the,factory), and they im­ bune, 18 February 1975). Aarons' misrepresen- mediately set up the picket demanding their jobs tation is intended to justify the CPA's attempt back, obtaining support from about twenty of the ,.~ to replace the ~'honest" reformism of Cairns and plant's 70 male workers. After six weeks the Whitlam with the CPA's more deceptive brand which fight continues, with the company refusing any gives a "revolutionary" cover for limiting the meaningful concession. class struggle "initially" to something very like There is much more at stake at Everhot than 'r' Stalinists' "advanced democracy": "Two alterna­ ju~ the 17 jobs. The company is carrying out a ( tive paths of change face the working class and coldly calculated campaign, directly supervised ':t.• , people [I] today. One is that proposed by the by the Victorian Chamber of Manufacturers (VCM), right backlash .... The second path is the in which getting rid of workers without effective .... ~L. ?>. struggle for democracy and workers interests, to opposition is only one of the aims. The company defend the unions and oppose the rightist bid for is trying to smash any effective union organis­ AMWI:t"shop steward Edit~,,>,~tJrnewitsch. a monopoly of political power [?!]" (Tribune ation at the plant. A key part of this is get­ ./ " editorial, 21 January 1975). An editorial the ting rid of Turnewitsch, who had won a number of has insidiously played on male workers'preju- following week further developed the CPA's sym­ imprOVements by militant means against constant dices that men are the "breadwinner.s" and' biosis with the ALP: "Workers wi'll look to those company obstruction. Given the mai'g'i'nal levet of "women's place is in the home". The /struggle is conference delegates with a left reputation for AMWU organisation in many Melbourne plants and all the more important as an expression of the anlalternate policy .... The need today is for a the direct involvement of the VCM -- one of its capitalist class's general intention to undermine bigfuass campaign for the stated objectives of officials, Clyde Wilson, took part in talks with resistance to the recession by exploiting the the labor movement, including the government's the union from the beginning -- it is obviously a sexual divisions among workers stemming from the .... the Labor government can be saved from it­ test case for the bosses, and if it succeeds subordinate status of women in capitalist so­ self" (emphasis added). A letter opposing Tri­ similar operations will be attempted elsewhere. ciety, setting workers against one another to bune'8 line and typical of more left-leaning el­ The sackings were openly and avowedly dis­ prevent unity against the boss. ements in the CPA appeared recently in the Tri­ criminatory. A company letter to male workers, ,The company's chief henchman has been one Gary bune letters column (signed by "Peter Earley and who were supporting the picket said, "It is hoped Brain, an AMWU shop steward who no longer does 12 others") taking this last editorial to task that by retrenching the ladies now it will not be his normal work in the factory but apparently for its obvious endorsement of "extra-parliamen­ necessary for further retrenchments in the works full time for the boss organising the scab­ tary" support for social-democratic parliamen­ future"(!) and in fact, the company has given bing and the intimidation of workers, both those tarism and illusion,s about the program of the ALP some of the women's jobs to men from the after­ inside the plant (he has organised "meetings" of leadership, but begging the question of what rev- noon shift, has employed one new male worker and has others on increased overtime! The company Continued on page seven Continued on page seven

, 1 editorial notes o -0 .r: "­ Demonstrations demand: Let the PLO be heard! "­ en

Page Two AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 Wohlforth terminated, WRP splits Crisis hits Healyite"lnternational" Week in, week out Workers News, organ of the left of the IC but Healy's own group and a hand- gave any support to Thornett or refused to sign a Socialist Labour League (SLL), Australian section ful of slavish imitations whose relationship to statement endorsing the leadership's position. of the "International Committee o~'the Fourth In- Healy Wohlforth accurately describes above. Entire local organisations were expelled. Healy, ternational" (IC), rants about "The Crisis". Its In fact it seems that precisely Wohlforth's in clear violation of his own party's consti­ readers are told that "Never before have the liv- heavy-handed attempts to mimic the WRP (so tution, told Thornett that "I will not have any ing standards and basic rights of the working unsuccessful that WL membership has significantly faction in this party before or after the Confer­ class been under greater ~ttack than today" (!) dropped) eventually displeased Healy, who manu- ence. I'll expel anyone who forms a faction in and that the only answer 1S for all workers to factured aR absurd dispute with Wohlforth over this party"! "immediately join the [minuscule] Socialist whose proletariat was the most revolutionary. In It is obviously too early to make a political Labour League" (Workers News, 24 October 1974). 1973 Wohlforth received a letter from the WRP's characterisation of the Thornett grouping from a These inane pronounceme~ts are of use only t~ ~he Mike Banda criticising his draft resolution on distance, and space does not permit a thorough cynical clique around J1m Mulgrew, for recru1t1ng American perspectives and insisting on "the pri- analysis of the main political document available apolitical youth and as a talisman to ward off macy of the European Revolution -- particularly (that reprinted by Intercontinental FPess, 10 Marxist criticism; but there is now perhaps some in England" (as opposed to Wohlforth's emphasis, February 1975). However, it is worth noting that objective basis for their hysterical quality. allegedly based on Healy's own remarks to a WL in this document Tho~nett accurately attacks sev­ For, though their use of the term "crisis" re- meeting "that the centre of the world crisis was eral aspects of the WRP's deviation from bolshev­ mains devoid of scientific Marxist meaning, there the crisis of American capitalism"). In late ism -- crisis mongering, bureaucratic sabotage of is one place where it truly applies -- inside the June Wohlforth was peremptorily summoned to Eng­ 'serious trade-union work, theories of Labour IC itself. Both of the two largest, longest es- land where according to Wohlforth Party and TUC "corporatism" resembling the "social fascism" theories of "Third Period" tablished,. and most representative groups associ- "E very even po t en t'1a 1 d'ff1 erence was magn1'f' 1e d ated nth the IC have recently suffered stag- b d d I tt k d Stalinism, its electoral campaigns and recruit­ nation and internal turmoil, defections or tO,an a sur ,egree. w~s even a ac e, as ment policies. Thornett points out that the WRP l't I A t 1974 M 1 'Am' be1ng an Amer1can pragmat1st for purchas1ng an sp 1 s. n u~us u grew s er1can American rather than a British web offset is led to "propagandizing a maximum programme on counterpart, T1m Wohlforth, was removed as I" the basis that the revolutionary situation has National Secretary of the Healyite Workers League press. grown so sharp that any other programme does not (WL); more recently 200 members of Healy's Wohlforth was however given a reprieve provided apply" and therefore to abandoning the Tran­ Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) in Britain were' that he would begin a "fight for the very life of sitional Program.- Referring to the WRP's use of summarily expelled. the League against the centrism within it" and the "crisis" as a recruiting device, Thornett "drive the movement forward into the working observes that "This of course is insufficient, For twelve years Wohlforth was the chief class". This he interpreted as a directive for a because recruitment should also be to a pro­ spok~sman for,the IC in ~he US',fait~f~lly e~- wholesale purge, proceeding to drive virtually gramme." This would seem obvious; but not in ecut1ng Healy severy ed1ct. H1s wr1t1ngs (1n- every prominent experienced cadre out of the WL the WRP, where Thornett evidently had to argue cluding several pamphlets reproduced by the SLL) (see Workers Vanguard no 53, 27 September 1974 that recruits should have at least "sufficient were hailed by the IC as important contributions . , to the struggle for dialectical materialism (at least the corrupted Healyite version). But his latest tract is a lurid 39-page account of his frameup and purg~ at the hands of Healy -­ evidently factually accurate, but curiously empty of political understanding. During his rule as viceroy of the WL Wohlforth slavishly emulated his sovereign's organisational practices of sup­ pression, slander, and the calculated destruction of cadre, invoking the absolute authority of the "International Committee" to intimidate any stir­ rings of internal opposition. Now finding him­ self the object of his own "method", Wohlforth can only explain it by suggesting that Healy has developed "a form of madness". .11' ./, ...... For years the Healyites have held up the IC as . . the direct and "legitimate" organisational con­ tinuation of the Fourth International founded by .''''''''' ...... ", Trotsky in 1938. Even where they admitted the ~ political rottenness of the local group, sup­ ,~I porters would shrug off criticism by pointing to .