SMTUC to campaign on right to strike, welfare state
Socialist Outlook1990sScanned print read by OCR, and not yet proofread: expect run-together words, dropped letters and, where a piece began partway down a page, a few lines of its neighbour. The printed page is the authority.
THE SOCIALIST Trade Union Movement (SMTUC) steering committee, meeting on June 18, adopted two major campaigning priorities in line with the decisions of the SMTUC February conference.
It was decided to give strong backing to the decision by the Lambeth Trades Council to launch a major labour movement conference at the end of the year in defence of the right to strike.
This priority was decided because of the new situation created bv the recent court decision on a proposed national NATHE strike, where the judge set down conditions for the hoiding of a postal bailot (accuracy of members names and addresses to within 10 people!) which are aimost impossibie for an union to meet.
It was also decided. in fine with the recent decisions of the June Socialist Campaign Group Network conterence, to organise a major conference in the spring of next year, together with other organisations, in defence of the welfare state.
A speaker from the United Ac-" Official OH The meeting, at which officers were to be re-elected, had to deal with a situation created by four of the outgoing officers, who ai:nounced that because of disagreements with the SMTUC'S February conference decisions, they would not stand for re-election.
They also announced in a letter to affiliates that they had split off the 'Unshackle the Unions' campaign. and would run it as their own. This was condemned by the meeting, since 'Unshackle the Unions' has always been an integral part of the SMTUC, which launched and built it.
At the end of the meeting a new executive of nine people was elected.