The Economist bluntly headlined its report on the Bob Wright, the Broad Left's candidate, by over 40,000 votes.
leadership of Britain's On these pages, Engineering Union shop steward in Birmingham examines the reasons for this disastrous defeat, and GEOFFREY SHERIDAN questions Bob Wright on the implications and the performance of the Broad Left.
militants must waste as the end of the era of the arch right-wingers Deakin and Carron that came with the election of Jones and Scanion. But the "terrible twins" were to join with the Labour Government in present standards to an extent unprecedented since the *30s.
underlines the need for Socialist Challenge's trade union conference to be held in Birmingham on 1 July.
body in opposition to other organisations of the left, What are the immediate effects of Duffy's and the other right-wing victories?
The immediate ellect the ascendancy within the union of rightwing thinking and poltics. Their Influence will be felt in the TUC, the Labour Party — one could speculate on a lot of possibilities John Boyd will be a very clever instrument in manipulating that. He's the power that will be behind the Boyd is very experienced, with year: of knowledge of the union and the movement. holos of Bob Wright: GM COOKSON [Sociallet Challenge organise the machine. He's the man with the power who will consolidate the right-wing moves.
Duffy has suid he is in tavour of amalgumation with the Electricians Union and nome ke n STELLIT reduce the aumber of elections in the ALEW. What impuct would such an amalgamation have?
The root of our union siems trom the branch and the district. Every district has a distret committee ot rank and file activists, and they have quite clear prerogatives and pusers.
Whether this strecture is pertection when you Ec dealing with large national companies is arguable, and is being osed as an argument for the diminishing effectiveness of districts But what you've got to do is build an •ne districts. It va very clear counter balance to autocracy and bureaucThe EETPU's structure has been SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 11 May 1978 page 8 The pun on his name is not an oversight. Terry The right wing is now firmly entrenched in the second largest union. - an The editorial on page 2 argues that engineering time shedding tears.
A decade ago, militants celebrated what they saw slashing living It is this class collaboration of the 'lefts' which The conference is not designed to establish a new centralised. All officers have been appointed. The executive as clocted They have the power of appointment.
They deal with appeals against their appeal court of clected rank and own Judgements. We have a final All these counterbalances are in jeopardy from what we know as the trend of discussions with the EFTPU.
What are the main factors ibut lie hehind the right wing's success?
Their machine, the press, and organisations such as Truemid: mass of invective literature that's circulated inside the union, financed from doubtful sources these are major lactors and wil have traumatic effect on the thinking of the members.
Couple this with the right swing; the emergence of the NE. and organisations like NAFF and Truemid. We wideratimate them at our peri They se got well-paid organisers behind them. It the election had been largel activist members, 1 would have walked it.
How effective has the Broad Left been in the last couple of years?
No more and no less effective than all elements of the Broad Left and that doesn't Include all the left by any means. The Tell lend be divisive among themsches 1 don't think certain left groups can attack me in the first ballot and then suddenly say, as the lesser of two evils, support him in the second.
It'sseen as nonsense. It doesn't have experiences.
interests of workers and for a leadership prepared to carry these out.
Copies of a four-page perspective, Conference, PO Box 50, London N1.
NAME ADDRESS TRADE UNION.
Labour movement position[s] held..... any impact ar all. #seattempled to bring abour what 1 cail a left unity movement in the union because of the challenges and the belief I have that it' we don't the right wing will come cagether and masacre the left. Now they've crucked it at national level, they'll move into the localities We would argue that the Broad Left has not been active in sapport of such strugeles as there have been against Contract uctively campaigning against the policies. Do you think there have been weaknesses in the Broad Left?
I don't agree with the presumptions. Last April we had a conference in Birmingham and the lads decided to Launch a paper called the Engineering Gazette, There have been tive issues We've certainly projected opposition to wage control and on unempios ment the central industrial issues.
What we've readed to do is to hold off the pure political alternatives because which one do you put? Tha zan be fragmented. we've certainly spell but the challenge: industrially and wily We've tried to produce a journal auned at the middle band of workers to bring torategie. Were or aiming Partle then over to left itself, because there are sufficient jnurnals that project their own slant and argument The Broad Left's conference in November national support for the wage claim. with u planned national conference of convenors to mount a struggle on the already If you are interested in attending the conference, claim. But nothing happened. This fuilure of open cumpaigning and organising has surely been What we said in Nosember was tha the nations commillee had adopted a policy that the union convene mectings of shop stewards in every discrict to further the campaiga on the policy. We said we would press for that policy, to pet it implemented in every discriet, with the shop stewards quarterlies and so on which we did We'renor looking to set op a union wathia the union. IT we did, in my view we would rum into a fatalics, because che union's constitution provides thic basis of doing at within the union and that's where the battle has got to be.