~ ~ ~ the certified "Trotskyism" of the IC, which was Alan Thornett. Tim Wohlforth. after all "the Fourth International" by some metaphysical right of organisational inheritance. and no 56, 8 November 1974). This carnage was political agreement to vote for our own candidate But of course it should be no surprise that the probably what eventually precipitated Healy's where we were standing, which was not the case IC, which tolerated or encouraged the opportun­ move to eliminate Wohlforth. with the majority 'recruited' during the [last ism, revisionism, bureaucratism, dishonesty, Wohlfarth's own account of his final removal British election] campaign." Indeed! gangsterism and other assorted forms of political at the 1974 Workers League summer camp describes Despite the accurate criticism, Thornett still banditry of its sections, has itself been rotten a man prepared to capitulate time and again over seems to accept the WRP's basic objectivist all along. Here is how Wohlforth, hitherto one any organisational or political question, includ­ method borrowed from Pabloism, from which Healy of the foremost proponents of the IC line, now ing the reinstatement of all his purge victims, never completely broke. For example Thornett describes this self-styled "Fourth Inter­ until confronted with the ultimate insult: accepts WRP monetarist theories about post-war national": Healy's charge that his close companion Fields capi talism paralleling Mandel's "neo-capi talism", was a CIA agent. (Fields was later cleared by Pabl'oist "Arab Revolution" theories and Healy's ". .. It never was allowed to go beyond the commission of two leading Healyites.) level of small groups basically functioning as one-time policy of "Making the Lefts Fight", a appendages of the SLL-WRP. More precisely, Some might be inclined to dismiss the troubles form of pressure politics on the left wing of the IC never went beyond an international or­ in the i'lL as strictly an American phenomenon; the British Labour Party. The document on the ganization around a single individual, Gerry after all, Australian Healyi tes have always been whole is only a partial and ahistorical critique Healy .... a little ashamed of their American co-thinkers. which implies that Healy only recently went off Might not the struggle against American pragma­ the rails. It is not sufficient to be partially "Open discussion and political struggle was tism have proved too much even for master dialec­ and abstractly correct. The danger is that the discouraged by Comrade Healy's tendency to tician Tim Wohlforth? But in fact, the IC-WRP Thornett group might simply invert Healy's sec-' push every discussion to the most extreme bears full responsibility for what happened in tarianism into some form of equally disastrous point and to seek to break the person who dis­ the Workers. League; it was on Healy's insistence Pabloist opportunism, agreed with Comrade Healy .... that Wohlforth undertook a turn to the youth in Few tears will be shed for Wohlforth, whose " ... There are no elected bodies. The IC is, the early 1970's, trying to duplicate in differ­ greatest crime -- in which he was abetted by as we shall see, whatever the Workers Revol­ ent American conditions the "success" of Healy's Healy -- was that in pursuit of supreme auth­ utionary Party wants it to be. It is the WRP "Young Socialists" in Britain as a cynical, ority for himself and shortcuts to influence and which writes whatever statements are occasion­ flashy, high-turnover operation to attract semi­ numbers, he broke up the opposition to Pabloist ally issued. It is the WRP which calls what­ lumpen working-class youth mostly on an degeneration within the American Socialist ever meetings of the IC that are held and apolitical basis of rock bands, dances, sporting Workers Party (SWP) in the 1961-1962 period (the which determines what sections should attend. events, pageants and the gospel of "The Crisis". Revolutionary Tendency, precursor of the Sparta­ It is Comrade Gerry Healy who determines what And as late as April 1974, at an IC conference, cis! League of the US), cutting it off from win­ the WRP determines .... " He,aly himself still upheld the i'lL as a "model". ning valuable older cadre and setting it up for After years of defending and promoting the IC And what of the WRP itself? Healy has now ex­ expulsion from the SWP in a situation of weakness fraud, Wohlforth should know. He now confirms pelled some 200 members, including several Cen­ and isolation which almost destroyed it and cer­ the international Spartacist tendency's consist­ tral Committee members and a sizeable fraction of tainly set it back for several years. But while ent claim over the past nine years that the IC its cadres. The dissident group is led by Alan Wohlforth (whose new document announces at length was a fake-internationalist cover for Healy's Thornett, a WRP Central Committee member and for­ his exit from politics) can be dismissed, the sectarian, national-parochial opportunism in merly Healy's star trade-union militant, a shop same need not be said of those expelled from the Britain. It never was a democratic-centralist steward at British Leyland's Cowley factory vic­ WRP, who could move toward authentic Trotskyism. international. After 1966 it was a federation timised for leading a struggle in May-June 1974. But in order to do so, they must critically exam­ (codified at the IC's Third Congress in London in (For the WRP's own account of this struggle see ine the whole history of the IC, and assimilate 1966, against the opposition of the Spartacist WRP Pocket Book no 11, Victimisation at Cowley.) especially the lessons of the struggle conducted group) in which different blocs -- principally In leaflets distributed at a WRP Conference (re­ by the Spartacist tendency against Healy's ban­ Healy's and that of the French Organisation Com­ published in Intercontinental FPess, 13 January ditry, which led to the bureaucratic expulsion of muniste Internationaliste led by Pierre Lam­ 1975) Thornett charges Healy with-the kind of the Spartacist group from the IC at its 1966 con­ bert -- agreed to let each pursue its own, often organisational abuses which typify Healy's prac­ ference, and against the ensuing programmatic de­ counterposed policies, After the departure of tice, including violence and intimidation. Healy generation both of Healy and his sycophants and the. OCI and its supporters in 1971, nothing was systematically expelled or suspended anyone who of Lambert's Ocr. • AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 Page Three Harsh sentences for Cey an, article by Edmund Samarakkody reprintedfrom Workers Vanguard No 62, 14 February 1975

EDITORS' NOTE: We reprint below an have hardly any chance of defending did not join this protest. And what was but from the left, from the side of the article on the recently concluded trial them, as the commissioners (the judges) worse, Bala Tampoe, who was defending workers and toilers. Police investiga­ of militants accused of leading a 1971 could impose time limits to submissions ,some of the accused persons, having tions over a long period have not been uprising. The article is translated from and cross examination of witnesses. stayed at home on the day of the able to report anything to support the the current issue of Vimukthi (Class They could even deCide on a seCM lawyers' protest, returned to the Com­ allegations of the coalition parties. Struggle), newspaper of the Revolution­ trial-excluding the public., mission ,sittings only to emphatically The reality in this regard was that- it ary Workers Party of Ceylon. Comrade However, apart from this monstrous dissociate himself from the protest was a just struggle of the explOited Samarakkody, the author, is a long time Criminal Justice Act, which virtually action of the lawyers. Tampoe further and oppressed...;of the youth, largely of Trotskyist as well as a lawyer who was made the defendants guilty of -the took the opportunity to establish very poor peasants and of workers who had involved in the defense of the JVP. charges before, the trial was begun, cordial relations with the attorney been denied th~ir right to proper edu­ COLOMBO-The outcome 01 tne main these defendants received a stab in general who denounced the lawyers who cation and employment at the hands of trial of 32 young persons before the the back by their own comrades. This protested, and also with the all governments including the coalition Criminal Justice Commission for their was the treachery of the defendants commissioners. goverriment. alleged participation in the April youth Loku Atula, T.D. Silva, Somasiri Ku­ In this context, thedefencedegener­ Thus, the place of revnlutionary uprising will not be a surprise to any­ manayake and W.T. Karunaratne, who ated