Wage Contro Conference Central

Scan page 4

There are widespread repurcussions for those who seek to oppose the bureaucratic actions of the trade union and Labour leaders.

This was made clear at a meeting of the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement in the NUFTO Hall in Central London on 8th October.

Keith Vaness, who has been expelled from the North Islington • Labour Party for giving an interview to a local paper criticising the right wing MP Michael O'Halloran, said that there was no democracy in the Labour Party for the ordinary member like himself.

When O'Halloran was selected as the candidate by a method which contravenes all the rules, nothing was done against him.

NOT HEARD But when Vanness was expelled he found Comittee after internal Committee within the Labour Party was loaded against him, and his appeal was still not heard.

Tony Kelly, the former Secretary of the Newham North East Labout Party, explained that they had been very careful to follow every rule in the constitution in their efforts to remove their ultra-right wing MP Reg Prentice.

This man attacked trade unionists and did not agree with Clause IV of the Labour Party.

As far as Kelly was concerned, Prentice was no longer their candidate, and the local Party should DO W be turning to defence of the interests of workers on such TYNDALE questions as rents and the cuts.

Kelly also described in detail the connivance of the trade union bureaucracy in the campaign against him.

• In August 1975 he had been accepted as a member of ASTMS after changing his job. He had paid his dues and attended meetings, even being elected to his branch committee.

JENKINS

But now Clive Jenkins had announced he was 'not a member' Kelly had followed all the rules, his branch thought he was a member, his DC agreed, but the national leadership said he was not a member because he had not received a letter informing him of the fact.

None of the other ASTMS members at the meeting could recall having received such a letter, neither, we imagine, could any other ASTMS members.

But then they have not been prominent. in the fight to remove an extreme right wing Cabinet Minister.

Speaking on behalf of the Organising Committee, Alan Thornett said that the question of democracy was intimately linked to the struggle for wages.

SLIDING SCALE

He outlined the fight for the sliding scale of wages that he had brought to the 1975 Biennial Conference of the Transport and General Workers Union, the only alternative there to wage freezing and the social contract.

Jones had refused to carry out any of the policies agreed at that conference in calling for increased public spending, reduced unemployment etc., except on the one question of wage limitation.

The seamen had made a big dent in the incomes policy, Thornett continued, and many sections of workers way through now looking for a way througa The trade union leaders were determined to hold back any such Thus at British Leyland, they moved in to abolish the Oxford District Automotive Group of the LNEW MARSTON FIRST SCHOOL T'AMI T&GWU when elections right wing majority.

The question of democracy in the trade unions was intimately linked to a fight for the living standards of the members.

Comrade Thornett went on to call on all groups on the left to support this conference. He said that the organising committee had been particularly disappointed the response of the IMG, who said the conference should only call for a return to free collective bargaining.

IMG speakers from the floor emphasised their view that the policies of the campaign were 'too advanced' and said that democracy was not the central issue facing the working class, but the spending cuts.

One IMG spokesman said that if his union branch was was too democratic they would only elect the right wing!

Other speakers from the floor emphasised the importance of the issues being raised by the campaign in different sections of the Labour movement.

FORCED IN There was a discussion of the new Rule 14/15 for Trades Councils forced in by the TUC in alliance with the Communist Party, and fought against with particular tenacity in some of the local Trades Councils in London, especially in Other speakers said something of the attacks that had been launched against them when in other local Labour Parties they had protested against the expulsion of Keith Vaness.

Among the union branches which have voted since our last edition to send delegates are two ASTMS branches; the Merseyside Health Branch and the Leeds 507 Branch; delegates are also coming from the PSF Cowley Branch of ACTSS and Oxford NUR as well as the NUJ Book Branch. ASTMS 516 (Publishing) Branch are sending observers.

CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT

----- pull-quotes -----

CUIS A PORER riTURE. • SUTTER SAL