14f3 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 20p

1985

Peace-Off Year

In a graphic demonstration of why they 7 Labour controlled authorities is a councillors call it a centralist attack on won the election but are losing the ''manifesto commitment". In other words democracy. It remains to be seen whether economy the Tories upstaged the last day a popular vote winner with few unfortun­ the howls of the dispossessed ring louder of the Labour Party Conference with ate strings attached. It is presented as a than the noise of designer lllQnkey-boots their plans to abolish the GLC. means of benefitting ratepayers by on marble corridoors as rats abandon the eliminating bureaucracy and waste. We sinking administrations. But for all the The white paper appropriately proposes shall see what if any these reductions in disunity in the ranks one message will be to abolish the GLC and the six ~etropol­ rates amount to. But its clearly designed coming over loud and clear - that the itan County Councils on April 1st 1986. to detract attention from Tory failure to interests of the working classes affected Interim administrations will take over a abolish rates - a manifesto pledge in by the job losses, cuts in services, higher year before that when the present councils 1979. fares, rents and probably rates, decline fmish their terms. Most municipal funct­ in housing stocks and so on, are the same ions will devolve down to district or It sta~ps on a conveniently vulnerable as those of the bureaucrats and politico's borough council level. Those functions sector of the welfare state. From the start who will be forced back into business, requiring regional co-ordination - police, the Tories focussed on local govt. cuts parliament or the media. Perhaps most fire service, transport, education etc - which didn't involve arguments with their lpemicious of all the 'public' debate over will come under new joint boards made own civil servants. Their failure to achieve lhe form of capitalist state management up of nominated representatives from the them through fmancial controls alone ·\rill be used to reinforce the lie of boroughs and districts. These will be under (the philosophy of the 'free market' and 'democracy'. tight central govt. control over fmances 'non-intervention') has compelled them and 'freed' from 'political interference'. to intervene politically. This failure of monetarism is being presented as an Popular yarns The plans were greeted with widespread attack on entrenched bureaucracy. shock and dismay by the political factions Deliberately unstated, but understood in the various authorities to be axed. But clearly, it is also meant as an object lesson of class war even the most vocal protests by Labour in stopping Labour councils from INSIDE: Demand Struggles/Niggli Party placemen are riven with fatal preserving or extending their 'Welfare ng Disputes/EETPU-SOGAT Dilem contradictions. Ken Livingstone accurate­ Empires' of social S!!rvices, cheap fares, ma/BT /YP /Our Reader Writes/More lycalled the plans a "pigs breakfast", but local investment etc etc. Appalling Subheadings/Jargon/etc e then implausibly claimed that no sensible INSIDE: Demand Struggles/Niggli politician would swallow them. Over the next 18 months Livingstone, ng Disputes/EETPU-SOGAT Dilem Blunkett & co. will call it an attack on ma/BT}YPlOur Reader Writes/More For the Govt. the proposal to abolish the socialism, while the Tory wet and SDP It's ~~·putting the abolition of the contrast, the bulk of council finance 'depoliticise' these functions (ie. bring GLC tnto dontext. Local Government in comes from central govt. and from loans them under tight bureacratic control). its modern form arose in the mid 19th raised on the money markets. As the century. It was imposed by central range of functions to be managed has Over the next 18 months all sides wiJl be government because of the need to force grown, so have the sums of money involv­ trying to pursuade us of the necessity of corrupt local oligarchies to provide ed. The main concern of central govt. their brand of "efficient democratic" adequate police forces and to administer switched from forcing local co-operation management of our lives. The public a repressive poor law. These measures to restraining local spending. This has debate will try to "involve" us in the were designed to help create and manage been a central govt. priority since the decisions being made according to a dispossessed working class, as available First World War. capitalist priorities. We may not be strong factory fodder. As cities grew up around the factories the need arose for sanitation Alongside this juggling of· management enough to get rid of them but we must and roads. Later still for education, health roles is the steady development of single refuse to be conned by any of it, and welfare services away from local govt. to refuse to accept the extra burden of it. and housing measures to keep hold of the being centralised state institutions in When they ask what form local govt. worl}ing classes packed into urban slums. their own right. This has been a constant should take, tell them : a row of process since 1918 due to the need to unmarked graves. From the start councils were a focus for ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~----~~~--~ a conflict between 'conservative' and 'progressive' interests. These weren't WIFE ADMITS NAKED "SECOND divided on party lines - Birmingham COMING" FRAUD !!! Exclusive!! was a model of municipal enterprise Those Touching Bodyscan Pictures under a Tory administration. But by the That Exposed All ! ! end of the century the rise of socialist THAT T.V FAMILY REVEAL IT ideology . among the managerial classes ALL AGAIN ! ! Blockbuster or focussed this 'progressive' view of the Megayawn ?? A Saucy Student production, education and allocation of Tells How He Got His Important workers on the Labour Party. Part In The 'Windsor Bwore' ! ! Once capitalism had extended its domin­ ***After THAT vote, can there be a left/right Bridge ? And who holds ation over the whole of society, the role of the 'progressives' in developing local the trumps ? George 'Brown' Hatters came from behind to take the management was achieved. The arguments trick. Will Meacher bid for the rubber? Or is he the Featherlite Skin on since have been over the sort of manage­ the rice pudding? We EXCLUSIVELY bringyou the INSIDE DIRT on ment and the level of services, within the the man who really fills the deputy leaders position ! constraints imposed by the ability of the capitalist economy to generate enough ***First HERPES. Then AIDS. NOW PARKINSONS DISEASE ! ! profits to pay for it. As the u{lions decide to come out is this divine retribution for unnatural tory /worker relations ? ! In the fifties and sixties, in conditions of relative economic boom, the debate was *** 'Uncle' Jim Callaghan called her the 'Sexiest woman in Britain'. over the nature of management. This Now Elsie Tanner exclusively tells of her 50 years on the Street. period saw the creation of the GLC and the Metropolitan County Councils in ***EXCLUSIVE SERIES ! The Tory Tabloid PORNO PRESS ! Will 1963 (by the Tories), and eventually the reduction of news to mere titillation finally kill our ability to feel?. local government reorganisation, accom­ TOMORROW : Arthur Scargill speaks out on why we must expose the panied by a corporate management knockers ! The fight for news values not 'nudes' values starts here. revolution in the town halls, in the early seventies. Its ironic to recall today that when both Labour and Conservative govt.'s in the fifties took functions away from the boroughs and gave them to the county councils, there were shrieks of rage from councillors about this 'attack on local democracy'. Today we see the same accusations as powers are shifted back to the boroughs, in accordance with the need to reduce spending faced with ••••••••••••••••••••••••••I Workers Playtime is produced by some Next Playtime deadline is November22nd. a relative economic slump. The moans of 1 me!llbers of the ~ndon Workers Gro~p. UK Annual subscriptions £2. Back issues. the bureaucrats don't change. The work­ ~t IS not the pubhc fa~ or theoretical and single copies 20p from : Box LWG,. ing classes have no control to lose, only a I JOurnal of the LWG. Articles reflect the Cl Metropolitan Wharf Wapping Wall El place in the cheap seats at the 'democr­ I thoughts, fantasies and inadequacies of ' • atic' charade. That doesn't change either. their authors (in no particular order). f)le LC?NDON WC?RKE.RS GROUP is an open • • itscusston group mvolvmg autonomists coun- Playtime is intended as a forum for disc- cillists;anarchists and anyone else inter~sted in • After the initial phase of forcing local 1 · h li f I ggl workplace class struggle from a revolutionary ussmg t e rea ty o c ass stru e. If you point of view. It meets every Tuesday at 8.15 interests to adopt responsible management I have something to contribute-news uP.stairs aHhe Metropolitan Pub, 95 Farringdoti • policies and to pay for them, the burden feedback whatever-we would like t~ ~oad, ECl (2 J!l~s farringdon Tube). Anrone I ' • • • • ts welcome to )om m, except party recrutters.• of finance began to shift. Early Govt. hear from you. There IS no editonalline- ~f you want .to know more but can't face meet­ grants were only for such things as I but that doesn't mean we don't know mg u~, or tf you want a copy of our free • h t d. "th bulletm (a stamp would be nice), write to the magistrates expenses in remanding prison­ I w a we tsagree WI . A address above. • ers and the wages of workhouse doctors :I and teachers. The first grants for sanitation I Published and Printed by Workers Playtime Inc. Thanks to Little@ Printers (488 0602) for help • -Weren't made until the 1870's. Today, by 1 ••••••••••••••••••••••••• In reality. bosse~t wUL~o.e.verything ·they can to increase· the ~~~r6texploitation of their workforce, the oniy limits befug the interests· of the capitalist economy as a whole as enshrined in thelaws relating Niggling Disputes to length of the working day, health and safety etc. (in so far as these are meant to be obeyed) and, more importantly, the extent to which workers will let them get away with it. The provoking of strikes is one strategy which is oilly to be expected.