into a competition among the defen­ Marxists in this struggle was the side body. Barring four persons, all others pleaded guilty to the charges at the dants to prove their innocence in regard of the oppressed youth who were being have been found guilty, and have 'been very commencement of the trial. to the charges they faced; and some­ massacred by the government. And in sentenced to lung'jail terms, while the times, to win the good will of the com­ this regard, this is what· the Revolu­ leader of the JVP [Janata Vimukthi In all the circumstances of this missioners, some defendants attacked tionary Workers Party [RWP] resolu­ Peramuna-Peoples Liberation Front], cas~-the political nature of the trial, their erstwhile comrades. Even JVP tion on the JVP armed struggle stated: Rohana Wijeweera, was sentenced to the purposes of the government and the leader Wij eweera expressed confidence " ... as this struggle was between the life imprisonment or 20 years. disabilities ariSing from the notorious in the Commission. oppressed youth on the one side and The trial and convictions of these Criminal Justice Act (tl).e judgment and Any attempts by leader Wijeweera the forces of capitalism on the other, defendants, and th'e long jail sentences and some defendants to talk in terms the side of the revolutionary Marxists of Marxism in regard to the charges is the side of the fighting youth, mean­ in the case of the leading members of ing thereby, that they should defend the JVP, were the continuation of the against them failed to change the char­ acter of the defence, which was gener­ the fighting youth against the actions s'avage repression of the militant youth of the capitalist state. Concretely, this who dared to oppose and fight against ally a pleading of innocence of the mea n t that revolutionary Marxists the capitalist coalition government, defendants by their counsel. should oppose and fight the government when it had exposed its capitalist aims Tampoe's kowtowing before the in its attempts to kill, torture, im­ and proved its oankruptcy in relation Commission and his betrayal in dis­ prison and harm the fighting youth, to their pressing problems. This re­ sO'ciating himself from the protest of their supporters and relatives." pression of the youth was also the the lawyers brought him ouly tempO'rary But consequent to the disorientation testing out of the machinery for the glory. Very soon some of the defendants resulting from coalition· politics the coming repression and suppression of whO' understood the part TampO'e was working class-the organised trade the working class and toilers when playing. dropped him as their lawyer. unions-not only failed to come to' the they reach out, sooner or later, to win Tampoe was left with only two orthree defence of the youth when they were their own emancipation from capitalist of his former clients. And what was being beaten and killed by the police oppression and rule. wO'rse fO'r Tampoe, the CommIssiO'n, and the armed forces, but some trade­ Tlie government achieved these con­ having tolerated his antics and mock union officials organised by the LSSP victions by the use of draconian legis­ herOiCS, dismissed him. The comniis- and CP rushed to the defence of the lation which it rushed throue:h in Par­ police stations! liament with the full backing of the Of the left parties and groups, only LSSP [Lanka Sama Samaja Party] and the RWP categorically denounced the Cp' [Communist Party], two working­ massacres and called upon the working class based parties in the coalition al­ class to rally to the defence of the liance. This was the notorious Crim­ youth. Here are some relevant quotes inal Justice Commission Act-a special from the RWP to the prime minister: law of criminal procedure for the ex­ "I am directed by the Bureau of our press purpose of trying these and other party to vehementlyprotest and strong­ defendants alleged to have been impli­ ly condemn the murderous campaign ,..::tted in the April 1971 youth uprising. that your government has launched it was when the government found that, against the YOJ1th of our country." And despite the known ingenuity and ability here were some of the demands made of the police to fabricate cases, and of the government in the same letter: despite its learned law Officers, there (a) "that you stop forthwith the mas­ was no possibility iI' terms of the sacre of the youth"; ordinary criminal law [Of convicting] (b) "stop the mass l!1urder of innocent these defendants [for] the offences of fl.t­ people by the armed forces"; tempting to overthrow the government, (c) "that you release forthwith all per­ etc., that it resorted to this device. sons detained without trial." We have in this so-called Criminal The RWP followed up by a circular Justice Commission Act what is called letter to all trade uniOns, and raised in legal language "retrospective legis­ Government troops arrest suspect during 1971 Ceylonese youth uprising. with them the urgency of taking trade­ lation"-law passed after the commis­ union action to stop the massacre of sion of an act, which was not an offenCe sentences being foregone conclusions)­ siO'ners refused to hear him and O'rdered these youth, etc., and the urgency of at the time it was committed in terms the defendants could gain nothing from him out. a trade-union conference in this regard. of prevailing law. And while bourgeOis legal defence, through legal arguments With the long-term jail sentences The RWP failed to receive any response justice is always class justice, this and submissions O'n the interpretation fO'r the erstwhile leaders of the JvP from the trade unions. In regard to type of retrospective legislation is, O'f the "law, as [they might] in cases moveme,nt, and alsO' the imposing O'f Bala Tampoe, the secretary of the even according to bourgeois norms, a before the ordinary courts. What was suspended sentences on about 2,500 CMU [Ceylon Mercantile Union], he negation of justice. therefore PO'ssible and necessar), was other youth who had pleaded guilty to' said he did not favour a trade-union In a trial before a commission ap­ a political defence. It was necessary charges in their cases relating to' the conference but informed [us] that his pointed under this act, the investigator in the real interests O'f the defendants, April uprising, the government has union was writing a letter to the prime of the alleged crime or crimes, the and the cause for which thousands of com pie tel y crushed t his you t h minister in that regard. prosecutor in the court case and the , youth sacrificed their lives, that they movement. Of the other left parties the CP (pro­ judges are the same. It is not difficult develop a political defence, as against However, long befO're the, end of Peking), whose leader, Shanmugadasan, to see that a trial of accused persons' a fruitless legal battle. these cases, and in fact even QefO're the was himself under detention on sus­ under such circumstances, becomes And it was precisely a PO'litical end of 1971 (the year O'f the uprising), picion of compliCity with the uprising, farcical and turns into a miscarriage defence that was launched by eight of the JVPmovement had diSintegrated did nothing in regard to the question of justice and a crime against those very the defending cO'unsel, who in agreement due, to inherent political weaknesses. of this murderous campaign against defendants. with their clients staged a protest and There cannot be any dO'ubt that with the youth. Under the ordinary law in Sri Lanka walked Qut of the court when the com­ all their we akn e sse s, mistakes, With regard. to the LSSP(R) [Lanka [Ceylon] confessions of accused per­ missiO'ners(judges) refused to' give a blunders-bO'th in regard to'the struggle Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary)], ruling O'n impO'rtant objections raised sons made to police officers are not they launched and in regard to the~r TamP'oe failed to' do anything in defence admiSSible, because it is a notorious by them in regard to the trial at its defence and cO'nduct of their trials­ 'of the youth against this repression. fact that the 'police in this country ob­ very commencement. the youth of this movement, a large There was not even a word of protest tain such confessions through assault The defendants responded by de­ number O'f whose leaders will lan­ in his letter to the prime minister. This and, invariably, torture. But under the nouncing [with] slogans the Criminal guish in jail for lO'ng periods, and hun­ document was an appeal to the prime Criminal Justice Commission Act this Justice CO'mmission Act and the govern­ dreds of whO'm lost their lives in this minister to be merciful, and not to salutary provision is thrown aSide, and ment. The reactiQn of the attO'rney struggle, did wage a just struggle order a concerted action of the arm~ confessions maie to police officers general, the chief law officer of the against the capitalist government in forces, which she announced would be­ have been made admiSSible. It is pre­ government, was to' immediately de­ what they believed to be a struggle come necessary if the fighting, youth cisely by such alleged confessions nO'unce the