don branch POEU OVER the years members of left-wing organisations have given their many and varied reasons for knowing that their phone was being tapped: strange noises, clicks, voices, use numbers, even the voices of the listeners have been heard.
Tapping the Telephone, a pamphlet from the research department of the Post Office Engineering Union, should clear away these myths once and for all. It should always be remembered that the authorities have the latest technology available to them.
Of most interest to Socialist readers is the tapping of labour movement militants. For the security agencies to tap all the thousands of political and union activists would be a daunting if not impossible task.
There are however some individuals and organisations that are permanently tapped and, depending on political and industrial events, others are tapped for various periods.
This pamphlet gives many examples (some proven, some alleged) ranging from MPs to trade union activists. A revealing example was from the steel strike. A strike committee gave phony information phone about a picket and then watched the local police act on it.
The important lesson for activists to observe is not to use the phone (or the mail)
THE CAMPAIGN for Nuclear Disarmament has added its name to the list of labour movement Peace, Frank Allaun MP, Colin Barnett West Salveson, Secretary Manchester Communist tarly. JOAN rarkinson.
Secretary of Preston Trades Action for Peace. bertranu Mussell peace Hunton.
Thompson (END), Bob Wright, AUEW AssIstall General secretary Walt Greendale, TGWU National HUL General Council ember, Accrington AUEW District Committee Manchester North AUEW District commullec. East Party, Campaign Nuclear 3 September 1980 Page 12 official of engineers' tions.
The Challenge Billal.
Tory
over By Pete Clifford ELEVEN pickets were arrested outside King Henry's Meat Products factory in Levenshulme Manchester, on Friday. Chief cop Anderton's police decided to go further than the Tories' 'six o cerane they went out to stop any one of the 150 trade unionists there effectively picketing.
Enose arrested were four women members of the Bakers They, and 22 others. had walked out of King Henry's on 7 July after 17 of nat Deer given week's notice.
This was the final straw. They putting Victoriar comations. unsafe machines and virtually no rights for years Friday's action by the police has only strengthened for relaying information that they do not want the security agencies to know about.
The pamphlet shows that even the present 'safeguards' are not being observed. The officially sanctioned taps are quite clearly the tip of the iceberg. There are many ways that the authorities can get round the regulause bugging devices customer's premises and the Printer Meter Check (an engineering device for checking the accuracy of a meter) are just two ways. The latter is not used to listen to conversations but lists the numbers of all calls made and their duration. It is allegedly used extensively in the North of Ireland.
With present technology a tap has to be physically placed either in the customer's premises or in the exchange, but with the new computer-controlled exchanges (System X) it will be possible to write a programme so that the authorities can sit in their ottices Chelsea or wherever and listen to any line in This is one of the great dangers that all trade unionists should be aware of and it is of the greatest importance that this facility is not available in the new systems.
The weak part of the pamphlet is the way it poses the call for an enquiry. It takes the traditional liberal attitude of "security against 'democratic values'. type of enquiry it calls for is one consisting of Privy Councillors with 'as much as possible of the determination of the strikers They are not only picketing every day but : have enlisted the SubDUr North-west region of the TUC for a boycott of King Henry's products throughout the area Liverpool dockers are atready backing that up with action.
the hearings in public in the surveillance.
have quite detailed knowledge. ing class.
Labour as much as any Tory government. balancing The London W5. Price £1.
Local Bakers Union secretary Bill Harrison says that their next mass picket or September must strength of this an-union mamagement. Trade unionists throughout the area should make a date with King In a capitalist society the main security task that capitalism faces is controlling the organised working class movement. An enquiry where one section of the ruling class investigates the activities of another is unlikely to result in the curtailing of surveillance of militants or even expose the extent of that Socialists and trade unionists should call for a labour movement enquiry where Post Office and other workers could expose the extent of surveillance, of which many of them Post Office workers, like all government employees, are covered by the Official Secrets Act so that the trade union movement would have to fully defend against victimisation any worker giving evidence to this enquiry.
It would expose quite clearly the real role of the state. It would show that far from being a neutral body representing all classes in society, it works very clearly in the interests of big business and against the interests of the workIt would also expose the role of successive governments who have used the security forces against the labour movement Tapping The Telephone is available from POEU, Greystoke House, 150 Brunswick Rd Henry's for the day.
Daily picketing from 6.30 am at King Henry's Products Ravenoak Ave, Levenshulme Donations. support etc BS&A WU. Room 4, George House, 30 Dudley Rd, ManCuester lo Com SOUTH LONDON CAMPAIGN AGAINST RACIST TRADES Fi labour movement se tials from Harland, Airie Chose Noctorum, Birkenhead No Arms for Chile Vigil at Chilean Embassy Thursday September: Seventh anniversary brutal coup.
at Friends House, la of the Bolivian Mines. Music Solidarity Cam
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KING HENRY'S PICKETS
depression in Chile. Organ Ted: 01.C2-4295