A national conference of rank-and-file delegates from the engineering industry has committed itself to the fight for a national strike if the employers fail to meet the current engineering workers' claim.
Over three hundred militants met last Sunday in Birmingham, at the call of the rank-and-file paper Engineering Voice, the main instrument of the organised left in the engineering union. The conference was attended by all the lefts' of the AUEW Executive Council, including President Hugh Scanlon himself, who delivered the opening address.
By far the most important question facing the conference was the fight for the engineers' claim for a £10 DEMONSTRATE peasants SUNDAY Assemble Speakers Labour Party (sponsored Liberation) wage increase, 35 hour week, 4 weeks paid holiday and equal pay for women. Scanlon put the key question directly what action is to be taken if the claim is not met? But he had no answer except a series of vague generalities, which added up to a roundabout way of saying he was in favour of local struggles.
Speakers from the floor were reluctant to clash directly with Scanion. They talked about 'the kind of struggle the miners conducted and "national industrial action', rather than coming right out and saying what had to be said: nothing short of a national engineering strike can defeat the employers and the Tory government and win the claim.
Matters were only brought to a head (page 8, col 4) in solidarity with the workers and SPEAKERS CORNER: march to Chilean SEPTEMBER embassy.
and trade union movement.
INTERNATIONAL MARXIST - 2:15 pm.