imum media coverage was the highlights.
Composite congratulated the Labour Party leadership on their commitments so far but called 'an immealate nall lo the nuclear power programme the phasing It also demanded . 'an integrated energy policy bason coal 'urgent discussions berween the general CONCI and ine draw an employment strategy related to this polic!
EMA resolution, The hand. exONE TUC DEBATE last week which attracted maxissue of nuclear power. Composite 19 (moved by the Fire Brigades Union, seconded by the NUM, and supported by the National Union of Seamen) was lost by only a small • margin at congress: 60,000 votes. At the same time, the pro-nuclear resolution of John Lyons' Engineers and Managers Association, which was overwhelmingly defeated on a hand vote, claimed less press pressed concern that closure of Britain's owI nuclear power tions' and that an ena lo any further nuclear programme' would be 'radical break' with long-established TUC policy. 1 ne aim or te mouon, l line with the call of the general council, stop any moves lowards a non-nuclear policy by setting and a report back Conecos ASTMS, which had submitted an anti-nuclear power resoluwithdrew the compositing to ensure that an amendment GMBATU would automatically fall. This wreckamendment was designed ASTMS's demand for programme by replacing it WILS of the consideralon effects' of change in policy. Alternative The special report of the general council on nuclear power was proposed by the platform as the policies contained in the The platform general council called for resolutions be withdrawn on the bais of That is, decisions would be taken by congress this year pending, further investigation' Chernobyl If votes were won on the quality CUBE arguments presented, there is no doubt that composite 19 would have sailed wake of Chernobyl even the electricians , were Iorced to tone down their traditional pro-nuclear position.
Debate instead concentrated on the phoney claims oI Lyons and his supporters that adopting a non-nuclear energy policy would WICk jobs. This argument surfaced at its crudest level at a Tuesday evening meeting held by SERA (Socialist Environment and Resources Association). A group of Sellafield workers were bussed in for the occasion Despite the fact that evers platform speaker emphasised that the policy adopted would not be at expense of jobs, the Sellafield group insisted that a non-nuclear energy policy was an al tack on their jobs followed this up with claims that Sellafield and plants like it were, in the words of heckler, "perfectly safe'!
The majority against composite 19 is one of the smallest ever al a lul congress. Despite the overwhelming mood of unity at the expense of policy, which dominated congress in what is seen to be the to a general elec1ull-uu tion, a non-nuclear energy policy is one area where will find it harder to hold the line. Treaty.
will be taken. abandon supergrass trials, Accord is definitely in trouble.
With loyalists, goes on, they made.
Socialist Action 12 Sep 1986 the when,