from Tony Topham.
At last, on March 2nd, the T.U.C. took the decision to break with the . Labour Goverrment's coercive laws against trade union freedom. Though its own plan for "voluntary wage-vetting" is clearly an awkward and unlikely alternative, and though its intention (in George Woodcock's view) is to continue with wage restraint, a certain step forward has been taken. At least now, the unions are forced to face the question of developing their own alternative policies, unhindered by blind leyalty to a government which has offended even the most servile of its T.U.C. allies. If the T.U.C. interprets its role as being simply a buffer between the unions and the law, and calls on trade unionists to accept its stringency as a more acceptable thing than government bullying, then the crisis of loyalty is merely shifted from Government to T.U.C. And the T.U.C. knows, from its own history, that its authority will be challenged if it sets itself against the will of trade unionists, In 1950, after trade union executives had endorsed the continuance of wage restraint under Stafford Cripps, many of them were severely rebuked by their own individual union annual conferences, and the T.U.C.'s General Council was defeated at Congress later in the year. ‘The Woodcock freeze is doomerts: it just will not do for the T.U.C. to impose the same policies as.the government, under another set of auspices, The need for an alternative policy, based on completely different assumptions and goals from those of the Government, is now clearly urgent. The Unions: long-term aims. The first requirement, however, before the unions will embark with confidence on the alternative, is that they (and all their members who have been misled by government propaganda) must be convinced that the arguments used to justify wege restraint are not only morally repugnant, but ecoromically false. The argument which says that wage restraint equals the national interest. The contention that a trade union which seeks to fulfil its function of raising its members' wages is committing some sort of sin. The guilt feelings about strikes and industrial conflict, nurtured by the press, TV reporting, and the government. These ideas must be destroyed. We think that trade unionists should examine carefully the important book by V.L. Allen, "Militant Trade Unionism" (Merlin Press, 12/6.) which does effectively destroy them, Allen shows that the economic theory hehind wage restraint is false, and that the causes of inflation are deep rooted in a modern capitalist economy. He demonstrates that monopoly, armaments, wasteful advertising and administration in big business, are the causes of inflation, and that trade unions are at best onlookers in the process. He argues clearly for the view that industrial conflict cannot be wished away with pious words about harmony and "consensus," and that unless unions are to abandon their proper function, and their long-term aims of redistributing income and wealth, they must pursue policies which do conflict with private ownership and property incomes.
over/. * This article originally appeared in the April issue of Humberside Voice.
Workers' control v wage freeze. cont/d.
i i i for a socialist strategy, Campaign. The opportunity for a determined drive ce ‘ based on the unions and looking forward beyond opposition, and not _ wards to Enoch Powell and the 1950s, is present now. It poses a grea ‘ challenge to all of us, this yeary to carry the workers' control movemen a decisive stage further. For this reason, we hope that all "Voice" readers will join the campaign for workers! control, both by advocating its aims in their own workshops, union branches, and shop-stewards' committees, as well as in Labour Parties, and also by seeing that their branch or shop is represented at this summer's national workers' control conference in Coventry. (for details see next "Voice") This year, we aim to clarify md sherpen our programme, by a critical, constructive examination of Labour Party, union, and T.U.C. statements. We intend also that this conference will work out practical plans for an on-going movement which will give us the permanent links between all local and industrial activities in this field.