[Mass protests defy Pinochet British labor congress backs…]

Scan page 4

Mass protests defy Pinochet British labor congress backs miners Fãi FIZZLE DAY Likewise, in English Canada, the Socialist Workers Collective and other supporters of the Fourth International campaigned for the NDP under the slogan: "For an NDP-Quebec Labor Government."

For its part, the labor movement in English Canada conducted a low-profile effort on behalf of the NDP, confined mainly to telephone canvassing and lending union staff to local NDP riding campaigns. The labor leadership coauthored the NDP's treacherous Canadian nationalist/protectionist economic policy and fully endorsed the party's band-aid approach to solving the problems of capitalism in crisis.

The election was unexpectedly kind to the leadership of Ed Broadbent and the rest of the party top apparatus. Broadbent's personal reputation was enhanced, and there is no significant organized political challenge to the party's social-democratic program and caused the government to impose severe austerity measures.

Civil liberties have virtually disappeared. In recent days two opposition magazines have been closed down, news censorship imposed on two independent radio stations, and four university campuses closed. Political police are authorized to detain for 20 days-and torThe British National Union of Miners (NUM) has been on strike for over six months. The miners are fighting against the government's attempt to close "unprofitable" pits-at the expense of 20,000 jobs-and to smash the power of the NUM. The following report on the recent conference of the Trades Union Congress (roughly equivalent to our AFL-CIO) is taken from an article by Brian Heron in the Sept. 17, 1984, issue of International Viewpoint.

LONDON-The September Trades Union Congress (TUC) was completely dominated by the miners' strike. TUC leaders were forced to make a clear statement of support for the miners' union, which had the effect of isolating the right wing of the trade union bureaucracy on this issue. Their statement of "total support, overwhelmingly carried on the first day of the Congress, calls on unions to bar the carriage

Confrontation looms ahead

But it is clear that a period of great confrontation looms ahead—a period that will impact greatly on the mass membership of the NDP, and the working class as a whole.

Broad unity in action is a burning necessity to stop the rulers' offensiveand labor must take the initiative to unite workers, women, community and consumers' groups, and the unemployed. Such a mass united front formed in British Columbia last year showed that it was possible to mobilize tens of thousands to confront the reactionary Social Credit provincial government. Unfortunately, the labor bureaucracy called off the struggle (which was heading for a decisive general strike), abandoned its allies, and accepted government promises that were soon reneged.

Now more than ever genuine solidarity coalitions that are autonomous, deeply-rooted and internally democratic, must be built to defend public service jobs, workers' rights, medicare, pensions, along with access to education and other vital social services.

How the coming battles are conducted will determine whether the organizations of working people in Quebec and English Canada will emerge from the 1980s qualitatively weakened or poised to struggle for power.

ture-anyone accused of "disturbing the peace."

In spite of such repressive measures, however, it is clear that the Chilean people are increasingly determined to resist and fight back. They are rebuilding their trade unions, their working-class coordinating bodies-such as the Comando Metropolitano de Trabajadores (CMT), and their political parties. Their objective is to put an end to the Pinochet dictatorship.

of coal, coke, and other fuels across picket lines. But.... the support is conditional on agreement with the unions concerned.

Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock spoke to the TUC on the second day. He tried to minimize the commitment of the TUC and the labor movement to the miners in his speech, and thereby reunite the right-wing trade union bureaucracy around himself.

Originally, the miners' union was set to lead the battle of the left wing at the TUC congress. But fighting amendments to their resolution on the strike were dropped to win a big majority of the union leaderships to support the TUC statement. A great deal now depends on whether the NUM can use the TUC statement to deepen the effects of their strike. In any case, it will be necessary to organize a left wing of the British labor movement around demands such as a national TUC Day of Action, whatever the results of the TUC's agreement. The right wing is still mobilizing to defeat the miners.

Scan page 5

- Interview with Quebec socialist: is a kind of mutual fund which invests