The Morning Star last Thursday commented sourly on the way the great *The meeting ended earlier than intended .... This was because the chairman, Mr Len Lever of the CPSA, declared the meeting closed when a suspended member of the NUT attempted to take the floor, with the backing of a section of the audience, to raise what appeared to be an interal problem within his union as a WEEKEY pamphlet 20p plus 12p påp from Red Books, Pentonville London N.1. Details of bulk rates from: Relgocrest, 97 Caledonian Road, London N.1.
By 20 November, £185 had been raised for the North West Red Weekly Centre in Manchester Donations of £30 from a TASS member and £10 rom 'a Rovers supporter • none this will nels kick the fascists out of Blackburn boosted A very successful bonfire party raised result of which some members had been suspended'.
Well, what really happened?
The scene is Central Hall, Wednesday night. The nth trade union leader is extolling the virtues of an 'alternative strategy without breathing a word of fighting the Social Contract. Fred Jarvis, General Secretary of the National Union Or reachers, Is aue neat Teachers from Little Ilford School, whom he has suspended from the union for striking against the cuts, are waiting to confront him. Perhaps he knows this. At any rate it's Charles Clarke of the National Union of Students, 'representative' of the jobless student teachers, who's wheeled out.
The teachers protest. They want to speak. Chairperson Lever reckons that a much depleted audience will not know what the fuss is about. So he tries to quick vote.
Democracy!
But the teachers have given out 40,000 About 220 socialist teachers attended an 'Open Conference' last weekend to discuss how best to unite the left in a fight against the policies of the Labour Government and their supporters in the NUT executive.
As a first step the conference was undoubtedly a success - it agreed upon a minimum basis of unity of the left, set up cemocrane sTucture.
Teachers Alliance, with regular conferences and an elected co-ordinating committee, and agreed to produce a regular journal to agitate for socialist policies and act as a forum of debate within the left. Three important steps were taken beyond the existing IS sponsored 'Rank and File organisation.
* It created a framework for democratic debate witnin ine icit - me mist co sential for united action in the union.
* It broke from the absurd posturing of Angry Little Ilford teacher demands right to speak at 17 November rally leaflets on the demonstration and the message has got through. They win the vote. Fred Jarvis appears like a miracle from the wings, confers with Lever, and the meeting is promptly closed!
The platform troops off and Charles Clarke, pursuing to the end his policy of alliances with the very bureaucracy which is refusing to fight for jobs, dutifully follows them. Only Ernie Roberts, supporter oTine National Coordinating Committee Against Cuts in the NHS and of the National Right to Work Campaign, lingers.
He is questioned by a member of the audience: Why don't you speak? These teachers have been fighting the cuts and they've been victimised by their own nesters.
Ernie Roberts replies: "You have to win the fight in your own union first, then bring it to us. We didn't get any help from you when we were fighting the right wing in the AEU.' And he leaves too. Exit stage ment's policies and the NUT leadership.
* It set its task as campaigning in the union for united action by all teachers against cuts, in defence of the Little Ilford teachers being victimised by their union, and against the witch-hunt aimed at the William Tyndale teachers.
LONG WAY In doing this the 'Open Conference" will go a long way towards overcoming the cynicism of socialist teachers about organising in the NUT, which results from the sectarian practices of Rank and File The organisation of the left in the union
4 KED WEEKLY 25 November 1976
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Challenge to Labour's Cuts
NORTH WEST RED WEEKLY CENTRE