Stop TUC/Tory deal on political levy MUST STAY Benn must win

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La workers' voice, not the voice of pink-liberal fight the anti-union laws, and for their beREPORTS in the press that Peter Tatchell had been told to get lost when he arrived to campaign for Tony Benn in Chesterfield were in fact the work of the Tory dirty tricks department. It never happened. Tony Benn has publicly welcomed Tatchell to the constituency and told him that he appreciates his support.

Labour's campaign in Chesterfield is gathering momentum. Last Monday night 1200 people came to hear Tony Benn and Roy Hattersley speak. 700 of them could not be accommodated in the hall, and stood outside in the market place to listen.

Chesterfield CLP still want Labour militants to come and help them. The last 14 days before polling day on March 1 are vital.

Go to Chesterfield and victory and give the Tories Inside Centre Page: Chernenko is Stalin's heir, not Lenin's, Page 3: Support Liverpool City Council.

Page 2: CP boils over. -Page 4: Jeremy Corbyn MP on the Campaign group.

Plus more reports, reviews, letters, discussion. help Benn gain a resounding and the SDP a bloody nose! AS WE go to press the TUC employment committee is expected to approve a deal with the Tories on future union links with the Labour Party.

TUC leaders Len Murray and Bill Keys have privately worked out a formula Tory minister Tom King.

Contract out The Guardian reports that the deal "provides for unions to publicise the fact that members can contract out of paying the political levy, and for the TUC to ensure that members can freely exercise that right.

"In return, the Government is prepared to withhold plans to legislate a change in the system so that members would have to contract in if they wanted to pay the levy.

In fact the unions gain nothing 'in return'. Before this offer of a 'voluntary code', the Tories had already made clear that they were not going to legislate contracting-in at this stage.

For tactical reasons King was anyway going to legislate only for periodic ballots on unions' political funds.

Workers' voice The Labour Party was set up by the trade unions in order to get a workers' voice into parliamentary politics. In the early days individuals could no more opt out of the political levy than out of a strike. Rightly so.

Now, in the midst of industrial decline, the unions need that voice more than ever. Indeed, the rank and file needs to democratise the movement so that it becomes really not the unine of nink liharal careerists speaking for the workers. Tony Benn canvasses in Chesterfield But the TUC leaders opposite way.

Their agreement to encourage opting-out from the political levy must, at the very least, weaken any campaign to maintain union affiliations to Labour if and when the Tories force postal ballots on the issue.

In fact TUC leaders have made it plan that they themselves want to weaken union links with Labour. They want to give up any show of fighting the Tories, and instead become brokers between the Tories and the working class.

Their refusal to back the NGA, and their willingness to make a 'no disruption' deal at GCHQ, are part of the same trend.

The Labour Coordinating Committee has launched a 'Charter' on Labour Party and trade union links. They say: "It is vital that we defend the partnership between Labour and the unions and indeed strengthening at every level" . To this end they call for:

Recall TUC • Opposition to Tory anti-union laws, • Trade union education on why we need • Organising the Labour Party in workplaces,| • Stronger links between local unions Constituency Labour Parties.

The Charter has been signed by the Tribune group of MPs, and will soon be circulated for further support.

This Charter must be supported. At the same time socialists should demand that the TUC reject the deal on the political levy, break off collaboration with the Tories, and start a campaign for an integrated, fighting labour movement.

A recall TUC congress should call the TUC leaders to account for their failure to finht the antiunion lowe and for thair ha. trayal of the NGA.

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Sócialist Oiganiser no. 166 Fèbruary 16 1984 Page SO supporter wins student union election despite witch hunt

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John Bloxam By

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