from Tony Topham gee oe my on the dockers' positions (the subject of an article
ast week's issue) comes the Report of Enquiry held under aragraph 5 the Schedule to the Dock Workers (Regulation of et ie ci oe lished by HMSO. 1966, price 3/04. It offers no concessions at all on the basic features of the Amendments, and frequently dismisses opjections raised by the unions, and by dockers, in most slighting and insulting tones. For example, on the demand submitted by Hull deckers that Scarborough, Whitby, and Felixtowe be included in the NDLB, the superior Honeyman comments: "This evidence was too limited and vazue to justify even a prima facie case for inclusion, such as might warrant further investigation by me." Elsewhere, he actually claims that the Gisciplinary powers of the employers has been decreased under the Amendments, despite the many objectiens raised on this score. We drew attention to this cbjection in the May editicn cf Humberside Voice: we quote again from the Amendments: "Where a registexed employer alleges that a permanent worker in his employment has been gilty of misconduct, such as to justify his Summary dismissal, he may terminste that worker's contract of employment without notice, and the worker shall thereupon become a temporary wmattached worker in the employment of the National Board." This mesns that e (smaller) POOL is to be retained for the "discipline cases" as well as for the clder and Jess fit men. Taney will not exactly get the best of the jobs! And ihe employer has the right to temporarily suspend dockers from the scheme without pay - subject to right of appeal. No clear alteration emorges either, on the employer's right to preferonce of tre workers he takes into permanent employment, whilst the docker remains liable to suspension and removal from the Scheme, if HE objects to the employer to whom he has been allocated. And so om cee. Mearwhile, the Government has passed into law the Ports and Harbours Act, which gives port authorities the power to license port employers. The opject is to reduce the number of port ewplcyers, to give only the big firms and consortia the right of emnlcying dockers ~ all part of Devlin's plans to build the employers up: break the dockers' controls. Notice incidentally that the port authorities who do the licensing are run by port employers ani ship owners. This is true whether it is a private trust port, or the British Transport Docks Board. Wheels within wheels } Somewhere in the background to all this-is the Government's commitment to» nationalise the industry. Behind that stands the dockers' strong feelings that ORTHODOX nationalisation is not enough. Keep your powder dry: a major conflict between Deviinisation and Socialisation is pending. The delaying tactics, of Reports and Enquiries into Reports, and Reports on Enquiries into Amendments, is fast running out of gimmicks }