DELEGATES representing nearly 800,000 members at the NALGO special conference on 10 October, gave a motion calling for a ballot before further national funds could be donated to the miners 30,000 votes less than the two-thirds needed to make the motion policy.
The majority mood on TIOOI was support the miners, but many delegates had been mandated to support the ballot motion against their own wishes. The NEC also opposed the motion, but it is now unlikely that it will give further active support to the NUM.
Ballots This is the first time since the 1982 ballot on affiliation the that the left/right divide has been so clear.
Tactics used by the right in calling the special conterence ballots rather than the issue of support and the work put into support for the ballot, were LAST WEEK, 7000 hourly paid workers at Jaguar far superior to their performance itself. Speaker after speaker the real nature of their support which was hostility to the miners.
It was only due to their own incompetence around the manouevres which always play all important role that tney talled to get the required two-thirds.
However. having tasted their power they will 1101 stop after this setback. They will continue to organise against supporting the miners at both On sick pay the claim is local and national level.
There is a caneer tat instead of recognising that the one-third base to build on, the left will retreat into routine and branch work.
At a fringe meeting at the end of conterence. attended by 80 delegates, there was a strong teeling that branch work needed strengthening by building miners' support committees independent of the branch leaderships It was also felt that the one or two left branches would help this work.
Of course, this is all very important. But in the face of the growing right mistake to concentrate all wing attack it would be attention on this area.
National organisation of the left must become a reality. The attack on local government will make unis a vital question.
A start can be made by giving maximum › the national Broad Le on hurch er Centre, at Carrs Lane Church Birmingham (11am-4pm). of waiting days from three