Court Slams Num for "contempt"

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Post to WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NWS 1HR. Post to W In yet another intervention by the courts into the internal running of the trade unions, a High Court judge a week ago ruled that a decision by the Yorkshire Area NUM to suspend two right wingers from holding union office for two years was "contempt of Deputy Judge Rubin granted William O'Brien - Glasshoughton Branch Secretary, and Tom Roebuck - former Secretary of Manvers Main, a temporary injunction against the suspensions pending full trial.

The case, which has been followed in Socialist Press, revolves around the collaboration of the right wingers with lawyers representing the Sheffield Star, which was deferding against a libel action brought by Yorkshire NUM President Arthur Scargill on behalf of thẹ union.

DAMAGES

The newspaper • was eventually compensation Scargill's remarks made required to pay £3,000 damages in about Scargill's handling of picketing during the miners' strike.

O'Brien and Roebuck (both long-term opponents of Scargill and crucial figures to the right-wing Labour Party) were charged by the. Yorkshire Area Council with giving confidential union documents and information to the paper's lawyers.

The judge, of course, in supporting the two right wingers against the disciplinary action agreed by the Union, serves the interests of the employers.

He raised the deceptive argument that anybody ought to be able to go into a witness box and testify without fear of being punished by "anybody"

PRINCIPLE

Yet O'Brien and Roebuck were in clear breach of trade union principle when they took the initiative to cooperate with the Sheffeld star lawyers, presenting confidential material. which could aid the defence against the union. The disciplinary action centred on this question alone.

And their. present moves to appeal to the courts of the employer against the trade union movement makes clear their class position.

The claim that Scargil in pressing for disciplinary action against the men acted both as "prosecutor" and as chairman of the disciplinary proceedings is simply ridiculous. In using the internal machinery of the union to raise these questions Scargill was simply following the rule book, and the Yorkshire Area Council itself and by the Union's National Executive, which despite its right wing bias could find nothing unconstitutional about the disciplinary action.

This latest interterence by the capitalist courts into the running of the unions must be fought and a MORE DETAILS Please : more information about t League.

Name. . ( Address clear lesson drawn on the reactionary role of those who seek to use the law in this way.

The fight for internal democracy must therefore be combined with a tenacious fight for the complete independence of the workers' movement from state dictatorship. tion

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SOCIALIST PRESS, Wedriesday 11th August