Pay Cuts Reject -at Least in Wor

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has abandoned all hope of maintaining TASS members' living standards.

The "flexible policy" is in reality no more than a miserable capitulation to the incomes policy dictated by the ruling class, and its supporters in the TUC.

The confusion over the amalgamated union's attitude towards incomes policy is only the most obvious sign of the deep divisions which are preventing progress towards a full amalgamation of the four sections.

ELECTION

• This main stumbling block is the system of election of officials. At present TASS officials are appointed by a selection committee. The other sections insist that a system of direct election must be introduced.

Some delegates showed such a contempt for the membership that they opposed any electoral system as inevitably leading to right wing control of the union.

The truth is that it is the increas ing bureaucratisation of the union by appointed officials that is stifling the initiative of lay members.

The recent events at Lucas Aerospace, Wolverhampton, are a good example of this. Combine wide support for action to protect jobs at Wolverhampton was. sabotaged when the official concerned ordered members to resume normal working on the basis of what turned out to be no more than a verbal promise to discuss the question further.

The Communist Party wish to use, elections as a bargaining counter in negotiations over amalgamation.

We say democracy in the unions is not a bargaining counter. It is an immediate and essential requireent of TASS members her trade unionists.

POSTAL BALLOT

We are opposed fundamentally to the postal ballot form of election, which hands control to the mass media But this must not divert us into the sterile and elitist path of supposing the union must be protected against its members.

In this period it is the organisations thrown up by the rank and file, such as multi-union combine committees, which must be defended against the trade union bureaucracy which fears anything it cannot control.

It is against this background that the proposals for reorganising TASS must be seen. Instead of each of the 26 divisions electing an EC member there are now to be only nine lay EC members, and this is seen by many as a move towards a fulltime EC.

The one EC member to the left the Stalinists seems certain to removed as a result.

FILTERING

Similarly the reduction in the size of the conference which will be recommended next year will introduce a filtering process whereby oppositional motions can be prevented - from reaching conference.

Summing up, it must be said that the conference marked a further retreat of TASS from an active fight against the class collaboration of the TUC, into a world of pious left-wing verbiage and no. action.

This is perhaps best. illustrated by the passing of a motion against participation schemes - with the understanding that this would in no way prevent TASS sending delegates to BLMC Ryder committees!

The ASTMS Conference by Peter