UPW chiefs 'strangle' pay law debate

last-minute effort to complete our total, step up the fight to. day.

It is vital that we do. The more thousands of workers from every industry take up the fight to defend their standard of living, the more the cowardly reformist and Stalinist trade union leadership do everything possible to avold a decisive fight against the Tory government.

day to bulld an alternative leadership throughout the trade union and labour movement. Everywhere workers are looking for a leadership that Is determined to take this fight forward. We are determined that all sections of trade unionists will be united In common action to make this government resign.

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Emergency motions condemning the laws were ruthlessly cleared off the agenda. All attempts. to put them back were crushed.

However delegates were allowed to agree a lp-a-week increase in contributions to raise 'remuneration to active union members'-from branch officer to executive level.

And there was applause when London overseas telephonist John Haylett rose to draw attention to this branch secretary would receive £200 a year extra under the new proposals, Haylett calculated.

'If the government's pay freeze FROM DAVID MAUDE IN BOURNEMOUTH is allowed to continue unchallenged by the trade union movement, that's £200 more than our members will get.' He accused the executive of 'strangling' the pay debate.

Delegates also applauded a demand from Stoke-on-Trent postman Alf Flower that the UPW general secretary made a statement on the progress of the union's wage claim-pointing out that executive members had iust been voted a pay rise of £8 a The most likely explanation for yesterday's astonishing moves is stase deal Workers is trying to do a back- mOaT the Union of Post Office stage deal with the government over its £5 across-the-board pay claim.

One proposal under discussion. I understand, is that the union will accept the fl plus the 4 per cent Phase One ceiling in return for special treatment under Phase Three.

Tom Jackson, UPW general secretary, has already criticized the TUC for its refusal to talk to the government about Phase Two of its statutory pay controls.

Any move to condemn them, on behalf of the union's 200,000 members, would therefore be extremely embarrassing to the executive's clandestine manoeuvres.

Three branches attempted to break through the bureaucratic stone-walling yesterday.

First they were told their resolutions were 'not admissible' because they were not part of the business the conference was called to discuss.

When they tried to challenge this ruling, from the standing orders committee, UPW chairman Beryl Treble wheeled up the leadership's second-line 'The chairman's ruling is not challengeable,' she declared. A SHAM FIGHT OR A REAL FIGH SHAN they conveniently omit from their 'left' speeches all reference to the international crisis of capitalism, which lies behind the Tory offensive.

It is the trade war launched by the United States and Japan which has forced the European standards, attack wages, create capitalists to come together in the Common Market, forced then to slash workers' living unemployment and seek to remove every gain the working class has made over the the last 200 years.

This means the only way win the wages fight against Tory government and its l IWS Afterwards | talked three delegates involved.

Jim Birnie, from the Edinburgh outdoor branch, had wanted to move a motion rejecting the Tory incomes policy as a 'basic challenge to the rights advance workers' interests and a step to the corporate state' His branch's motion also urged the speedy recall of the TUC to unite the trade union movement to defeat the government's policies.

'It's disgraceful,' he said platform's decision.

"This would definitely been carried.' Jock Cowan, from the Paddington No. 1 branch in London. was 'disgusted' by the block which had been put on his motion.

He had wanted to go to the rostrum to 'deplore and utterly condemn' the Tories' continued attack on working-class living standards.

Jock's branch was 'alarmed at the negative attitude of the TUC and the majority of the trade union leaders, in failing to use the power of the trade union movement to force the government to abandon its wages policy.

It wanted the UPW executive to consider immediate action against the pay laws.

From Andover amalgamated branch, Peter Curtis was not surprised by the turn of events. but felt the union leadership had to be challenged on this vital issue.

His branch had wanted the executive to 'do all in its democratic power to oppose such iniquitous, totalitarian legislation'. • Fred Moss, UPW treasurer, estimated the total cost of the union's new financial arrangements at £150,000. The contribution increases will be expected to cover more than half of this. The union's chairman will get £500 a year extra as a result of the proposals.

is to bring that government down. That can only be done by uniting the whole working class in a General Strike. The trade union leaders must be forced to do this.

Such a campaign requires the leadership of a revolutionary party. That is the purpose of transforming the Socialist Labour League into the revolutionary party this year.

It is the purpose also of our igeant of Labour now launched South Wales, Lancashire the rth east and London. Hundreds workers are being involved re-enacting their own history