lawyers and their defendants fO'r socialism. And undoubtedly this did not surrender. • alone, that these defendants were found for their prO'test action, and to' make struggle of the youth to overthrow a SUbsequently the CMU, under the guilty. This meant that the defendants allegations that these lawyers had CO'I1- capitalist government is unprecedented. leaderShip of Tampoe, adopted a reso­ were forced to admit crimes they never spired with their defendants to' insult Undoubtedly. alsO', the youth O'f the JVP lution in which it obliquely lined up committed, and it was through such and obstruct the Commission. And here who participated in this struggle showed with the prime minister and the co­ confessions to police officers that most was the opening for the political de­ rare courage, determination, self sac­ alition go v e f n men t in "their fight of these defendants were given lc:mg fence of thO'se accused. rifice and heroism. against imperialism." jail sentences in this case. But this political defence, which was Contrary to- the false allegations "The general council accordingly calls What is more, the rights of adefen­ launched by a section O'f the defendants O'f the "LSSP, CP and SLFP [Sri Lanka upon the government ... to consult all dant in a trial before a commission and their lawyers, could not be cO'n­ Freedom Party], the armed uprising mass organisations of the people and not are severely restricted. Their lawyers tinued because the rest of the lawyers was not by reactionary rightist forces only those whose leaders are subservi- Page Four AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 ylonese youth rebels

ent to the government, as to all other The resolution says this on the alition leaders, they had now t'o take inantly Buddhists, where violence is measures that may be necessary to armed struggle: account of another factor-the emer­ against their tradition and culture. break Ceylonjree of the strang1eh91d of gence of a Single revolutionary front imperialism upon it, and thereby to en­ "The rebels did not make any attempt between the JVP, the LSSP(R), Ceylon However, thanks to the adventurist able the people to set about the estab­ to win the participation of the working Section of the Fourth International, and nature of the struggle and its failure lishment of a genuine socialist Democ­ class or any other section of the op­ the Young Socialist Front, the new to draw the .working class and tOilers racy in Ceylon." [our emphasis, E.S.] pressed either before or after the revolutionary nucleus formed' among behind it, and thanks to the treachery armed struggle began. They had no the plantation workers." As for the Revolutionary Commun­ plans for mass mobilisation. They re­ of the LSSP and CP and the reformist ist League (the Healyite group), it lied entirely on their own forces for leaders of the trade-union movement, • failed to make any relevant inter­ success in the struggle against the Thus not only Tampoe but his men­ the capitalist state in Sri Larika. has vention. Their ina·c ti 0 11 amounted to forces of the capitalist"6tate•.•. tors of the United Secretariat-the been strengthened as never before. abstentionism. "It was thus that the armed struggle Mandels and Pierre Franks-solidar­ The capitalist ruling class led by the While it was the duty of all those was only a courageous but reckless Ised themselves politically with the SLFP leader Sirima Bandaranaikehas who claim to be revolutionaries to come undertaking, without any hope of sucoess modernised and streamlined the re­ from the very outset." petty-bourgeois Sinhalese chauvinist to the defence of the JVP youth against politics of the JVP. Thus the Tampoes pressive apparatus of the state, both the murderous campaign by the govern'­ In contra.'3t, Tampoe (LSSP[R]) am and the Mandels must bear responsi­ organisationally am technically. The ment, it was their imperative [task] to the United Secretariat, by their un­ bility for disorienting the Sri Lanka armed forces, the army, navy, air point out that devotion, heroism, seU critical support of the politics of the youth and pushing the JVP movement force and the police have been expanded sacrifice alone cannot lead to success JVP, must bear some responsibility headlong to its doom. and eqUipped with the most modern in the struggle for socialism; on the ar}Daments for the effective suppres­ for the adventurist April uprising of The killing and torturing of hun­ contrary, it was imperative to show that the JVP. sion of the working class and toilers. the experience of the masses in struggle dreds of youth, the long jail sentences Here is what Tampoe reported to for the leaders of the JVP movement both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere has the Eleventh Delegates Meeting of the Repressive laws neverbeforeknown proved that the struggle for the eman­ including life imprisonment for Rohana in this country have been passed as CMU on 27 November 1970 regarding Wijeweera are not the only outcome of cipation of the toilers from capitalism a joint meeting they held, to protest regulations under the Public Security [and] imperialism cannot be divorced this struggle. Act, including the notorious Criminal the shooting of an estate worker in The struggle debunked the theories from Marxism-Leninism-Trotskyism. "Keenakele" Tea Estate, with a JVP Justice CommiSSion Act. However, the truth was thatthe lead­ of bourgeois reformists, the stalinists leader and another reformist, Tamil Thus the capitalist state in the ers of the JVP movement, while claim­ communalist trade-union leader hands of bourgeois leader Sirima Ban­ ing to be Marxist-Leni:nist, rejected Illangecheleyan: daranaike is in the process of estab­ Marxism, i.e., scientific socialism. lishing its strong state-the naked dic­ This is why their movement ended in "A historic feature of the meeting was tatorship of the capitalist class to crush hopeless failure, and this is why this the coming together on the same plat­ form of the most well-known leaders the trade-union m 0 v e men t and the movement diSintegrated so soon after of th~ Dravidian Progressive Move­ working class, and to destroy the left the April uprising. Here is what the ment (DMK) and the Janatha Vimukthi movement by a bloodbath as in the case RWP stated in regard to the politics of Peramuna, Illangecheleyan and Rohana of the suppression of the youth, if that the JVP in the resolution "Revolution­ Wijeweera. Each has been described becomes necessary. ary Workers Party and the armed as a racialist, the one Dravidian and struggle": the other Singhala, but both spoke in But this catastrophe for the working "The JVP claims to be Marxist­ terms of Marxism-Leninism." class and the left movement is by no Leninist in political orientation. They Nor could we dismiss all this as just means inevitable. This could well be sought to decorate their politics with Tampoe's own irresponsibility and op­ averted if only the working class, the Maoist slogans. portunism, which cannot be [foisted] youth, the poor peasants and exploited "They did' not accept the vanguard role on the leaders of the United Secretar­ of the working class and have com­ break from co ali t ion politics, and pletely discounted the Tamil Speaking iat. The statement issued by the United those treacherous leaders of the LSSP plantation workers. In this regard, Secretariat when the uprising took place and CP, and speedily take the road of they have failed to publicly explain what is no less irresponsible and no less class struggle, and at the same ..time they meant by 'Indian Exp~nsionism., , to opportunistic, and the ref 0 r e anfi­ take meaningful steps to build the new which they said they are opposed; ... 'Mal::itist. Here ililthe relevant passage: Ceylon Prime Minister Bandaranaike leadership-the revolutionary Marxist "The socialism of the JVP is petty­ party. This is the only road that could bourgeois. SOCialism, meaning thereby "The government had failed to consider· and the reformist LSSP and petty­ even the most meagre rneasures for smash all repressive legislation and the that they are severely critical of capi­ bourgeois politicians in Sri Lanka that murderous apparatus of the state, free talist exploitation and capitalist society, the problems of high prices am. the but do not call for the anti-capitalist continual erosion of the living stam.ards no armed struggle is pOSSible, because all political prisoners, end capitalist struggle." of the masses. Unhappily for the co- it is a land where people are predom- rule and open the road to socialism._

'MlI.IMll'OMll

