Morning Star falsifies events at NATFHE Conference

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our Movement Returned to office after five years of Labour SUBSCRIBE to Socialist Press Send to: WSL, BM Box 5277, London WCIV The 1980 conference of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) was held against the background of cuts and redundancies and a failure on the part of the leadership to mount any effective fight back. • The clear aim of the bureaucracy was a conference swathed in anti-Tory rhetoric but which essentially left the NEC a free hand on specific action to be taken over the coming year. Jack Tyrell, the union's CP President, set the tone in his opening speech, for much of the work done by the Stalinists at the conference.

"Dark clouds"

The Morning Star quotes Tyrell with regard to the threat of war, as describing "the dark clouds gathering on the international horizon."

But the Star failed to mention his obviously conflicting statement condemning last RIDIL NEMS year's • "senseless Mountbatten" (thr blue blooded milita ment which was n for Troops Out of some delegates.

UNITY OLF OBE killing of well-known instructed the NEC: ist)-a stateit with calls reland from industrial action if necessary."

that the whole motion be remitted to the NEC. This conference.

when remission was heavily whelmingly passed.

greeted by a mass walk out, leaving less than half the delegates still in the hall.

Again, the Morning Star reported the walk out-but neglected to indicate that large numbers of CP members stayed in the hall!

The first day ended on a slightly better note for the NEC when they secured the deletion of the whole second part of a resolution on increased overseas students fees which called on the EC to support branches which let in students who had not paid increases and who refused cooperation with the Home Office or college management.

The NEC's main motion on salaries had attracted no less than 17 amendments. The "immediate merger of Lecturer 1 and Lecturer II scales" was first to be defeated. "Reduction of pay differentials" , followed with CP The main motion on cuts members who were not "to call on all local author- mandated by regions exercising ities not to carry through public their free vote against the expenditure cuts and to support large differentials in lecturers' amendment and in favour of those authorities that are already resisting cuts by all pay. means possible including Needless to say, there was no talk of how to deal with 20% . Frightened by talk of a broader movement than Clay Cross, and the need to be prepared to break the law in the luture, the executive moved would have prevented a vote at They were clearly shaken defeated and the motion overBranches must fight for the NEC to send national delegations to meet Labour groups These delegations should be The dory Under-secretary AND BL STRIKES-NEW LEADERS NEEDED!

Challenge Monday's session opened amidst anger at the cost of Sunday night's Presidential Dinner and a challenge to debate a motion-previously ruled out of order-concerning the payment by the union of legal costs incurred by a member who had been sacked by his principal for "gross misconduct"

His crime involved refusing to attend an interview in the Principal's office. The Principal -an NEC member of the union at the time-was also a Broad Left supporter: this may explain why CP members voted against the inclusion of the motion on the order for debate.

The relationship between the and the NATFHE executive SATURDAY 7th JUNE 11.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.

DIGBETH CIVIC HALL DIGBETH, BIRMINGHAM • Entrance £1 inflation.

Here a fight is needed for index linked payments throughout the year geared to a trade union cost of living index.

The second day ended with a standing ovation for the Scottish teachers' representative who requested support for striking EIS teachers. £350 was collected.

CONFERENCE Saturday 5 July at Digbeth Civic Hall, Birmingham.

Il a.m. to 5 p.m. Credentials £] Write to G. Webster, 169, Barclay Rd., Warley, West Midlands. was further cemented when the crucial question of Rule 25 was debated.

Rule 25 concerns the number of votes required in a branch before the NEC will support action taken. At present 50% of the total branch membership is required.

This means that all the right wing need to do is encourage apathy and non-attendance at meetings.

Both the NEÇ and the CP-led Broad Left opposed any significant change in this rule and the motions fell.

The substantial level of agreement between the Broad Left and the NEC is the résult of years of CP influence on the executive including Tom Driver (for 9 years the General Secretary), a whole layer of Broad Left officials and Stan Broadbridge, the last General Secretary who was also a CP/Broad Left supporter.

One of the encouraging signs of the conference was the growing layer to the left of the CP, many of whom are poorly organised under the SWP's Rank and File banner but most of whom have a healthy distaste for Broad Left manoeuvres and who are struggling to give a lead locally in the fight against the cuts.

A programme is needed to give sharp political direction to this layer and the WSL will be working hard over the next year to develop such a fighting political perspective within NATHE.

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