In this particular case the bosses were The strike in the Highland Fabricators. rejected a deal between the national. faced with a collapse in the offshore oil­ oil rig construction yard at Nigg, which union officials and the company (the rig market and had nothing to lose by began on August 18th(the "Orange Juice" strike still wasn't official) involving the ''trying it on" in this way. What is of or "Hot Showers" strike depending on withdrawal of redundancies but not much interest is that this is one of the few which bourgeois paper you read), is of else. occasions on which the workers were able interest as a classic example of a strike to make some kind of effective response being used by the bosses as a means of Although rejection· of the deal had been although in the time-honoured fashion .getting .rid of excess labour without recommended by the shop stewards at the Union was able to keep the struggle haVing to pay redundancy money. this .meeting, within a few days the stew­ out of the hands of the workers and avoid ards had "consulted" with the national any real confrontation. At least it didn't The Nigg yard owned by Highland Fabric­ officials and at another meeting on 16th resemble the celebrated Jonestowti ators was one· year behind on the constr­ Sept. reccomended that the workers massacre in which the workers quietly uction of a hull for a tension leg oil plat­ return to work with the threat of redund­ drank their orange juice before leaving on form for the Conoco company. The ancies lifted but the other "details" "still the bosses instructions. instructions laid down by Conoco for the to· be negotiated". On Sunday 18th the welding work on the platform legs specif­ night shift was back at work. In similar vein some of the workers ied a very high temperature inside the legs. involved in the Britains toy factory strike For this reason noone could work in this In cases like this it is common for rhetoric in East London recently (a strike sold out environment for more than half an hour in support of the strike from the Left by the TGWU in circumstances paralleling at a time and free showers and orange wing (of Capitalism) to involve some kind the Aire Valley strike we wrote about in juice were provided. of moral outrage against the bosses the last issue of Playtime), are said to "'provocation". This just serves to rein­ have blamed the strike's defeat on "Over­ On returning to work from holiday on force the idea that strikes are things to zealous" enforcement of the picketing Aug. 8th the welders were told that all be avoided, the result of "bad" manage­ laws by the police. What they should have existing agreements were ended and that ment (and therefore should not be prov­ been talking about is how to organise the as a result they would lose many of their oked by anybody) and that workers must physical defeat of the police in the "pi:iviliges" · - orange juice, showers, ·accept their role .as passive "victims" future. travel allowances etc etc. protected oilly by some kind of Code of Condl!_ct setting out the rules of the game There's no Geneva Convention in the of capitalist exploitation. Class War! The welders refusal to work under these conditions led to the company sacking Now, how did Nye them which· in tum caused them to strike ditch the nut-cutlet brigade? - the rest of the workforce (2000 or so) Oh yes, 'We cannot send a British quickly followed suit. Foreign Secretary naked into the conference chamber.• .' Shortly after the strike began the bosses announced the sacking ofthe entire work­ force and then offered 1600 selected workers re-employment under worse conditions.

