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There was a timeless quality about Saturday's Council of the TUC's emergency conference on the Employment Bill, attended by 240 delegates.

There was much lett talk from SERTUC Secretary Jack Dromey and platform speakers Ken Gill, the Stalinist General Secretary of AUEW/TASS and Bill Keyes, General Secretary of SOGAT, who harked back to the heady days of the struggle against the Industrial Relations Bill-which they at the time did all in their power to contain and derail.

Concordat

But in all the anti-Tory rhetoric there was not so much as a mention of the Concordat and the anti-working class policies carried out by the last Labour government.

Nor was there any reference to the sell-out of the steel strike and Bill Keyes' involvement in the Lever Commision of Inquiry.

Derek Robinson was hailed as a martyr-but the AUEW leadership's role in his victimisation was glossed over, as was the AUEW's role in sabotaging strike action against the Edwardes anti-union measures in Leyland.

Jack Dromey manoeuvred the speaking slips to ensure that no Trotskyist could intervene to expose the cosy talk shop.

Nearly all the speakers were Communist Party members who talked not of the betrayals of leadership, but of the need to "educate" the members on the shop floor.

When a Tory came to the rostrum and was heckled, Dromey actually defended him, saying "there must be room for differences in the movement"

Not ready A Militant supporter said that the TUC must call a 24 hour General Strike on May 14th" but that a call for an indefinite general strike could not be made as the working class was not ready for that yet.

This theme was eagerly taken up by Dromey, Gill and Keyes in their reply.

One speaker had made mild criticism of the TUC's failure to make a clear call for a strike on May 14. This led Gill to spring to Len Murray's defence. "Len Murray has been much clearer than any General Secretary since 1926 [!]. I'm prepared to congratulate Len Murray."

Keyes agreed with him saying:

'We could have found ourselves outmanoeuvred on the General Council if we had put a strike resolution"

Dromey joined them in the PHOTO: Chris Davies, Report Gill praise of Murray and said that the leadership had done all they could and that the main problem would be in mobilising the membership for May 14th.

A fight must be taken up now in all unions for strike action against the Employment Bill.

Challenged by a Socialist Press supporter after the conference to justify his role in the steel strike sellout, Keyes claimed that a ballot on the Lever Commission's pay proposals would have produced a "9.f" vote to return to work.

Keyes claimed that he had been under pressure from other TUC leaders not to present a But it is clear that the likes of Dromey see May 14 as a huge diversion.

It is necessary to fight for strike action on May 14 not as a one-off affair, but as preparation for the General Strike that is needed to bring down the Tory government.

minority report from the Lever inquiry-but failed to explain his support for the majority's miserable proposal of a 1.1% rise.

Nor would he argue a case for SOGAT's refusal to support the NGA's industrial action in pursuit of the_three-union joint pay claim. In Keyes' view "The NGA will never get what they are asking for.

Dromey Keyes Attempts by the branch to keep a number of freelances in union membership despite dues arrears, have now backfired on them.

AS THE TUC's May 14 Day of Action grows closer the list of trade union bodies calling for or recommending strike action has grown rapidly-now including the NUR, GMWU, NUPE, SOGAT, NUJ, NUT, ASMTS, FTATU, the Seamen's Union and the Scottish TUC.

There is little doubt that the day will register a huge protest at Tory cuts, anti-union laws and mass unemployment: but nor is there any doubt that TUC leaders desperately hope to confine the action to a one-day token affair which will leave the Tories safely in office.

The fight for strike action on May 14 must therefore be combined with redoubled demands on the TUC to break off all talks with the Tories and call General Strike Action to bring down the •Thatcher