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Struggle to End the Social Contract Grows

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Struggle to End the Social Contract Grows A RUGG No.IO March 1977 ~10NTHL Y FIVE PENCE STRUGGLE TO END THE SOCIAL CONTRACT GROWS After 2 years of vicious wage cuts, many -Shop stewards representing 16,000 sections of workers throughout the workers at the British Aircraft Corpor­ country are militantly proclaiming their ation; opposition to a 'phase 3' of the social -Fords Convenors, representing 50,000 con-act. workers, demand pari ~ y with Fn~rl r f Europe and a 35 hour week; (co~t 'd on p2) They include: -Vauxhall Combine Committee Stewards; -Dockers at Hull and Southampton, at CONTENTS INCLUDE: large mass meetings; -The National Busmen, T&GWU; WORKERS OPPOSE TU PAYMENTS TO LABOUR -Nottinghamshire Miners' Delegates rep- IT IS PEOPLE, NOT WEAPONS, THAT ARE resenting 34,000 men; DECISIVE -British Leyland Shop Stewards, who plan a national campaign of opposition to BUILD THE REVOLUTIONARY . COM~~UNIST the social contract and a one day - PARTY - Central Task in Britain s~rike, while 10,000 Leyland workers NO INFLATION IN SOCIALIST CHINA marched against the social contract; JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST FEDERATION OF BRITAIN (MARXIST-LENINIST) Struggle to end the social contract grows (cont'd from p.l) -ASLEF, train drivers,demanding £20 p.w. is excellent and must be strengthened. rise, to make up wage cuts over last Only direct action by the rank-and-file two years; can sweep aside the opportunist TU -Arthur Scargill of the Yorkshire miners leaders and destroy Healey's anti­ urged the TU movement to "kick out the working class schemes. social contract"; -44 resolutions to end social contract will be made at the NUPE national con­ WAGE/TAX DEAL ference in May; Last year, Healey offered a 'deal' of a -Engineers at the London Transport wage increase plus tax relief. This Underground depot said they were not sounds pretty good:- we get a pay rise, prepared to wait until the end of the and he takes a cut in tax revenue. pay policy in July. But what are the facts? If inflation is These facts show that an increasing running at 15% we need a 15% increase number of workers are not prepared to in take-home pay, just to keep in step. accept a f ~ ~ther cut in their living To get this, we need a 15% increase not standards. ,~./ only in gross pay, but also in our Many of the TU leaders who are now untaxed income, or else Healey will shouting their opposition to a 'phase 3' be taking most of it in taxes,instead have in fact supported wage cuts for 2 of us in wages. (The chart shows it is years and have actually suppressed any only 72%). ring rms resistance from the rank-and-file. Like Using figures :from the Labour p so true opportunists, they have switched Party's own pamphlet on the 'deal', we their stand because of the rising shop­ bann can see ~hat Healey's generosity amounts floor militancy. This is an attempt to to. The example is for a single person f th an a retain some credibility with the rank­ earning £60 p.w. and-file. No matter how loud they shout 1ut e :onti! now, this fact will not pass unnoticed. Original rate Increase % Gross Pay £60 £3.00 5% 'uppl! But in the coming weeks, the struggle :he between the workers and the Government Untaxed Pay £15 £1.15 72% and TUC collaborators will intensify. In Take-home Pay £40 £2. 18 5!% I'he this struggle the opportunists cannot ishl be trusted. So with inflation at 15% at least, and take home pay risint., by only 5!%, the result TAX 'DEAL' FRAUD is a savage cut in living standards. Healey indicated, some time ago, that And what about the apparent cuts in taxes? "the the 'deal' this time would include Considering the facts, for the- same weap another so-called tax cut. It's the old worker:- the rise in untaxed income of game of the carrot and the big stick:­ £1.15 means a saving of 40 pence in an i1 dete1 "If you accept a low wage rise, I'll tax (at the rate of 35 pence in the £). weap reduce your tax; if not, I'll hammer But he does pay tax (at this rate) on Unio with tax what increase you do get." But the £3.00 rise in his gross income, situ as our example shows, even the so-called and this equals £1.05. So the net tax cut is just a big con-trick. Healey, reault is an increase in tax of 65p! Both along with Murray and Jones, claim that Thi the social contract will benefit the It's Healey and his bosses' state that pol working class. But their real aim is to wins both ways, cutting our real wages, Ame and increasing