Timex sell-out plan

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During CPSA conference delegates took time off to demonstrate against the Special Claims Control Unit in Hove FRIDAY the 13th may be lucky for some - but certainly not for the AUEW national officials whose hopes of ditching the Timex sit-in in Dundee came to grief last Friday.

On the two days prior to May 13 there had been negotiations with Timex management in London in an attempt to find a giveand-take compromise solution to the dispute. The union officials were ready to give up, and Timex management was ready to take up the offer of surrender.

The solution involved the reinstatement of 120 workers declared compulsorily redundant, but on the basis of short-time working, one day a week. And if at the TWO WEEKS before the Union of Communication Workers (UCW) conference (May 22-27), the EC got a majority of 85,000 to 52,000 for their recommendation to accept an insulting 5 per cent pay rise. But the size of the vote against, and the solidarity action for the NHS dispute last year, show that there is a growing number of UCW members prepared to fight.

Many members are disgusted with the EC's record. Policies passed at previous conferences on wages, on jobs, and on new technology, have been ignored.

Jean Lane, from Coventry ences, reviews the resolution book for Socialist THE agenda pad is now out, with a mass of motions, resolutions and amendments on every subject under the sun - from the cleaning of postal buildings.

DET Beirut. The size Et rec would put Moses to shame.

What is frustrating is that . very little of it actually gets discussed at conference. Less than one third of the agenda is got through.

The rank and file the branches have end of 90 days the number of redundancies required by the management had not been achieved by volunteers and natural wastage, then compulsory redundancies would be reintroduced.

Having reached agreement with Timex management on these points, the AUEW officials then looked for the occupation committee's endorsement. But the occupation committee rejected the proposals, and so did the shop stewards' committee.

When the proposals were put to a mass meeting of the 350 workers involved in the sit-in on Monday May 15, there was a clear recommendation to reject. The meeting lasted nearly three hours In the last few weeks alone, the EC has: recommended a derisory pay deal; slipped into that pay deal an extension of Optical Character Recognition OCR), which will automate sorting and cut thousands of jobs; and instructed Western District Office workers to stop all industrial action in defence of Bill Willoughby, or else the EC will cooperate with management in diverting mail to other offices.

The UCW EC has consistently been on the right wing in the TUC and in the Labour Party, enthusiastically supporting witch-hunts against socialists.

involvement in the whole process. They have seen their standard of living falling and differentials rising, and when they feel strong enough about an issue to come out, repeatedly they have been told by their leaders to get back to work.

The good resolutions certainly need to be passed, but then we need to make sure that they are campaigned for and that the EC carries them out. What are the main issues?

=28 Or IN E00M OCR *reaten thousands of jobs.

All amendments insist that there sbould be no agreement, and existing cooperation should be withdrawn, until there has been a substantial cut in hours (currently 43) and a comprehenbut ended with an overwhelming vote against acceptance.

Unfortunately, though, the meeting also voted to end the sit-in if ordered to do so this Wednesday (May 18), when the Court of Session in Edinbürgh will hear Timex management's application for an injunction to be served on the workers in occupation.

(The hearing had been due to take place on May 13, but was adjourned in the expectation that the talks with union officials would end the sit-in.)

If the court does grant the injunction, and the sit-in is ended, the workers will continue to fight for jobs by picketing the factory gates. (see interview). sive new technology agreement reached along the lines adopted at the 1982 conference.

Wage controls will also be a big issue. The EC want support for the TUC/Labour Party 'National Economic Assessment' which they accept means 'that all incomes must be part of any assessment of what can be achieved'. The amendment to reject this new 'social con-trick' must be supported, and also the instruction that UCW delegates should support free collective bargaining at the TUC, unlike last year.

• Privatisation will be a major issue at the Main Conference and at the Telecoms Group conference.

Conference should vote for composite amendment 2B, that the EC should instruct members to take action alongside other BTUC unions.

Although the end of the sit-in would represent a setback, the fact that the workers refused to accept the union full-timers' plans underlines their continuing determination to prevent any compulsory redundancies.

The labour and trade union movement must respond to that determination by stepping up its support for the Timex workers, and by stepping up pressure on the AUEW full-timers to prevent them having another go at ending the sit-in.

For speakers from the sit-in phone Dundee 450308. Donations to John Kydd, 81 Brownhill Road, Dundee.

• Trade union rationalisation: Last year conference passed an amendment supporting amalgamation with the other main unions in the Post Office and British Telecom, but separate from management unions. Having been defeated then, the EC are back this year wanting to re-open negotiations with the Communication Managers' Association.

This should be rejected. and last year's policy reaffirmed. But it won't mean much unless the UCW starts taking industrial action side by side with the other unions, particularly against the threat of privatisation.

• Labour Party: a number of resolution deplore the witchnunt, and composite 4A states that 'the union should urge the Labour Party to cease such expulsions and reinstate expelled members"

Conference fringe meetizg • Fight for & Laborr riccor tae socialist policies beit Lasan Pary vortpiae baasa Spettes diE FRE CAE BeST EiE DOCE FIeS Il taai Bil! Bers ciar i erpoal possal ez pisgees lZ branchi, Lol Duffy (Sociate Organiser; secretary Cammell Lairds LP workplace branch:

ahon stewar. AMRATIR!

suut on Mannin Hotel, The Broadway.

Central Promenade, Douglas.

Monday May 23, 8pea.

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Socialist Oreaniserino: 132 May 19 1983mRage 4

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Post Office and delegate t previous UCW confer-