The absence of even any 'militant" talk from Jack Jones regarding the jailing of the five dockers was no accident. Jones was, in fact, working flat out behind the scenes to défuse the situation and restore the docks to "normal". in the company of Lord Aldington, exdeputy chairman of the Conservative Party, banker and chairman of the Port of London Authority. The fruit of his labour-the Interim Report of the Joint Special Committee is now out. It is a perfect example of how to try and sugar the pill of redundancies and "containerisation" sufficiently to make it palatable to a section of the rank-and-file in order to drive a wedge between them and the "'militants"
Some weeks back, the dockers served notice that there would be a national, official stoppage unless their demands for a fall-back rate of £42 a week, an extra week's holiday a year and-most explosive of all-guarantees for keeping container work in the hands of registered dockers were met. While the Delegate Conference on 14 June decided to put off any action until after the report was published, it was clear from the Chobham Farm experience that the more militant sections of the rank-and-file were not prepared to wait and were demanding action (with no compromisers) straight away.
The Jones/Aldington Committee (which included two "rank-and-file" dockers, Billy Powell of the T&G Executive Committee and John French of the National Joint Council and the National Port Modernisation Committee) was thus forced to work at top speed to defuse the situation before (a) other, smaller ports followed the lead of the Chobham Farm militants, and (b) the NIR moved in against the lay leaders of the Midland Cold Storage picket and made any deal a hundred times more difficult to sell to the members. Unfortunately (for the Jones/ Aldington Committee), the report appeared three days after Sir John Donaldson had had the leaders of the Midland Cold Storage picket arrested for "contempt of court".
The Jones/Aldington report centres around three specific recommendations. 1. The elimination of the temporarily unattached register (TUR) from 4 September, i.e. all dockers will be attached to a permanent employer so that no one will have to rely upon the fall-back pay of £23 a week. 2. The increase of minimum redundancy payments from about £1,000 to £3.000 and maximum payments from about £2,000 to £4,000 which is designed mainly for men who are "unfit" and/or over 55 years of age. 3. Vague promises that agreements should be sought between unions, port authorities and other employers for "container groupage and other port-type work to be made available to registered dock-workers".
In many respects, the report seems to strike at many of the problems facing dockers with the threat of increased "containerisation" but, in effect, it does the opposite since its starting point is precisely to "ease the industry's surplus manpower problems". The carrot of increased severance pay dangled before the older men represents an attempt to pressurise these men out of work since it is operable only up to 31 December. While the "time limit" put on these payments is designed, in the short-term, to undermine the unity of the dockers and create divisions on grounds of age, etc., their Since the older workers (aged between 55-65) repres at 25 per cent of the total docks work force, the report ensures that their departure will reduce the work force sufficiently to soak up the men on TUR and still pave the way for the destruction of thousands of potential jobs. Just to make sure, the report also specifies that: "To assist the foregoing arrangements to operate effectively there should be a general standstill on recruitment to the main register at every scheme port, this to apply till 1st January, 1973, or such later date as the Committee subsequently recommend." In other words, under the smokescreen of preserving dockers jobs, the report is bent upon cutting still more. The abolition of the TUR does not appear so positive in this light since it is premised on the old employers' trick of "robbing Peter to pay Paul". At the same time, those dockers at present on the TUR who would be employed on a pro rata basis shared among existing employers would, according to the report, operate a work-sharing scheme with loss of pay for those shifts missed. Not content with cutting jobs, the Jones/Aldington Committee are therefore also suggesting a cut in pay totally opposed to the London shop stewards demands of £42 a week fall-back pay or work-sharing with no loss of pay.
Perhaps the most important part of the report is its comments upon the future of containerisation and its relation to dockers jobs. What emerges from this under the bland formulas of "securing additional job opportunities for registered dockworkers in this field" which mean absolutely nothing is its total lack of guarantees. This is not altogether surprising. Since the report believes that to rationalise container groupage business by negotiated agreement" is the solution to the docks, they are in fact endorsing that very process which has resulted over the past five years in the reduction of dockers' jobs from 60,000 to about 40,000.
The report is the old Jones three carder-the men are offered the usual peanuts, the employers get the gravy.
Bowes Egan and guest speakers CONWAY HALL, Red Lion Square (near Holborn tube)
WEDS. 9th AUGUST. 7.30 p.m.
Sir, - On looking througn Brian Faulkner's propaganda booklet "The Terror and the Tears," came across son and photo of my VOLU laughter. I would like to pu the real facts on record not the Irish Republican Army were responsible: it was the Army acting orders who my home assaulte my wite and arrested me for no reason at all was never charged with anything at all.
My home was completely and the wreCKed Tears" photo taken in school where my family had to stay till thei got rehoused.
would now like to thank the Republican Army TOT the helD tney gave my family. will you please try and print this letter people nave had the wool pulled over eyes far too -Yours eLS.
BERNARD MeBRIDE Rossaareen Avenue, Andersonstown.
VIC TURNER MERRICK ANTHONY CORNELIUS CLANCY DEREK WATKINS BERNIE STEER COUNCILS
----- pull-quotes -----
Faulkner's propaganda booklet