THE TRADE UNION leaders have been the backbone of support for Government policies — from the Social Contract to immigration controls. only have former lefts" like Jones, Scanion and Daly failed to oppose the Government's atlacks; they have actively assisted themt.
Other leaders, like NUPE's Alan Fisher — who opposed the cuts divided the struggle of public sector workers from those in private industry by supporting the Social Contract, The fight against the cuts was fragmented by the failure to organise nationally US after the massive day of action on 17 November 1976.
Leaders of unions in the private sector used a similar 'divide and rule policy: Instead of fighting the Social Contract, they took their stand on defence of differentials, thereby dividing low-paid and better-paid workers:
DIVISION Divisions on sex lines are sharpened by the demand for "women our first" in the event of redundancies, while the TUC's failure to campaign for a ESD minimum wage has hit particularly hard at low-paid women workers.
Failure to take up policies to fight for the right to work threatens to divide the employed from the unemployed, And the support of many union leaders for immigration controls and the racist "voucher" system deepens. divisions song racial Junes.
The trade union leaders have imposed the Government's policies on the rank and file through blatant assaults on trade umon democracy, Before last September's Trade Union Congress, Hugh Scanion and his cronies in che Engineering Union leadership refused Committee to vote on the 12 months recall AUER'S atsong! rule.
When it came to Congress, Scanlon ignored the position previously lakco by his National Committee in support of free collective hargaining and spite of the opposition of the AUEW delegation meeting cast the union's vote in favour of the rule.
Jack Jones announced in advance that if Congress adopted the rule, the Transport and Ceneral Workers Union would loyally carry out the will of the majority: the majority of the TUC thai is, not of the TGWU!
The TUC leadership, however, did consider themscives similarly constrained. Despite Congress's rejection of the 10 percent limit, they refused to support the firelighters and the call for a campaien against the "guidelines". And they failed to act on the Congress decisions on TE C Grunwick dispute.
The prize for the most blatant manoeuvres of the year must be reserved for the right-wing majority on the miners' union executive. First, Ley decisions on the wage claim and incentive scheme through a national ballot. Then, when they lost the ballot, they overturned the decisions anyway! AUTONOMY In other unions, the leaderships have attempted to make permanent inroads into nine democracy throuch rule changes. In the National Union of Teachers, an assault on the autonomy of local branches has outlawed action. In AUW WILGHSCRISHIKC (TASS) - the Engineering Union's white-collar section - delegates to conference are no longer to be ciected by branches but by dIVISIOOs In the AUEW, afficials will now be clected by postal ballot. And attempts to democratise unions like APEX and the Elecincians Unob. which are already short on democratic proALAN FISHER: divides -ING pubiic sector Trom workers private cedures, have been fought tooth and To safcguard harmonious participation in British Leyland's job-cutting Edwardes plan, Transport and Geocra Workers Union officials have initiated a full scale witchunt against elected Cowley assembly plant conveer Bob Fryer and deputy convenor Alan BOLICE