Photo: CHRIS DAVIES (Report)
le iage rises for latest offers. The power workers threw out the employers' offer in a of workers national ballot last- month by do not intend 66,162 votes to 19,254, and the the Tories powerful unotficial autional shop is for the rich stewards committee is eulling for le poor.
substantially Improved offer mittee of the made. ral Workers!
aad civil Post Office engineers roted by 2-1 threatening industrial action from sendation of 1 July in pursuance of their claim George for a 25 percent rise. pt the Meanwhile thousands of Post Office divil servants have takes Union of strike action over the past week. In en notice of Glasgow, a walk-out was staged tion on the after managers smuggled cheques nd trom past a picket line who have ever pay. ln their 10.3 per 10,000 workers took strike action last Friday osition. the claims of r workers are from other accounting centres ection of the over their 23 per cent clains.
JOHN DEASON, secretary of the Right to Work campaign leading member of the Workers Party, on the Defend Our Unions conference.
Why was the conference culled:
The conference was called four woeks before the general election because we realised that whichever government was elected a central platform of its strategy would be attacks on trade Labour, Concordar. Under the Tories, as now, using the principles of the Concordat but applying laws.
One of the demands in the conference appeal is around the right to work. What part will this play?
A session of the conference will be given over to discussing redundancies, cuts and closures. number of sponsoring bodies will be relating their experience in this field.
discussion about resistance to redundancy bas been at such a very low ebb. For example, we need redundancy Employment Protection Act and the 90-day notice period are undermining struggies.
Why do vou think resistance has been so weak:
I's another example of the price we've paid for the past five years of Labour government Social Contract with the trade union leaders which breed the idea that co-operation with the employers is the way to solve unemployment.
As a consequence, around profitability have had a major effect on people's confidence to fight.
How do we overcome this?
unless In a redundancy situation we must peopic to attitude or not it's profitable. At the same are time. we rust me imaginative tactics which can really mobilise people.
more prepared to struggle against redundancy under the Tories as they fec. more angry, just as with UCS. although ir's not certain.
to be done among the rank and file, of striking which relates to the objective of the 23 accounts stuff who are in dispute June conference. London. neurly develop in a significant way against prolest if the the suspension of hundreds of civil characterised them were three things. servants who refused to do work First, the sectionalised character ol the struggles. Second, that the rank and file organisation within each * Picketing and the right to strike and Socialist through the fighting Icadership DECO IS CISSOR!
political rebellion the provisions There is, the whole leadership legislation in the autumn. the all the viability and an anti-capitalist - the right to work, whether sules.
It's possible that people will be There's an elementary job of work When strugeles did start to JOHN DEASON: "Sociulist Challenge Is distarbing section was not strong enough to overcome the sell-out antics of the Thirdly, even when thousands upon thousands of workers were campaign encased in struggle, this did nor express itself in terms of a generalised The present Tory goverrument is quite clearly launching a generalised attack — the difference with Labour being that they're quite open about it.
after all, a difference between the 'voluntary" Concordat introduced with the collaboration of of the trade union and the more abrasive approach of the Tories, who promise The danger is that because of the weakening of the movement under is academic. Labour and the speed with which the Tories are moving, there's not a lot of time to prepare our defences. This is tbe central question to which the conference must address itself. Tory attacks.
HOUSING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS Conference on Saturday, 30 June Sponsors include Shelter and Housing Action Among the discussions: the defence and extension of direct labour • lenants' rights • council rents • no to council house At the Botany Dept, University College, Gower SL, London WC1. Details from Joan Halbert, Housing Shelter, 157 Waterloo Rd, London SEI. Tel 01-633 9377 THE CRISIS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT Conference on Saturday, 16 June Called by the Socialist Campuign for a Labour victory and sponsored by 40 Labour concillors in London.
Workshops Include: the lessons of Clay Cross und Poplar • rates, finances, and where the money goes • democracy Iubour groups, and the working class • direct labour 10am-5.30pm at Hampstend Town Hall, Haverstock HIll London NW3. Tube: Helsize Acton Works London Transport AUEW Shop Stewards Committee CPSA Manchester DHSS branch Dunlop Speke Joint Trade Union Action Committee Gardners, Manchester Joint Stewards Committee Gamers Strike Committee Hackney Council Joint Works Commitlee (GMWU, NUPE, TGWU) Heathrow Airport Joint Stewards Commitlee Massey Ferguson, Kilmarnock, Joint Stewards Committee Nanigarw Coke Works NUM Rone Vickers, Kirkby, strike committee Royal Group Docks Shop Stewards Committee Sandersons TGWU strike committee TRANSPORT FOR delegates arom LONDON and the SOUTH EAST theres London. N16. Phone 01-254 5915 What do you wast to see coming out of the conference?
Broadly, we want to start the against the Tories' proposed anti-union laws as a focal point for defending ourseives against every aspoct of the Tory offensive -cuts, new technology, wages, perhaps even a future wage freeze.
