Editorial
Over and above the defeats inflicted by the Tories and the reactionary character of the trade union leaderships, the anti-union laws are probably the single most important factor holding back the class struggle.
At the end of March a major conference against the anti-union laws takes place. Such an initiative is long overdue.
Every dispute which has broken out in recent years has been hampered by these laws and the restrictions they place on solidarity action.
Many more have not taken place because of the hoops which have to be jumped through before action is "allowed". Whereas previously action would have been almost instantaneous, the laws now prescribe long balloting and notice periods which make it easier for bosses to prepare for any action and for union bureaucrats to fend off action by protracted negotiations.
Indeed, one of the major effects of the anti-union laws has been to provide a smokescreen which union leaders can hide behind as an excuse for not acting in the interests of their members.
Most union leaderships, and especially the TUC, have refused to campaign against the anti-union laws, let alone challenge them by supporting, or even refusing to distance themselves from, action by their members which falls foul of the laws.
No Question
They are not prepared to question the Labour governments retention of the laws, preferring to concentrate solely on improving the law on union recognition, as if recognition could somehow be separated from the ability to use it effectively.
There has not been a systematic campaign against the laws. The Free Trade Unions Campaign, launched last year, showed the support that exists on the issue and the possibilities for an effective campaign.
This has been somewhat overtaken by the initiative to call the "Reclaim Our Rights" conference. This has won the support of wide sections of the movement, including several national unions, many regions and countless branches and trades councils. However, other parts of the movement, which might have been expected to support, have been more sceptical. This is because the initiative for the conference comes from the Socialist Labour Party.
The SLP's sectarian image, born out of its refusal to support any Labour candidates in the general election and to work with other forces in socialist alliances, solidarity work and other areas, is not without foundation. However, it appears to be adopting a relatively healthy approach to the building of this conference, holding open planning meetings for organisations sponsoring the conference, and inviting a broad range of speakers.
What is important is that the SLP does not succumb to the temptation to use the conference as a `party building' event rather than to launch an effective campaign. Such a campaign is well overdue, and it could be ruined if one organisation were to come to see it as its personal property. One way to prevent this happening is to ensure the broadest participation in the conference, to exert the maximum pressure to ensure an inclusive campaign is built.
The other, legitimate, concern about the conference is that it is planned to be more of a rally than the launch of a campaign which could turn the tide in the trade union movement. There are so many speakers invited that there will be next to no room for discussion from the floor of the way forward, and no provision is made for resolutions on the nature of the campaign which needs to be built.
Repeal
It is not enough to have a statement of basic aims to repeal the anti-union laws, to secure the introduction of new laws which enshrine the right to take action and for unions to write their own constitutions, and to support workers and unions threatened by the anti-union laws.
A lot more needs to be done - propaganda material made available, a campaign of resolutions in each union and to the TUC, a campaign in the Labour Party to raise the issue of repeal, demonstrations, lobbies etc. The danger is that the conference will be said to have launched the campaign and then very little will happen, although a national demonstration is apparently planned for the autumn.
There will need to be an attempt on March 28 to turn this around. There is also a proposal from the organisers to repeat the conference on a regional basis, this should be supported as a widening of the campaign, but should also be used to discuss more concretely the type of campaign which needs to be built.
The Reclaim our Rights conference should be supported, and every effort made to make it into an effective, broad, democratic campaign which can force the movement to get rid of the anti-union laws.
National Conference, Reclaim Our Rights, Repeal the Anti-Trade Union Laws, Sat 28 March, 11a.m.-4p.m. at Central Hall, Westminster, London.