AS WE GO TO PRESS it appears likely that the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers will make the dispute involving the Heathrow maintenance engineers official. But damage the AUEW leadership has done to their members cause cannot be eashy re paired. Indeed the only reason the AUEW leadership is even now considering making strike official is the hostility the maintenance workers are facing from other unions involved.
According to the AUEW Executive member in charge of the dispute, the Maoist Reg Birch, the reason for giving official blessina to the dispute is because 'our union is now under attack from other unions Certainly the whole way the AUEW leadership has handled the Heathrow dispute has laid the way open for the type of divisions which are now curring. Every time Reg Birch has opened his mouth only to have confusion and demoralisation among his union members His original criticism of the Heathrow peated should return to cone nothing BINE mand that they should be paid ne same are or me oo others doing comparable work outside neamrow.
It is hardly surprising then Birch OCMonday's mass meeting of the he SinKers ne spread Birch replied to the boos by proclaiming: "I don't hear anyone booing the bosses'. tainly no-one has heard Reg his re- Birch boo the bosses since the of Iney work, has dispute, It is true persuade other unions of the justice of unions workers dethe engineers.
spoke such problems was loudly booed.
Cer- gineers
Heathrow against the Social Contract.
that the other have these failures shown a lack of solidarity with In many ways this is inevitable when workers believe they are forced to fight over shares of a very small been because cake. But there is a way out of to demand that the size of the cake itself ever, has no limitation placed on it.
In this light the best way forward for the Heathrow enre-state their original demands and to promote their struggle as a fight decided that it is not.
ELECTIONS A high price has been paid for - and not just in living standards and jobs Broad Left has fared badly in elections against the right, Where it has done well this has not -OI campaign. Amalgamation of the four sections seems as far away as with Scanlon's and right-wing manoeuvres to mandate the Engineering Section delegates when tney alena une Amalgama ted Conference later in May threatenne to unocre any mcan. ful unity as it did last year It is in the balance as to whethe the National Committee will vote for or against the Social Contract.