[An intriguing insight into the world of privilege…]

Scan page 10

An intriguing insight into the world of privilege and hand-outs that cushions full time union officials is to be found in a row between leaders of UCATT and the T&GWU.

The dispute is over which union should supply a new chairman for the Construction Industry Training Board - a job which carries a salary of at least £1,300 a year.

INCENSED

George Smith, UCATT General secretary, was incensed when he heard that Mr Leslie Kemp, shortly to retire as full time secretary of the T&GWU Construction Group, had been appointed to the post.

Particularly when Mr Kemp's stated reason for retiring early (he is only 56) was grounds of "ill health" - yet it emerges that he has already netted major posts on various boards and Corporations totalling over £10,000 a year!

Only recently, Kemp was appointed chairman of the Corby Development Corporation - at a princely £4000 a year - and chairman also of the neighbouring Peterborough Development Corporation - for another £2000 a year!

GRABBED

The UCATT leadership brought these matters to light in letters from Smith to three of their sponsored MPs, not because of the principles of trade unionism which are being abused daily by such practices, but because Kemp had grabbed more than his share of the takings, and thus obviously deprived a UCATT nominee of the job.

At branch into tl noting Smith claims this is because the T&GWU has more pull with senior ministers than other unions and says:

"Political nepotism does not make for good parliamentary democracy, and I think you will agree with me that one individual T&GWU member appointed to major posts valued at a total in excess of £10,000 per annum when retiring on grounds of ill-health iș peculiar to say the least"

For the working class the question involved here is not a complex one of "parliamentary democracy" but one of the all-out fight against bureaucracy and privilege within the unions themselves.

BACKBONE

It is precisely people like Kemp and the network of other appointed full time officials within the T&GWU which are the backbone of Jones's right-wing wage-cutting, job-slashing policies.

These officials are the ones who tague or eighte reduanan aicep.

Yet they themselves daily abuse their powers and position to further their own interests - to the extent that Kemp can retire onto an income which none of his members will ever reach.

The fight for the regular election of all full time union officials and for their salary to be no more than the average earnings of their members is the only answer to this kind of behaviour.

INQUIRY

the same time T&GWU s must demand an inquiry = Kemp affair. It is worth that MPs are obliged to

Jones

declare their directorships and financial interests - while clearly Kemp must be no exception as a union official with large numbers of undeclared and lucrative posts.

Workers must begin to scrutinise the behind the scenes activities of their officials, and take steps to remove those linked with manage ment.