Such a polite suspension

Workers Press no. 860, 5 September 1972 · scan page 12

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THE TUC voted overwhelmingly yesterday to suspend 32 unions which have registered under the Industrial Relations The unions, with a combined membership of just under 500,000, will remain suspended until they come off the register. If they remain on they can expect to come up for expulsion next year.

Three card votes on individual appeals by unions against suspension showed clear majorities of between 5,935,000 and 7,436,000. Show-of-hand votes on the other six unions which took advantage of their right to appeal were also overwhelming.

The suspended unions remained in their seats until the end of the session, but were asked not to come back today.

Replying to the appeals, Victoi Feather said that in the last analysis the decision was one of principle, and not so much one of detail.

'Don't let us forget that when the rope has been stretched far enough the majority has the right to decide', he told delegates.

Delegates of the Confederation of Health Service Employees Ltd earlier walked out slow handclap after general secretary Lynch had mounted the rostrum to announce. I am here vesty, not take part in this tra- to tell you this is not an appeal.

The arrogance of the right was best expressed, however Bill Hogarth of the National Union of Seamen, who said: 'We consider we are a special industry needing special treatment'.

The seamen had been exempt from various Acts in the past and the Tories had given them special permission for a closed shop under the Industrial Relations Act. For this reason his conference had voted to register.

Hogarth attacked 'the sort of unity that grows out of the barrel of a gun' and he asked 'are you judging this case on the dictates shallow fundamentalism those of Tolerance Syne'., was in danger traditional as of being choked, he said.

Bank employees' leader Leif Mills pointed out that his union had supported the Industrial Relations | Bill in 1971 and the Act at its conference this year.

'Who is to dictate union policy?' he asked. 'Is it to be the members of the individual unions majority at a particular time the Gerald Croasdell, of Actors' Equity, appealed on the grounds that Equity was 'defending its very existence by registering and seeking a closed shop under the He hoped the enough Calle prove "big allow Equity to continue in membership, despite its registration.

Many of the unions on the TUC's list made no attempt to defend themselves.