Last August these members of the AUEW South London District Committee offered to physically defend union property against seizure by the NIRC. Scanion refused their offer, preferring the road of passive 'non cooperation'. The AUEW is paying the price of that policy today. The initiative of the South London engineers must now be taken up by the entire trade union movement, and the scheming hands predatory beasts-are the most dangerous when cornered. True to form, the threat by Sir John Donaldson and the National Industrial Relations Court to seize the entire assets of the AUEW goes beyond anything they have previously attempted By such a move Donaldson hopes to provoke a political crisis that will threaten the very existence of the Labour Government.
Donaldson's actions are a living-refutation of the absurd view that judges and the law are 'above" politics and the class struggle.
The state nachine serves the ruling class-not the 'Government of the day." It will obey the Government only so long as it considers if to represent the interests of the capitalist cliss an a whole. If the Government's ability to do the ruling class's dirty work is in doubt. then the state machine will go its own way.
This is the lesson of Chile. The policies of the popularly. elected Allende sabotaged by the courts, the civil service and the police, Finally Allende was overthrown by the army.
On a smaller scale, Donaldson's manoeuvres represent exactly the same thing.
Of course, the Labour Government has played right into the hands of the ruling class. Throughout the recent struggles they have mis-led workers about the nature of the state. They have insisted on the law being upheld, no matter what the cost.
Once in office, Labour actually turned to the Tories" armoury of anti-working class laws to back up their own policies, Now one of these weapons has blown up in their face.
The working class must mobilise on a massive scale to break the NIRC into tiny pieces, Only such a mobilisation can smash this Labour Government bankrupt reformism.
Faced with a massive strike wave, the parliamentary manoeuvres of the opposition parties would melt away, and the Labour Government excuses for inaction. It could be forced to scrap its Tory weaponry once and for all.
On the basis of such a victory, nothing could prevent the engineering workers going on to win their claim in full. This would mean the death of Phase 3: not only in its Tory letter, but in its Labour spirit as well. Government were continually present attack and prevent the being hrought down hy its own area:
would be left with no this underway in London.
Act, pending its spoody repeal. of the NIRC kept off union property.
Sir John Donaldson has given the AUEW 19 days "to reconsider its tactics.' Let's take the gallant judge's offer. Let's use the 19 days to organise the tactic of SMASHING THE NIRC. *For a national, indefinite strike by all enginenring workers. No matter what the AUEW executive decides, this must be got underway immedietely in every district. *For mass solidarity actions by avery other group of workers: striker, demonstrations and rallies in avery "For the physical defence of AUEW property from any attempts at soizure, by the courts. London. Trades Councils should summon an emergency conference to get *Force the Labour Government to scrap the NIRC and block all legal proceedings under the Industrial Relations WILSON CHAMPIONS