delegate - personal capacity)
was the reaction of one ing Union Blackpool.
The conference had been called to discuss proposal the Nahonal Executive Council Post Office engineering union join in a federal the Society of Post Office Exccutives (SPOB) and the Civil and Public Servants Association Posts and Telecommunications (P&T) Group. Unity In the end conference rejected both the NEC's proposed federation and a left supported rank and file union embracing the POEU, CPSA P&T Group and the Union Communication Workers (UCW). A clear najority delegates were n favour of trade unity, but were divided on the way to achieve it and who it should include.
The first defeat for the proposal came when vo idea of threw SPOE. Delegates rightly stressed that SPOE right-wing, proexecutive delegate as the Post Office EngineerSpecial Conference ended in is not a proper trade union but an association of managers, it wouid be a trojan horse for any united stands.
Conterence then caramendments to the NEC's proposal that the UCW should be included instead of SPOB and that any federal union. should be seen as the stirs! step to an industrial umon Post Office SUCHEBHE and British Telecom.' This was undoubtedly the eft. The NEC had argued all along for a union based mainly in British Telecom, one half of the new split POSE UTTICe. Their federation would have had only 10,000 members Post Office. of over 210.000 in total. The left in the POEU has opposed the split in the Post Office and opposes carrying that split into the ranks of the trade unions. We want a communications industry union.
The left then went on final package. federal structure was far too bureaucratic and top heavy.
The final, amended federal proposa was defeated by 57,485 for to 71,526 against Conference then moved on to discuss the left's proposal, backed by branches, for single amalgamated union the UCW and CPSA P&T Group. Phil Holt secretary of Liverpool Internal Branch, moving the motion. me ior,pointed out tha already adopted the same policy earlier this vear A singie, rank and file union would organise over 400,000 members in Posts and it would be a tremendous weapon in the fight against the effects of new technology and the Tories' Telecommunications Act. Attack General treasurer, David Norman launched a red-baiting attack on the proposal, saying it had as much support the policies of the SWP and the IMG. It was revolutionary'. A more sober delegate pointed out that DeW had been that ey aware that the by the IMG.
In the end, general secretary, Bryan Stanley, launched a massive attack
----- pull-quotes -----
THIS conference was a bloody shambles. The top table want their heads examining. That