exCarbrook No. 2 branch, AUEW Sheffield engineering industry.
opposition in the union.
The imsees the need that support the fight against rights for women. cut by years of right-wing rule. THE Engineering Charter conference on 28 June is a must for every militant in the We are being squeezed from both sides — by a decline in living standards and by a leadership that's out to crush grass roots Engineering workers need a leadership that can tackle unemployment and inflation, policies that can workers in the struggle against the Tories.
To combat unemployment and inflation we need a fight for worksharing and index-linked wage rises. We have to encourage the struggles of the low-paid and the unemployed and to racism and equal We have to fight around the issues and policies that challenge the right wing in the last year showed that the will to fight is there. The main problem in the union is now a political one -now to overcome the lack of credibility caused The Engineering Charter pamphlet produced to build the conference does'nt mention istional estet in the mitten and organisational effects of the right wing, the gap between the stewards and branch officials and the ordinary members.
Yet this gap was caused by the erosion of militancy through voluntary redundancy and suport for the Labour goverment's social'con — as the pamphlet implies — by the ora existence of full-time convenors. and the the union, in the factories.
change its strategy.
vide all the answers.
Broad Left and the Charter.
further.
which can unite against t struggle pelicies lt."
sharing and equal ?* These are the membership and the Tories.
What's wrans for change a men or t The Charren, 2654 N4 M The right-wing leadership has to be remov. ed before there is any hope of the AUEW adopting such policies. This can only be done by a grass roots campaign that is organised in factories and branches around fighting policies that can challenge the right nationally The 'Droad Left', the biggest left group in has been weak in this respect. Its preoccupation with clections has led it away from much of the routine work of organising After the disastrous effects of workers' participation in Leyland and the failure Scanlon to defend the membership under the last Labour government, the Broad Left has to It doesn't follow, though, that militants can simply look to Engineering Charter to pro.
The pamphlet doesn't even mention the existence of the Broad Left, and doesn't take up the difference between the Bie oly organsation ashes the Chatte organisation fighting AUEW. This approach only confuses militants The forthcoming Charter conference will provide an important focus for the fightback against the right. But we need to go further; we need a fighting grove i the rank and file Tories and for class ¿he -nour week, work pricies which can win the to fist ng bith the right wing ..wring. The.case (plus pop) from 'ers Rd, London