The company then tried to re-open the yards using the workers who had individ­ ually accepted the new conditions. Atte­ mpts to bus in the scabs were frustrated by three days of mass picketing (some­ times involving up to 1000 pickets) which was supported by the wives and families of the strikers. One useful tactic involved distracting the police with the legal 6 pickets then, as the buses approached a whistle blew and a few hundred more rushed out of a nearby carpark and blocked the road.

On the 5th September a mass meeting Pulling the plugs on Fleet Street

The actions of a 'rebel' group of Fleet Street electricians in attempting to meeting. Les Stevens, the new loyalist break away from one union - the EETPU - in order to join another - secretary of the EETPU London Branch SOGAT - contmue to create sparks in the TUC. These throw some light decided to investigate. The rebels then on the nature of Trade Unions, but more importantly lead onto the 'pulled the plug' - stopped production - limitations faced by workers within the concept of unionism. in protest at his interference in what they regarded as the affairs of another As outlined in the last issue of 'Playtime' erests of the electricians as trade union­ union - SOGAT. between half and threequarters of the ists to rejoin the EETPU they mean that EETPU's Fleet Street membership have it is in the best interests of the EETPU CURRENT AFFAIRS 'resigned' from the union, and have been and SOGAT leaderships that they do so. given cards by the London Machine (The interests of the electricians as firstly With the recession in print, the fate of the Branch of SOGAT 82. The EETPU has union members and secondly, and dist­ electricians could become significant to refused permission for the electricians inctly as part of the working class will the future of print unionism; SOGAT to switch unions. Claiming that SOGAT be discussed later.) Eric Hammond, due has already readjusted its old largely had 'poached' their members, the exec­ to take over from Frank Chapple as Gen­ skilled status in the merger, last year, utive pushed, with the help of Len eral Secretary of the EETPU has stated with NATSOP A to become a more gen­ Murray, for the expulsion of SOGAT "We don't want to face up to the poss­ eral print union. The continuing intro­ from the TUC. The disputes committee ibility of the electricians not rejoining duction of new technology and printing have agreed that this should happen if our union. The consequences of them methods, plus the coming dispersal of SOGAT continues to accept the elect­ not doing so are too horrendous for Fleet St. to the Isle of Dogs means that

