FOREMOST AMONGST issue to be debated at the 1986 congress of the TUC is the question of what attitude towards the joint Labour Party-TUC policy document on industrial relations. 'Britain needs a new approach to industrial relations, it begins, 'an approach that gives our people a better deal at work' With that, it outlines a series of proposals for state intervention into the affairs of trade unions, proposals designed to shackle union power to take industrial action. This 'new' approach, in fact, is based on accepting the anti-union framework which Tory governments over the past two decades have fought to establish. It is tougher than the Wilson government's In Place of Strife proposals.
TURNER looks at the provisions - and pitfalls - of People At Work: New Rights, New Responsibilities, the response of trade union leaders so far.
COLLECTIVITY is the word which provides the Challe Labour's bitter industrial relations pill. •Collective strength workers to obtain better pay and conditions,' the new policy statement inLones. •Collective enables workers to reach a considered and collective view on the conduct of the industry ... Collective organisation enables workers to exert a social ana pollncal intiuence on all issues of concern to the interests of working people ... (our emphasis).
But, paragraph 16: 'Providing this positive framework is part of the way demonstrate its readiness to assume responsibility for managing the nation's economy. It will do so in partnership with workers, cmolovers.' Demonstrate to Clearly, it is to the owners of capital that the Labour Party leadership intend to prove their ability to control and restrain the demands of labour. And the carrot with which they hope to tempt trade unionists into pance Is none orner lan a Labour rictory at the next general election.
The stick contained paragraphs 70. 71 and 72 of the document presented to the TUC congress paragraphs 59, 60 and 61 of the draft paised by the Labour Party NEC). IN soon unes aad TUC leadership reveals its intention to make statutory provisions for secret ballots before strikes and to introduce a 1980s version Heath's infamous National Industrial Relations Court.
The core of these paragraphs is this: *The will also entail laying down general principles for inclusion in union rule books based on a right for members to have a secret ballot on decisions relating to strikes, and for the method of election of union executives to be based on a system of secret ballots On Labour government in consultation with the TUC will establish a new independent tribunal that will have the duty of acting on complaints by union members that the statutory have been breached. And it is around this decisive part of the document that debate at congress will centre.
Jute Communication Workers (UCW) and the general and municipal workers (GMBATU) have resolutions focus on this debate. Amendments are in from the transport workers and unions, USDAW, SOGAT and TASS, among others.
The UCW calls for a 'workers rights act' …to provide the democratic rights', GMBATU charter of legal rights for all people at work'. Included in the original UCW resolution was 'the right to have an individual secret ballot before asked to participate in industrial action'. This makes absolutely specific the intention of Neil Kinnock and the Labour NEC majority, an intention which has caused some mooes reinterpretation in trade union Labour Party circles since People At Work was published.
quently changed, the UCW and the refer to strikes.
equally clear. One would delete the above quoted ballots in the UCW replace it with: 'the right to determine CAROL their rules and constitution in accordance without state interference.' would make clear that 'a change in politica and economic direction' is working peopie much press speculation in the run-up to congress, and of intense lobbying U1 within top trade union and Labour enables altogether the paragraph on secret ballots. It would organisation have replaced it with a call for 'the complete abolition of the anti-trade ment together confidence in Labour doing just that, and also paragraph:
La combination of positive rights and legal immunities. These should avoid will over-reliance on judicial interpretation and should support, not underIllice provellells through bargaining. whom?
reflected by this amendment, which had been at the centre of much preTUC concern.
NUM slapped down a amendment, while Ron TGWU expressed himself 'quite hap py with the composite amendment, he claimed, was a mere aspect of the resolution as a whole. Regardless of these shifts, issue which will continue to dominate Labour Party 1986 congress remains for or against state interference in the unions.
of Ted dressing congress next week, the issue is ditching trade union rights for the election of a Labour government next time round. Trade unions legitimat refusal of interference by the state in colecuve bargalning must be subor dinated, as far as he's concerned, to a victory. secretaries such Jimmy Knapp of the NUR are backing him in that, against the interests of their own members.
Labour the next election is completely false. It is not the Labour leadership's abject capitulation in the face of Tory anti-union laws, but a clear — principles fighting — alternative to Thatcher's attack on trade union rights which will win Labour the support it needs for electora victorv. No gmount of humbug about collectivity the fact that People At Work is a major challenge to democracy and trade union strength. Delegates to the 1986 congress of the TUC must throw out the fudge cobbled up by secretaries along Party-TUC document -state intervention in 'positive while the demands a 'wide-ranging being Il Is unis waica nas been sudsein a deal between TGWU, just to The amendments of the NUM are provision for secret resolution, convention A second protect the interest of The amendment - the subject of deleted offending subthis governwith an assertion of with the following final "Congress believes that the process of achieving im.
collective It was the position of the TGWU.
At the end of this process the clarificatory Todd of the agreed betUCW.
the real For Neil Kinnock, who will be adas Ron Todd an But this view of what will win can hide general with the Labour say no to
Socialist Action 29 Aug 1986