Stalinists Protect Num Bureaucracy

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Gormley Only one day after the 1717-1 vote for the 42% wage-cutting policy at the Special Congress of the TUC, the press gave workers an insight into the hypocrisy of the right-wing bureaucracy in the Miners' union.

It was revealed that at the May meeting of the NUM Executive a decision was taken not simply to increase the salary of Joe Gormley and Lawrence Daly by £6 per week - but also to pay the rates on their houses.

This would have boosted their already massive pay cheques by another £7 per week in the case of Gormley and £5 for Daly - over and above the £6 pay limit which they were so instrumental in forcing onto the trade union movement!

Only since this was exposed have Gormley and Daly now offered to stay within the £6 limit.

These revelations are of great importance in understanding the basis of privilege from which right wing bureaucrats lecture workers on "tightening belts" , "grinning and bearing it" and the need to accept redundancies and cuts in social services.

CRUCIAL

Gormley and Daly played a crucial role in the TUC acceptance of the 42% deal. The NUM Executive meeting in May only carried by one vote a recom mendation for acceptance of the deal in the union ballot.

It was this direction which proved decisive in winning the narrow majority of votes in favour of the wage-cut plans - there is no doubt that given a lead the vote would have swung heavily for rejection.

The acceptance of the 4%% by the miners then strengthened the hand of other right-wing bureaucracies and sabotaged any possible fight against the deal at the TUC Every worker has thus been affected by the treachery of Daly and Gormley.

But much more is involved.

Firstly, the Press, which must have known about the Executive hand-outs to Daly and Gormley well beforehand, (the Daily Mail spoke about resentment having "grown" among rank and file miners since the decision) clearly suppressed the facts until after the 42% deal was safely in the bag. Secondly, theCommunist Party members and 1c fts' on tl NUM Executive also suppressi this vital information througho the ballot campaign.

REVEAL

They knew only too well ti to reveal these details could ha swung the vote to one of rej tion. Yet McGahey, Whelan, Du and Scargill all kept silent - a their silence aided only the rig wing.

Indeed when the story fina broke into the al Scottish miners: Open at t McGahey said nothing on 1 question. Instead he produced complete diversion - a spee predicting collapse for the F policy and belatedly offering Cont'd back page, col.

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Page 2 SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday 30th June, 1976 7000200