Tgwu Rules Conference

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The sixth rules revision conference of the TGWU takes place in Weymouth from June 24-26.

The conference, which takes place once every •six years, is the only body which can change the rules of the union.

Once again a major issue at the conference will be the fight to end the system of appointing full time officials and the introluction of elections.

Almost 50 motions call for this in various ways-including a call for deletion of the infamous rule that the General Secretary "shall hold office during the pleasure of the union"

Other important motions, moved by Cowley 5/293 branch concern ballot and discipline measures.

The first of the 5/293 motions calls for reform of the notorious balloting procedures for the election of Regional Committees, General Executive Council and the General Secretary.

The current practice of sending bulk quantities of ballot papers without numbers or identification to branch secretaries who have simply to fill in a return form and send it back to Region-lends itself to corruption.

Last year saw the case of Alan Law, a branch secretary and Regional Official in the Midlands who . filled in the whole of the 13,000 ballot papers for his branch himself, arguing that he never had time to get them to the members!

Law, who publicly announced that he "would do the same again" , was not alone. Many such scandals have hit the. TGWU over recent years.

The 5/293 motion proposes Keys. new procedures to ensure such practices would be eliminated.

The adoption of the motion would be a major step forward for democracy in the TGWU.

The second of the 5/293 motions arises from the struggle against the witch-hunting attacks on the 'Cowley 9' during 1978/9.

Then, 9 TGWU members at BL's Cowley Assembly Plant, many of whom had only just been elected into leading positions by shop floor ballot, were subjected to disciplinary hearings within Region 5 on a series of trumped up charges.

They were given sentences including expulsion from the union-sentences which were only eventually withdrawn through pressure from the membership.

During the hearings the defendants were denied the right even to be present to hear the "evidence" being given the request of the NEC. the request of the NEC.

TGWU leader Evans against them-an elementary right in anything other than a kangaroo court.

The amendment calls for the right of any member charged to be present throughout the whole of the proceedings and hear all the evidence presented.

An important group of motions call for full provision to be made to organise unemployed workers within the union.

Other motions call for rule changes to allow the GEC to call a strike of the whole union, and the deletion of the rule preventing this behind which the leadership hides whenever demands are placed on them for all out strike.

But TGWU members should not get too excited. On past form, this highly bureaucratised conference of only 150 delegates is unlikely to adopt many of the 566 motions on the agenda.

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