ricians who, in turn, have been ordered Fleet Street" o Too horrendous, that is, an electrical branch of SOGAT, con­ to rejoin the EETPU. for Fleet Street management and the taining key workers in the production union leadership. Both are comfortable process, ·would confer greater and more 'This, the electricians say, is out of the dealing with, and have vested interests flexible industrial power. Paradoxically question. The London Machine Branch in maintaining, a highly defmed union though, the SOGAT machine room has said they will not accept such a dir­ structure. Both are ill at ease with a branch currently in dispute was formally ective from either the TUC or their own group of 'independent' workers who NATSOPA and proud of its militancy. union. At the moment the SOGAT ex­ retain and are able to use considerable It has become disillusioned since the mer­ ecutive have actually voted to defy the industrial power. ger, realising that it can do, and has done, TUC, against the wishes of the General more on its own than as part of an 'ind­ Secretary Bill Keys. He maintains the TRANSISTORNAL DEMANDS ustrial union' run by · SOGAT officials. hope that his executive will capitulate The NGA, the print union suffering most to TUC pressure. "I just happen to bel­ One such union interest is the closed shop from redundancies and new work pro­ ieve the movement stands above every­ - the means by which the EETPU secures cedures (see the analysis in the last issue thing else ... " which presumably includes its powerful position in Fleet St. As this of 'Playtime'), has made it clear that it the wishes of the workers. situation exists with management app­ intends to recruit electricians if SOGAT roval the EETPU has so far ruled out dis­ is allowed to do so.· SOCKET TO 'EM ruption against those newspapers which have unofficially recognised SOGAT ele­ KEEP PLUGGING AWAY ctricians in positions that should be filled Throughout, the EETPU claimed it has by EETPU members. But disputes have These manoeuvrings by the unions, the "adhered to the constitution of the TUC" occurred, such as at the Express where usual desire of getting a larger member­ The reality is that it is not fighting a trouble arose when loyalists tried to elect ship, tend to detract from the manoeuv­ 'constitutional' issue but one of 'const­ their own chapel (workplace) officials rings of the electricians. ·(For example raint' caused by the inherent conflicts to replace the elected rebel ones. While they have hinted that if SOGAT gives within trades unionism. The EETPU further stoppages of this nature are pre­ in fo TUC pressure they will try to join and Bill Keys are not engaged so much in dicted, the major action took place at the NGA; thus playing on the rivalry of an inter-union dispute but are rather att­ the Sun, which cost ·2~ million copies ·the unions.) · The breakaway resulted empting to push back their respective in a SOGAT eleCtricians show of inde­ from the rebels' differences with their 'dissident' members into line behind the pendence. The Sun's chapel is controlled union leadership; both in party/political 111111 leadership. Thus when the TUC disp­ by the rebels, and in protest a group terms and their seeking of more branch ... utes committee state it is in the best int- of loyalists· walked out of a chapel independence from the executive. The limit of their rebellion is to challenge they bargain for the continuance of cap~ manship. The EETPU and TUC threat­ the power of local and national union italist relations. ·They are reformist, and ening to expel SOGAT, who in turn are officials above them. The form and for groups such as the electricians are willing to defy them to do so; the elect­ character of unionism remains, ·essen­ · accepted on that basis; for the quite gen­ ricians threatening the closed shop and tially intact. They wish ·to retain the uine reason that their 'best' interests are thus putting their jobs in jeopardy. But chapel/branch structure and all that it served in this way. signs are of pulling back from the brink. embodies: the elitest and defensive att­ Many electricians for example are holding itudes towards their craft status, a rigid In this society based on exploitation, dual membership of EETPU and SOGAT, control of jobs with the employment reg­ people are obliged to fight for what waiting to see how the situation resolves ister in the hands of branch officials. The they can get. There is nothing wrong itself. Few are totally committed to electricians in defending them against the with screwing capitalism for all that we staying with SOGAT and never returning EETPU executive wanting more control can get out of it. The problem is that to the EETPU. And John Mitchell, sec­ are doing so simply by seeking to attach minor 'successes' can lead people to con­ retary of the London Machine branch and themselves to another union which pro­ vince themselves that things aren't so bad vociferous in his support for the rebels mises· to allow them the 'independence' Or worse,· that 'militant' struggles from will soon be tempering his stand now he they require. This requirement is ·in unions or those 'prepared to fight' - is in the running to succeed Bill Keys on order to carry on demand struggles or even the 'theories' of a new 'socialist' his recently announced early retirement. within the narrow confmes of their way of organising society - can benefit 'privileged' position in Fleet Street. everybody without the need to challenge The situation does, though, offer some the basis of capitalist relations. interesting scope for speculation, for ex­ While the actions of workers to take con­ ample the electricians forming their own trol of their own struggles and interests In Fleet Street reformist struggles (for independent union. While from the sect­ from the hands of politicians and Trade higher wages, flexible working practises ional point· of view of the electricians this Union bosses must be encouraged, this etc.) have in the past been won more than prospect is infinitely · more favourable must also ·meet the need to challenge lost.· While various sections of the work­ than being shackled to a union led the sectional interests implicit in ttade ing class can at times win various reforms, ,. by Hammond, who three years ago took unionism itself. Workers in Fleet St. workers cannot win reforms for them­ 1 a busload of trade unionist scabs through are already in a position to challenge selves as a class. Reformist unionism the GMWU picket line during the Isle of or disregard negotiations undertaken ,by under the guise of 'social democracy' Grain strike, or Keys who three months their union officials. · This is in contrast cannot benefit the working class as a ago was forcingthe NGA back to work at to the ease with which officials sell out whole. the Financial Times, with, ironically, workers elsewhere. Because ·of their threat of expulsion from the TUC, this position in the production process, the For actions such as those ·of the elect­ course of action offers no real answer. historic strength of print unionism; and ricians _._; a highly paid and industrially Trade Union history is littered with ex­ the nature of the industry itself (news strong group of workers - to have rel­ amples of breakaway groups, albeit usu­ is a very perishable commodity, and a few evance to other workers, a skirmish with ally conservative, who have been isolated hours disruption can cost thousands of the authority of union officials needs to in simply moving from their trade union pounds in lost production), the elect­ become a battle against the tyranny of to a 'union' based on sectional or local ricians have secured a strong hand in neg­ 'reforms'. And from that point on the interests; ·The real necessity for the elect­ otiating the sale of their labour power. fmal engagement of the class war is in ricians is· to break away from their narrow The move from the EETPU to SOGAT or sight - the battle against the ultimate defence of status at work. the NGA is intended to give them a authority, which is the authority of greater degree of self management in this capital over our lives. WATT A SHOCKER! sale. As yet it remains to be seen if union lead­ The other prospect is for the machine This is their vested interest in the cont­ ership is taken on. We are probably spec­ room branch to exert enough pressure inuation of unionism~ Unions are the tators in another variation of Fleet St.'s to compel the SOGAT executive to sta:nd embodiment of the control of labour, favourite game - not bingo but brink- flrm in defiance of the TUC, and thus be expelled. This could open cracks in the TUC, which along with the crumbling And from away of the Labour Party could under­ CHAPPLE AND mine the whole edifice of reformism in the ·this country. But the TUC and ref­ ormism have survived the expulsions of THE FAITHFUL unions in the past: SOGAT, no less, was Daily Mirage IT'S entirely possible that electrician FRANK expelled in 1972 over their acceptance CHAPPLE chlUrman of of Heath's Industrial Relations Act. this year1s conference, would prefer not to be quoted on the following ··The position of some craft workers in snateh of conversation ; Fleet St. is virtually unique, as regards over Clive's shoulder. 1 the industry and the unions. ·It is diff­ Union delegate to Mr. :icult to draw general conclusions from Chapple: "What's that setzec:l by a inciod of Iighl motif you've got on your relief, replied: "Four what happens there, either from common tie?" hundred and twenty disputes with the management or from Mr. Chapple, who has a thousand.'' the specific confrontation of the elect­ few animals on his small­ This, they wlll be ricians with unions. · But the nature of holdJ.nt in Kent: "Sheep.'' unhaJ)py to have con· finned, ls the approx1· reformist demands and attitudes can be Delegate: "How !JUlil1 mate number or Mr. pointed out, and the problematic att­ sheep do you have?" Chapple's total comple­ Mr. Chapple, evidentlY ment of union members. achment to unionism shown. The sol· · ution. does not lie in a move from Chapple to chapel. 5 Class Struggle -or just a Phoney War?