Wehavehad Broad Left meetings ir atmost every district. I've insisted in my election campaien and in broad campaigi. that we shouldn't have restrictive necting: They should be open to any activist in lis union rigiu, left, or bloody centre We won't win support on a mass basis hy creating паттом cell perfection. Chis is a mowerent m must dévelop, and in a number o areas we've been able to do it wit some effect.
Hugh Scunket's role must recent supporting the 12-month rule at the against the decision of the national commitice and the while AUEW delegation, and his Mote against the firefighters on the TLE General Council - has pluced him fienly on the side of the Governinent.
Do you think the Bread Left has sufficienily dissociated itself Trom him, and campaigned guinst him?
was duffed up We light the policies. Scanlon and tlie union for the past two years has pursued a policy of support, for the Social Contraci. Whatever we argue about what happened at the TLIC on the 12-monsh rule, it was endorsed by the policy conference in November One thing we don'T recogaise, and certainly recognise is that Scanlon isn't a persona] free „TECHIE here s execütive which decides. There's no doubt - Hugh Scanlon gave his full sapport to the TUC and Labour including the vanious phases of incomes policy.
I don't agree with Hugh Scanlon or anyone che who araues thai lic strategy that'y been pursued in in the interess of the working class. And if I'snos, then it's nod in the interests of The alternative to even lower living standards and higher unemployment without saying it's socialism: of coarse that would be beauriful, but taking what we have — the alternative Is a challenging cconomic strategy of decent wages based un cutling our some of the rot in our society.
But you WOD T TTTE condeming Scanion: Thai's mistake the uitra-left made personalise Anack that blgody policy, and it | atfacking him and all those who go with him. Ji always amazes me, Boyd produces the union editorials, and so on. 1 never sec them attacking Boyd.
Rab Wright, Let' satlack the real right wingdoesn The opposition by the Communist Party to the Lestand tooleakers stnke must have been very confusing to those hostile to the pay potiey.
support this action against the Social SEOLLCS fieht against in?
T only wish it were true that the Joolmakers Tought Contract. Thestatement they made at the beginning was: We are not opposing the Social Contract. We are not opposing Government policy. All we want ik a separate negotiaring MiCTCT It might have ultimately been about Esse laueEEnua HaL they could break away from the mass BLUSCB negotiate from a position of sectoral strength, 2Tlc 1 undertand their everything differentials. Chily some 45 per cent of the Leyland journal, the rest because they're Bur they atrack have somethine different E10 increase; we'll get LS.
CUBITOS
wtahentu ine ceneral Leylund, and the somethane Leyland Iringe.
-BOUlE and all that toolmakers if they really bebered that if they had a separate negotiazing group then the would say that was alright, separale they can principles yO LUL arguine If the company had settled, the rest of the plant would have sat back — af Locy coup sarssict aiew ycans ase and said: We want E10 and thai's it, That diffuses the battle, It won't be won by differential arguments. but ultimately by a real challenge to wage Would you agree that the ucceptance Edwardes" plun the Communist Party shop stewards al purliculariy Derek Robinson, has been a big set back?
people #'s always dangerous to comment you haven't heen involved in, and 1 can only see the devciopments TTDIEI ihe Iled the whole of the trade unions in the original issues on Leyland, Ryder Nowed from that. masn't perfection by any means, but one thing we did succeed in achieving: a clear commitmenr that no plants would be hived off and none ciosed There's no doubt that the strategy over the head of the cousultatise macacy: bs a step awas Hom te wc fought for. I'm not CELIEI acrangements were workers" contre - I never have done. But what we had was a tremendous victory.
We advocate un urgent meeting of all your sapporters to discuss how lo respond to the right wing's victory and the threat to democracy in the ALEW, Woald you agree with this:
Yes. 1 chink we noed to asseas chis I sespect shat a lot of the lads fand lawies" —ed.1 who artend meeting and l've had some washing meetings Jeft lads andi uncomulitted feel a sanslaction thar they 'se had a good debate, go away and forget thai if they don't harness 50 votes cach in support of what they re doing then we don't win, Our only strength is through the shop stewards movement and the activises in the union. Litile enclaves of convinced members wan't de this. Tas Isinc gap we Pegorc More than just calling a national meeting, in every region and area wENe got to have an active force aSTEOCH CHI
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AUEW's presidential election: "The engineers" new Scanion is a right-wing Duffy.* Duffy was the phantom candidate who last week beat
such as the Broad Left and Rank and File, but to provide a forum where militants can exchange
Discussion will centre on how to fight for a united democratic organisation in the unions to struggle against the right wing for socialist policies in the
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