DELEGATES who cheered Len Murray's openinglatest gesture in support of striking magnificent 17p donated to the \L'M collection at the entrance of the conference hall. What they were applauding was a union president's claim that last year's industrial action had been a total waste of time.
Despite the real setback telephone have suttered in the last lz months, this year saw no sharp right turn. Rather it was a mixed bag of a conference. Despite big probien will mousta acuo last year, a broad left exbut with a slightly reduced overall vote.
Two 'left' candidates, Tony Young Doug Raftery dropped from the BL slate after they voted wiin the right drop action on Mercury last autumn, and opposed alternative BL candidates nad reduced majorities (down 32,000 22,000 respectively).
Two others similarly dropped. were unopposed by alternative candidates and had slightly increased day speech at last week's Post Office Engineering Union conference were blissfully unaware of his miners:
speech against the right wing A resolution from the Services orancul badly attected by the collapse of last year's acallisl — a censure ot ine executive, demanding that the poor conditions on which ecto work berencrollatcu - was defeated, with BL support.
on or vallsallull saW lIU assessment of the and obvious problems the selective industrial action campaign experienced No further industrial However, a resolution for of the union's pay claim was overwhelmingly carried.
This year first time that details of the negouanol nave Deen made public the Manage. ment are offering a differential award of between 4.2 and 4.7 per cent. The CACCULVC SCL Vi a Lulce. point proposal to reject the otter and engage in industrial action for a claim oi eight per cent.
similar vell resolution from the right, Lo paol me memer sale before any strike action, . Calu Even by 96 000r0 30ming vote to renominate John Golding for the Parly NEU is not a total setback. It is the first time unal conrerence, as oppos ed to the Political vianazemenl commmtiee (a sub-committee of the executive), has taken the decision. It provides an opportunity in the future to persuade rank and file members to support lett candidates.
Telephone are far from defeated after their unsuccessful action against But lacked a clear Da ance shee selective action failed. Neither the executive HOl cha B 25e lessoe ha ve drawn lessons HaSt year. Until they do, the left mood of conserenice which reriecis the optimism generated by the miners will not be turned into a •cal unaerslanding or now to protect jobs and save telephone services. 050Г ПИРО ЗІ