Recent howls of protest by trade unionists against the 'privatisation' of is happening at BT i~ just one partic­ state-owned industry have focused o:p. British Telecom. On 18 September ular expression of a much wider assault, a special conference of the Post Office Engineering Union v9ted for a 'flex­ which is being carried out in private and ible package' of industrial action to prevent the sale of BT to the private nationalised industries, under both cons­ sector. ervative and socialist administrations. The rapid development of microelectron- - and others are looking for licences by ics and computer technology in recent 1985. By that time the nationalised ind­ The article which follows was sent to us years has changed the face of telecomm­ ustry will have cut staff by 15,000. by a BT worker, about how management unications. BT has become a clear target are cracking down at Yellow Pages, which for a thorough rationalisation. As the Once the rationalisation has been carried is being prepared to be sold off. pressure increases on national capital far enough to make it a good business to raise productivity, businesses such proposition, BT will become one firm as BT which have been relatively good like the rest. PHONE AND GAMES places to work - offering a job for life at high rates of pay - will be forced to The radical noises being made by the AT YELLOW PAGES streamline their operations. The new leaderships of the POEU and CPSA have technology makes this possible, and as as usual been in sharp contrast with the BT's relations with its employees used to usual it is the workers who 'will have to ineffectiveness of their actions - esp­ be governed by a complicated and ext­ suffer for it. ecially against Mercury and their backers ensive system of rules and codes of con­ (Cable and Wireless, Barclay's and BP). duct which made life fairly secure for the Within this context, 'privatisation' can­ These actions, you may recall, were susp­ staff. That cosy and comfortable envir­ not! as the union leaderships claim, be ended just as they were gathering in onment is fast disappearing now that BT seen as the cause of the redundancies and momentum to allow workers to devote has entered 'the competitive market­ speedups which have already begun. It their energies to the more important place'. is more a question of the particular strat­ business of Labour's electoral debacle. egy of the present government, in a given Against a background of deskilling set of circumstances. As BT's chairman, EXCHANGE VALUE through computerisation, rationalisation Sir George Jefferson, recently stated, and tightening control of the workforce, "Privatised or not, the future for the staff At the time of writing an anti-privatis­ a young worker named Martin Shafer will depend on our performance in a ation work-to-rule has seriously disrupted was recently sacked at Yellow Pages when