'''fORMll'O'' BUllO'" 1~"~-: ... :,o~ 411-::~~ I,J1t ep.Ol.r~·te ...-: ~ Ju11 19F.o9 IIo"tJ..o:r-~~' .. ... '.:!;.If:"c'OJ. ~&rt .. .,...... No.9 ., "."";.'::.. '.- ..~,.".1 • ,.. • "'"l".l.~... I'I.a- i~';:;"-t.A.: Oeo"?"L~t'-..e...."~ • t • e,t Dt .. 0"''::.7'" •. ~.... '. '0: ~ ...,., coo;;~"""'"" ~...... ':"...... '" ~ "', .....Dt.. ~_.'" z ...... ' ....-:... .' ;::,~ o~ 1. • . ~...;...... •.... _ • Coe. .,'o~"i:~" -...... l.,C'l' ;:c .... . ~ten.l!. ,. ... . _...... , ...... c::,.... ' .::.... ""0 JllllUTES OP THE THIRD CONGRESS SINCE REUNIFICATIOll J.~J. 04#l.tt t.... ·'oo. 0. ~ '0' • ... • "'. (Ninth \lo~lcl COJ>&~···) .,t"o'.:!:el"':::"!'tt...... c c";'''''' '0__ ." ...... '. .~~ J.p~l1 1969 ,":;-:".":t:.:.~:o':''''~ "::,.. ~., "'.'''":.'0. ~ .... or tit 0-0. or', .p... o'.. : t.be .-. '.1 . 'Po~. •••• • 1 ...... 'llLt~t.. .r; '" • '" ,..,.. '/Jol':~. ."".. no ~,.::, 0. 't. 180 •~ .,. ••:".:,":'''f, :.. ' ::""r.. io, .~•• ,~~:. o-i' " ••:'0' .. '':.~'.'':~•• '.~;:: '" o.:ti:? ,,,:~~,;; . ":::lJ. ':~"'~:~':.,:":-,~':' ... ,. c· • II some of the actions and policies of Com- J~' .:'0i-."'":r~"t'':i'''':.::':'''' ..~. ::.~... f°';o •• , •• ;":;:~~,~:.::/o:t:~;~~·: ..... rade Bala and the LSSP(R) brought to our at­ "" ... ;:--...... ~ .~ ...".-1'0,. ". ,~,~","., ."~' '" '1if'o.,,:_.,.~ ,.... .f!':<.:. :::,.":' 1:;;0 ~ ~: ~ • ...... ::-'.:.. ... ; ..~.:~ .,. tention by Comrade Edmund and not denied by .,~ ,.: .:...... ~18o. " ,0: ...., •• ':. '. ~ . '1.0'• .,..., ...:. ··.'t- .~ ' ..., ...~f, ...l ...... ,. , ••,';0.'.:" Boo.,. . 0, c. "". ':.' ° ,••• ,~. Comrade Bala could have seriously damaged the :::.:;::.. • .;' ....:::.~"'r'":.: ...... : :-.: '.~ ". '.., • .:. :-:,. • reputation of Comrade Bala as a revolutionary 5"0, •.0. ::.... -: •• , ,.;0'; •..,,' •• ". ... "'''' .... 0. '" '. -"'.. '. c~ ... •.... ""~. '.. 0, ••··,.t·· "0' Z" .. , ..... ~ '...... ~o leader .... 11 It:'';; ::: ' ....:. '::10' 0, • , ••'::; • • 4. l't b" ~ ~GO.zoa,.I.'" -~Report of the Ceylon Commission, ,.... ' ... "0 " " ,'" c. •• " :,:::•• -; ••;,.c;.:.::' .. ..,.,";"":::. . "Ninth World Congress II of the USec, 1969 . v...... , .... '0,. '" ...... •••• ~~:>' • ••d Poe.. • .I ,Jf /II;.: o. °~J.I?..~:::''':::;: ,___ '._ ...... ::/;::'lo:b,.~l • ° • '0 " .4 •~h ~ . "'" The scandalous behaviour of Tampoe is re­ t:'.bt,~IJ,,!~O..~.Jlb ••;:It.I'~L J'~ IIbJ~.llo•• J ... tll. ."12. 1' ~"'t tb J:. :0, 20 cents .. "~ "',"'" .... ,.. .•. J"...... vealed in the 1969 Ceylon Commission reports, ::!."t.l:-~:''': ~~:• ....",,~::::iP~~:.~'I· :. ::::::f~'i·:'· c. SOCIALlSl woaltElS 'Aa:; ~ :".:, •••,,: :::;!"'::: •. o."{ •• J'" •.::... b"":: .".'c" ,.. : ...... :t.~••• suppressed by the USec, published in full in f.:"f':' ..':ftr~ 0'''-:-;:':·.:' P ...-:.t::-"o,. 3.'-; ~.:. ':, ,0: .:.-::::'•• -:,'. :;.... '. 0, • P ..: ' ' .... 0. '" "0 ~ .... ° ' • ., •• P., .," .,. '" Spartacist no 21, Fall 1972. A rejoinder to '0 ~ ~'.':; ';::[0 'lN0::' ":wi.':';:,' •. :~•• >t."t""::: :,~:;,~, ..:::. .. ' .. '0 •••• ,-.~' •• 0' I ". .. ::::,.;-• • 'I: "::.1':: .....:.::"f:i!:'..., " " the USecls attempted falsifications in Tam­ _,~,,'::''.,;. r... 'o~. "1 .::-,~.p • .." ..., :.,~'. "'~ • c:· •'. ~ . "' •• "..... b. ~:-'. " .!"c. "'~.,,:,···,o. ....,:ro":: :::..,. '0 "". poels defenc~ appears in Spartacist no 22, " .,""... ,....~. ". 'o ... ' ..... ~ ~.,:.. c.''...... Po"'":r.~·, •• '0" "0' " ". '."!.."~'o: ~~ I ~'. ~•• , ••••, Winter 1973. ••0".,,--1'.1:. ,:,:; ,:::' !til.,,::;, ••• 4" ~ ~ ••.• .0.v.,.,,:-, c •• Order from: SLANZ, .,.:". J, " ...., ....,"::-. '. '0 • . t4,.11 ,.~.,,: Q~. ~~ ~~~Il·tb~f.·t'}t·"t GPO Box 3473, o".'!-Pet ~::.. l'o~~· 0:, :tz;::J.z~b", '.~~~ Sydney, 2001 3~,!!(,:~-:': 25 cents each

AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 Page Five Peking props up British colony Wildcat strikes in Hong Kong

As China proceeds to build "socialism in one tory and geography in textbooks used by the country" through "cultural revolutions" bu­ colony's schools! reaucratically orchestrated by the Communist Party (CCP) and People's Liberation Army, Hong Hong Kong workers have not been content with Kong, now the world's most populous colony, re­ fighting Confucius. Tremendous economic press­ mains one of capitalism's worst sweatshops. ures and the inertia displayed by the Maoist trade-union bureaucrats have led to hundreds of Suffering under conditions reminiscent of those wildcat strikes by desperate workers. In vir­ prevalent in the early nineteenth century, its tually every case these strikes end in defeat, working class lacks the protection of maximum­ sold out by the "communist" union leaders hour or meaningful child-labor laws and unem­ ployment compensation. (Manchester Guardian Weekly, 5 October 1974). In this atmosphere it is not surprising that These deplorable conditions are now rapidly various left tendencies have begun to mushroom, deteriorating. Grinding inflation caused real including anarchist, syndicalist and quasi­ wages to drop 11 percent in the year preceding Trotskyist groupings. At times these have re­ March 1974, while unemployment has soared past portedly been able to lead strikes while defeat­ the 100,000 mark. (Hong Kong has just over ing the bankrupt Maoist leadership. 4,000,000 people.) Among the new formations is the Daily Combat­ Mass demonstrations in Hong Kong during the ing Bulletin (DCB) group, which is under the in­ 1967 "Great Cultural Revolution" showed that the fluence of the majority faction of the "United Maoists dominate the local left and have the Secretariat of the Fourth International" (USec). power to shake the foundations of British rule The DCB claims to have a certain amount of mass at will. Yet recently they have failed to mount support, having reportedly organized last year a May 5 demonstration against inflation which at­ a single significant strike -- even in the face of the current economic 'catastrophe -- although tracted 5,000 participants. It has also demon­ strated against the deportation of 118 Vietnamese they are the major force in the trade-union refugees to Saigon, a protest which received no Ng Chung-yin of Daily Combat Bulletin group. movement, controlling the Hong Kong Fed'eration support whatever from local representatives of of Trade Unions. Instead, one of the major cam­ the,China-first Peking regi~e. This chauvinist namese to accept the 1973 Paris "peace" accords. paigns by the Maoist press during the downtur'n attltude should be no surprlse to anyone who has " has been to calIon the British Education De­ f 11 d th 'M Ch d ttl' t' k' h' h The DCB group also orgamzed demonstratlons sup- o ow~ ~ ao~ ,ou, ~ e~ e ~~ lN1C ~n~: w lC porting "the Korean mass struggle", a focus which partment to correct the errors in Chinese his- was a ey e emen ln ln uClng e ort let~ apparently stirred the Maoists' ire, since Kim 11 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-Sung is not on Mao's list of '~rogressive" per- CONTINUED FROM PAGE EIGHT sub' serVlent to t h e f emlnlst" 1'd eo 1ogy d'omlnant ln, sonalitiesK h ) (such as the Shah of Iran and Yahya ' t the movement, They of course call the struggle an. . omen s mOyemen of women for their own demands "revolutionary" It is criminal that Peking, in its efforts to • • W in itself and argue that it is necessary for the seduce the bourgeois governments of the world, women's movement to remain "autonomous" (from props up one of the last, and most lucrative, is, whether it likes it or not, intersecting very both the working class and the revolutionary outposts of British imperialism. In its drive to real class interests and forces. Under feminist party), ostensibly as a "safeguard" to prevent line up "non-superpowers" (eg, Japan, European leadership the "women's movement", lacking social the downgrading of women's specific needs. There NATO countries, etc) against the "number' one en- force and common class interests, ends up appeal­ is no question of any organisation remaining emy" -- "Soviet social-imperialism" -- the Maoist ing to those who are influential in the world as "autonomous" or "independent" in class society -- bureaucracy deliberately supports the continu- it is, particularly the ALP bureaucrats. The class interests fall one way or the other. Re- ation of colonial rule. Thus the struggle of struggle becomes one for reforms acceptable to and acceptlng the framework of this society. formism fosters a fear of the working class, and Hong Kong workers for their liberation from thus the CPA and the SWL do not believe that the Britain and capitalist exploitation has as its The support offered to the march this year by revolutionary working class wi 11 fight for foremosf and most immediate enemy ... "People's several unions -- the Builders' Labourers'Feder­ women's interests, China"! It is not possible to lead these at ion (NSW branch), the Amalgamated Metal Workers 'st L (CL) d tl struggles forward to victory without a clear Union and the Australian Postal and Telecommuni­ The Comm unl eague an some apparen y , d h ' dissident elements in the CPA try to avoid these POllCY towar e counterrevolutlonary bureauc- cations Union -- is an important development. ~ sorts of capitulations by orienting towards racy of the ~hlnese deformed workers state. The . However, the IWD committee (which includes lead­ 'ng cl B t th' I' 't t' fake TrotskYlsts of the USec unfortunately do not ing CPA members) rejected the unity of men and workl - ass women. u elr lml a lons were , , , clea r ly exposed wh en th e 1'd ea 0 f a wor k'lng-c 1ass have' the stomach , (or , the , prlnclples) , for a flght women workers in support of women's demands, have contingent for the IWD h 'd' th agalnst Maolsm, as mllltants ln the DCB group only called for women's contingents from the marc was :alse ln, e will