People's March comment
Socialist Organiser1983 1983-05-26Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 4 →
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Chuck Chapple! TGWU, Mark Holte was sponsored by South Sefton trades council.
Region 6 of the TGWU has already protested to the national organising committee of the march about the expulsions, and several Merseyside trades councils have also objected.
Despite the behaviour of the march organisers, we must continue to build support for the march in the labour movement, and aim to turn the June 5 rally into a massive demonstration for the right to work and for a Labour victory.
IN Islington North, EETPU general secretary (and TUC president) Frank Chapple has endorsed SDP candidate John Grant. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour candidate, told us:
Frank Chapple's name appears on the SDP leaflet endorsing John Grant, but on the doorstep I've heard no-one mention it at all.
Among local trade unionists, however, there has been a strong reaction - of anger at the president of the TUC abusing his position. Our campaign has good local trade union support, hundreds of shop stewards working for us, and the backing of all Labour Party affiliated unions locally including the EETPU. In fact the EETPU North London lodge was one of the trade union branches that nominated me for Labour candidate.
We have asked EETPU head After some argument, a marchers' meeting on Monday 23rd heard Judith Bonner from the Youth CND National Committee speak on the link between Jobs and Bombs.
The marshals finally allowed the marchers to vote and decide on additional separate meetings for women marchers only. in future, a minibus to go to Greenham Common on the 24th, and a woman speaker on 'Jobs, not Bombs' at the Leamington rally.
On the 24th, the march was joined between Warwick and Leamington by a vocal contingent of women chanting, What do we want?/Jobs not Bombs' (though the marshais instructed the marchers themselves not to join this chant). At Leamington the speakers included a woman from Greenham Common, and the women's organiser of the union ACTT, who said she regretted very much that the marchers were not shouting 'Kick the Tories out' office for an explanation, but. we've had no reply yet.
The SOGAT 82 print union conference voted on Tuesday 23rd to condemn Chapple and call for his removal as chair of the TUC.
"We don't want a leader who acts against his own class" , declared general secretary Bill Keys. The resolution stated: "An emergency motion should be put to the next general council meeting of the TUC that a vote of no confidence in him be carried and to remove him as chairman".
NUM president Arthur Scargill has also called for Chapple's removal from his TUC post, for "betrayal of the Labour Party and labour movement"
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JOHN JOHN HARRIS