Alfter Black Wednesday. THESE LAWS

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break our unions! LACK WEDNESDAY the day the TUC betrayed the GA and inrew in ine towel on the tight against lory anti- 1 11. 11. nion legislation. That's how Wednesday December 14 1983 ill go down in the history of the labour movement.

By 29 votes to 21 the TUC General Council decided to 'refer back' that is, throw out - the recommendation of the employment and ›licy committee to support the NGA. Instead the TUC is to set up a ecial commission to examine the NGA-Shah dispute.

The gutless, crawling, self-abasing policy of King Rat Len Murray ›minated the councils of the official British labour movement. stead of fighting back by every means necessary against naked class gislation, the TUC has decided to keep within the law.

"Don't break the law" is the catchphrase of the TUC right wing. ›me have hypocritically offered the NGA 'support' - only insofar as e NGA carries out 'lawful functions'.

But under the Prior and Tebbit Acts, 'normal' trade unionism is ¿lawful! The NGA, POEU, NUJ and SOGAT have already discovered is - to their cost. You cannot defend the NGA or wage any serious şht without breaking some aspect of these laws. In the Stockport spute, even writing letters to advertisers notifying them of an NGA rike was ruled unlawful! So swingeing are the laws that even High ›urt judges on the current NUJ case were plainly amazed at their ope.

But under the Prior and Tebbit Acts, 'normal' trade unionism is ¿lawful! The NGA, POEU, NUJ and SOGAT have already discovered Is - to ten cost. you cannor aerena te nuA or wage any serious thoria snat ght without breaking some aspect of these laws. In the Stockport spute, even writing letters to advertisers notifying them of an NGA rike was ruled unlawful! So swingeing are the laws that even High ourt judges on the current NUJ case were plainly amazed at their ope.

So when they say "don't break the law", the TUC right wing are fact helping to break the NGA - and, by implication, any other nions which falls foul of the Tory legal straitjacket.

Since the June election they have abandoned any thought of fightg employers or government: they have made clear their reluctant quiescence' not only to the Prior and Tebbit Acts, but to the third iti-union Bill, now before Parliament. They want to talk to the ories - and their entry ticket to the talks must be bought at the pense of trade unionism itself.

Contrary to Murray's view, unions are not an apparatus of pinriped officials and office buildings. Solidarnosc in Poland, Black unns in South Africa, and the early British unions - which all emerged defiance of anti-union laws - all developed as fully-fledged unions fore any such bureaucratic structures and execrescences like Murray nerged. Unions are fighting organisations of the working class: if it, they are nothing.

For rank and file members. the TUC unions are far more threatenthey ed by the upholdin of union funds.

1. TC ACT laws than to ine ena or ine line, and everything the NGA nationally possesses had been seized, but the union - as a body of workers - continued to defy the courts, then what could the Tories LAURENCE SPARHAM (IFL)

do? Jail every official, every FoC, every striker? Jail the whole union?

No! Long before that, a stand by the NGA would havé brought home the issues to whole layers of workers who would - as in 1972, against the jailing of the dockers in Pentonville - push aside the worms who pose as leaders, and take action to defend the rights their forebears fought so hard to win.

Instead, isolated, daunted by TUC sabotage, the NGA leaders have retreated. first to a meagre 24 hour strike call, and now even retracted that. Their retreats have made matters worse - and helped Murray.

It is late, but still not too late to avert a disaster. By reviving the mass picketing, in conjunction with all-out strike action, the NGA could even now call on those TUC lefts who have given verbal support to turn their words into practice in the form of industrial action. They can appeal over the heads of the right wing leaders to the rank and file.

The demand must be for an initial 24-hour general strike: the focus must be concerted action to smash this legislation.

Let's see those who would act as the Tories' stool pigeons elbowed aside by those who are prepared to fight! Break these laws - before they break our unions!

Claimants and strikers

1972: mass strike action freed jailed Pentonville dockers and broke Tory laws INSIDE. 5 pages of analysis & on NGA fight.

King Rat Len Murray

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EDITOR AL Organiser December Page

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the NGA!

KUY SHOP STEWARDS COMMITTEE ARISE YE WORKERS

"Ea General Strike!!