Rent rise voted down

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DEFYING the whip, three left members of the Labour-controlled Nottingham Council were successful in defeating the proposal for a 75p rent increase at the meeting of the Housing Committee on January 5.

The rebel councillors voted in line with the Manifesto on which the 1983 election was fought. The District Party had also unanimously reaffirmed its policy of 'no rent rise in "84' six weeks ago.

The Labour Council has a majority of only one and it now faces the possibility of defeat in full council if it tries to reintroduce its rent-rise in the 84/85 budget.

Despite the stand of the three left councillors on the Housing Committee, supported by three other Labour councillors, the district Party is buckling in fae of the determination of the right wing councillors.

Although there was a clear mood of anger at the Right, the District Party voted by 27 votes to 16 not to take a proposal to endorse the left councillors' Hopes that the right councillors may back down because they need the left votes are probably naive. The precarious position of the Nottingham Council cuts both ways. The determination of the right creates fears that if the Council falls the left will take the blame.

Only a vigorous and open campaign in the local labour mocement, including clear support from the District Party for the six, will ensure that the right will be blamed and will know they will be blamed should they bring the Labour Council down by pursuing rent-rises.

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Socialist Organiser 191'00 January 12 1984 Page 3 ON SATURDAY 28 January, a national meeting on The Role of Workplace Branches in the Forward March of Labour' is being held at Camden Town Hall, London. Called a 'seminar" the aim is to get Labour Party activists interested and involved in setting up workplace branches to exchange their experiences and discuss campaigning to spread the branches and strengthen Join the ORGANISER Party ORGANISER witchHE campaign taken up Basingstoke postal workers in condemning the UCW Executive Council's handling of the week-long strike action, taken by the postal workers in their efforts to get myself reinstated has now developed into a full-blooded national campaign to denounce the right wing UCW leadership.

The campaign up til December had resulted in the branch sending a resolution condemning the EC's actions. Also a fact sheet had been produced by the postal workers and distributed to many UCW branches.

The Communication Workers Broad Left had organised a national speaking tour to expose the role of John Taylor, Assistant Secretary, and Gerry Casey, EC member, both national officials who sold out the strike.

However, the UCW bureaucracy have responded by producing an eight-page special branch circular, written by Alan Tuffin, general secretary, criticising the actions of the Basingstoke branch, Socialist Organiser and myself.

This has been distributed to every UCW branch. They have also reproduced the contents of this circular in the union journal which is distributed to all UCW members.

This circular by the UCW bureaucracy contains smears and inaccuracies and an attempt to justify the sell-out by John Taylor and Gerry Casey. They also accuse Socialist Organiser of infiltrating the UCW in an attempt to gain support in the union. their role in the Party.

Already, a model resolution has been circulated by Geoff Dixon, the meeting organiser, to get the NEC to start taking workplace branches seriously and allow an official national conference of those that exist.

*This Constituency Labr our Party. recognising the Tebbit/King proposals to sever the links between the Labour Party and the Trade Unions, requests the National Executive Committee to give urgent attention to the creation and development of Labour Party WorkThe local SO group in Basingstoke have produced a pamphlet, 'Solidarity Betrayed' , denouncing the treacherous role of both national officers and outlining the many lessons which have been learned.

This pamphlet has been circulated to many UCW branches.

The circular is also an attempt by Tuffin to try to isolate and witch-hunt the Basingstoke postal workers, hoping that they will now lie down and stop causing the bureaucracy further embarrassment and exposing their inadequate leadership.

However, the circular has had the opposite effect on the Basingstoke branch. Ron Rodwell, branch secretary, on behalf of the membership has already replied to this ham-fisted document, denouncing the slurs and innacuracies and pressing that his reply should be distributed to all UCW branches.

The branch has also taken the decision to write to all UCW branches requesting them to invite speakers from Basingstoke to discuss the implications of the strike. They will also publish and circulate their reply themselves if the executive's response is negative.

It is likely that the branch will press a vote of no confidence in the EC at this year's annual conference and recently I was made an honorary member of the Basingstoke UCW Branch, which I am sure will cause the national officials further embarrassment.

Elsewhere the Communication Workers Broad Left will be hopJohn Bloxam reports on the forthcoming national conference of Labour Party workplace branches al Conference of Labour Party Workplace Branches. Every single response to the Labour Weekly and Tribune letter is in favour of a National Conference.

There are also two key points brought out of the replies. ing to continue the national speaking tour, denouncing the role of the leadership, with myself as one of the speakers.

There can be no doubt that the leadership have been shaken by the response from Basingstoke and the support we have received from many UCW branches. However it is clear that the actions of one branch have not been the only reason why tuttin has responded. The UCw leadership are in a crisis. The last year has seen many struggles develop where UCW members have taken action only to be betrayed by a leadership who cannot supply the answers for many disgruntled members.

Their inability to fight for even the most basic demands like a shorter working week and a new technology agreement has not been lost on the members.

They have also supported a dreadful productivity scheme which has resulted in many jobs being sold for a few pieces of silver. -Last year, when the Post Office made £136 million profit, they recommended that the membership should accept a paltry 5% wage offer.

The membership are now beginning to realise the leadership's willingness to betray. The principled stand taken by the Basingstoke postal workers in exposing the UCW leadership points the way forward for many UCW members. The fight to democratise and build a union under rank and file control must now be top priority.

The Communication Workers Broad Left must see the central importance of this task and begin to mobilise and take the initiative when UÇW members are in to grow significantly over the second half of 1983. There are how probably more than functioning nationally. number are obviously just getting on with it" and have paid little attention to the formality of registering.

The attitude of both the trade union and Labour Party leaders has been, at best, indifference. The case of a main London SOGAT branch aiming to initiate workplace branches in all of Fleet Street is still the exception.

The drive to set up workplace branches is stIl wholly in the hands of the individual rank and file Labour Party activists. There has already been an attempt to organise this drive on a regional basis, when the Merseyside workplace branches called a conference in November which A COVENTRY Release Nicky Kelly Committee has been set up by representatives of Lower Stoke Labour Party ward, Big Flame, Young Communist League and Troops Out. The broad-based committee is to campaign for Nicky Kelly's release from wrongful imprisonment in southern Ireland.

Nicky Kelly has spent the last three years in gaol, serving a 12 year sentence for a crime he did not commit. The continuing legal wrangles have always missed the central points of the case.

These are, first, that his "confession' was beaten out of him. The mental and physical effects of his ill-treatment were detailed at his trial by two doctors.

Secondly, that the state presented no witnesses or forensic evidence to the court. The only evidence was the 'confession'. In the case of the other two co-defendants confession Nicky Kelly is an Irish rep been in jail for three years Ireland's 1976 Great Train underway for his release.

cent.

There is no doubt that Nicky Kelly was framed as a result of his membership of the then newly formed Irish Republican Socialist Party. No doubt, that is, except in the eyes of the Irish Appeal Court which does not wish to challenge the truthfulness of the Gardai, or to expose the frame-up character of the non-jury Special Criminal This campaign aims to expose Scargill gets it right ublican socialist who has or allegedly taking part in Robbery'. A campaign is these injustices and to pur pressure on the Irish government to see them revoked.

*The inaugural meeting decided to picket the Allied Irish Bank in Coventry Station Square every alternate Friday and Thursday, beginning Friday: 30 December. We will also produce a leaflet for the Irish community in Coventry.

We will hold a public meeting in the New Year and send speakers to groups in the area, Join the Socialist Labour Fight the inside