OF Outguing AS presideur Dighy Jocks the pucker ourattempts to get him reinstated had failed, a strike was called to start the next morning However the Union, as in other recent caes of this type, was hardly enthusiastic about sup porting its members. In fact the local official, Reg Harris, Matly refused to make the strike official and instead sugeested that the workers go back, 'then we can talk things over". But the workers, encouraped by the Crepe Sizes and Mansfield strikes, are having none of this. Indeed one of the shop stewards, Mushtaq Hussain, has stated that unless the strike is made official there will be a continuous picket and possibly occupation of the local T&G offices ta tactic used successfully in the Mansfield strike).
SUPPORT Apart from the Pakistani community and its organisations, support is coming from Bennie Bunsee of the Mansfield Hossery Strike Committee and the local Solidarity Committee. An attempt is also being made to involve the Trades Council, and an important step bere was the support gained from an East Midlands Area meeting of the Communist Party at which both Hussain, from the strike committee, and an IMG militant-spoke. A large public support meeting is also being organised. Messages of solidarity, donations, etc. should be sent to M. Hussain, 15 Goldswong Terrace, Nottingham. It is also generally recognised by all concerned that this strike is neither the first nor the last of its kind, and that the whole question of black workers and trade unions has been sorely negJecred by the left: unfortunately the same cannot be said of the right. Therefore the conference called for 2 June on Racialism and the Trade Unions should he seen as of key impor tance both for this strike and for the many similar disputes which will inevitably follow. mase rally beforehand at LSE at 12.30 p.m. with speakers.
The conference also unanimously agreed to mobilise for the demonstration called in Shrewshury in detcno of the 24 building workers, recognising that our allies in the fight against the Tories attack on student living standards are those struggling against them, not those implementing and aiding their policies.
The ability of the stocring committee to carry out this policy could he weakened by the position taken by the IS delegates, who refused to commit themselves wholeheartedly to the policy decided by the conference, A Specaal Recall Conference to consides the future of the Grants Campaign has been called by the NUS Executive. Failure to take up the problems tackled last weekend will leave the field open tor a sell-out by the Executive and the stepping up of the assaults on the sent strikes. Jim Clynes STOP PRESS: A meeting of 250 Reading students called the Goverr mant's bluff when they voted over. whet ming y on wednesosy to occupy the carersits Administration building. This action was taken after solicitor's letters threatening some 100 students and their parents with legal action to collact outstanding rent. Those students have been on rent strike since mated 60% of all students in residance JANE MEYERS Mambers of the IMG have recantly loarned of the death over the Easter weekend of comrade Jane Meyers.
Jane idined the ING's London irsh Call throuch ha work in the Irish solidarity movement, where sha is remembered as one of the most acive members of the Contral London branch of the Irish Solldarity Cameron and thin of the same biench of the Anti. Internment League.
After she joined the IMG, comrade Meyers went 1o the U.S where she helped to spread knowledge of National Union of Teachers and 'Rank and File Her former comrades in the IMG, the NUT and the AIL have launered a Jane meyers namore runa, une proceeds of which will be sent in her name to aid the Irish struggle. Contributions, which will ba acknowlodged, shoul be sent so: The Secretary Central London AlL, c/o 76 Portland Road, Holland Park, London W.11.
CONFERENCE ON TRADE UNIONS AND RACIALISM June 2, Digbeth Hall, Birmingham, 11am- 6pm.
Called by the Marshield Hossery Sils Strike Committee Speakers include: Benny Bursee, Mike Cooley. Tom Sioley, Winston Pinder, Ernie Roberts, Full detaile, dalagares crudentinis, are, from: 8. Bunsee, 20:03 Victorie Ontre, Nomingham, Telephone (0602) 46307. what actually goes on in the economy. OUTPUT Nonetbeless there is some hard evidence that out put has grown much faster in the last year tban in the previous few, Since September industrial production has been growing at 6.4 per cent a year, manufacturing output alone a 8.4 per cent, and engineering output at 144 per cent (a reflection of the car boom and perhaps a slight recovery of investment). The level of unemployment has dropped from its 1972 peak. And this year consumer's expenditure has been rising at 10 per cent a This'is an economic upturn, all right — but a fragile one producing, or helping to produce, forces which could quite suddenly bring it to a halt. One of these is the increase in imports, which has led to a balance of payments deficit now running at the Immense rate of E1000 million a year. though its worst effects have been hidden so far, largely by beavy borrowing by the nationalised industries in the Euromarkets and in Japan.
There are also many signs of overheating in the economy — shortages of skilled labour and of capacity, especially in the engineering Industries and especially in the South Eust. That these limits can show themselves so soon with three quarters of a million people still unemployed is a mark of bow the last few years of low investment have whittled away the ability of British capitalism to produce a susteined boom. The upturn has still resulted much more in the fuller use of existing capacity than in an increase of investment. The present expansion is also threatened by the expected fall in the growth of consumptiot as the effects of falling real wages appear. Continued inflation and the wage freeze have cut real incomes of working people by about 3 per cent since November, and wil knock them down by probably another 2 per cent by the autumn if Phase IT is successful. Consump tion growth is now being maintained mostly by a leap in hire purchase debt.
NO IMPROVEMENT So the upturn is not the beginning of a new period of capitalist health. In fact the first two and a half years of Tory government saw no improvement at all in the basic measure of the health of capitalism protitability. And now many of the hopes that a period of simultaneous ecobomic expansion and wage freca would help profits have been dashed, as capitaliscs have escaped for a time from the frying pan of rising wages into the fire of rising raw material costa.
Howerer, even if the upturn hasn't made thing much betier for the capitalists. there is no doubt that a new downturn would make thing! much worse. So behind the CBC's euphorie propaganda for the boom lies real desperation Michael Price