Strong CPSA vote for Labour affiliation

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THE NGA is to continue with a series of national mobilisations, in defiance of anti-picketing laws, at the Stockport Messenger group of newspapers. The dispute at the Stockport Messenger, a free weekly paper, with print works at Bury and Warrington, is over trade union rights and recognition, with the management. attempting to set up non-union typesetting and printing facilities.

Last Wednesday [November 9], despite three injunctions under the Employment Act against the NGA over picketing and the blacking of work, mass pickets took place at Warrington [with over 700 NGA and NUJ members and other trade unionists from the North-West and Yorkshire attending), and at Stockport.

This Tuesday [November 15] the union's London region are sending a delegation of members to demonstrate ti seir solidarity on the picket lines.

THE NEW pay review body for nurse, a crucial factor in allowing the non-union RCN leadership to accept a two-year pay deal for nurses and so sabotage last year's eight-month NHS dispute, seems unlikely to be able to make a full report in time for the settlement due next April. So far only a chairperson has been appointed _ a former Mike Grayson DESPITE the best efforts of the right-wing dominated NEC and of General Secretary Alistair Graham, a third of the votes cast in the recent ballot of CPSA members on the question of reaffiliation to the Labour Party favoured such a course of action.

The last conference of the Civil and Public Services Association - the largest of the Civil Service unions - voted in favour of a campaign to seteap a political fund and affiliate to the The "campaign" consisted largely of the distribution of a single pamphlet with the inspiring title: "Reaffiliation to the Labour Party? The choice is yours."

Meanwhile the Tory/SDP faction "Daylight" (supported by many of the current NEC members) poured out large numbers of leaflets arguing against reaffiliation. The chief argument was that the loveable old Labour Party was now nothing more than a nest of (shudder!) "Trotskyites"

Not content with his peerless display of careerism at TUC conference, Alistair Graham used his regular column in the union journal Red Tape to further ingratiate himself with the right wing, saying that unless the Labour Party gained a new moderate leadership it faced 'the quick slide to extinction"

Instead of using his column to argue whole-heartedly for conference policy, he has preferred to take pot-shots at the Militant Tendency (the dominant faction in CPSA's Broad Left), and at the editorial independence of Red Tape itself.

As for the Broad Left, hampered both by lack of money and its own internal wranglings, it managed only to put out one issue of Broadside in very inadequate numbers, arguing the case for affiliation. The campaign was, by default, left mainly in the hands of local activists.

Despite the difficulties and setbacks almost 31,500 members voted in favour of affiliation.

In a union where there has always been an influential right wing voice arguing against bringing politics into CPSA, this result is by no means a major defeat.

More worrying is the fact that only a little over half the total union membership returned their ballot forms at all. Although it would be foolish to deny that this implies an alarming apathy among sections of the membership, it is also a refutation of the right wing's argument that postal ballots (as this one was) automatically and dramatically increase membership participation.

Activists must now build on JOHN HARRIS Against affiliation: general secretary Alistair Graham the reserves of strength shown by the 32% of votes in favour of affiliation. One method will be the establishment of Labour Party workplace branches, which can also serve the dual purpose of building links with activists in other Civil Service unions - such as CSU, IPCS and SCPS - who often share workplaces with CPSA members.

Prepared

But the Broad Left too must learn the lessons of this ballot result - the heartening aspects as well as the simple fact of defeat in votes - and turn outwards from its current life of electioneering and resolutionmongering.

The possibilities of organising a real rank and file movement have been demonstrated: will the Broad Left be capable of rising to the challenge? ly into the struggle.

WORKERS have now been out for three weeks at Rolls Royce Motors, Crewe. The strike is mainly over the derisory 4% pay offer made by management, but workers on the picket line also talked about other complaints like the wide differentials that exist within the plant, and the way workers' ideas are used by management without proper recognition.

During the last three weeks the strike has become stronger with more and more sections of workers voting to join the strike. Now all 2,800 workers at the plant are out. There have been mass pickets at the factory throughout. Whilst only six pickets have been allowed by the police to stand in front of the gate several hundred more stand on the pavement near the gates, and on the central reservation of the dual carriageway that runs past the main entrance.

Workers at the plant told us they were prepared to stay out as long as necessary to get a decent increase. Management's latest ploy has been to send out letters saying how damaging the strike is to the company's future (obviously, implying the plant may close or jobs may gol, and to give a revised offer which is no better than the original. Unions at the plant decided it was so derisory they have not bothered to call a mass meeting. It was simply rejected at factory gate meeting, and this weekend they intend to have a ceremonial bonfire to burn the