THE national of the union, women's and youth sections.
Socialist Challenge questions confronting engineers.
What are the key issues at this NC?
One of the most important will be nuclear disarmaThere's a whole number resolutions which are equally split between unilateral and multilateralist positions. This will be the biggest fight at conference.
I nere Is also one coming from the youth conference which support for the demonstration against Reagan.
But the issue of the arcalest Conceal fight for internal demo cracy in the union is that of Laurence Scotts.
There's one resolution down from Division No 3 in the Edinburgh area.
This says other things that the Scott of rule and condemns the tor tacking the executive council.
HARRIS Demonstration in Leamington Spa last week committee of the engineering It comspoke to CLIFF This charge of 'acting our ol rule to 'Chappelise' the union.
would that Halcall policy of National Committee or Executive Council or even an individual national official becomes a rule of the union binding on all members.
resolution, adopted would restrict the democratic rights and tivity of the rank and file.
It will be a decisive test for the Broad Left whether Let's DOL. remember that this is the operation of the 'big lie' was the Executive Council who has actually broken rules.
Will this also be a way of sions of Rule 14 that a called if ten per cent of the branches demand it - as it seem they have? No, not necessarily. It is extremely difficult for them to ignore the constitution The real problem is that we don't have the full proof that an excess of the ten per coit OI the branches have sent in such resolutions.
oto: PHIL PENNING Cliff Williams Would defeat for We ermine the fight to make the union LaKE sluggle against unemployment?
Obviously it would represent a biow. However. the NC is bound to adopt forpositions unemployment. There is a of HULLUCI resolutions on the topic.
BuT Scott's have already had their impact. The AUEW leadership found it necessary to give TO official backing to our members in Plessey. The! couldn't afford to scab here while the Scott's issue was still alive.
The IROS important difference is the way they see calmpaigning for Joos The approach of Duffy and bova TOI joint campaigns the Confederation of Industry — the bosses.
Do you see the decision AUEW at the recent TUC not to accept government money for secret ballots under the provisions of the Tebbit Bill as significant?
The important thing is that the EC was defeated on this at last year's NC. Duffy has already indicated that his idea campaign against Tebbit is to link up CBI. ballots are the norm already inside the AUEW.
Terry Duffy, president of the AUEW has called for left wingers to be banned from the Labour Party - for a return of the proscribed list...
Duffy is consistent if nothing else. His wav ot dealing with all opposition to his own right wing views is by smashing it with every means at his disposal.
The Laurence Scott workers represented uncompromising fight for jobs which exposed nis own sell-out policies.
So he witch-hunted them throughout the movement. withdrew strike pay, slandered them and denied them all their democratic rights as AUEW members.
He cannot win arguments in the Labou Party through democratic debate and discussion he intends to win by bannSocialist Challenge ing all those who don't agree with him.
workers are going to have to take the debates in the Labou Party more seriously, and get the power the AUEW militants in the party not the bureaucrats.
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union, the AUEW, meets this week. prises delegates from local branches, districts
WILLIAMS, a delegate from the youth con- ference in his personal capacity, about the