creates a cific ways than for the trade union movement as a whole.
It is unclear what is in store.
A statement by Stephen Byers that Parcel Force could be in line or at least partial privatisation was swiftly denied by CWU Head Of. Nice. But Blair's further shift on the privatisation issue at the outset of the campaign at the very least puts a question mark over previous pledges BT is unlikely to be part of Gordon Brown's windfall tax, despite its continued massive monopoly prof. its. Motions at this year's WU conference to support this exclusion should be thrown out.
BT management clearly favoured a Labour victory in the hope of a relaxation of the "asymmetry rule which prevents BT from rivaling the new Cable and Wireless cable company and Sky in offering home entertainment services.
This would make its laying of f. bre optic cable network more prof. itable. The CWU Telecoms leadership which brokered the deal" has placed much rellance on this outcome in the hope of more jobs (and union members!) being generatoo But C&W will mount a major hallenge, including in the Courts to mit BT's freedom to destroy its smaller competitor. Much of any additional work would be carried out by and union contractors. The cancer of sub-contracting is already eating into BT's workforce after yet another recent retreat by the union leadership on their further Resolutions on re-nationalisation of BT and of action against contraccors are high on the ageoda.
A new factor is BT's merger with the US Teico MCI at the management level is already well advanced, with the notoriously anti-union MCI management playing a Ilsproportionately big role in the moving to reduce lay full timers' new organisation. sT is already , facility time.
BT is introducing "trading units"
(internal markets) which if not fought at the outset by national actions being undermined by threats of undercutting and job loss.
The 31 sacked Critchley Labels workers are still campaigning for their jobs back and for trade union recognition. However Blair's proposals on trade union recognition, even when introduced, wil not be made retrospective.
A welcome innovation this year will be a "strategy" session in the Telecom conference. However the Telecom Executive's Idea of a strategy which revolves around a part. nership with BT and includes the suggestion of biennial union confer. ences should be thrown out.
Much of the interesting discussion wil be outside conference hat around who will run for General Secretary in 1998 and how she will be chosen after Alan Johnson's surprise elevation to Parilament.
The Broad Left which only has a base in Telecom will have to make arrangements for a common candi.
Socialist Outlook will be arguing for an open conference of the left to choose and campaign for such a candidate.
THOUSANDS of people stagBITORI