THIS YEARS National Communications Union (NCU) conference historic merger of the clerical and engineering sectons but for little else. The different sections, CPSA, P&l and POEU met separately at the beginning of the week then joined on Thursday to convene its first policy making conference.
The Broad Left (BL) dominated Engineering Executive Committee (EC) gained seats engleng SCCUO but Branch NCU (pers. cap.)
made no attempt to lead the union forward either on pay or jobs. This BL best to stop sebitn iby asting nor ai SeCLOos asking tor controversial policy makJt 2 pronostics remitted.
The first major debare the engineering ference was to dominate.
centred around the Broad Strategy the NEL DIOPU CU aLLIOHL win a 32 hour, 4 day week.
Before COnI CICuca NEC had recommended September 1 as the date for industrial action if the British Telecom Board refused to negotiate. During the debate they amendown proposition to say sometime tuture. with conterence s decision to back the NEC, will be remembered for the the right wing blocked with che NEC and used this decision to stop conference supporting any call for national industrial action SUDUIU of bran. ches fighting BT and the Post Office's demands for redundancies These debates clarified many activists in the union on the nature of the Brocd Strategy, The Broad Strategy while an informed document is being used for not fighting jobs now It argues that all industrial action on jobs must wait til •he NEC calis national ac. den to get a 32 hour, 4 day I his strategy playec BT's hands they turently picking off demar ding job losses. by ClIC.
li the NEC refuses to back branches prepared to take actior. := save jobs, they will powerless when BT eventualty corces *VOTAT V redundancies. By the end of conference manv of the branchedin. volved were looking not to the NEC or the BL for industrial solidarity but to sister branches who spoke to defend them during the On pay, conference re• jecied BT's offer of 6.7 per cent which included wage cuts for workers in BT's factories and cable ships.
ARALEN PRRATIGATION outox The NEC claimed plans for industrial action but wouldn't reveal them to Later the Macetede planned to hold a ballot on taking action on pay.
The clerical section certainly. made more gains. The right wing NEC overturned left dolinalcu oue elected. Conference voted to affiliate to the Labour Party against the advice of the top table and resoundingly voted to oppose BT's use of sexist material in calendars. This resolution had a massive impact delegates and has led to the union taking on specified cases of sexua harassment within the union itself.
The two conferences then merged on Thursday. This was a cultural shock for all delegates The composttion ot the clerica: section was overwhelmingly youth and women which meant that many of the traditional of the engineering section were overturned.
Ine most important resolutions passed were opposing and support for affiliatio! io the Nicaragua Solidar ty Campaign (NSC). The debate on Nicaragua was a step forward for the The motion was passed overwhelmingly. and f400 was collected for the campaign. At a fringe meeung branches committed themselves to organising material support delegations thcoming Nicaragua trade LION COnICICHLe
ACTION )