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The TUC got no joy when they met :audling and presented their plans for relieving unemployment. These plans, the TUC argued, would both help the plight of the over $m unemployed and also stimulate consumer demand. But Maudling rejected even this modest tinkering. He claimed that a lot had already been done, that legislation took time, and in any case he did not want to do “anything that would make us look silly in a few months time", He also stated that he expected unemploy— ment to rise'normally! during Dec., Jan., and Feb. This would mean a figure of well over 600,000, which does nottake into account the thousands of workers forced into the position of having to work short—time.
According to an official US report dealing with unomployment in the States, the statistics of many countries, and this certainly includes the UX, tend to underestimate and conceal the real numbers of unemployed. it the time of the writing of this report, the Ministry of Labour Report was 1.2%, but the, writers clain that tho truo figure would bo 2% Ths discropancy is caused by the fact that many categories of uremployed in Britain — housewives who would work if they could get a job, some classes of pensioners, and others who do not for one reason or an another use the Labour ‘ixchange,y are not counted. On the American basis of counting the actual number of unempbyed would near 1 million by Feb.
Speaking at his union's quaterly conference on Dec. 7th, Frank Cousins accused some companies of taking advantage of high unemployment to pursue anti-union policies, He said that his union had heard of companies arbitrarily cutting pay, sackinz people who tried join a union, refusing recognition to unions and taking lock— out action against union members following rejection of a pay~demand. Whilst such actions as Cousins reports are not yet general, there is no doubt that the toughness as typified in the recent action by Fords, is due to a feeling of confidence caused by the position of the workers and their organisations relative to the unemployment situation. In the increased competition arising out of the entry of Britain into the @5C (or for that matter, our non-entry), the tendency will be intensified.
Under these circumstances it is naive to expect a Tory Government to do anything about unemployment. Whilst for them it is undesirable from an electoral point of view to have high unemployment, the Government's main consideration is that of making British capitalism as competitive as possible in the new conditions resulting from the end of the succession of post-war booms. Moreover the clectoral significance of unemployment should not bo overestimated. The Tories! main elecion task is to win back those sections of the middle class whose vote has gone to the Liberals or who arc currently abstaining in by-elections. A tough policy towards the workers may well draw back to the Tories this lost support, espe cially when coupled with propoganda criticising the Unionsand unofficial strikers. It is worth remembering in this connection that lerseyside, one of the worst hit aroas for unemployment, has a Tory council and after the collapse of the Labour Govt. in 1931, Britain had a Tory Govt despite the 14 million to 3am then unemployed
4 militant campaign is the only guaranteethat high unemployment strengthens Socialist forces instead of weakening the working-class through de moralisation and debilitating effect on she Unions. This campaign must couple education with action, Sackings must be fought when and as they occur, with a 'no-sackings' policy and the posing instead of work-sharing and the nationalisation of firms that will not provide work. Tho fight for the 40- hour and then the 35hour week is:one which will uniteboth empoyed and unemphyed. The scandalously low unemployment pay mst be exposed (Observer of Dec. 2nd published useful statistics on this topic, showing that benefits are now only 19% of the weckly average Wage, compared with 32% in the time of the general strike. Other countries have much better standards - Germany 90%, Holland 70%, Switzerland 60%, Finland 66% and Greece 40%). 4A campaign on this question must be lauhched together with one against theo various anoi.tlies of the system such as 'waiting days!, In paticular the problem of young people and school-leavers which will doteriorate nevds attontion,
liducationally it necds to be saidtime and time again that unermploynent is a disease of capitalism and not memloy a product of Tory caprico; that it is one of the most striking demonstrations of the bankruptcy of capitalism, despite the few years of comparitive full employment that have becn enjoyed since the war, This high omployment has only been gained at the oxpense of a permanent annihilation threat due to the arms economy which oven within the context of the detorrent has proved unworkable. This has ospecial importance because the present Labour Party policy would in the long run aggravate unemployment. i. possible Tory move is to causo -Britain to entcr the BIC, and call an election which they wished to lose in order to
~eredit the Labour Party. Only a vigorous and bold policy of Socialism will