AFTER 83 years of silence and neglect the Labour Party conference decided against debating lesbian/gay rights, albeit by a narrow majority. Heterosexuality still rules but cracks are beginning to show.
The Labour Campaign for Gay Rights (LCGR) and Movement Lesbians organised one of the biggest fringe ings at. with 250 people in attendance. They were to experience some surprising events.
The NUM executive sent a statement which read, 'Support civil liberties struggle of lesbian and gay people We welcome the links forged in South wale other areas Our struggle is yours. Victory to the miners.
Gerald Kaufmann, shadow Home Secretary; spoke out in favour of 'homosexual rights', and deplored the recent state attacks against the lesbian/gay community.
Chris Smith, , MP for Islington South out' Thus we have our MP in first open v Parliament. Will others follow?
Finally the chairperson of Rugby Labour group, Jeff Coupe, came to Blackpool specifically to speak meeting in order to condemn his council's recent decision to ban gays employment (les bians in their view don't exist!)
These were both exciting and imporLaL DUL CONt sate for the lack of a debate in the conterence itself. We, and the black section, are intending to organise an the hope ful in the Cis and trade unions 'for a share c of the power'. Together v of the working clas White male hetero.
better support us! STOP TRIDENT SATURDAY • OCTOBER 2 CND NATIONAL DEMONSTRATIO BARROW-IN-FURNESS • CUME=. Assemble Trident Dock 1pm. Ray:
Bill Albertina, chairperson of the Cammel Lairds to join us in our struggle to save the yard. occupation committee, speaking at a miners' rally earlier this year.
"We have been jailed for fightng for our jobs and against anti-trade union laws. Any staff members who enter the yard to work during the dispute is as responsible for jailing us as the prison wardens who lock us in our cells and the police who took us from the yard.
'We appeal to all staff not to cross the picket line, to turn back and 'The courts, the police, the Lairds management will not prevent us. fighting for our jobs, the jobs of our children, and the future of our 'Our fight is your fight, our victory is a victory for the whole yard. jailed AT THE BEGINNING of last week, quietly and without fuss, 37 GMBATU members were sent to jail for a month for contempt of court. The Cammel Lairds workers had been in occupation at their Birkenhead shipyards for 14 weeks, in an attempt to stop the yard's closure and the subsequent loss of Their dispute is official: And perhaps the most disgusting aspect of the case is that the Basnett leadership has taken no action in support of its jailed members. to last week's Labour Party conference refused to meet a three-person delegation from Lairds or to support a resolution to party conference condemning the jailings and supporting the occupation.
This Monday a mass picket of over 500 people was mounted at the Lairds yard. It failed to stop white collar and other workers entering. But the must mobilise in support of the 37 and their just Lairds Occupation Support Group reports. what Lairds Liverpool's Walton jail So strong was the feeling against jailing the workers, that even a special meeting of Walton Prison Officers' Association voted by a majority of only two that the Lairds workers should be inside at all.
When even criminals echoed the support of the whole Merseyside movement. I was surpris ing that the workers' own union leadership and their local MP Frank Field were reluctant back the Lairds workers, jailed for unionists Furthermore, the GMBATU delegation refusing to leave an unfinished destroyer and They had occupied the and the yard being to jail for a month for contempt of a bosses' High Court order to leave the rig and join the dole queue.
massive police task force told them: either get off the rig or face long for resisting the police attack.
the workers were forced to end the occupation whelmini support of the Despite local labour movement including Wirral Liverpool Trades Councils and Birkenhead and Livernool Labour Parties - the GMBATU leadership have failed to rally full support must for their Cammel Laird members The GMBATU is the biggest union in the industry, with getting on for. tionally. million Although members 37 of 1icl member nave cen jailed for taking part in an official dispute, their support has been minimal.
At last week's Labour Merse side detention had fight tooth and nail against the Basnett leadership to get conference to adopt a resolution in support of the jailed workers.
Birkenhead MP Frank 'Rainbow urcie) SHed played most disgraceful role. the September general committee of the constituency party every delegate voted to give unconditional support to the occupation -except Mr Field, who abstained and refused to join the, mass picket at the Of the original 40 Cammel Laird workers occupying the Birkenhead yard, only three are not in Walton jail. At Labour Party conference last week they told TIM RIGBY:
At 4.10 on Tuesday, police boarded the gangways of the rig and issued an ultimatum: if the occupiers wanted violence they could have it, or they could come off peacefully. After a meeting they decide to come off and were taken to Birkenhead police station, and later to Walton prison hours and day, and can have only one visit for the month while they're in prison. The food is appallshipyards and asking for local support. major picket this Monday and subsequent Mondays, and will maintain a picket at the yard every workers continue to work at the yard.
reached. Thanks also to yard.
At conference, he was This absence when Liverpool Labour Party leader Tony Mulnearn, MP Eddie Loyden the NUM SOGAT, the POEU, and many others got through a resolution condemning the jail sentences and supporting the Lairds workets Lol Duffy is chairperson of Wirral District Labour Party. He, and his fellow Lairds 'in-mates' have sent a message to the scabs who want to cross the picket line It ought to cause Frank Field David Basnett to hang their heads in shame. • Picketing will continue. A major picket is planned for every Monday. Offers of help and messages of support Cammel Lairds Occupation Support Group, c/o Wirral Trades Council, Argyle St, Birkenhead.
They are only allowed out of their cells for two We are in the process of contacting other We plan a day. The dispute is official but so far AEUW-TASS We want to see the rest
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SOCiAList ACTION