IRISH COMMUNISTS FORM ONE PARTY BELFAST—St. Patrick’s day this year brought good news to Ireland, boding well for the modern version of the driving out of the snakes—of division, oppression and exploitation—from the Emerald Isle. The Communist Party of Northern Ireland and the Irish Work- ers’ Party of the Irish Republic in the south have decided to merge their ranks and form a single, united Irish. Communist Party. The draft manifesto of the new party stresses that it will work for the unity of the working class of both: Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, for the victory of socialism. The six counties of Northern Ireland are under British rule at present; the 26 counties of southern Ireland became independent in 1921 during the Irish revolt against British imperialism. LEBANESE UNIONS LEAVE ICFTU CAIRO — The Federation of Free Trade Unions of Lebanon has decided to secede from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) because of its pro-Israel and anti-Arab po- sition. The Lebanese Federation explained its position in a letter to Fawzi Al’Sayed, general secretary of the International Confede- ration of Arab Trade Unions and proposed co-operation with the Arab unions. SOVIET SPECIALISTS PLAN 1,000 NEW TOWNS MOSCOW — By the end of the century, it is expected the Soviet Union will have about 1,000 new towns. The prospects for town planning were discussed here at a national conference of archi- tects, engineers and sociologists. Planning will include avoidance of crowding and excessive growth, such as exists in the United States and Japan, among other countries. In building new towns, development will be along the lines of constellations of intercon- nected towns. Projections of floating industrial towns on the high seas, exten- sive populated centres with their own climate in the North or deserts were also discussed. Much attention was given to urban transportation. ' Elimination of the differences between town and countryside is regarded as:one of the most important social problems in the Soviet Union. A program for experimental construction of Soviet villages has been worked out. By 1975 or so, each region and republic will have one or two villages which will be the model for changes to be made in villages in the coming decades. EXECUTIONS MULTIPLY IN CHINA According to reports from visitors to China, mass meetings have been held in Peking’s Gunjen stadium to join in trials of members of illegal groups. Death sentences were immediately carred out at the end of the public show trials. Hong Kong papers reported that 19 youths were sentenced to death at the stadium on Jan. 27. Simi- lar public trials are being held in other towns. The radio in Taiyuan, principal city of Shansi province, reported that on Feb. 10 and 11 the “Revolutionary Committee” in the south- east of Shansi‘ province afid the “Revolutionary Committee” of Yanchensian held meetings attended by 50,000 at which active opponents of the current regime wére sentenced to death and the sentences were carried out. Condemn racist sentence, intrusion in Caribbean The following letter was sent to Prime Minister Trudeau by the Central Executive Commit- tee of the Communist Party: “The recent mass protests in Trinidad and Guyana are aimed at Canadian monopoly domina- tion and exploitation of the West Indies. “The protests in_ solidarity with the 10 West Indian McGill students unjustly condemned and sentenced by a Canadian court for fighting racism, are symptomatic of the rising up- surge of the people of the West Indies and throughout the Ame- ricas for independence from U.S., Canadian and other for- eign monopoly exploitation and all forms of imperialist policy. “External Affairs Minister Sharp’s statement that the pro- tests only represent a minority of the people of Trinidad and Guyana is a brazen attempt to confuse Canadian public cpinion and cover up the fact that Can- ada has big investments and im- perialist interests in the Car- ribean. “The suggestion contained in remarks: of External Affairs Minister Sharp of Canadian Gov- ernment intervention in the internal affairs of Trinidad deserves. sharp condemnation. The Communist Party of Can- ada demands: Hands off Trini- dad! No Canadian government meddling in Trinidadian ‘affairs! “The Communist Party fights U.S. monopoly control of the Canadian economy and supports the struggles of the people of Trinidad and Guyana in their struggle against Canadian con- trol and domination of the West Indies and Guyana. “The Communist Party of Canada calls for the wealth of Trinidad, expropriated by the Canadian big business interests, to be returned to the people of Trinidad. “The Communist Party calls for solidarity of the working people of Canada with the peo- ple of the West Indies and Guyana in joint action to de- fend the rights of the 10 McGill students and to give every sup- port to the struggle to break Canadian monopoly domination and control in these countries.” _PACIBIC TRIBUNE-+MARGH.20;,1979—Page 4 Trudeau, Benson attack — | on jobs, pensions, pay | rouses labor action ~ The Trudeau-Benson Government has introduced a budget designed to-make the rich richer and the poor poorer. This disgraceful budget does not touch the swollen profits of the monopolies, but cuts deep into the living standards of the working people. It does nothing for the more than 500,000 unemployed except plan to double their number. It contributes 40 cents of every tax dollar — that’s so much taken off the family dinner table—while the ctrporations contribute only 29 cents—out of the millions they have gouged out of the’ people’s labor. Fin- ance Minister Benson has rene- ged on his promise to lift in- come taxes from the 750,000 lowest-income Canadians. Hous- ing starts are the lowest in many years, plants are closing, farmers are in desperate straits, the young people are denied a useful and gainful future—and this government declares that this is not a crime, but normal and necessary. : “The Benson Budget is a re- cipe for recession, for continued stagnation, slow down in eco- nomic growth, less housing for the people, hardship for pen- sioners, rising