The key ching will be to draw the attention of militants not only to their own sectional problems, wbich of course are very important, but also the general problem that if we can't defend the right to picket, the right to strike, the right to make democratic decisions without enforced SECICI ballots, then discussion about now to lefi?
defend ourselves against other attacks Those at the Defend Our Unions conference will not be the only people discussing how to fight against the on Conference : c/o Park. Detuils from: Local On the same day, for instance, there's a conference on unemploy meat called by the SE Region of the TUC, at which Henn will be speaking What should our attitude be to suc forces?
It's very unfortunate that the dates of the two conferences clash. It's almost inevitable at this time of year, though, that national conferences will clash with sectional or regional ones. we would recommend that trade won bodies send delegates to both.
As to Benn, he is obviously putting on a left face at the moment. trying to further his career. It' sa great pily that Bean-was not prepared to speak al these sorts of conferences when he was the Miniter involved! Will you be seeking unity with such forces, arquad the themes of your conference?
I'msure that a great many — perhaps the majority — of delegates at the 23 June conference will have illusions in Benn, or at least in tbe idea thal what's necessary is to change the 1. like every otber SWP member would disagree with this. But the best climate for discussing such differ ences is one in which we are working together around issues on which we agree such as defence of basic trade anion rights.
Does such unity also apply to other organisations of the revolutionary The conference organisers welcome support from all sections of the movement, although it must be said that Socialist Challenge didn't mention the conference until three woeks hefore it was due to take place.
La lot revolutionary socialists have to learn is thar the most Important unity is the unity forged in struggle the trade UNION movernent.
What about after the conference? Will there be a basis for waited activity, both locally and nationally.
of trade union defenee?
What 1 want to say about unity is that I find it very disturbing that Socialist Challenge is preoccupied by socialist unity at elections, but when it comes to defending hasic trade union rights sometbing that goes on for every day of the year for five years, and is noi just a cross on a piece of paper once every Challenge is painfully slow to come out and support this initiative to build a united rank and tile opposition within the trade unions. But baving said that I'm pleased that you are supporling us now
ON TE TOA M DaaNs oI- EDoeN2u • pospene sappog pur spug "ueg Корполау a9i pue fun spon 191000s sons dno nm Sunlát 1y8ys auo quo sea passoum Возовою ззо з браука в шої TEUsquE sasunão s pas Suura-аррл se jall on Suppas HEISIS suapees зашалош к азшом рив Cag ing) auasua os pollenosus ane HOU Alons sil tosa papa apnin pue aan ol gisaum Crensqan i pu sonn nur to paran.
pages ose apsoe apnis aut I H30 sajelajap Supnpur -mamasop aoqey paojxo saaas • чнм pauado asuasajuoa aur putpa un suuy Sa pasoddns asan spaow s unpuug ospn aouazajuos "RUROO TELESIEIE atags jo gea, am os pasajas suonsasqo SMas ai te paste ass saspeguos L.
aq1 pur ponpaj og uonedaap Smpuy Isueae Sais nin pue mosud nong Di LOJT ados z (agods CODETTTTT ant sapsa suon) 000*CL pajoa вориот igl) e J0) moJ] Supa o sua Snoaau Sige Suuem DIEE Dogeur *3101 open jo souegeg pusay saum Addeu 4309 Bs Song 19 tanagos ug Sugsapbad UE DOLE3 UMOn Boneuu d339 nia einh FanT 1ng Faces o1 pappap saxon Ruippng coo'ss To tonsolas por:
CA1I 1 чим ров BON ma[snput Зашом прале ріс -uR 201 peca 10s paNEId puert aaus pi poseds po s au po dapas purod au con jund you LUTSEEE MENHT 24 мену і мор су са CH DO tUEE BINHE asey aut pey BiGt ay puspar 1nh3n Sul Bo mu Sar3 su SuA0d Ing - gap poppe un su vid pasing J0% ast swon aut to paodde sasape.
saydde pues pron - peugpu: os sun n J11043 -Runsyr aeg suoseas aq) oo asepazads pañamip bao 15mede suonso posistia oi fed станцого, 3 1300400 amurdad, papu no pey tuw seu 41gм nangad "VINE (aay jo sesp of poccs sun cunspup M THOSNOG HE BUCEL PLL oneeso pau pue spepaes 'Gujod InDIaNS USUI 10g Hauasmps saad aus gos wognunsese
----- pull-quotes -----
id our unions FOR ION by Rank and File, centres on the on the fight against the Tories, poke to the organisers of both
Rank and File Conference New Century Hall, Manchester THE AGENDA will deal with the four major areas of the Fory attack:
* Recognition and the closed shop * Redundancy and the cuts * Rank and file organisation
government conference, c/o 5 Stamford Hill, London N16. SPONSORS
special fruit it leaves Euston at 3 Sam and nicks upar Watfara al 8.00am. Tickets ET return, Available from 127. Dynevor Road.