very competitive market". We can take BT's international section. BT is threat­ 1 a mistake appeared in a customer's ad­ this future to mean increased exploit­ ening 1,600 engineers with a lock-out if . vertisement. The word 'furs' in an ad ation for those staff 'lucky' enough to they do not break the work-to-rule, and for a fur trader was processed onto the hang on to their jobs and the dole for the persuading junior management to take computer as 'farts'. For some reason rest. When bosses talk about facing up over their duties. ·Management have al­ management decided that this was a to a competitive market, they invar­ ready taken control of the two London deliberate attempt to bring YP into dis- iably mean that when the shit starts to international central switching offices. fly the workers should be facing the fan. It remains to be seen whether the union will tolerate a widening of the dispute in Competition in these infra.structural indu­ response to British Telecom's tough line, NEARLY 34 stries operates firstly on the national level and how far BT itself can exploit the dis­ If they are not profitable, they become a pute to impose rationalisation. MilliON PEOPLE burden on other firms' ability to create surplus value. The present government is But the preoccupation with the dogma of WALK TH/~ WAY hoping to increase profitability by break­ Thatcherism obscures what is actually go­ ing the monopoly of BT and opening ing on. Capitalist enterprise does not dis­ telecommunications contracts to compet­ tinguish between 'state' and 'private', but itive tender: the firms which succeed in only between good and bad business. exploiting their workers most ruthlessly The nationalised British Rail has already will be the ones that survive. That is why signed a deal with Mercury allowing it the govt. introduced the Telecommunic­ to lay its optic fibre cables alongside BR ations Bill. Since then a private telecom tracks. Money does not smell - it is only LET THEIR ANGERS WALK 6 network, Mercury, has been set up, measured in quantitative terms. · What TO YOUR ADVERTISEMENT repute - even though Martin had made amazing that it was spotted at all. After ing of the CPSA on the following Monday no .secret. df the fact that he had put the the text had been returned, copies soon (actually held to discuss a management ad into the computer, and even though flltered down to operations staff (to the decision to move the business to Read­ the mistake could just as easily have been immense amusement of all). No doubt ing from its present site in Holloway - made by the key ·operator at the compu­ this greatly contributed to management's a move which will probably result in re.d­ ter centre. There is in fact no conclusive outraged response when they found undancy for most of the clerical staff) evidence either that he did it, or that he someone to blame. demands were made for further industrial did it deliberately. action such as an overtime ban and more It was treated as a 'serious offence' - usu-· walkouts. National officers of the union DIAL-ECTICS OR THE ally reserved for such activities as steal­ and some branch officials said no action PARTY LINE? ing from BT, thumping your supervisor should be taken as it could be prejud­ or screwing during work time. Of the icial to Martin's appeal. Since the appeal Staffmg levels have been kept down in range. of penalties for such offences, dis­ is to the General Manager of YP - who an attempt to impress the BT board (and missal is the most severe, and extremely undoubtedly approved the sacking in the potential buyers) with YP's efficiency. rare. first place - the idea that anything could This has led to a tremendous backlog of prejudice it is pretty sick. work, the setting of unrealistic 'targets' After an interview with the personnel and eliminating. most of the vetting pro­ manager Martin Shafer was sacked. His Staff at Yellow Pages are under no ill­ cedure before ads are published. Not department immediately walked out, and usion about what this sacking means for surprisingly, the error wasn't discovered none of them turned up to do overtime Contd. page 11 until the ad reached the presses. It was that weekend. At a branch 'general meet- The Hierarchy Of Po~er Semantics

In the beginning was the Plan and the Strategy And the Plan was without form and the Strategy it was void. And darkness was upon the faces of the Level Ones And they spake unto their Level Twos saying "It is a crock of shit and stinks to high Heaven".

And it was the Level Twos and it was the HGs. r Now the Level Twos spake with the HGs saying : "It is a crock of faeces and intolerably malodourous".

And it was the HGs and it was the HSs. Now the HGs spake with the HSs saying: "It is a bowl of excrement and its effluvium is very strong".

And it was the HSs and it was the HDs. Now the HSs spake with the HDs, saying : lOUT OliO It is a vessel of fertiliser of overpowering strength". And it was the HDs and it was the Directors. BT And the HDs spake with the Directors, saying : "It containeth that which aideth growth and strong it is". EXECIJT/V£~ And it was the Directors and it was the Senior Directors. Now the Directors spake with the Senior Directors, saying : "It promoteth growth and is very powerful". TALK And it was the Senior Directors and it was the BT board. Till~ WAY Now the Senior Directors spake with the BT board saying: "This powerful new strategy will promote the growth of the business".

And the BT Board looked upon thcr. strategy and saw that it was good.

Photocopies of this poem circulate mysteriously around the BT empire. The initials refer to the Clerical Executive grade structure which goes Clerical Assistants, Clerical Officers, Executive Officers, Head Executive Officers, Heads of Group (HGs), Heads of Section (HSs), to the Head of Division (HS) or General Manager responsible to the BT board (Directors, Managing Directors, Chairman). A parallel hierarchyexists on the engineering side. ''------.J, ~------~------~7 While we were putting the llrst issue of Workers Playtime together, we had a visit from some comrades in the French group "L'Insecurite Sociale". After looking through such articles as we had completed, they made the remark that they didn't get to grips with the question of the demands put forward in the struggles we were writing about.

A few months later, we got a copy of a pamphlet they've produced about "Wage Labour and Demand Struggles". We're printing a translation of the second half of the pamphlet, about Demands (the whole thing will be printed in the next issue of Intercom -an irregular discussion bulletin for the 'Ultra Left', which will be appearing shortly - 30p. from our address.)

The author of the pamphlet told one of our number that the inspiration for it was the bank strike he mentions in the article, which he took part in. This took the form of an occupation, and completely paralysed the bank. The strikers took charge of the strike from the llrst, and so much enjoyed the experience of occupying that the strike was deliberately prolonged by putting forward impossible demands. The union was only able to regain control of events, and obtain a return to work, when the momentum of the occupation flagged as workers saw things could go no further.

