This year's TUC was not just routine Congress. The invitation to CBI director general Howard Davies to address the conterence, and the unconditional re-admittance of the scab EETPU, mark more than a deepening ot new realism.
Coming after Labour's fourth election defeat in a row, these two decisive moments of the 124th TUC herald a fundamental political realignment of the British trade union and labour bureaucracy.
Labour leader John Smith attended only the General Council dinner and slipped away the same evening Arrogant In his address, Howard Davies arrogantly called on a movementbattered by 4 million job losses and daily victimisation, to accepta pay freeze in the public sector so that wage levels could compete with those in Korea and Taiwan!
Only 50 delegates followed Arthur Scargill in walking out when the CBI boss rose to speak.
The course which is now being charted by the TUC is towards breaking with Labour and active participation in the competitive rationalisation of British industry. A nasty British version of business unionism is achieving political ascendency.
Behind Confederation of British InThe tone of the week was set by the first composite resolution 'The Future Role of the TUC' in which AEEU leader Bill Jordan laid out the new agenda. I'he strength of the unions, saic Jordan, the world of work'; thus it shouldn't deal with social issues such as lesbian and gay rights. roie of the TUC isn't to address industrial issues - that is for individual unions in their dealings with employers.
User-friendly
Rather, the way for the TUC to become user-friendly and deliver a quality service is to become a centre of excellence on health and safety, pensions and low pay. It should develop relationships with the bosses, and the national and international legislators through the European Community.
Again this project to permanently de-gut the TUC and turn it into a servicing agency for the big four or five unions, the left could only muster calls for 'maintenance of strong, effective international and European trade union relationships, or in the case of the EPIU a call for the AEEU to be better behaved vis-a-vis the smaller The TUC will now set up an office in Brussels. But Jordan made it clear that the AEEU, which increasingly is setting the agenda for the TUC, has no faith in either the corporatist economic model of Germany Arthur Scargill - not only walks on water but also walks out of the TUC and Sweden, or in the Maastricht social chapter, or indeed in European trade union links.
The business union rightwing no more wants to confront the European multinationals than it wants to take on the bosses here.
Not surprisingly the only person prepared to speak out and expose the nakedness of the centre and left at the conference was Arthur Scargill, in the crucial debate on employment law.
The composite on this issue was moved by Alan Jinkinson of NALGO, who made much of the provisional court ruling on the Newham dispute, in which NALGO had been banned from campaigning for a 'yes' vote in a strike ballot (the ruling has Davies made the terms of the deal Oh Boy! Buddy Holly lookalike Rodney Bickerstaffe presided as the CBI called for a public sector pay freeze back a single member. Threats Meanwhile the AEU continued their tactic of threatening to walk out if their EETPU colleagues were not re-admitted. By Thursday the NUJ had agreed to remit the motion but only after the GMPU print union, led by Tony Dubbins, had stabbed them in the back. Dubbins was only able to this with the active supportof the Morning Star supporters in his delegation. Ledby Communist Party of Britain (CPB) general secretary Mike Hicks, they refused to fight for the NUJ position, allowing Dubbins to effect the sell-out.
Done in the interests of 'unity of the movement and 'one trade union centre in Britain', this actually meant unity on Jordan's or Gallagher's terms.
The Morning Star bizarrely reported this stitch-up with the headline 'Bridlington Rules OK'; bizarrely because the deal sanctioned poaching against the spirit of Bridlington, and because in any case Bridlington will be banned by the new wave of anti-union laws.
The Morning in desperate financial straits, is very keen to get cash from trade union leaders; Bickerstaffe, Knapp and Cameron all attended their 'relaunch'.
In the midst of this headlong rush to the right the Unshackle the Unions' campaign held a fringe meeting addressed by, among others, Joe Marino of the Baker's union, Billy Pye of the NUM EC, the sacked Manchester guards, and an representative of OILC.
The message of the meeting, chaired by NUJ president Jim Boumellha, was that the only option for rank-and-file trade unions is to fight back.
Meanwhile tha General Council has invited employment secretary Gillian Shephard to address next year's Congress.
26 Sept, 1992