Telecom engineers in frontline of attack

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THE POEU's annual conference this year takes place against the background of a determined management offensive to drive down wages and cut jobs both in British Telecom and the Post Office and no real response from the POEU leadership.

Last year's campaign against privatisation began well with a one day strike of all POEU members in British Telecom. In some places members who work on the postal side came out in solidarity despite NEC instructions against it. (Postal engineers have also beer under attack. Last year's pay deal for the first time gave the same grades in BT and the Post Office a different rate of pay - a direct result of the splitting of the business from the Post Office into BT and the Post Office, a policy supported by the POEU's leadership).

But the potential shown by the huge support for the strike was never built on by the union's right wing leadership. They concentrated instead on lobbying MPs and "press release opposition"

Pressure

In the last few months industrial action has been sanctioned, but this was only because of the mounting pressure from the rank and file in a growing number of branches. When the industrial action was called off, against the advice of the branches involved, after the announcement of the General Election, urgent calls were being made by branches to step up the action.

The campaign has been little different from the one against the first Telecoms Act in 1981. That was passed, and the second Bill only fell because of the General Election. If the Tories are reelected, it will be immediately rushed through unless stronger opposition comes from all unions in BT.

The leadership are proposing calling off the conference three days early on June 7 because of the General Election, but it is likely that the conference will vote to continue, recognising that the next few months could prove to be crucial especially, but not only, if the Tories are reelected.

A special two-day conference to discuss union structures and possible moves towards union mergers precedes the annual conference.

The Special Conference is around two counterposed positions. The present union leadership is apparently in favour of a BT based union only, encompassing both management unions and workers. The other position, supported by the Broad Left and a number, of branch propositions is for a rank and file based union lows, Merseyside.

Key, 17 Melin Way, Sheffield 5.

Horne, 74 Hands Road, Sheffield.

Road, London NW1. itself, show that the union branches - unlike the leadership - recognise what management's intentions are.

The Broad Left earlier in the year circulated a list of suggested model propositions which has evidently been taken up by branch activists. There is a motion of censure and no confidence in the 1982 NEC's handling of the major issues facing the POEU throughout the last twelve months.

Liverpool Internal branch are calling for the resignation of the general secretary, Bryan Stanley, for his alleged "Sid Weighell-type conduct" at last year's Labour Party conference.

The allegations have been well substantiated by correspondence from Pete Willsman, the chairperson af a compositing meeting, and have been circulated throughout the union over the last year.

Swansea branch have the only proposition opposing the Labour Party witch-hunt. (This does not mean they are the only branch to oppose - each branch is entitled to only one proposition to general conference). The proposition is of special significance as the POEU political organiser is witch-hunter general John Golding.

There are no propositions on the National Economic Assessment, but some emergency propositions may be forwarded as the Labour. election manifesto was not published until after the Closing • date for conference propositions.

The conference itself will see a major challenge to the right wing's hold on the union and could well prove to be one of the most important conferences the union has ever seen.

The POEU faces the biggest challenge it has seen for years from the government and management, and it is evident that unless the 1 membership are mobilised into taking industrial action in defence of jobs and living standards, both the industry and the POEU could well be decimated to the same degree as British Steel.