OFFICERS of the National Union of Teachers suspended eight members of the union for supporting the Lambeth workers' call for strike action on 4 February.
Those suspended include Dick North, national ecutive member and Lambeth officer; Dave Picton, treasurer of the Inner London Teachers Association (ILTA), and nard Regan, secretary of the East London Teachers Association.
All three are the current standing in opposition to canwho support the rightving NUT leadership icers of the Lambeth teachers association have also suspended. Of the eight, belong to the Teachers Alliance and belong to Rank and Teacher.
lies suspension is the fear of the NUT their supporters would have an impact within the tionally. The main candidate on their side is Bob Richardson, presently secretary of ILTA. He is also the chairperson of the union's national action mittee and the architect ot the union's anti-cuts strategy.
The 'Guidelines committee has produced are based on the assertion that the membership is not prepared to "ight.
have council CA"
Bercandidates in Dick North Five of- When Eileen sacked in been Easter it was committee which Socialist Again her reinstatement, while it co-operated the council's decision to sack her. Both the defeat of tingham and expressed their union have confidence' ecutive over the the case.
coma major that his annual conterence.
eight members Tony Benn, dropping charges. port suspended of and president Crosby was Nottingham Richardson's before a reTusee lo call for all-out strike action to Picton the industrial tribunal which backed the Tory Couch tingham teachers associations 'lack of the NUT handling of by leading teachers A defeat for Richardson in the London elections would be set-back for the NUT leadership, coming as it would on the eve of the union's Easter which will the debate the anti-cuts strategy to be pursued in the mispendar House suspended don WC1.
Cone CEne joint defence campaign which has already won the backing of , Ted Knight and the Lambeth Labour MPs The Oval branch of Vauxhall Labour Party has called for the of the disciplinary A campaign of supis needed the trade unions and the Labour Party to defend the eight.
As well as being teacher many of Inose are active within the broad labour movement. Vanessa Wiseman, one of the Lambeth officers, is president Lambeth Trades Council, Bernard Regan is vice. of Tower Hamlets Trades Council The eight are due to appear •sciolinary hearing in a fortnight. If North and Regar win In the ILTA election it is likely that the right will try to prevent them from taking office.
This is an important fight for evervone in the labour lOVe ment because it shows how far the right wing is prepared to go in order to head off action ade being aided this case they Communist Party Messages of support and donations are needed urgently and should be sent to: Defence Committee, c/o 12 Albion Drive, London E8; and to officers National Union of Teachers, Hamilton Mabledon Place, LonManchester UCW MANCHESTER postal workers have won an important staffing dispute after a week-long strike halting all mail in the Manchester area. The management tried to by-pass the local necollators true Michael Edwardes' style.
A mass meeting of 2,000 postal workers in the Free Trade Hall last Monday voted return to work after that the assurances would be negotiated through the workers greeted union officia Maurice Styles derision after he threatened that they would be 'out on theil if they rejected the settlement he hac negotiated BIRMINGHAM's trades council has become one of the first to set up a media advisory group, in response to a series of campaigns against trade
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Post workers' victory
Brum comes to grips with the media