unemployment and inflation,” declares a state- ment issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Workers fight—and win By JOHN WILLIAMSON LONDON — The school teach- ers of England and Wales, after three months of bitter struggle, have just scored a big victory. They are in the headlines today just as the Ford workers were a month ago. In both cases the common denominator was bold- ness and determined struggle. , The teachers were given a yearly interim salary increase of £120 ($288) and have called off their strikes and returned to the classrooms. This means. their minimum annual starting salary is raised to between $2,064 and $2,352. They will receive an ad- ditional increase in January 1971. The £120 represents 89 per- cent of their demand for £135. They were first offered £50, then £60 and finally. £80 and. each time, especially after the latter, they were told it was the most they could get and to give them another penny would cripple the , country. The final break-through came, with the intervention of. the Minister of Education, as 10,000 teachers were lobbying Parlia- ment, after the largest-ever teachers’ march through London. At the same time 8,000 teachers were on permanent strike in the big industrial city of Birming- ham and in two London bor- oughs. Others were to be called out and examinations were threatened. Both union executives voted to accept the £120 and the over- whelming majority of the mem- bers consider it a victory. TORIES DISMAYED The Evening Standard called _low incomes and increasing needed. eat payments to pensioners, the “The Canadian people mus Benson Budget proposes tO have a budget directed to sti” does nothing to ease life for the nearly one million pensioners whose pittant is continually. decreasing as living ¢0® rise. It does nothing for the more tha! five million poor people in Canada Wi live in slums, hunger and cold. It d0®) nothing to relieve the people of Wi” onerous tax burden and perpetuates tit) inequality where the “working joe” aA “Instead of reducing taxes on flecting these policies af a curb consumer spending and add to the difficulties of working people. ; “The whole purpose of the Budget is to bring about a showdown with labor and com- pel it to lower its living stan- dards. Indeed it is a signal to monopoly to get tough with labor and to provoke lockouts and strikes in this year’s nego- tiations. “The pretense is maintained that it is a Budget to curb in- flation. This is furthest from the truth. What it does do is open the door to a recession. The economic slowdown in the U.S.A. will aggravate recession- ary trends in Canada. “This is Trudeau’s just society in practice. “Different economic and so- cial policies and a budget re- ulating independent econom 3 expansion, the achievement” full employment and. standards, including redu@,) taxes for low income groups a an. immediate adjustment pension payments to corresp? with the rise in the cost living. “The Communist Party cal upon the trade union moe ment, the NDP, farm and oth peoples’ organizations t0 at with it in a united struggle reverse the Government's a sterity program which mak the rich richer, the poor P0 and throws working people ° on the streets. A mighty ples’ movement can achieve objective and win new eco? and social policies. FA “The Benson Budget must and so should its author.’ this om? — seem to be popping every whet Outstanding was an unoffie strike of 22,000 clothing work, | — 85 percent women — 9) Yorkshire and Durham. Mies these are skilled workers are among the low paid. union had negotiated a five an hour increase for the oth and four cents for the woe but never consulted the worke WORKERS REVOLT is In revolt, 2,000 at one facta) the settlement “an absolute dis- grace” while the Daily Telegraph says it is “a bad settlement” with “worse ... yet to come.” This refers to the Executive of the 320,000 member National Union of Teachers (NUT) unani- mously passing a_ resolution, moved by Max Morris (who is also a member of the Commun- ist Party executive), giving no- tice that in the coming talks of a new pay structure, it would ents One make “claims for substantial in- walked out and it soon SW itl creases over and above the new to 22,000. They set up 4 ded rate.” Strike Committee and dema® of The victory of the teachers is a reflection of .a great change that is sweeping through the ranks of white collar and intel- lectual workers who previously held aloof from the labor move- ment. While the restructuring of the working class in Britain is much slower than in the U.S.A. (in Britain the labor force is roughly divided today 40 per- cent white collar and intellectual to 60 percent manual), neverthe- less it is raising many problems that must be faced by the trade unions. VICTORY AT FORD’S The Ford: strike was finally settled when the company not only granted £4 ($9,60) a week increase in wages — the biggest-: ever in its history — but gave a specific pledge to the Swansea strikers that it agreed to discuss parity with the Midlands work- ers during March instead of De- cember 1970. This came’in a 2 a.m. personal phone call from Ford’s industrial relations officer to the Swansea shops stewards’ convenor. Strikes and threats of strikes ~ strike is solid after three W eight cents an hour for Wa» and seven cents for mem. ja) eel The union has. finally und? ‘ taken to reopen negotiation 4” the workers will return to W | This is still to be acted up? Seamen, demanding 4 cent increase, rejected 15 Pat cent. Nurses got their 20 pert wage increase spread over el year, instead of two, aftel ay voted for strike. London SUy iq) workers demand £5.a We@™ of) crease or will strike next 4g) while London busmen dem» 20 percent increase. Airport af men at London are on strik ig the airport is closed each we while fire officers scab du : the daytime. aaa The TUC is now begitMl big drive to help low pal % ini ers and are demanding 3 9.60) mum wage of £16.10.0 ($39 is)" The recent CP Congress “1 4 same issue, demanded Ey il week. Today 25 percent “oA at women earn less thal ™ ppgfh week and 75 percent Je55_ $36. Nearly a million men earn less than $36 a week: . “Se Ss