Tgwu Hot Air on Union Laws

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Scarborough last week with the new left' leadership of Moss Evans, Alex Kitson and Ron Todd struggling to establish their authority on the union.

The platform was a marked shift to the left when measured against the past six years when Jack Jones pursued a right wing opening class collaborationist, social contract policy.

But the swing to the left was largely a paper exercise. Kitson Whilst Evans and the Executive. tabled a motion calling for "unfettered collective bargain. ing" on wages, they opposed a specific proposal to defend wages in the form of cost of living clauses:

Similarly with the Tory proposals for anti-union legislation. The executive tabled a motion attacking the Tories:

"This Conference notes the Conservative Government's declared intention to. restrict Todd trade union activity through legislative measures and to penalise the families of workers involved in industrial action":

But when it comes to proposals on how to defend the trade unions against the Tories, they had nothing to say on what the TGWU should do, simply that:

"Conference urges the TUC [!] to mobilise maximum trade union resistance against those measures and pledges full support for the strongest possible defence of basic trade union rights"

Do nothing

'As one delegate put it: "If the TUC decide to do nothing about it the TGWU will give them full support"

Similarly on Equal PayOpportunities-Nursery CrechesWomen, the resolution was largely empty words.

• Alan Thornett pointed out in the debate that the resolution had no conception of the severity of Tory cuts and no proposals on how to confront them.

The Tory cuts would drive women back into the family unit which was the root of the oppression of women, he said.

Although the motion called for women to be brought into the everday life of the union, they were confronted with sexist attitudes at all leveis which were reflected in the way the BDC itself was organised.

On Unemployment, Roduction of Working. Hours the executive-supported resolution attempted to deal with unemployment entirely in terms of calls for the 35 hour week, longer holidays and early retirement.

Defence of jobs

There was not a word about the defence of jobs or opposition to factory closures.

Made unemployed by the closure of the Dunlop, Speke, factory, conference chairman Stan Pemberton was himself a living example of a powerful union's refusal to confront the employers in the slightest way in defence of jobs.

The European Economic Community resolution was , a marked swing to the left from the Jones line of complete support and cooperation with the EEC following the referendum decision.

The motion declared opposition to any attempts in further monetary or economic union with the EEC and for a further referendum.

Similarly on the Criminal Trespass Law the executive.

supported motion: police and the courts against working people who adopt this tactic to defend their interests.

Conferenca: calls on the General Executive Council to give full support to the Campaign Against a Criminal Trespass Law and to affiliate to it; to distribute to all branches information on the nature and implications of this law; and to mobilise the membership to demonstrate against .. any attempts to implement this law."

This motion is a leftward move since Harry Urwin in 1977° defended the Criminal Trespass Bill as an 'advance. Its implementation must be fought for within the union.

On Tuesday of last week British Leyland management gave out a pointed statement to all their employees, relating to parity payments and the implementation of their contentious grading scheme.

In response to the breakdown of negotiations at national muscle Over the last three weeks the majority of the members of the "most moderate". of unions, the Institution of Professional Civil Servants have been engaged in "extreme" indus trial action.

60,000 of them, government scientists and technologists, have engaged in one-day strikes, selective longterm strikes and a work to rule.

The impact has been consid. erable.

All processing of drunken driving certificates in the forensic science laboratories has stopped.

An atomic reactor supplying electricity to the national grid has been closed;

Most of the bullets and ammunition for the army has been held up at the Ordnance Factories.

Devonport Dockyard has ceased to operate and Polaris submarines are going to sea with only half their missiles opera. tional.

The air conditioning of the Houses of Commons and Lords A selective picket on the British Museum and British Library in London has also brought chaos.

The results of these actions combined with rallies and marches have brought a new awareness of their strength to the members of the IPCS.

The point of the industrial action is twofold:

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