Outlook Socialist Outlook sends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Caroline Benn who died last month. Caroline was a dedicated and energetic fighter for socialism and equality, her contribution will be greatly missed by the many who were inspired by what she said and did. Geoff Sheridan Socialist Outlook sends its deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Geoff Sheridan who died of cancer on September 23 this year. Particular condolences go to Sam and Pat Masters and to Jackie Maxim.
Geoff was a brilliant campaigning journalist who worked on the International Marxist Group's paper Socialist Challenge in the 1970s, where his green pen became a legend.
He demanded the highest standards of professional journalism from those he worked with, rightly arguing that correct ideas are not enough to make a convincing argument.
Before working for Socialist Challenge he had written both for the tabloids and the Guardian - including its Women's page -covering a number of key stories from the controversy around educational methods at Islington's William Tyndale school, to the racism of British Leyland boss, Sir Richard Dobson.
Many of Geoff's articles made their point through giving a voice to ordinary people -often a more effective means of convincing readers than straightforward political argument.
Geoff went on to edit Free Press, the journal Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom and was a founder member of the Campaign against Racism in the media, for which he wrote a pamphlet " It Ain't Half Racist, Mum".
In 1981 he joined the editorial board of the Labour Party's magazine New Socialist as its business manager.
From 1987 until his death he worked in business planning for Hackney council.
Geoff had a real talent for making friends and an unusual commitment to those friendships - those many people whose lives were touched by his warmth very sorely miss him.
we Pete Cooper In January 1998 the European Commission removed all restrictions to competition in the EU telecommunications market. This was the starting gun in the multinationals' race for the gigantic anticipated profits in the convergent third generation of internet and mobile technologies, broadband ADSL transmission, bringing video quality via the traditional fixed copper telephone network The onrush of unbridled competition and massive restructuring of the industry is completely overturning the cosy world of management-union relations in the formerly nationalised monopolies such as BT and France Telecom.
But left union responses to the challenges thrown up by these developments are significantly different in the two companies. The Broad Left led CWU has adopted a traditional short term defensive trade union approach. It has failed to develop any long-term strategy, which could begin to challenge the neo-liberal offensive.
The far left-led union SUD union in France Telecom by contrast is attempting to develop a strategy which can both meet the immediate situation and decisively contribute to the reorganisation of the French trade union movement to confront the challenge.
BT is in a worse competitive and financial situation than France Telecom. This is primarily a result of its earlier privatisation and introduction of competition from the likes of Vodaphone in mobile, and Freeserve in internet provision.
To deal with its collapse in market share and profitability, BT is planning its conversion into a holding company and its operational divisions into subsidiaries quoted on the stock market, with the very real possibility of their total disInternational Socialist Group: www.3bh.org.uk/I International Socialist Group: www.3bh.org.uk/ISG posal.
Derecognition The consequences for the workforce are different and worse contracts in each of the new subsidiaries, and the possibility of eventual union derecognition in some or all of them. The CWU's response, unchallenged by the dominant Broad Left NEC majority was to welcome the plan as the lesser of two evils - the greater evil being total takeover of BT by a predatory anti-union multinational. In reality the BT plan actually increases the possibility of its wholesale break-up and its attendant consequences for the unions.
Faced with this situation the Broad Left at a specially convened meeting correctly identified the preservation of a unified contract as the key immediate objective, while attempting to prevent BT's breakup, and calling for the renationalisation of the telecom industry.
As several speakers pointed out, however, all experience shows that unions have had no success in preventing this type of financial operation. Once subsidiarisation is in •place the maintenance of common pay and conditions in different divisions faced with different market conditions will be next to impossible. Renationalis-ation remains at best a distant prospect in the current balance of forces.
But what is striking and depressing is the absence of any strategic discussion in the BL about how to challenge in social partnership in action, and the necessary reorganisation of the trade union move. ment to challenge its rightward gallop. Mobilisation around either industrial or broader issues is also virtually absent from its discussions.
Across the channel France Telecom is in a much "healthier"
position too is being rapidly eroded, albeit from a higher starting position. France Telecom is still making foreign acquisitions (it has recently bought Orange, has a quarter share in NTL the British cable operator, and is currently seeking to buy Freeserve), while BT is having to sell its foreign holdings to preserve s comesic position. Nevertheless FT is faced with a similar prospect to that of BT in no more than two years. It is adopting a similar strategy of subsidiarisation. Left-led The far left led union SUD-PTT, now the majority union in France Telecom is also discussing its responses. For them the issue is preservation of the civil service status of the majority of FT staff, which could be threatened by the further government sell-off of its holding. But the essential difference of approach between that of Sud and the Broad Left led CWU is on issues of strategy and mobilisation. Although SUD is a "breakaway" union in an already fragmented trade union scene, it is serious in attempting to address the issue of the reunification of the French trade union movement on an anti neo-liberal basis. It has played a central role in developing the "Group of 10" unions autonomous from the main increasingly partnership oriented trade union confederations. It is in serious discussion with the FSU the Outlook The working class is the backbone of unity among all: the exploited and oppressed. The work- autonomy. ing class and its allies must uncompromisingly fight against capitalism and for a clear programme of action in order to gradually acquire the experience and consciousness needed to defeat capitalism at the decisive The movements of women, lesbians and gay men, and black people to fight their parmain autonomous teachers' union about creating a new trade union confederation. The creation of such a confederation would enable real social and political pressure to bear to halt and reverse the drift toward adaptation to neo-liberalism of the Communist Party-led CGT Trade Union Confederation. If successful, the strategy of Sud could have major implications, not only for the French trade union movement, but for the whole of Europe, including Britain. This strategy is accompanied by the continuous mobilisation by Sud militants on a whole series of issues. Sud (in common with much of the French trade union movement it must be said will be mobilising several thousand for the Nice demonstrations. It has provided the organisational backbone for the mobilisations of the unemployment movement, and those of the sans papiers (undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers). Strategy It is time for the left in Britain -though in a far more difficult climate it is true - to begin to address these issues of strategy. We have to discuss how we can use our weight through developments such as the Socialist Alliances to seriously challenge the dominance of the TUC's craven social partnership approach, which is leading the British trade union movement deeper and deeper into the mire of a race to the bottom. What kind of Unions do we need? Solidarity Annual Meeting with Christophe Aguiton (SUD) JANUARY 13, 1pm-5pm ULU, Malet St, London WC1 (Euston tube) sential contribution to the struggle for a different society. They are organised around the principle "None so fit to break the chains as those who wear them". The whole working class needs to fully commit itself to these struggles. Furthermore we fight for a strategic alliance between workers and these organisations -an alliance which respects their legitimate By building simultaneously revolutionary organisations in each country and a revolutionary International, we aim to guide and encompass the global interests of the work ers and oppressed. By building a united struggle against exploitation and oppression we air to ensure the survival of the human race. If you think this is worth fighting for, and you like what you read in Socialist Outlook, why not join us? Drop a line to us at PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU, and we'll be