and feminism Saturday 29th February, 10.30-6pm London Women's Centre 4 Wild Court, London WC2 (nearest tube Holborn)
Photo: Androw Ward groups to organise and campaign in the union be recogIn addition, demands were fully made for the rights of self-organisation for women, black members and lesbians and gay men; and for the rapid integration of manual and white collar structures.
A new report by NALGO's leadership goes to a special conference on 4 March (NUPE and COHE's leaders have chosen tains substantial advances.
It provides for an annual delegate conference, sions over the level of branch finances, some provision for self-organisation and a commitment to integration of struc tures.
Amendments submitted branches lemands about branch financial autonomy. and the proposal that branches collect dues themselves.
Stumbling block
Central collection of dues would ensure adequate branch vices. lack militant branches or rank and file political groupings.
Unfortunately there are no amendments proposed that would strengthen the commitment to women's self-organisation alongside the much-vaunted commitment to proportionality of women on elected bodies.
Opinion on the left has veered from the SWP, who seem to be moving to a position of opposition to all mergers, to advocates of 'One Big Union' who back merger inany circumstances. But most activists, includingSocialis!
supporters, have reserved judgement depending on the conditions.
There is still a lot to be fought of individual branches and for to make the conditions for merger right; but the process of merger should besupported. The left in the three unions, now woe divided, must work towards the formation of a democratic broad left encompassing all three unions.
Whatever the outcome of NALGO'sspecial conference, the unions remains to be persuaded. Many manual workers NALGO members primarily as managers.
Affiliation to the Labour Party is rejected by. many NALGO members. And inter-union rivalry in work places is comon The way to overcome division, and create a stable basis for unity, would be to mobilise the three unions in a common fight against low pay, cuts and jobs losses, and and conditions for manual and NALGO, NUPE and COHSE combined would have immense potential power. It remains to be want to use it to throw back all the Tory attacks on the publicserthe Pakistani Community Centre, in Longsight on 13 February.
The meeting was addressed by vanous religious lowers including an Imman from Ec cles who is himselt under threat of deportation.
the line up were black community leaders: rep resentatives from Labour Party Black Sections, the trade union movement, local radio, and representatives from the ARA nationally.
The launch must clearly be seen as a success and a step forward for the anti-racist movement in Manchester, as it was able to draw a wide layer f people, including man The local Asian com munity.
As with the national launci. of ARA however, the meeting was marred by the speakers from the national campaign.
Mare Wadsworth and ticularly Bhatti Patel both pose the national preoccupation of counterposing the ARA to the SWP dominated ANL, utilising as many false arguments and moralistic im peratives as possible in the PrOCESS Aside from this, the main problem with the launch was hat because the list of speakers was too long, the plan to have open discussion afterwards had to be aban doned and no future meetings or any other kind of acfivity was organised.
There are many good activists attracted to the ARA who must be supported in order to make sure that Manchesters ARA achieves its huge potential. ••• No. 17 • Feb. 29.
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