No fans of picketing at the best of times: AEEU boss "Sir" Ken Jackson and his would-be merger mate, MSF's Roger "Expenses" Lyons Alan Thornett - at the TUC WHEN the TUC Congress opened 1n Glasgow September 11, little notice was taken of the fuel blockades which had been gathering over the weekend.
The conference was going Wiard through its routine business, a bit like watching paint dry. pen at the conference. endorsed the restoration of the link of state pensions with wages, and supported the resolution from the TGWU for scrapping the voucher scheme for asylum This can be used by those mobilising against the voucher scheme to step up their vital campaign especially in the unions.
But these were social issues, not requiring the union leaders to do anything industrially or confront any employrelationship with the bosses, ers. Wnen it came to down to CHILLY it was social partnership all the way. The conference was GMB, drenched in this reactionary framework.
When it came to the formal session on social partnership, on Tuesday, there was little for the platfoim to say. In fact it was over in five minutes. The mover said how important it was to continue and buiid on the social partnership decisions of previous CLUV. conferences, and that was it. There was no discussion from the floor, and the conference passed on to next The only thing which broke the tedium that day was the debate over Britain's enthusiasm John Edmonds, from the Euro.
moving General Council resolution, led the the resolution, pack demanding the earliest possible entry. He accepted that immediate entry was not strong on, given the high value of European the pound, but called for the model!
of sterling be NATHE brought down as tapidly as possible to facilitate early Multinationals He was backed to the hilt by the AEEU's Sir Ken Jackson. Tony Dubbins from GPMU state. followed him by arguing that Replying the alternative to the Euro was multi-national capital - a the last year, we would have strange argument given the made no gains at all for our of European members" multi-national capital for the wonder why?
By the following day the Three unions spoke against COULLY had two very petrol, and the TUC high strongly. UNISON opposed command began to catch on shere stop by toe sing that something was happenthe ing. Picket lines were about to bring the country to a halt! This had to be stopped at all comprehen- costs, it could catch on. Not sively opposed the Euro and only that there was a threat to democratic system." So according to the TUC it Well well well. I is fundamentally wrong to pressurise a government to change course by industrial of Get alone bring it down) because that would be an attack on democracy! Clearly there is not much future for the unions in the public sector under that doctrine. demands Monks was backed to the hilt by TGWU chief Bill Morris, whose union represents the majority of directly employed tanker drivers at the refineries - many of them long since derecognised by the oil companies.
He told the conference: "This campaign has crossed the line from democracy into anarchy. If they are breaking the law, the protesters should be arrested".
New laws No wonder Blair was soon talking about new laws to ensure the transportation of fuel as an essential service. Monks and Morris had left the door wide open. In the end it was not new laws which came out of the joint talks between the oil companies the government and the unions (although new laws are still not ruled out). But there was an agreement that fuel would be treated as an essential service: a policy that would prevent tanker drivers laking action to defend their own wages and conditions. Yet again Congress indicated the importance for the left in the unions of building fighting opposition to the perncious doctrine of social partnership.