THE outcome of the forthcoming AUEW elections is vital not just for engineering workers but for the whole labour movement. If Duffy defeats Bob Wright and is re-elected president, the rot will continue -wages declining, thousands of jobs lost and shop floor organisation weakened.
Alongside Sir Terry Duffy has joined the right-wing bloc inside the Jackson and co. In the Labour Party Duffy is part of the 'moderate' rightwing opposition to democracy and accountability. Duffy is an obstacle to any fight against the Tories' attack on the working class.
The most recent example "leadership' has been his attitude to the Tory anti-union laws. Duffy has rushed to accept state financing ballots. He has no plans to lead the AUEW in the sort of fight waged by the union against dustrial Relations Act in 1972. Duffy must go It is clear that Duffy's policies are hampering the defence of engineers' living standards. In his election address he hardly attempts to hide his opposition to any form of struggle against the Tories and the employers: 'I believe that we must have co-operation, not conflict'.
Duffy's 'co-operation' has already meant the sack for workers at British Leyland as Michael Edwardes' redundancy plans proceed without an ounce of opposition from the leadership of the AUEW.
the alternative being closure of British Leyland, some seemunpalatable decisions necessary, but the result has been success in regaining a period of peace at BL'. This is not Edwardes or some right-wing member of the Tory cabinet speaking - it is the president of the AUEW!
Duffy's determination to assist the employers in breaking the strength of shop-floor organisation and imposing 'peace' in industry was most revealed at BL when Edwardes victimised Longbridge convenor Derek Robinson.
Far from giving support to the spontaneous reaction of the members to suphundreds of John Boyd, CBE, TUC with Chapple, employers and the of his for postal Heath's infamous Inthousands of achievement!' the way, were holidays and hours.
tried so hard to avoid Bob Wright clearly didate in Duffy sabotaged the against the Tories. holiday the working year will be reduced by nearly 5 per cent for about 2 million engineering workers. This is no mean The truth is that if Duffy had had his two million engineering workers would have been sold down the river before the struggle started. The recommendation of the executive council was to accept the employers' miserable offer of a small increase in the minimum time rates with virtually no concessions on It was the national committee which rejected this recommendation and forced Dutty into the fight which he had Bob Wright, the main left-wing canopposition to Duffy, has declared his support for the decisions of this year's special Labour Party conference in May. He has declared his opposition to wage restraint and called for the extension of the nationalisation of major industries such as North Sea Oil.
He has also supported the moves by Tony Benn and Eric Heffer to make the Labour Party more democratic. Particularly welcome is his opposition to American bases in Britain and his call for Britain's withdrawal from NATO -a crucial question for all working people at a time of growing war cries from the Bob Wright's position on such questions clearly shows him in opposition to the attempts of the right wing within the labour movement to prevent a fight If Wright wins the presidency of the AUEW it will be a bitter blow not only to Duffy but to all those within the trade
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