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Polling ends in just three weeks' time for the general secretaryship of the powerful engineers' section of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.

The contest is, in the main, a straight fight between the president, right-wing incumbent . Jim Conway and one of the union's assistant general secretaries, Ernie Roberts, who is unchallenged on the left.

With the AUEW in crisis over its wages policy and the Industrial Relations Act now in daily use against the unions, the poll clearly assumes big political importance.

Defeat of the Tory government is placed by Roberts at the centre of his election address.

'The Tory employers and their government are the alack against the living standards of our members,' he writes.

'They have increased prices, fares and rents; created 1.25 million unemployed; refused a substantial old-age pension; kept 1l million people in slums; withdrawn free milk from school children.' Union leaders have •a big responsibility 'the struggle against Tory • big business', he savs. It is important to elect a general secretary who will give his undivided support to this union, Roberts' address goes on, needs a united leadership if it is to defeat the government on the Industrial Rela= tions Act, the Common Market and other issues. 'We must... return Labour government which will carry out socialist policies.' Roberts also launches a fierce attack on his chief opponent's record, particularly as editor of the monthly 'AUEW Journal', which he alone controls.

'Why, ' - the address asks, •do we read in his journal editorial (November 1971) that "only government action can restrain both wages and prices on an equitable basis"? He should know that our union's policy is against government interference in wage negotiations..

'Again, in his journal editorial (October 1971), he wrote: "Each strike, no matter how costly to the workers or the nation, is always hailed victory, regardless of the outcome. Strikes never did and never will cure our industrial problems."

'What does he expect members to do?' Roberts asks. •Plead and pray? Accept anything from the employers?

'The AUEW is now faced with the Industrial Relations Act and its disastrous effects on union finances', he writes.

The national committee and executive 'decided not to register and fought against the Industrial Relations Bill'. The members demonstrated and loyally supported the one-day strikes against No "Then why did the general secretary hand over the journal (December 1970) to Robert Carr, Secretary of State for Employment, to advocate the Bill?.

general secretary, in his editorial in that same issue, criticized those members and officials who were advocating national token stoppages against the Bill. It was because there was no united action by the whole of the trade union movement that the Industrial Relations Bill became law.' Jim Conway himself, who will be in for life if he wins this time, takes his stand in his address firmly on the preservation of capitalişm.

AUEW cardholders be 'responsible members gineering industry', he 'The future of our movement depends upon our success as an industrial nation, he writes. I believe that with the right kind of leadership in government, industry and the trade unions that future will be assured.

'We will achieve for our members that which they so rightly deserve-the highest standard of living in Europe.' The kind of leadership Conway thinks 'right' is well known.

An ardent supporter of the Common Market, he last week described as 'a tragedy' the resignation of Roy Jenkins, MP as deputy leader of the Labour The 'AUEW Journal' frontpaged a big portrait of -Jenkins the month after he and 68 other MPs kept the Tories in office by voting with them on the Market.

Conway is also a key figure in the Trade Union Committee for Europe, which through its connection with the shadowy European Movement receives finance from big business and the Tory government.

He apparently sees no contradiction between this and the pledge in his address to do everything in my power to defeat this partisan and destructive Tory government and to work for the return of a Labour government'.

A large part of Conway's address rehearsal of given over .to This organizational work as general secretary/ This features the claim: 'I have proved that the computerization of agreements is no longer fantasy.

Greater rationalization 'It is fact,' Conway writes, "the benefits of which can be of great value to us all, provided we can obtain maximum benefit. and efficiency from this service. This will mean a greater rationalization within the trade union moveHe declares that he is 'not unmindful of the' unemployment affecting our members and the nation'.

Then comes the following comment: "This is why I have had an exercise carried out covering all districts.

'We now know the situation in any industry or area and can begin to tackler the problem as it should be tackled, with complete knowledge of the facts, not with slogans or demonstrations.

It appears that this is something of a pet theme since the next paragraph has Conway refusing to 'believe or accept that our members want slogans or demonstrations'.

The only woman candidate, Mrs Nora Bance, from Chatham, makes 'no claim to fame, just hard work in a local factory'. Her father was, until his retirement, general secretary of the Tobacco Workers' Union.

Other candidates include Sam Jones, convenor of the Metal Box factory at Neath: John Llewellyn, of Farnborough: Stan Smith, from the Port Talbot steelworks: and John Wilkinson, of Hartlepool.

Tom Kidd, of Brighton, is a modest man.

'Dear fellow members, he opens, 'after much careful thought, and at the insistent persuasion of my colleagues, I present myself for election with all due humility, fully appreciating the diffidence that many old campaigners will entertain about supporting the comparatively unknown.' He concludes: 'If you believe in progress and sanity I am sure you will cast your vote for, not me, someone who thinks this way.' Also in the lists are Fred Aldridge, of . Blackburn, and Eastleigh's Derek Bedford. Neither of these submit any manifesto at all. secretaryship-top:

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