Trades Councils revolt

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"If you don't like my rulings leave the Conference"? With these characteristic words, FBU General Secretary Terry Parry attempted to enforce rigid bureaucratic control over this year's Trades Councils Conference.

In the first ten minutes, discussion on a motion against the Social Contract was ruled out of order, with Parry stating that it was "against TUC policy"-which apparently is seen as inviolable.

When the mover asked for the matter to be put to the vote Parry threatened to name him (which would have meant his expulsion under Rule 12 of Conference procedure).

APPEAL

As business moved on to the Trades Councils Report, the Oxford Trades Union Council delegate took up the issue of the disaffiliation last year of Oxford Trades Council, and challenged the refusal of Trades Councils Joint Co-ordinating Committee to allow any appeal against it.

But John Power, right-wing president of the Oxford Trades Union Council-a delegate from the Oxfordshire CATC-thanked the TCJCC for refusing to hear the appeal.

However, on resolutions put at the Conference the platform took a series of body blows, with the majority of delegates rejecting their recommendations.

First of these defeats was in opposition to the Criminal Law Bill, the proposed outlines of the new Criminal Trespass Act.

Seconding the motion, Mick R Rowlinson (Aylesbury FBU) stressed that the Pentonville Five, jailed pickets were only freed throush industrial action-anı I that the Grunwick's dispute could be won if only the UPw and the EETPU would take action instead of cowering before threats of legal injunctions from the NAFF.

He showed how the Bill would allow legal action to be taken against pickets or workers occupying their place of work.

The motion was opposed by the platform, who argued that among the "good points" of the Criminal Law Bill was the fact that it limits sentences for conspiracy to three months in jail! The motion was carried.

motion calling for wage supplements to be consolidated under the Social Contract and for "more flexibility" in future wage negotiations, was seen by delegates as the only available battleground against the Social Contract.

Many speakers opposed the motion stating complete opposition to the Social Contract as a whole. The motion was massively defeated.

When the Bullock Report came up for discussion many delegates spoke strongly in opposition demanding not participation in management but workers control over industry.

Ken Graham from the platform argued that delegates should not vote against a motion "just because the platform supports it."

TORIES

He claimed those who rejected Bullock would find themselves "allied with the Tories and the CBI" • The motion was heavily defeated-with the right wing of course voting in favour.

For the bureaucracy, therefore, though no explicit motion was passed against the Social Contract, the Trades Councils Conference must have come as a worrying sign of the hostility of trade unionists to continuing TUC-policed wage controls.