This article isn't the last word on the subject - far from it. But it does raise an interesting perspective on workplace struggle. We'd be very interested to hear what other people think about this.

To be working class does not mean to be badly paid, or to work really hard ... behind all these surface phenomena is the constraint that forces us to sell our capacity as living creatures, in order to ensure our physical survival. It means seeing our activity continually taken away from us, so as to turn us into objects dominated by money. The alienation of human activity means that, having lost all control over the conditions of life, workers are reduced to objects of capital, who can only recognise their human needs and desires through their lack of satisfaction.

Tne reduction of human physical and is only the means of doing some intellectual capabilities to labour power, moonlighting. to a commodity, is a process which tends to reduce us to objects. The contradiction Strikes, which imply workers stopping of capitalism lies in the fact that human work collectively, are the basis on which beings are not objects, and that the actual we can put forward something more than sale of commodities implies that they are an accomodation. But from the outset, active. Human beings are living creatures. there's a conflict between working class They adapt, modify and create the needs and their expression in the form of environment in which they evolve. This demands, whether these arise from the implies that it's also possible for them to workers themselves or from the unions. reject their situation. Working class people continually. reject the way of life If it is not quickly transcended, the capitalism impo~s on them. The struggle to to maintain or increase wage It's not problem is that this refusal is most often levels · can only lead to workers ness of in capitalism's own terms. The individ· negotiating the price of their labour with a will to di1!llolVe.itselt!in1to ual refusal of capitalism can only be an power (in competition with others);· and human community. accomodation with it, sometimes taking to their identifying with their "niche", the form of social opportunism. Thus the with the localist and corporatist interests The conflict between,. on the

Those who don't see· that the demands After a strike about some demand where are overshadowed by more important the return to work only happens with things merely apologise for some sort of some difficulty, or when strikers say "It's "hiudheadedness",. and help limit the not just a matter of more money, but movement to secondary questions by about change, about our dignity", its not masking its essence. For them, needs can because · they are some brave type of only be expressed in terms of existing · idealists untouched by material necessity. reality ; to demand, to sell, to buy, to It is because having experienced a break system negotiate, to exchange. with the denials and privations that capitalism imposes, they are less tolerant Rather than drawing up lists of demands Contd. next page