soon discover. trade unions, and say they "do not encourage" Sydney Unemployed Women's Collectlve. Agalnst male workers to march. While it is the purpose the argument of the Spartacist League for organ- In the 1950's the International Secretariat of TWD to be a rallying point specifically for isation of the contingent on the basis of a (now the USec majority) hoped to reform the re- working women and their demands, the discourage­ demand such as "For a United Working Class cently triumphant CCP through friendship (rather ment of male workers from supporting these de­ Defence of Women's Jobs" they insisted on such than calling for political revolution), and so mands is an obstacle to the development of class covertly feminist slogans as "Women's power is its leaders "forgot" to champion the cause of unity and to an understanding by the class of in the workplace not the home" (which suggests hundreds of Chinese Trotskyists languishing in women's specific oppression. the continued separation of men and women within Mao's jails. During the "Great Cultural Revol­ If sections of the women's movement leadership the working class and completely lacks any class ution" the USec supported the Mao clique in the are against any moves to unite the rank and file thrust) and others which spread illusions about intra-bureaucratic struggles that were going on, of the working class behind women's demands they "economic independence" for women under capital- trying as it normally does to operate as a left ism. The failure of these groups to confront the pressure group on Stalinist forces. Because of are not averse to ingratiating themselves with the trade-union bureaucrats. In the February reformism of feminist politics foreshadows a the dynamics of the Hong Kong situation, the DCB Sydney Women's Liberation Newsletter CPAer Aileen similar inability to fight the reformism of the group finds itself forced to confront the Maoist Beaver is full of praise for Peter Evans, a "1 ib­ trade union bureaucrats. union bureaucracy; it nevertheless already re- eral" bureaucrat from the APTU, who is "particu­ The problem of feminism is not solved merely by capitulates the USec tradition. To disillusioned larly concerned" about Women's Liberation ideas "orienting" to the working class, nor is the re- Maoists it explains that "the compromise policy and who has organised a meeting of women trade formism currently dominating the class defeated of the Hong Kong Maoists .. ,is a consequence of unionists to get "their opinions on International simply by deciding it is bad, Without the build- the degeneration of the Chinese Revolution" Women's Year". Beaver, a supposed communist, has ing of caucuses in the unions, based on a revol- (Inprecor, 6 June 1974). no intention of discussing communist politics utionary pro~ra~ and figh~ing to poli~ically But the Chinese Revolution was deformed from smash the eXlstlng reformlst leadershlp, the ' "I ' with these women and instead argues that "we all " '1' t f ' , t" f th CL 1 h 1 ts very lnceptlon. There were no Chlnese go to this meeting to listen to the women, talk SOCla lS emlnls,s 0 e' etc eave t e soviets in 1949, or since; there are not even with them and nurture the powerful growth of women's movement wlde open' to the manoeuvres and germs, 1e tIt' a one ves 1ges, 0f wor k ers d emocracy sisterhood". b etrayals of those reformlst bureaucrats. Women ' th 1 d f M T t th' h I f who seek to build a social ist women's movement l n e anI 0 tao h~eh- ung t' °tugt dt. th nb act, 'As feminism is a form of reformism it is to be , "',' t h e same e emen s w lC cons 1 u e e ureauc- must,real1se that thlS ~ol1tlcal flght,lS urgent racy of the CCP in its supposedly "undegenerate" expected that reformist organisations such as the but 1 t can only be carrled through to 1 ts con-. , , ", Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and the 1 ' 'f 'd db' 'f' d d' (le, revolutl0nary) perlod are stl11, ln varl0US Socialist Workers League (SWL) are completely c uSl0n 1 gUl e y a sClentl lC un erstan lng b" hId f h CC d o f th e nee d s 0 f th e wor klng' c 1ass em b 0 d'le d ln ' a com lnatlons, t e ea ers 0 t e P to ay. revolutionary party. The birth of such a The very methodology of the USec is to substi- party -- and its scientific understanding -- re- tute maneuver and pressure for the principled quires those who wish to made a socialist revol- programmatic struggle of revolutionary Trotsky­ \VoJllen and ~ ution to engage in political struggle aimed at ism. Little Hong Kong lies sandwiched between Journal of the regroupment on the basis of agreement over prin- China and the sea. Historically it has been a st ciples and program. Without the birth of such a key juncture between Western and Japanese imperi- ~10-a (o""""ni Women's Commission 2 of the SLUS. Leninist vanguard socialist revolution and the alisms and China. Only a fiercely international- Women's Movement! ... liberation of women is impossible. ist movement can have any hope of carrying out a I\0Il tile IoIsIIPiU Wo One year I s In the words of Alexandra Kollontai, concluding proletarian revolution under such conditions. Qr1I1i1edW_g - 4 subscription MistOl'! 01 tile IoIri1III bbIIJIiIII'" a pamphletII ,. on International Women's Day:, A Hong Kong wor k ers repu bl""lC lS unlmaglna bl e lIleW ..... I\1IOS\ID1I (4 issues): $1 aor\\lles,lili.tIIe DO~lj ~JITH THE WORLD OF PROPERTY AI~D THE POWER __ in the absence of revolutionary uprisings in 1n\.matiana'Socia\islS .. ,6 lllests order from ~F, CAPITAL! . China or Japan a Hong Kong Commune would have, at ou\he CominIern on WD!\ ~g women­ Spartacist League, AiJAY WITH THE II~EQUALITY, LACK OF RIGHTS AND best a few days of life before it would be I.S, Slander aeMed .. ,' GPO Box 3473, THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN -- THE LEGACY OF THE smashed by one or several of these powers. At OUr Program", 23 Sydney, BOURGEOIS WORLD! the same time, however, a revolutionary Trotskv- Wb,We SUI'I"'rt ;~S'W, 2001 "FOR~~ARD TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNITY OF WORKING ist movement here could serve both as a cataly~t tile tal .. , 24 WOMEN AND MEN IN THE STRUGGLE FOR THE DICTATOR- and a crucial l~nk between the powerful Chinese SHIP OF TH~IIPROLETARIAT -- THE PROLETARIAT OF and Japanese prqletariats. The USec has demon- BOTH SEXES. • strated its inability to build such parties .• ' Page Six AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 flation never allowed for since the 1972 wage trades, because of the great number of shops CONTINUED FROM PAGE EIGHT sellout. Though the unions are likely to claim (10,000 in NSW) of which he estimated 25 percent another $30 if the national wage indexation case to be non-union and about 70 percent nominally fails, what is really needed, along with adequate unionised (a situation which he and the other •. . metal trades struggle wage increase covering inflation that has already AMWU bureaucrats have done little to rectify), occurred and in the absence of tax indexation, is and because of regional and factory-level diver­ Jack Pearson, both of whom support the CPA, a demand for a sliding scale of wages, an auto­ sity. So they're not even trying to get the bothered to fight. for the mutual policies of the matic monthly cost-of-living adjustment based on membership together! The result of 'such del iber­ fu~WU and the CPA for a 35-hour week and refusal the highest wage in the industry. ate inaction is to weaken the union. AMWU State to accept the sack (see ASp no 15, December 1974 This year's wage demand is likely to differ secretary and CPAer John Halfpenny told the Vic­ for a detailed account of these events). After from those of last year in that it will call for torian AMWU State Conference in February that the a later round of sackings the tradesmen at a percentage increase rather than a flat rate in­ AMWU in Victoria had suffered a 50 percent in­ Plesseys were faced with a vote on whether ap­ crease. Jim Baird, an AMWU Commonwealth Organ­ crease in resignations and a 50 percent decrease prentices finishing their time or tradesmen with iser and CPA member, said in an interview with in applications for membership, and faced a financial crisis. fewer years in the plant should be sacked next. Austra~a8ian Spartacist that relativities have A close vote decided that it was the apprentices now been restored to their 1947 level and should A national campaign of not just "publicity" who should go, with no opposition from Pollock, be kept there "because the members demand that but strong industrial action is necessary, and who did not even put union policy! Other they be retained". In fact the AMWU bureaucrats requires a co-ordinated national strike run by struggles, such as those at Austral Bronze and have simply capitulated to backward craft cOn­ elected shop floor committees. Baird's claim STC have been limited to campaigns for better sciousness 'among tradesmen, with whom they have that "the majority of workers don't want to move" severance pay and for the minimal policy of their closest links. Baird himself admits that is largely true, due on~y to the misleadership "first on, last off", although a few