Fewer unions than expected joined Tory register

This Council leaders defying Reco WHEN THE Tories' Chief Registrar of Trade Unions and Employers' Associations took office, he expected 25 per cent of TUC-affiliated unions would register in line with the Industrial Relations Act, he disclosed in his first report yesterday.

In the event less than half that percentage - 17 unions out of 140—have so far failed to comply with the TUC's deregistration policy.

The report covers only the period from the beginning of Registrar, September last yeat farquharson sentemper when the Keith, took office, and March 31.

At the end of March, 29 of the smaller TUC unions had said probably they would register and four had postponed a decision. But 100 organizations had registered themselves provisionally as 'unions' within the meaning of the Act, and there were 164 such bodies on the permanent register.

There were also 105 employers' organizations on the and 141 on the permanent registers.

'Since that date,' the report says, 'a number of organizations have left the registers and a number have been added, and there will be further fluctuations.

'But a minimum of 500 entries (about 260 unions and 240 employers' organizations) seems likely to represent the registry's general field of operations during its first year week the TUC General started interviewing of the 17 unions who are its policy. nmendations will be put to the annual conference at Brighton in September.

Some TUC officials feel that a number will face a serious threat of expulsion, but there will clearly be a bitter battle between right and left before this occurs.

The Keith report, however, confines itself mainly to the issue of registration of staff associations.

It discloses the general principles the Registrar adopts in deciding whether such organizations can be considered "independent'-a registration requireThe working method he has adopted is to assess the scale of activities the members of these staff associations appear to require of their organization, and then determine to what extent these activities were carried on at the employers' expense rather than out of the members' own contributions.

Where an organization could not apparently maintain its existing level of service to its members if the employer decided to withdraw his support, there would be difficulty in satisfying the Registrar that it was independent,' says the report.

'On the other hand, the existence of financial reserves sufficient to permit the organization to continue to function for as long as might be necessary to re-organize its affairs would be a factor to be taken into account.

'As the Registrar's inquiries progressed, it appeared that staff associations were in a state of evolution. Some were so heavily dependent on the resources of an employer that the ability of the organization to arrive freely at its own decisions and follow its own line of action must be hreatened by the power the molover might exert tol inter. vene in its affairs.

*In such instances the Registrar has been unable to pronounce himself satisfied as to independence.

'Other associations already appreciated the danger to their own interests of such a state of financial dependence. and had taken steps to rid themselves of it. Others again have put forward proposals which, if implemented, may quality them for registration in due course.' The Registrar claims that registration is a means of providing a service of considerable (though hitherto less emphasized) significance to the members of registered organizations and to the organizations themselves.

To the individual, he says, registration offers a set of rules which • take account of the Industrial Relations Act's conception of natural justice and good administration. His obligations and rights are clearly defined and NOW WEEKLY The eight-page youtr paper which leads the ment for the gainst the Tory govern ir the right to work, tories, schools and on dole queues.

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Address if his rights are infringed he can call on the registrar to help him. • Among the TUC unions already interviewed by: the General Council are the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, the Association Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs and the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation.

Both USDAW and ASTMS are believed to have argued against harsh discipline on the grounds their policies were pushed through at the annual conference against recommendations from the executive. ISTC narrowly failed in a recent ballot to gain the two-thirds majority necessary for deregistra«EP» EF™ OFFICIAL WEIKLY PAPEN ATURDAY OF THE YOUNG SOCIALIETS Plenty of news, views and features at 3p a copy.

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