NALGO fight for stewards

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Defiant on Bill and have promised to support the pickets.

They have arranged to take the nurses round so that they can mount a picket at each of the six pits in the alta.

600 car delivery men are on 24 strike, bus mechanics are striking for two hours, even though they have a dispute of their own at the moment. Hospital workers have also been invited to address mass meetings at Rolls Royce, Massey Ferguson, NALGO workers, University workers and CPSA members..

of these have also promised to send delegations to the pickets.

Most of these are considering strike action on the day. Members of the UCW were unable to put a motion for supporting action following , a directive from their national leadership that no vote for industrial action could be taken and individual members would not be defended by their union if they took industrial action.

JULIA REDMAN (chairperson, Coventry TUC NHS joint action committee) NALGO members at branch level have been fighting for a properly organised shop stewards system for a number of years. The campaign was highlighted at conference where a motion on stewards organisation was supported by over 70 branches.

A very successful fringe meeting was held and although the motion was not reached, the issue was raised on two occasions by speakers from the floor.

The basic problem is that the NALGO NEC will not ratify the development of stewards' systems where shop stewards committees •have direct representation on branch executive committees.

The NEC seems to prefer leaving stewards' committees isolated in the workplace but rank and file pressure built up over conference week has resulted in some gains.

However, the national campaign for a proper shop stewards' organisation in NALGO has only just started, with two bulletins being produced for conference. A further bulletin In what was described by many speakers as the most important debate of the NALGO conference, Norrier Steel of the NEC led vitriolic attack on the Tebbit Bill in which speaker after speaker deplored the Bill's provisions and the "horrors which face us when this Bill becomes law"

Steel told conference

that the whole • TUC was engaged in a massive campaign of opposition in which NALGO must play its part.

explained that wherever trade unionists were involved in defending their jobs, they would come up against the new Tebbit laws and quoted the privatisation of the gas industry as one obvious area.

An amendment was moved calling for defiance and non-cooperation with COUNCILLOR Barry Turner and Bradford North Labour Party member Matthew Kirkpatrick, recently arrested on a local anti-fascist demonstration, are beginning to build support for their defence campaign. will be produced shortly detailing the gains made at conference and covering further developments.

For copies of the bulletin contact Bill Hamilton, NALGO Office, 7 Chapel Street, London E15 (015197457).

BILL HAMILTON Newham NALGO the courts when trade ists are prosecuted.

Norrie Steel replied that this would just build up case law against the unions stiff@ our right of reply!

The amendment was narrowly lost.

Alan Ferguson trom

Strathclyde pointed out that it might be necessary for NALGO members to place themselves outside the law if they were to take effective industrial action.

Although no rule change was agreed, NALGO policy is now to defend its members placed outside the law, but Alan Ferguson warned that: "Verbal opposition isn't worth the paper it is printed on." NALGO would have to act to defend existing trade union rights.

now be issuing a statement of support for the two defendants. The Bradford Trades Council has declared its full support and has publicly called for a full labour movement inquiry into the activities of the police and of fascist organisations in Bradford.

One of the objects of the inquiry will be to make public the large amount of data already collected concerning the failure of the police to take action following assaults or incidents which concern ethnic minorities in the city.

Keighley Trades Council, Bradford North Constituency Labour Party, Bradford West CLP and University Ward Labour Party have also added their full support. OFFICIAL STRIKE