taxes! Last year the fool workers into accepting a wage cut, tha government took 15% more in tax than while profits soar. Healey's fraud is wil designed to save capitalism, and is the year before despite the 'tax cut'. Healey's 'generosity' amounts to giving modi directly opposed to the interests of the the the illusion of tax cuts, in return for working class. All wage cut policies - the I statutory or voluntary - serve the · wage cuts! It's like a t hief ·.rho has interests of capitalism. stolen your watch, givin0 oa~ k the Sov strap in exchange for your wallet! dan The present opposition to these policies it soc in 2 wor WORKERS OPPOSE TU PAYNIENTS TO LABOUR Recently , a meeting was held between down en bloc to the TGWU offices and the financial chiefs of the Labour Party contracted out of the political levy. and the Trade Unions to discuss the This has led other sections of workers The growing financial crisis within the such as chemical workers, along the of t Labour Party. In the past, because the Humber bank to begin to contract out. repo Unions are the main source of revenue As we ll as contracting out the polit­ mana for the Labour Party, such a meeting ical levy, Union branches are refusing would be a formality in as much as the t o affiliate to the local Labour Parties. The the Unions have always readily come to the THE STRUGGLE ROUND THE POLITICAL LEVY rescue of the Labour Party's financial Jone problems. On this occasion, whilst some of I n the long term we must fight for notn the Union chiefs, like Fisher of NUPE and the abolition of the political levy capi! Buckton of ASLEF were happy to pay over as a s eparate item within the Union the their members' money to the Party that is struc tures. We must aim to bring back trying to save capitalism through its · such questions as political support assault on the working class , others and the political payments to the were reluctant to agree to increase con t rol of the rank-and-file their contributions because of fears membership within the Unions and not of a backlash from the rank and file. administered by some obscure unrepres­ Why has t..LJ. S situation come about? It entative committee. In those Unions is because in ever growing numbers where there is a degree of control workers are contracting out of paying by the rank-and-file then we must fight the political levy to the Trade Unions for the levy to be used in the which in turn, in the main, goes to interest of the working class. In the support the Labour Party. meantime we must give support and leadership to those advanced workers British imperialism is in the throes of who are contracting out of the to an ever deepening crisis. At home this political levy in groups because of is reflected in greater exploitation of their opposition to the Labour Party. • of the working class, unemployment, cap inflation, social service cuts and an cle ever declining standard of living. The gua Trade Union leadership is locked in a SOVIET SANCTIONS­ eff tri-partite alliance with the Labour WOR Government and the employers in an BUSTING EXPOSED attempt to prop up capitalism. In the Th absence of a workers' party or a co­ who The United Nations Security Council's ordinated leadership, workers are react­ res Committee to Police Economic Sanctions ing to their oppression by spontaneous pr against Rhodesia issued a report last actions. Many workers are contracting ot month accusing the Soviet Union and out of the political levy as a protest fo1:1 three other revisionist East European against the Labour government, and their Ma countries of conducting "major Labour Party Trade Union leaders. was sanctions-breaking operations" on a ma HUMBERSIDE WORKERS CONTRACT OUT OF "regular basis". wo POLITICAL LEVY The Soviet Union claims to be the waa The political levy is a percentage of 'natural ally' of the national liberat­ in the Union contribution that is paid to ion movements. It has frequently crit­ re a separate fund within the various icised the US superpower for importing Ja Union structures and in the main chrome from Zimbabwe, but now it has wo administrated separately in support of been caught with egg on its face. fu unions' political activities which is th The Soviet state-owned 'All Union almost wholly the propping up of pre the Labour Party. On Humberside lorry Corporation for Trade in Miscellaneous is drivers who are members of the TGWU Goods', trading through Geneva-based whj have been the first to give a positive companies like 'Centrex' and 'Intrabex' lead in contracting out.
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