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Socialist Press1980 1980-11-19Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 4 →
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'Generals without an army': but now it is us that stand at the head of thousands of workers who want to fight the Tories-while their Labour movement bodies that sent delegates to the CDLM The conference discussion on the fight for democracy in the unions was curtailed in time by the moving of an emergency motion in support of the Irish hunger strikers in Long Kesh and Armagh. Gaol (see page 2).
But there was time for Arthur Pearse, a candidate for the Presidency of the EETPU, to point to the barrage of 36 rule changes that had been implemented by the Chapple leadership since the witch-hunt of Communists from the leadership in 1962.
And Danny Broderick, from the Adwest strike committee outlined the obstacles that confront workers who now look for a road of struggle against the employers-they face not only the bosses, the government, the police, the courts, the DHSS officialdom and the witch-hunting of the national press, but also the sabotage carried out by union leaders.
Not one of the three key officials responsible for betraying the Adwest strike was elected to office or accountable to the membership.
Despite the defeat of their fight at Adwest, Broderick insisted that he had learned important lessons, and had no intention of pulling back from the class struggle.
A resolution was carried spelling out demands for election of all union officials; for democratic systems of voting; for officials to be made accountable to the membership; and the expansion of democracy in pay negotiations.
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