On every vital question facing the trade union movement, 'left' Clive Jenkins and the executive of the Association of Scientific, Technical • and Managerial Staffs covered up for the right-wing policies of the Labour Government when the union met in conference at Eastbourne last weekDespite Jenkins' show vote on the TUC General Council against Healey's pay swindle, he is bitterly opposed to organising any action against these pay laws. He prefers to moan that nothing has been fortheoming from the other side.
By failing to come out openly against all incomes policies under capitalism, by leaving the door open for a deal if Healey would only offer some "concessions", and by refusing to discuss action to fight the pay laws, Jenkins and his cohorts simply acted as aides to the right wing. Indeed, on incomes policy Jenkins made it clear where his friends really are as he whined: *1 do not like the people who are supporting me."
Nasty Clearly he does not like those people who are fighting the right wing. In a particularly nasty display of witch-hunting, Jenkins insisted that Tony Kelly was not a member of the union, thundering: •We do not want to get involved in Trotskyist politicking in Newham North East.' These words must have encouraged Reg Prentice, an opponent of almost all the policy decisions reached by recent ASTMS conferences. The role of Jenkins and those members of the Broad Left who sided with the executive on this issue only gives aid and backing to the clique inside the Labour Cabinet who are imposing wage cuts and unemplovment on the working class. opposed last year's conference call for opposition to all cuts, the banning of private practice, and a fight for a sliding scale of health expenditure. The reference back was lost by only four votes, 233 to 229.
As Jenkins and his allies made left noises, and moved further to the right in practice, the open right wing gained ground inside the union. The results of the NEC elections showed that the Broad Left/Jenkins group had lost its majority. As they cling to each other's coat-tails, refusing to fight Callaghan's pro-capitalist policies, the right wing gain ground.
The united action of the revolutionary left in building the meeting for Tony Kelly shows the need for united action on all questions inside ASTMS and other unions. A fight back can and must be organised. The revolutionary left has a responsibility to initiate such united action.