TGWU policy to back Lothian stand

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If Lothian councillors take a stand in defiance of Heseltine's threats, and confront the Tory government, then Britain's biggest union is committed to mobilise full-scale supporting action.

This is the result of a resolution passed-despite strong opposition from the union's leadership-at the TGWU's Biennial Delegate Conference last month.

The resolution, which maps out policy to defeat all Tory spending cuts, declares:

"That this conference is totally opposed to cuts in the public services and supports direct action against the cuts. Where workers take direct action and occupy to Tand wil call err strike TINU will call for strike action to support such occupations to create the best conditions for success.

In addition the TGWU will support Labour councils who refuse to implement the cuts, put up rates or refuse to pay interest debts to the banks."

Though the first part of the motion is focussed on supporting action to defend and back up occupations, the main debate on the resolution focussed on the issue of local councils.

Acting General Secretary Alex Kitson spoke out strongly against the motion, but failed to win the backing of conference delegates.

Immediately after losing the vote he told witch-hunting Daily Mail reporter Robert Porter:

"The implication seems to be that if any group of councillors defy the government and call on us for support, we will be bound to follow them."

Clay Cross Aware of the possibility of such a confrontation arising Kitson warned that:

"We could have a Clay Cross or Clydebank situation again, where individual councillors are taken on by the According to Porter, Kitson:

"predicted that the decision could soon force the TGWU into strike action in support of the left wing Lothian Regional Council in Scotland, which faces a £53 million cut in rate support grant that could mean the loss of 6,000 jobs."

Despite the trepilation, Kitson went out of his way in his winding up speech to the Conference to pledge that the TGWU leadership would do all it could to implement all of the policies carried during the week's proceedings.

For Lothian councillors there is therefore a clear choice. The "middle road" adopted by "left" Labour councils in England-levying a supplementary rate to avoid confrontation at the expense of working class ratepayers-is not an option: Scottish councils have no power to raise a supplementary rate.

They can either knuckle down to Heseltine-and demolish the public services built up and protected over recent years, causing untold misery and unemployment: or they must confront the government and demand the full scale backing of the TGWU, the public sector unions and the whole British labour movement.

So far no Labour council has been prepared to wage such a fight. Will Lothian take up the challenge and seize the opportunity offered by the TGWU?