The TUC's recent U-turn on the withdrawal of recognition for Trades Counols was a victory. But we can be sure that the General Counca will come forward with proposals in the forthcoming review which wil hardly enhance the independence of the Trades Council movement.
They have decided to rerun the election for the Trades Council Joint Consultative Committee (TCJCC), since it was elected at the ilegal not be easy to achieve as broad an agreement as perore So it is imocr tant for the left in the Trades Councils movement to be clear on their proposals The conference of Trades Councils chearty needs to be under the controf of the eturn to the past - where a TUC uresucrat dictates topics for discu: sion, ruling out anything outside TUC policy - would be unacceptable.
Further, the conference chou no a orelha con mittee with a mandate to carry out decisions. contrast, the TCJCC, on which TUC General Council members sit, is designed to prevent any intiative cutside of their coetrol.
in practice, the majorty of TCs operate outside the "legal framework Laid down by the TUC. In.
olvement in campaigns against th outside TUC policy - - CHORAS SO Trades Councils' rules. The only reason that there has not been a crackdown on such activity is that 2 is so widespread Trades Councis reflect the state of the labour movement in the locality.
that man noribund, it is cis. Stil fewer are actively involved.
Revival
*Reviving the Trades Councis is therefore toked to tebulong th strength of the unions and developing cannot substitute for the efforts of the unions themselves.
strive to coordinate effogs directed at recruitment campaigns, robuild a tradition of solidarty. and aseert common class interests in opposition to the sectoralism and parochialism nourished by new hokling GPs hold major hospitals to ransom, threatening to send patients elsewhere unless jumping Tast-track' treatment. Nobody explains how this couls work when everyone can jump the queue at coce • As first wave opted out hospitals wrestle with predictable financial crises - announcing cutbacks, redundancios second wave of over 100 applicants presents their documents, many of them complete with delberate omis sions, fiddled Egures and hopes of wafer-thin surplises. The Workers Organisation for Socialist Action Is sending Carl Brecker, it's General Secretary, to Britain to popularise the struggle for class politics in anisation in the South Africar beration movement, has grown in lesos ano bounos over recent years. The organisation has stepped Into the vacuum lett by organisations such as the ANC for a class struggle opposition to apartheld.
While Mandela and others commano massive respeci amono ine South African working class, many question their strategy for deleatIng the racist regime. The keystone of the ANC's approach has been an altempt to negotlate an end apartheld with De Klerk But time and again, the Natlonal Party's representatives have tried maintain while No. 9 a hall-bakeo altempt to evaoo the entral issue of inadequate cash for the #HS. Instead, by diverting resource: into pombess new vers of coreauctasy they have made the problem worse.
Will John Maior survive a winter of vince the punters that he realy does support this one part of the public seo tor while dismantling and privatising everything olse?
Much wil depend on the effective ness of Labour's campalaning on the issue. Enough said! privileges the cornerstone of apartheld. South Africa's traditional blende such as Britein and the USA, may have been ready to accept the new 'non-racist thetoric. But the souln sincen movement has not been so easily base in the black community on basis of an anti-apartheld strategy based on class strucale. It is this message that Carl Brecker will be bring to Britain In his twoweek four of meetings.
The tour will take in a dozen Swansea to Glasgow and may visit reland. It will end up 'Socialism in the new world order" rally organised by Socialist Outok where recker will be speak Ing with Fourth International eader Ernest Mandel and author details will be in the next Issue of Socialist Outlook.
Oct. 12, 1991
International News
South African socialist comes to Britain by Patrick Baker