THE LIASON Committee for the Defence of the Trade Unions has called a on January, to discuss mobilisation of more rank and file support for the miners, and to promote action against the attacks on unionism coming from government policies and laws.
NUM general secretary, Heathfield, will be on te placord, along with Ron Todd of the TGWU, Jimmy Knapp of the NUR, Danny Sergeant of SOGAT, Tony Benn MP, Betty. Heathfield womens support groups.
With such a platform, the turnout for the meeting has the potential to be the biggest for many years for an LCDTU conference. It would provide an oportunity to sie up the cam paign for support for the NUM, and paruicular step up the against the general council's refusal to honour TUC policies support for the miners.
The topics of the conference cover the most important issues facing the labour movement — the miners strike and the legal attacks on the unions. Every move to deal with these ques tions and to strengthen the fightback is to be welcomed. But yet another conference is not enough.
The crucial point that must be confronted is that the right wing on the general council of the TUC is on a clear line of refusing to fight the antiPeter union laws, and refusing to support the miners. on the boycott of coal and coal substitutes have plemented. The task of taking on the anti-union laws and securing victory tor the miners cannol be separaicu from the task of fighting the policies of the majority of the general council. fight "'he from top to bottom of the movement on to dear win une rigal. Ius is vilai lo the success of any fight Tory attacks. Norman Willis, David Basnett and Eric Hammond are tak. ing the TUC away from any kind of struggle. this by organising its forces against this.
The LCDTU cannot achieve this task. It can only be effectively carried out by the lett trade union leaders. the NUM, TGWU, alliance with the Labour Party left Tories.
Photo: MARK SALMON have to TUC Congress decisions not been im- national organised The number one against the The left can only prevent governele comereice itself The leaders of NUK ete have the weight to mobilise massive numbers for the battle against the Any such policy would have to be pursued in the face of bitter right wing opposition. 'Regretable' though such divisions in the movement are, , Une • be faced. The truth of the is that any effective fight against the Tories will face the hostility of the right. But as the miners strike has shown it is necessary to confront the right in order to win.
The left leaders should make a start in this direction at the LCDTU conference, by fighting to call a national solidarity in possible, and by setting a date for a solidarity build action in support of the NUM. Such a conference should set itself the task of implementing the decisions of TUC congress that the general council have refused to honour.
miners' strike is still the priority for the movement. The NUM is not going to surrender, and the Tories' hopes of victory rely entirely on the general council. It acts as a prop to the Tory The left leaders should mobilise all their support in the movement remove that prop. They can start that task at this conference.
• The LCDTU Friends House. Euston Road. Lon don 12 January, from 10.30 to 3.30
Socialist Action 11 January 1985 Kent NUM call on you