Indian Workers Association papers 1978-1982

MS 2142/A/1/7/2

Indian Workers Association papers 1978-1982

1978 - 1982

Papers were originally stored together in a folder, and are arranged in roughly chronological order, with the earliest listed first. They consist of:

/1-/2 press release giving an account of the proceedings of the Indian Workers Association national conference 28 May 1978 in Coventry, with a list of the names and contact details of members of the Executive Committee, elected at the conference

/3 letter to Avtar Jouhl as Indian Workers Association President from the Wolverhampton branch concerning conflict in Southall between different Indian Workers Association groups, and the possibility of further splits in the Southall branch, referring to Harpal Brar December 1978

/4 shortened form of a report on 'Educational Provision in Birmingham for Ethnic Minorities' for Birmingham City Council Education Committee, with a covering letter from the Chief Education Officer December 1978

/5 flyer in English and Punjabi issued by the Indian Workers Front (Southall) protesting against the visit of Indira Gandhi to Southall, and her invitation by the Indian Workers Association (Southall), 1978

/6 photocopy of a letter to a recipient addressed only as Amarjit from Mary Tyler discussing the campaign to release six 'Dalits' under sentence of death in Bihar, 25 January 1979

/7 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl, President of the Indian Workers Association, to Sarwan Singh Bains, Treasurer, requesting payments to be made to Balbir Dutt for expenses for the Dalit Mukti Conference in Bedford, 9 February 1979

/8 letter from Revolutionary Marxist-Leninist Communist League concerning the organisation of the 'Hands Off Kampuchea Committee' and urging the Indian Workers Association to join a jointly sponsored and organised single united British committee for 'Solidarity with Democratic Kampuchea', 10 February 1979

/9 letter to Avtar Jouhl from unidentified sender requesting that all Indian Workers Association branches send affiliation fees to the Bharati Dalit Mukti Alliance for their campaign to release 'Dalits' 1979

/10-/13 sponsorship slips from organisations wishing to sponsor the 'Hands Off Kampuchea Committee' based at the Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Centre, 1979; and a letter from the Revolutionary Communist League of Britain asking for further information about the campaign

/14-/15 letters from East London and Essex branch concerning decisions reached at meeting of the branch executive committee at which members were expelled and national Indian Workers Association leaders accused of not being interested in branch problems February 1979

/16 letter to Jagmohan Joshi from the secretary of the Workers Party of Scotland (Marxist-Leninist) discussing a forthcoming picket of the Vietnamese Embassy, and enclosing a circular issued by the organisation condemning the Vietnamese occupation of 'Democratic Kampuchea', January 1979

/17 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl, President of the Indian Workers Association, to Balbir Dutt, Bharati Dalit Mukti Alliance, discussing confusion over the date fixed for a picket of the Indian High Commission to protest at the death sentence imposed on 'Dalits' in Bihar, 11 March 1979

/18-/19 draft of a leaflet on virginity tests produced by an unidentified Steering Committee with an accompanying letter to Avtar Jouhl from Vidya, Chelsea College, University of London, March 1979

/20 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl, President of the Indian Workers Association, to H. S. Sandhu, branch secretary of the East London and Essex branch, discussing the reasons for Sandhu's resignation, which he refuses to accept, 19 March 1979

/21-/24 copy letters from Avtar Jouhl, President of the Indian Workers Association, to the Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Woolwich and Plumstead, and Indian Workers Front (Southall) branches, requesting contributions to the Central Committee, and discussing branch administrative matters, March 1979

/25 copy of a telegram sent by the Bharati Dalit Mukti Alliance to the President of India condemning the death sentences imposed on 'Dalits' imprisoned in Bhagalpur jail, Bihar, 1979

/26 handwritten report compiled by the Indian Workers Association Coventry branch in reply to the Central Committee circular, 23 March 1979 giving an account of branch activities and organisation

/27 circular letter from Jagmohan Joshi, Avtar Jouhl and the Central Executive Committee to all Indian Workers Association branches giving information about a mass picket on the Indian High Commission against the execution of 'Dalits' in Bihar 23 March 1979

/28-/29 leaflet written in English and Punjabi issued by the Bharati Dalit Mukti Alliance giving information about the mass picket at India House to demand the unconditional release of the six 'Dalits' sentenced to death in Bihar for resisting armed attacks by landlords, 23 March 1979, together with a press release issued by the organisation on this topic

/30 letter to Avtar Jouhl from Harpal Brar, secretary of the Indian Workers Front (Southall) comprising a report on the activities and organisation of the branch, 1 April 1979

/31 circular letter to Central Committee members and office bearers of the Indian Workers Association giving information about the Cultural Conference to be held in Coventry and including an agenda for the next Central Committee meeting, 5 May 1979

/32 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl, President of the Indian Workers Association, to the secretary of the Indian Workers Front (Southall) asking him to send a representative to the next Central Committee meeting, 28 April 1979

/33 letter to Avtar Jouhl from Hardev Dhillon, branch secretary of the Indian Workers Association Greenwich District branch discussing tensions between different factions composed of members of the Greenwich and East London and Essex branches, 30 April 1979