important in the case of over-award struggles in individual of Baird and his fellow-bureaucrats and their re­ exceptions -- Babcocks, CSR, Garden Islands Dock­ shops divisions ?re created immediately if an at­ fusal to mobilise the ranks. All wings of the yards -- have shown that sackings can be defeated tempt is made to fight for different rates. It bureaucracy are unwilling to provide the type of with militant tactics. Last year the demand for is the same in a national award campaign. Since leadership required, and all must be thrown out a 35-hour week was quickly forgotten in the nego­ the divisions of skilled and unskilled frequently right up to the Whitlam/Cairns/Hawke group at the tiations. This time it must be central to the parallel the divisions between men and women, top of the workers movement. The present re­ campaign, and linked to a sliding scale of hours Australian-born and migrant, divisions used to cession demonstrates clearly that even the fight without loss in pay, so that the available work split the workers, metal workers must demand a for simple wage demands requires more than re­ can be shared among those wanting work. It is flat rate increase for a~~ based on a figure suf­ formist militancy, and without a struggle to end also important to fight for the nationalisation ficient to the needs of the higher paid trades­ the exploitation and oppression of capitalism, of all factories threatened with mass retrench­ men. any gains will be temporary. FOR A REVOLUTION­ ments. Last September the AMWU presented an amendment ARY LEADERSHIP OF THE WORKERS MOVEMENT PLEDGED TO The 15 percent wage rise claim is intended to to the ACTU conference resolution on the economic EXPROPRIATE THE CAPITALIST CLASS! FOR A REAL offset inflation since September 1974 -- an situation calling for "a powerful nationally­ WORKERS GOVERNMENT! • admission that the Spartacist League was right co-ordinated public campaign using all the re­ after all in calling for a $25 increase last sources of union activisation" including "system­ CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE August. (A total yearly wage rise of 24-29 atic and widespread factory meetings using the percent was required to restore real wages lost full resources of the trade union movement, shop in the past year alone if allowance for taxation stewards and delegates rallies in all major . wage cut is made (Nationa~ Times, 27 January - 1 February centres" (Tribune, 11 February 1975). However • • 1975).) But the current 15 percent claim still according to Jim Baird what is a legitimate call olutionaries should do about the ALP's retention does not compensate for wages lost through in- on an ACTU conference is impossible in the metal of the allegiance of the working-class masses. This omission feeds views that the ALP is merely another liberal capitalist party, as was argued by supporters of the "Adelaide document" in CPA CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE of the AMWU, run by Communist Party of·Australia discussion prior to its 24th Congress last year. (CPA) leader John Halfpenny, and including the To conclude the capitalist character of the ALP responsible union organisers, Frank Cherry and merely from Whitlam's persistent anti-strike, • • • Everhot Allan Ritter, who are also CPA members, have done wage-cutting rhetoric or from the Labor Govern­ their best to keep the struggle isolated and to ment's protection of profits would be obviously workers with the Everhot personnel manager and avoid any real fight. They have not even faulty. The misleaders of the trade unions such the VCM's Wilson present) and those workers on bothered to expel scum like Gary Brain from the as Hawke and Egerton say the same things. Are we the picket outside the plant. (He has also per­ AMWU. Despite the evident willingness of other therefore to conclude that the unions are not sonally taken part in physical assaults on pick­ workers in the area to support them, it has been workers' organisations? It is precisely the eters.) It was this depraved scab who obtained left to the women themselves to organise support. ALP's direct ties to the unions and its develop­ the defeat of a motion to support the women in a The backing these intrepid "Communists" gave to ment out of the class struggle (making the ALP a close. vote at a stopwork meeting of Everhot endless negotiations and wretched compromises workers' party) which allows the bourgeoisie to workers following the sackings -- by counting the (such as the offer to give three or four of the use it through its agents like Whitlam and Hawke, vote of non-union passers-by! Since that time women part-time jobs) and their total, con'scious to bind the working class politically. But while the picket has been maintained by the women and refusal to mobilise the union in support of the workers' faith in these traitors is based on il­ their supporters except for a few days when fake Everhot women has resulted in demoralisation and lusion, the broad working-class support for the "Communist" AMWU officials persuaded the women to the prospect of defeat -- eight of the women have ALP also expresses a consciousness of the need lift it (enabling the company to stockpile enough now left. for a political party of the working class to supplies to last three months). Police and The picket has received support from Melbourne fight for its interests as a class. It is company harassment has been constant, ruthless Women's Liberation (WL) , Link, the Socialist necessary for revolutionaries, in order to break and vicious, and the only effective support Labour League (SLL), the Spartacist League and the hold of the reformists over the working class against it has come when it has been possible to Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL). The feminists see in the struggle to forge a mass revolutionary mobilise other workers in the area. On one oc­ the problem as primarily a "women's issue", and workers' party, to use the character of the ALP casion when police threatened to arrest the dismiss the betrayals of the union bureaucrats by as a c~ass party against its class-collaboration­ strikers, they were stopped by the arrival of 250 reference to the "male dominated trade-union ist misleadership -- not as an excuse to capitu­ workers from the nearby Clydemasters factory, who movement" (WL News~etter, January-February 1975) late to the existing reformist consciousness of marched over in a group on hearing of the threats rather than seeing that they flow from the re­ the class, and thus contribute to that misleader­ and joined the picket for the rest of the day, formist outlook of Halfpenny and company, which ship as does the CPA, but in order to concretely prompting 20 of the Everhot men to stop work and accepts the limitations of capitalism. They can- . expose it. join them as well. The company'resorted to moving not see this because feminism at bottom also ac­ It is not enough for the dissident Tribune goods and supplies at night. When the picket was cepts capitalism. correspondents to substitute for the struggle for extended around the clock to stop this, three of On the other hand according to the economist program a new form of organisation: "We call for the men picketing were beaten up by goons from analysis of the SLL, it is feminist moralising the Party, union officials and militants to es­ inside the plant and trucks were driven through to point out that "it was only women who were tablish a network of local/factory com- the gates at high speed to break the picket by sacked" (Workers News, 20 February 1975). The mittees .... " Factory committees can be sup­ threatening to run them down. The struggle can SLL totally ignored the sexual divisions among ported -- and betrayed -- by refccmist bureau- only be won at this stage by a mass picket the workers, and ridiculed the idea that women's crats just as trade unions can. thout the capable of shutting down the plant until Everhot oppression had anything to do with the sackings. struggle for the revolutionary part; and its pro­ restores the jobs of all workers sacked. The Workers News article did not even mention the gram, or by attempting to bypass the reformists, The "militant" leaders of the Victorian branch blatant discrimination or the fact that a~~ the the effect of these syndicalis't policies in prac­ women workers were sacked! The SLL's refusal to tice would be the same as Tribune's false front fight male-chauvinist prejudice in the working of a "workers' alternative" -- a pressure group class makes it incapable of uniting the class be­ on the ALP which only makes more difficult the • hind the revolutionary program, and unable to of­ shattering of ALP reformism by propping up its fer a revolutionary alternative to the CPA labour left flank, re-validating it when the more correctlons traitors .• blatant class collaboration has worn thin .•

The last issue of Austra~asian Spartacist con­ tained the following errors:

The article "Fight unemployment!" mistakenly referred to George Slater of the Postal Workers Aus(talasiart. c········ ',:.,,: union as part of the ALP "Socialist Left"; he is just another left-talking bureaucrat.

