Conference at turning point of anti-Tory struggle in the Labour Movement AVAILABLE

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was moved by sised the need to develop the struggles in demonstrat rades Council with widest support for any action need for supporting act THE TORIESI BRINGI & Socialist Press pamphlet amendments was moved by Lambeth Trades Council with the support of Vauxhall Labour of Vauxhall Labour against the cuts. Party and others.

This added to the main statement before the conference a new point:

"A policy of no cover for vacancies and a campaign against voluntary redundancies and natural wastage. Create and defend jobs by stopping overtime and fight for a shorter working week."

The section on action was improved by a new section which said:

"This conference calls on trade union organisations at all levels [from TUC General Council to branches and shop steward committees] to pledge themselves to and campaign for all-out strikes and occupations of workplaces as soon as any Labour council faces receivers commissioners? or is surcharged, for taking a stand against the cuts.

"The struggle may centre around the public sector unions at first, but conference calls on other workers, especially the strong sections like the miners and engineers, to join this fight to force the Tory government to back down on the cuts or get out. Conference also calls on Labour Councils and Labour Parties, in cooperation with local anti-cuts committees and tenants' associations, to campaign for rent and rate strikes as soon as any Labour council is removed or surcharged for taking a stand against the cuts."

In proposing these amendments Vanessa Wiseman of Lambeth Trades Council empha### Effective weapon She referred to steps already being taken in Bradford, and elsewhere by trade unionists and by councillors against counci house sales. Every step had to go towards industrial actionour most effective weapon-to win support through rent strikes and action from outside unions.

Peter Kavanagh, TGWU kegion 1, sale unal ne he would campaign strike action.

Supplementing this was an amendment from Leicester AUEW 16 Branch calling amongst other things, for "immediate strike action with official backing to oppose redundancies as soon as notices are issued."

It also called for a fight in the labour movement for:

"1) Cancellation of debt charges. Open the books; nationalise the supply industries, eg. drugs, food and building, and the banks and finance institutions without compensation under workers control.

2) No charity funding of facilities! Black private sector use of facilities!

3) Funds of public services to be (as a minimum) protected from inflation in line with a cost index worked out by labour movement committees."

In moving this amendment, Peter Flack, a delegate from Leicester Trades Council, emphasised the lessons of past struggles in demonstrating the need for supporting action and for clear policies to for clear policies to develop such action.

In supporting this, Joanna Coxhead from Oxford COHSE quoted examples of how even the smallest struggles against the cuts could be won with outside These amendments were rent rises to compensate for government cuts" , (from Liverpool NALGO) and a call from Barnsley Labour Party that the TUC General Council should begin to organise a general strike.

One notable feature of the voting on these propositions was that the more radical calls to action generally did not win the support of the Labour Group representatives.

There were at least two significant exceptions, however. Morgan Chambers from the Merthyr Tydfil Labour Group urged support for the Lambeth Trades Council amendment and any action that followed.

And Ken Livingstone of the Greater London Labour Group said that it was essential to direct a fight in the Labour Party against the right wing and to organise defiance of the Almost all the trade union delegates present showed their support for such a fight.

Mike Waller of Lambeth NALGO said a mass meeting of 1750 of his members had already voted to take action against every cut and in defence of every job.

They were refusing to c operate with council house ales despite the decision of the council to go along with the Tories on this.

"The middle ground has gone", he said. The choice was now between mass action and mass redundancies.

A number of local N JPE speakers repudiated the de eatist views of Ron Keating.

Passing the buck

John Suddaby from the London Division said it was impossible to keep passing on responsibility.

There had be unity between councillors and trade unionists-but in the end decisions on action had to be taken.

Speaking on the current struggle in British Leyland, Alan Thornett, 5/293 TGWU, said that strike action could be secured if it was fought for, particularly against bureaucratised layers such as the BL convenors.

To talk in terms of the problems of the fight creates its own momentum of weakness and retreat.

Delegates at the conference showed by their speeches and votes that they were prepared to go back to win support for strikes and other action to defend services, and to organise for the coordination and victory of any struggles that now emerge.

A large steering committee of around 50 was elected to carry out these decisions.

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carried, along with a number of others calling for "no rate and