progression around demands, but a confrontatio~t with the dead end they constitute. The moments of them. They express, · if only for a these moments express in themselves the wild-cats with staying power. Revolution­ moment, some needs that are a thousand refusal of wage labour, the desire to aries should be supporting them rather times more real than the illusions of sur­ escape the capitalist organisation of exist~ than nit picking about their incorrect vival which are fostered by demands. ence, the privatised view of life. This orientation to reformism. The failure of aspiration to live cannot be taken into leftists~ ''community politics" is precisely In that moment of realisation and of ref­ account by any programme of demands. this attempt to impose their vision on usal· of their 'lot which is expressed by It cannot be negotiated with any reality from outside. workers in the course of many strikes, it's authority. Tlte problem of reformism has important that it ceases to be repressed always been that it confuses the proletar­ by them and becomes an active force. The communist revolution can only come iat into thinking that they can be free by This is the central problem of class about through a break in the mental doing something less than overthrowing struggle. Work today is one of the rare process ·and the ideological representat­ ruling class power. Today this seems to places in our lives where we meet others, ions (morals, etc.), produced by working be less of a problem than ever before even if it's only in a competetive way. class struggle on the basis ·of the material since historically reformism is already The strike allows us to meet together, conditions of existence which are implied largely discredited. Nowadays when pitting us not against one another, but by the domination of capital : the atom· people tum to self-activity to get reformist against ·the existence that is imposed isation, competition, subordination and institutions to meet their needs, the exp­ upon us. It allows us to question the monotonous existence which wage levels erience tends to increase their belief in everyday reality of work and society and unemployment are merely an self-activity, We must distinguish clearly around us. expression of. This break will come in our own minds between "reformism" about, if it is produced, through the from below and reformism from above. In relation to .the daily grind, to ordinary generalised destruction of the state and P.W. Slough. exploitation, to our routine non-existence, the commodity. II Authormates Response : Very little space - my brevity not meant dismissively .. Any 'community' only arises "spontan­ eously" through the active relation of its members in circumstances which are given. Everybody "brings insights to bear" and acts on them. 'Revolutionaries' challenge - verbally or practically - the material circumstances and conformist assumptions structuring the 'communities' activity. You take a fatalist view - what if capital doesn't provoke 'communities' into unity against it, or provoke struggles 'Rev's' can "bring insights" to. Must we wait to be herded or attacked. Agree 'natural leadership' exists and as likely to play positive role as negative. But 'leading militants' have no greater insights than other members of 'commun­ ity'. And where they become institution­ alised - like shop stewards - they become reformist institutions themselves. Their pro-order role must be confronted, not just by "nitpicking outsiders", but by "the led". Agreed people must themselves fight for what they need now ('reforms'). But 'success' doesn't necc. lead them to see need for revolution any more than defeat. Struggles for 'reforms' are important We recieved this letter in response to an 'Letter because they inevitably reshape the whole article in the last issue. 'community' in relation to itself and to rest of capitalist society. And though its This is not to deny that some individ­ Dear Playmates, not inevitable 'communities' can end up uals within a community, seem to become In the July/August issue of Workers' Play­ more united in opposition to it. key figures in initiating struggles not time, the article on the Aire Valley strike A society where people control their necessarily against ruling class power, but suggests a need for "community" as a own creative activity implies their active in favour of facilities which they under­ "necessary precondition" for the building participation in overthrowing capitalism stand to be needed by virtue of their of effective working class self-organisation. and state. As part of their 'community' intimate knowledge within a neighber· The article then proposes that further -'Rev's' actively participate in that direct- debate is needed as to what this "working hood. Their effectiveness often depends ion. Agreed can't be done from outside - on their skills in making reformist instit- ! class community" will be. I suggest that but nor by just reacting to circumstances . these communities can, by definition, .. utions, particularly the local state, respo­ Thanks for writing. only mise spontaneously, and indeed they nsive to needs with which the paid emplo­ are. All revolutionaries C"an do, or need to yees of those institutions are out of do, is bring their revolutionary insights to touch. Sometimes a shop steward has an We also recieved an article in response to bear on the relationships they are involved analagous function in the workplace. the Aire Valley piece ·held over till next Oin, whether :tt work, at home, or elsewhere. Such key figures might be thought of as time. Holding breath can be dangerous ! We welcome accounts of class struggle, tee to publiSh b.ut we won't change things . articles and correspondence. (heyond adding or subtracting spelling mistakes, 'humurous' subheads if not We especially welcome accounts of class supplied, sarcastic illustrations etc), struggles by participants, or people with without consulting you. , If we disagree a closer perspective than we have. We strongly we may publish a response along­ won't change things without consulting side it. you but we may add an introduction to fdl in background. We'd obviously prefer If letters are intended for publication· to do that in conjunction with you so please make it clear what you're arguing means of contacting you easily would be about so people aren't obliged to read useful. back issues they may not have, to fully appreciate your genius. In any competition If you have an idea for an article get in . for space ~hort snappy letters will win ! BT /YP - Continued from touch. Playtime is collectively edited by the people vyho produce each issue, and If you fancy helping produce Playtime page 7 all articles are discussed at Playtime get in touch. If you just want to see what sort of idiots produce it, or have a them. The projected move of the busi­ meetings before a decision is made to discussion about it then meet us at the ness is going to involve about 200 staff publish. Disagreements are discussed and London Workers Group meetings every having to be redeployed or paid redund­ stuff is frequently rewritten. So its best tuesday evening. See details elsewhere. ancy money. Every officer sacked is one to contact us as soon as possible with a less to worry about when the business draft. If its not possible we don't guaran- goes. It is purely coincidental of course that Martin happens to be an anarchist and a popular member of an unusually stroppy (for the CPSA) branch comm­ ittee.

There's no doubt that management has been taken aback by the strength of staff response to their provocation, and by the solidarity shown to Martin. Union leaders have also been surprised and have been galvanised into taking his appeal on in an unusually enthusiastic way. Man­ agement's response has been to initiate a smear campaign, claiming that he ad­ mitted doing the ad whilst he was drunk, that he's done it before and had warnings w etc. (none of it true). This is being count­ ered by his comrades and by the branch committee. 0 BT PHONE HOME The incident has become a focal point R for staff dissatisfaction, alienation and sense of vulnerability. Whilst the union is saying save your fight for the 'real' issues I( - campaigning against privatisation and the breakup of BT - YP workers like others throughout the country are real­ ising that immediate response to direct E attacks is more effective than following the union through endless tedious neg­ otiations and empty 'days of action' to inevitable sellouts. R

Whatever victories the union may achieve in terms of saving our jobs, the price we Anti-Porn Campaigner Of The Month. each individual has the right to the best always have to pay is worsening cond­ A £600 a month computor operator for medical treatments available, and the itions, as a result of rationalisation, the BBC was caught stealing 28 copies of right to make. up her/his mind about speedups etc. If the YP staff take action the Mail on Sunday and 1 7 copies of the health care, after being informed of all themselves and succeed in getting Martin Sunday Times from outside a Kensington the options aVailable, then we will not reinstated then at least they'll have· ass- · newsagents. Sean Kennedy, 22, admitted have betrayed the reason for our erted themselves and gained some real the offence and said "I thought they were existence, namely the idea of self-help sense of control (for the first time) over pornographic magazines." · and self-management of herpes." what is being done to them. This can only strengthen them in the struggles to The Subject Thats On Everyones Lips. S.B in HA NEWS The journal of the come. " . . as long as we adhere to the idea that Herpes Assodatiqn. Issue 1. Ill FREEE!!!.. WITH TOMORROWS TOILER ••• EVERYONE'S A LUCKY WINNER WITH THE UB40 "DREAM TICKET" NOT A GIMMJCKY CONTEST TO SELL PAPERS·- AVALUABLE PASSPORT TO MONEY AND STATUS!

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