On page nine a picture of a NSWTF stopwork SPARTA I.,. meeting and one of GM-H workers were reversed due to a printer's error. A phrase in the article "Permanent revolution subscribe 12 issues - $1 and self-determination in the Near East" -- "If Israel is a nation ... " -- out of context could NAME .••••.•••••.•••••••••..••••••••• , ••••.•.•••••••••. be taken to imply that the present state of mail to/make cheques payable to: Israel is a legitimate expression of national ADDRESS, ••..•••.•.•.•••. , ••.••••..••••••.••••••••••••• rights for the Hebrew-speaking nation in Pales­ Spartacist Publications, tine. As the article elsewhere repeatedly empha­ CITY •••.•• , •••••.•••. , . . . . • . • •• STATE., •••• , .••••••••• GPO Box 3473, sises, that is not the case. Sydney, NSW, 2001. POSTCODE .••.•.•...•...••.••• ,.

AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975 Page Seven ,t

What are the bureaucrats up to? Metal unions not prepared for struggle On 11 April the Metal Trades Award expires. wage indexation. A number of demands Traditionally regarded as a pacesetter, develop­ to be similar to those in last year's ments in the metal trades are being watched hour week, childcare centres, and the prov1s1on ~ closely by both the employers and the Federal of English lessons for migrant workers in the em­ Labor government. A major struggle by the metal ployers' time. unions to defend their living standards and jobs , The precondition for any successful campaign could alter the course of the class struggle and over wag.es and conditions is a fight against be a staging point for a general class offensive; sackings and unemployment. The AMWU has a policy but so far the metal union bureaucrats, includ­ in favour of the 35-hour week. Recently ,the ing the "lefts" of the Amalgamated Metal Workers CPA's Tribune (4 February 1975) made a call to Union (AMWU), have done everything to avoid this. "develop workers' action to defend jobs", uphold­ I Since the beginning of the year a series of ing the work-in by boilermakers employed by Bab­ meetings of the Metal Trades Federation (MTF) Log cocks in Balmain as showing "the way for the many Committee and the various unions at State and other workers facing the sack" (Tribune, Federal level have prepared a log of 39 claims, 28 January 1975). But what Tribune says and what to be finalised at a meeting of officials on 11 CPA supporters have actually done,have little in March and to be served on the employers on 12 or common. The activity of·the CPA and other left 13 March. There has been no direct rank-and~file officials in the AMWU is indistinguishable from involvement in this process whatever, except for the rest of the trade-union bureaucracy: accept­ a few isolated shop-floor meetings in Victoria. ance of sackings and active promotion of sellout The bureaucrats intend to commit the metal unions "compromises", spiced with promises of "support" to the log without any discussion of it by the in the future if the workers themselves initiate membership, although a little information about militant struggles. the proposed log has been "leaked", not to the But in the absence of an alternative leader­ ranks, but to the bourgeois press. Indications ship most of the resistance to sackings has been are that the log will include demands for in­ ineffectual. Before Christmas at the Plesseys creased loading on annual leave and a wage in­ Meadowbank factory in Sydney neither the AMWU crease of around IS percent, witWan additional convenor Roy Pollock nor AMWU state organiser $30 if the Arbitration Commission does not grant Continued on 'page seven STC workers' January stopwork over sackings. For a communist women's movement! The or1g1ns of 8 March as International Work­ pression and the class struggle is again clearly ing Women's Day are rooted in class struggle. On demonstrated. With the passing of a period of 8 March 1908, socialist women in New York City relative economic stability, working women (along' organised a demonstration of female garment with migrants) have taken the brunt of unemploy­ workers who had been involved in long and brutal ment. As women workers are frequently unorgan­ strikes for decent conditions and union recog­ ised and have little experience of trade union­ Above: Inessa n1t1on. From 1910 8 March was taken up by the ism, and also because a large proportion of re­ Armand (Bolshevik). Second International through Clara Zetkin, later trenched women actually return to the home a leading German communist, and established as an camouflaging the real extent of unemployment, it Above left: Clara international day for working women. In Russia is politically expedient for the bourgeoisie to Zetkin (German commun­ on 8 March 1917 working women took to the streets have them provide the bulk of the reserve army of ist founder of Inter­ demanding bread and an end to the imperialist labour. International Women's Day, then, could national Women's Day). war, providing the initial catalyst to the Feb­ have served its historic role as a focal point ruary revolution that overthrew the Tsarist for rallying working women into political Left: Rosa autocracy and went on, in October, to overthrow struggle, not only around such important issues Luxemburg. capitalism and establish the ,first workers state. as child care and abortion, but this year par­ Women's oppression is founded on the material ticularly unemployment, a struggle that the re­ Below: women match conditions and social relations of capitalism. formists who dominate the labour movement have workers who won a The nuclear family, the institution central to refused to take up notwithstanding some empty i strike victory in 1888 the maintenance of women's oppression, is a resolutions in the councils of the more "pro­ key to development of bulwark of class society, necessary to the repro- gressive" trade unions. British trade- duction of, and inculcation of discipline in, the In fa~t, however, the broadsheet brought out by labour force. It follows both that women's op­ the women's movement advertising the march in pression can be removed only through the destruc­ Sydney sees the main obstacles to women's liber­ tion of class society and that the struggle for ation not as class society but "male dominated women's full social equality is crucial in any committees and organisations", and wants the strategy for socialist revolution. It is only march to merely "publicise" its demands. The the working class that can lead the struggle to main slogan for the march is "Women's right to overthrow capitalism; and for this to occur it live, to work and to love", "rights" which, if must be united into a force conscious of its they mean anything at all (which is unclear) are interests as a class and its need to take state certainly not going to fundamentally challenge power and expropriate the bourgeoisie. But this the capitalist system from which the oppression will not happen spontaneously. The working class of women flows. Indeed, not once does the broad­ is fractured by all kinds of divisions, such as sheet mention class society -- the obstacle to nationalities, and these divisions are used by the liberation of women. Under the present lead­ the bourgeoisie to prevent workers uniting. A ership of the women's movement 8 March has de­ gross example of the constant use the bo'urgeoisie generated into a promotion of reformist illusions makes of the division between male and female and women's separatism. workers is the case of the Everhot sackings in Reformism is linked quite directly to feminism, Melbourne (see the article on page one). The the dominant ideology in the women's movement. only force that can overcome'these divisions Feminism is a "classless" ideology, seeing the among workers and ~rystallise the necessary class main contradiction in society between sexes, and consciousness is a revolutionary party which must thus it serves the bourgeoisie. Feminism's organise around demands that relate to immediate denial of the primacy of class forces and class needs of workers and specially oppressed group­ conflict cannot shield it from reality and when ings such as women and tie that struggle into the it ventures out of the psychological world of overall perspective of class struggle and social­ consciousness-raising into "outside" politics it J~" *'-. " ist revolution. , In 1975 the critical link between women's op- Continued on page six International Women's Day, 1975 '" \.. ~ Page Eight AUSTRALASIAN SPARTACIST March 1975