/34-/37 correspondence between Avtar Jouhl, Balbir Dutt and Harpal Brar regarding a leaflet distributed by a group known as the Indian Progressive Workers Forum for May Day celebrations in 1979, together with a copy of this leaflet, written in Punjabi, in which members of the Indian Workers Association are listed as speakers. The letter from Harpal Brar urges the Indian Workers Association leadership to prevent comrades from attending the gathering which had been organised by a group opposed to the policies of the Indian Workers Front (Southall)

/38-/40 letters to Avtar Jouhl, Teja Singh Sahota and Jagmohan Joshi from Vidya Pai apologising for not being able to attend the Central Committee meeting of the Indian Workers Association 5 May 1979, and asking for an item which he had placed on the agenda concerning the Indian Workers Association attitude to the demonstration to be held on 3 June 1979 against state brutality to be discussed at a later date

/41 handwritten motion agreed by the meeting of the Central Committee of the Indian Workers Association in Coventry 5 May 1979 on the meeting called by Baldev Ruppal in East London following a dispute within the East London and Essex branch of the organisation

/42 handwritten report compiled by the Derby branch of the Indian Workers Association on the activities and organisation of the branch 1979

/43 handwritten notes made by Avtar Jouhl, probably at an unidentified Central Committee meeting likely to be in 1979

/44 flyer written in English and Punjabi and issued by the Indian Workers Front (Southall) on the lessons to be learnt by anti-racist activists following the events at Southall on 23 April 1979 at a rally against the National Front at which the activist Blair Peach was killed

/45-/46 press release and circular to branch secretaries and Central Committee members listing decisions taken at the Central Committee meeting 11 August 1979, including the election of Teja Singh Sahota to the office of General Secretary following the death of Jagmohan Joshi.

/47 statement issued by the Indian Workers Association on the White Paper on Nationality published by the Conservative government, and the campaign to repeal immigration laws, including details of a demonstration organised for 25 November 1979

/48 list of delegates present at the Indian Workers Association conference 3 August 1980. This item is closed under the terms of the Data Protection Act until 2031 because it contains personal information about individuals

/49 handwritten notes made by Avtar Jouhl possibly at a Central Committee meeting towards the end of 1980 at which campaigns with Campaign Against Racist Laws and the Dual Nationality issue were discussed

/50 Birmingham District Council Amenities and Recreation Department confirmation of the booking of Digbeth Civic Hall by the Indian Workers Association for a conference, October 1980

/51 statement issued by the Indian Workers Association describing the implicit racism of the White Paper on Nationality and other immigration legislation, and urging anti-racist groups to join the campaign by the organisation and Campaign Against Racist Laws [CARL] to defeat the Nationality Bill, 1981

/52 circular to all Central Executive Committee members and branch secretaries giving an account of matters discussed at the Indian Workers Association Central Executive Committee meeting 10 January 1981

/53 resolution on Iraq, possibly issued by the Indian Workers Association, consisting of an agreement to affiliate with and support the Midland Committee Against Repression and for Democratic Rights in Iraq (M-CARDRI), possibly 1981

/54 Indian Workers Association circular to all branches giving information about mobilisation for a demonstration at Coventry against the murder of Satnam Singh Gill May 1981

/55 statement issued by Campaign Against Racism and Fascism [CARF] following uprisings in several British cities in 1981, criticising the government's response, and urging people to join a demonstration and rally to fight to end unemployment and police harassment

/56 handwritten accounts of the Indian Workers Association written in Punjabi, July 1981

/57 invoices and receipts for donations made by the Indian Workers Association and supplies used, July 1981

/58 circular to all Indian Workers Association Central Committee members and branch secretaries giving information about a mass demonstration against government 'anti-people' policies at the Conservative party conference at Blackpool 1981

/59 Indian Workers Association Central Committee circular to all branches and Central Committee members giving information about the campaign in support of the 'Bradford 12' other activities November 1981

/60 Indian Workers Association circular to Central Committee members and branch secretaries with details of current campaigning activities that branches should participate in, including the 'free Bradford 12' picket at Leeds Crown Court, the national demonstration in London 'Britain Out of Ireland' and the Indian Workers Association national conference 1982

/61 Indian Workers Association circular to Central Committee members with details and agenda for the next meeting on 28 March 1982

/62 handwritten notes by Avtar Jouhl for an unidentified meeting, probably of the Central Committee of the Indian Workers Association, including discussion of the Falklands war, 1982

/63 report by Harpal Brar on the Central Executive Committee meeting of the Indian Workers Association held 28 March 1982

/64 receipt to the Indian Workers Association from Handsworth Law Centre, 20 May 1982

/65 letter from the Indian Peoples Front regarding a National Conference to resist autocracy and giving details of resolutions passed at a National Conference to Resist Autocracy in India, May 1982

/66 Indian Workers Association General Secretary's statement of income and expenditure Aug 1980 - June 1982

1 File

Part of this file is closed under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1988 until 2031 because it contains personal information about individuals. Remove marked 'closed' files before serving.