Coming soon:Tebbit 3

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IT's seconds out for Tebbit 3. The latest and most lavish extravaganza from the Saatchi and Saatchi stable is the most important of the Tory projects unveiled in the Queen's Speech last Wednesday, 22nd.

This bruising, blockbusting sequel to the 1980 and 1982 Employment Act will:

•Open your union to actions for damages unless you have voted in a secret postal ballot before you go on strike.

•If the strike is (as the majority are) initially unofficial, open your union to damages unless it either holds a secret postal ballot or disowns the stoppage - in which case you yourself can be hauled before the courts.

• As the first step to imposing secret postal ballots on all union elections from shop steward upwards, impose them for the election of union executives and for the five-yearly election of union presidents and general secretaries.

•Most probably force every union to hold a secret postal ballot to see if its members wish to continue with a political fund and affiliation to the Labour Party - an exercise to be repeated every ten years.

•Possibly change the existing rules so that political levy payers will have to opt in, not, as now, opt out.

Last week as he splashed out $261,000 on a party for 54 closed shop victims, the Saloon Bar stallion who slugs with all the animal ferocity of the great Roberto Duran expressed his contempt for Congress House.

But the punchy, paunchy heavyweights leaving the plush Great Russell Street gym talked a good fight: Basnett stated Murray from the top. They are doing nothing to even publicise, let alone generalise the action that is taking place at the grassroots.

Instead Murray and Co spend their time talking on joint bodies with the Tories - and getting results like lebbit simply quashing the miserable £1.45 increase proposed for YTS trainees.

And blaming the members!

The Observer reports over the election: "Congress House is angry with the trade union rank and file... Murray says that this is not the first time the TUC General Council has given a lead to trade union members whorate lagging behind ....

These remarks will be greeted by workers actually struggling against this government at British Telecom, Cammell Lairds, Birkenhead, and at Greenings, Warrington, with a srice Brian London s famous tamous "I'm only a prawn in their game" remark.

We must make no mistake. Tebbit 3 is a deadly threat to the labour movement. But the leadership of that movement is in no shape for the battle.

The rank and file must take the gloves off now.

With a post-election redundancy rush getting under way, and with 70 pits and 70,000 jobs up for the chop, we have to convince the ranks of the necessity for a general fight back. We must argue urgently but patiently in workplaces, stewards' committees, branches and Labour Parties, for breaking off all talks with the Tories and expending all our energies instead in uniting and extending industrial action over the two issues which threaten every single worker in Britain today -job loss and the anti-union laws.