Whose freedom?
TRADE UNIONS-1 ANNE KENT
The trade union leading the fight against Ford's pay agreement is Mr Hugh Scanlon's AEF. This article describes the AEF'S role in another cur- rent dispute.
Mrs Castle's White Paper, In Place of Strife, is receiving severe criticism from the trade unions. One of the provisions of the White Paper which seems to be totally unacceptable to the unions is the 'secret ballot' proposal. The AEF
in particular have pledged outright opposition
to any legislation which would restrict the free- dom of the trade unions. Whose freedom are the AEF worried about? A recent public opinion poll of trade unionists showed overwhelming
support for the secret ballot proposals.
The Vickers Barrow shipyard strike, now hanging on an eight month old demarcation dispute, is a classical example of the need for such legislation, and should merit the earliest possible attention of the Commission for In- dustrial Relations. Although superficially the Vickers saga bears a marked resemblance to a Brian Rix farce, both in longevity and in com- plexity of plot, there are far deeper implications in this apparently run of the mill demarcation dispute. Back in September the AEF threatened to 'black' work on all nuclear submarines, not only in Barrow but throughout the country. On 28 December, HMS 'Repulse,' Britain's second Polaris submarine, commissioned at Barrow three months ahead of time, was greeted with noisy demonstrations by the
AEF.
In October, loud-speaker vans were used by the AEF to influence union members who did not support the strike by 'warning householders that their neighbours were blacklegs.' During the fitters' strike I interviewed many house- wives in Barrow; all blamed 'a few agitating AEF members who were brainwashing their fel- low workmen for the situation in Barrow.' They claimed that 'a secret ballot would produce a speedy settlement.' On 2 February, Mr John Boyd wrote a letter to the local paper, bitterly attacking 'local communists and Trotsky-ites who were red character assassins, hawking dirty, untrue tales round about me.' He also complained, 'I was unable to call a mass meet- ing in Barrow because I was told that no hall could be provided.' On 7 February, Mr Frank Chapple, general secretary of the Electrical, Electronic and Telecommunications Union, said, '1 have no alternative but to call out 500 electricians in support of the plumbers. I blame the communist-dominated AEF for this inter- union dispute.' Mr. Eric Montgomery, local district secretary of the AEF, was not available to comment on these statements.
The result of the communist power game be- ing played in Barrow by a handful of highly- trained political agitators is that, despite vitally important government contracts, which include building nuclear submarines and the world's first gas turbine powered destroyer, Type 42, unless a peace settlement can be negotiated Vickers's shipyard will inevitably close.
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