Ireland: Tuc Line Rejected

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The issue of Ireland dominated the Annual Conference of Trades Councils held last weekend in Southport.

In his "opening address to the conference Len Murray made a strong attack on the motion from the Greater London Association of Trades Councils which called for an end to emergency powers legislation, for a Bill of Rights, the restoration of special category status and a commitment on withdrawal of British troops.

The motion was inadequate as it did not include a call for troops out now. But it met opposition from Murray and the TUC General Council because it did call for special category status.

Murray's main argument was that the resolution, if passed, would antagonise the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions who had refused to take a position on political status.

To pass the resolution, he claimed, would be to side with sectarianism "and would imperil the lives of our colleagues"

Because of Murray's intervention and the amount of interest this generated in the debate on Ireland, the motion was brought to the top of the agenda for the last day of the conference.

Though the mover of the motion, Tom Durkin, from Brent Trades Council said that he was not seeking confrontation with the TUC, it was obvious that the motion did challenge bipartisan policy on Ireland.

The debate itself was very good with a minority of speeches against the resolution and none of the usual witch-hunting.

Dave Hallsworth from Tameside Trades Council attacked the Northern Ireland Committee of the ICTU as being unrepresentative of the Catholic minority and spoke of the enormous support for political status and troops out in the six counties.

Mick Jarmaine of Leicester Trades Council siad that many trades councils, including his own had a policy in favour of political status and troops out now..

Mike Walsh of the International Department of the TUC in his reply to the debate defended the record of the Northern Ireland Committee which had been attacked by several speakers.

His reply was unconvincing. He was huckled when he said:

"There is a representative of the NIC on the police authority. They're fighting fdr repeal of emergency powers, they are fighting to reduce remand periods, they are making progress.

The resolution when put to the vote was passed by a substantial majority.

There is no doubt that this is a major blow to the TUC, who now will have to review its bipartisan policy on Ireland.

The passing of the resolution is the beginning of a positive debate on Ireland in the British labour movement.

Many of the trades councils and county associations of trades councils represented at the conference are now planning to organise local and regional conferences on Ireland.

And it will no longer be possible for the TUC to witch-hunt and disaffiliate trades councils like Tameside who oppose TUC policy on