THE NATIONAL Abortion Campaign (NAC) held a strategy meeting on September 5 to discuss the needed response to duacks on womerscoorcon The recent series of hyped-up media stories about women, abortion, fertility etc is clearly part of an ideological offensive against a woman's right to choose. Look how quick anti-abortion organisations like LIFE were to grab the limelight.
The media's role should be noted. While the tabloids revelled in the stories, liberal broadsheets published articles suggesting a woman's right to choose has gone too far.
All this has created a climate in wnich antl-abortionists can contdently mount a legal attack on women's rights. It seems that up to ten known anti-abortionists are putting their names foward into the private members ballot. A new dill this session seems a strong possibility.
The NAC meeting, organised at short notice and publicised largely by word of mouth, was well-at. tended and lively, full of women angered and alarmed by recent events and the likelihood of legislation, and looking to discuss an organised response.
The meeting agreed that campaigns need to be set up or revived in student' unions, and that che Issue shoule de m.ise• wichin the Labour Party and trade unions.
NAC needs support to continue Tigating to detena and improve women's abortion rights.
Elkie Dee "NEW UNIONISM" - running parallel with but distinct from New Labour: that was meant to be the glittering vision for the week. Unfortunately, however much the TUC leaders tried not to rock the boat, the Labour leaders were determined to capsize it.
They had another script, a different political agenda.
Blunkett, Blair and Byers between them set out to deliberately rubbish the TUC Implicit in the Labour leadership's FBU General Secretary Ken Cameron actions was the belief that alliance with the unions has become an electoral embarrassment. impeding their courtship or conaiions tron macie analarde businesses, and the assessment that the trade union bureaucracy would in any case be minaoe vores or thanks and vacuous addresses. Key themes of class collaboration were to be highlighted - the importance of "stakeholding" and the need for European monetary integration to build a strong British economy.
Only a few problems remained - on the minimum wage, over renationalisation and repeal of the anti-union laws -but even here everything went to plan.
Unable to outvote the demand from UNISON for a minimum wage of £4.26 an hour, TUC chief John Monks sought to cloud the issue.
Agreeing another composite and a General Council statement, both of wnicn sougni to conruse ramer clarify, the Congress ended up facing three ways. Whilst the f4.26 figure was agreed, it will be presented as only one option to be put forward in discussion to Labour's Low Pay Commission.
A tactical retreat ensured the defeat of NUM and CWU positions of repealne nu-tae unio easaorae ensuring full rights to decide on strike action free of legal interference, in return for the adontion of demands that Labour outlaw sacking of strikers and legislate full employment rights from day one.
And while Congress supported renationalisation of the railways as a demand to be implemented early in the life of a Labour the demand for renationalisation of all privatised companies was easily kicked into touch.
The conference seemed to be easv going for the bureaucracy. Delegates were complaining that the week was the quietest for years.
But then things suddenly got out of control. On the Wednesday, three different attacks on the trade unions were ing mutually contradictory resolutions on the minimum wage, an event of potentially long term importance took place on the fringe.
This was the first public event organised by supporters of trade union left organisations since their representatives first met together in February this year on the initiative of the Socialist Teachers Alliance.
These lefts vary greatly in their politics, practice, and degree of influence within their respective unions. Togethel they organise in unions representing a large percentage of TUC affiliated unons.
The meeting was attended by 45 delegates and visitors from various British unions and Nigerian and Irish trades unionists. It was hosted by Alan Runswick, national secretary of the PTC Broad Left.
He stressed the importance of bringing lefts from different unions together to discuss common problems and initia• tives. Jimmy Nolan of the Liverpool dockers also addressed the meeting.
Bernard Roome Secretary of the Communication Workers Broad Left introduced the discussion.
He outlined the different types of lefts in the unions and the principles upon which iefts should be built. He explained the necessity to build lefts which were as the vehicle for an important announcement on curtailing the right to Though Blunkett back-tracked slightly at the meeting itself, it cannot be long before his proposals for some form of binding arbitration (ie. banning strikes) resurface.
While Blunkett was speaking, Blair launched his attack. His call for fresh ballots if employers make improved offers was both a specific attack on the CWU's handling of the postal dispute and a threat to all future strikes.
And within hours Stephen Byers fired his fish-restaurant salvo. It was no idle or misplaced remark.
It is clear that his threat to break the link between the Labour Party and the unions is at the heart of the New Labour UNISON's Rodney Bickerstaffe strategy. Put together the attacks have omv one nocaole Determined to prove itself as a party prepared to stand up to the unions, New Labour is increasingly floating itself as a cross-class party. But they are also frightened that ordinary workers want to see real change under a Labour government: Blair's team sees the failure of Step foward for trade union lefts By nunu jomee The lefts must be open and democratic, not be slate machines, but campaigning organisations not based on personality but on programme.
The lefts must be open and democratic, not the old invite-only lefts (such as currently exists in the TGWU). They must not be slate machines, but campaigning organisations which take the issues to the membership.
He envisaged a federation of lefts being built on these principles not only in unions where they currently exist, but also in unions where they currently do not yet exist Two TGWU General Executive Committee members present revealed John Edmonds ference. Going beyond the usual suspects, even GMB chief John Edmonds and Monks were provoked into questioning Blair's actions. Edmonds even suggested that shadow ministers should carry a black box recorder during briefing sessions.
But do not be fooled: they share Blair's aims. Their anger was only at being slighted, and the questioning of their ability to hold the rank and file in check. They will try to contain the dam12C The left must seize hold of the space that has been opened up between the Labour and trade union bureaucracies to our advantage. Union leaders like the CWU's Alan Johnson and GMB's Edmonds have been crucial to Blair's 'modernising' offensive. Now he is kicking them in the teeth.
This new tension notched up modest policy gains at the TUC. A campaign to defend the link must be put together in the next few weeks and forced onto the floor of Labour's conference. These contests are setting the stage for the real battles to come if Blair wins the next erechon. the moves by the T&G leadership to withdraw support from the dockers and the necessity to resist this. Both agreed that ditching the dockers would mean that a new onen and democratic left would have to be built.
It is clear that support for the pro. posed federation is taking off amongst left trades unionists, impatient of the constant rightward gallop of our leaderships and that the February 1997 conference promises to be the most important left trade union event since the miners'