Seven thousand Merseyside dockers decided at their mass meeting last Sunday to accept a 5 per cent increase under Phase 2 of the Social Contract, and at the same time rejected a productivity scheme which the management claimed would give them 48 per cent increases. Dennis Kelly, committee, said that this was because they had to fall in tine with other ports in the country.
"Had there been an unofficial strike l am sure that Liverpool would have supported it, he said That sentiment sums up the feeling in the rank and file today. The union leaders are taking advantage of the lack of any national lead and focus for workers wishing to fight to restore their living standards.
The Engineering Union Executive rejected a call to bring the National Committee meeting forward, and it will now not be meeting until 14 November. Gormley is trying to manouvre the miners into negotiating on a productivity deal to divert them from their claim for a E135 basic wage. Jack Jones has been busily insisting that despite the Transport workers" vote against the 12-month rule at the TUC, his union would 'not be going on the rampage" to restore living standards.
The Communist Party's industrial organiser, Bert Ramelson, correctly summed up the problem in, the Morning Star last Monday. He said that the extent to which the trade union movement would fight to defend the interests of its members would depend on the extent to which the initiative was taken by the rank and file. However Ramelson's calls for rank and file action are not cnough. It is necessary to begin to organise the rank and file, to centralise its activity, and allow its full strength to be felt and exercised in united action. Ramelson and the Communist - still reeling with shock after their life-long ally, Scanlon, definitively put his name down in the history of the TUC as Scanlon - remains paralysed and offer no initiative to do this.
A call which can go a long way towards this has come, however, from the Rank and File Organising Committee. They have called for a conference on 26 November around the slogan "No to the 12-month rule." Socialist Challenge calls on all is supporters to build this conference, to fight for labour movement bodies to send delegates, and have meetings to discuss resolutions which can plan united action to defend living standards.
Furthermore this must be turned into a democratic conference of all the rank and file - and for that reason the Liason Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions should jointly sponsor the conference to promote the maximum united action around:
...Rejection of the 12 month rule and 10 per ocat norm ...Against the cash limits system and productivity dealing ..Support for all workers in struggle, particularly the Grunwick strikers ..For shop stewards conferences locally to prepare the fight around ware claims WEST MIDLANDS REGIONAL PUBLIC SECTOR SHOP STEWARDS CONFERENCE SATURDA Y 1S OCTOBER 10am Digbeth Civic Hall, Digbeth, Birmingham.
First National Rank and Flle BUILDING WORKER CONFERENCE Saturday, 1 October, Noon-5pm National Union Road, London NW1.
For credenrials, copies of Building SICICBILILHOT0EIE81303 WILC LEH Post Hall, London SE24. Tel: 01-733 8443. chairperson of the Merseyside docks stewards NURSES AND PATIENT: by calling a Regional Public Sector Shop Scewards Conference The NUPE Pay Action Group in Birmingham has already swung its weight behind the conference. Thi