Bosses suspend Telecoms engineers

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strike. ot a London-wide demonstration cal government.

With activity centred in Lon- in support of those in dispute.

KGB course for miners? LAST week British Telecom engineers in London were suspended for refusing to connect up the rival privately-owned Mercury system.

They acted in support of union policy. This is the first test for the new Broad Left majority on the Post Office Engineering Union executive.

The Tories have already declared their intention to reintroduce the election-hit BT privatisation bill at the earliest opportunity, with the sell-off time for autumn next year. Meanwhile the drive to establish Mercury, crucial to the Tories' strategy for smashing BT, goes relentlessly on.

Immediate plans are for the connection of six circuits,_two covering London City, two London Central, and two not as yet known. The Shell Building in the City, where Mercury staff have been given a room, was the scene of the first suspensions.

The union's Industrial Action Strategy Sub-Committee is the key body responsible for conducting the campaign:

The national levy of members to finance a campaign, formally agreed but never implemented, has begun. And the first industrial Action Bulletin has appeared.

This is important, since as well as using discipline BT management have started a high-powered propaganda campaign among BI staff, aimed at undermining union resistance.

electoral mass te for primans Iney •nivausa tion and argue resistance is hopeTelecoms engineers: don't leave them the suspensions, 50 members of the London North Central branch have been called out on indefinite THE NUM's recently announced proposal to send 25 members to a union school in the Soviet Union is a disgrace.

What will they learn while over there? What will they learn from the experience of the Soviet coal miners union?

Will they learn how to victimise militants who have the nerve and guts to speak out against violations of the Soviet Labour Code, poor satety conditions, managewithout support don, the main Lon ion are rightly calling m lass ship meetings. Ther = is By John Cunningham Soviet authorities and are being held in psychiatric hospitals under appalling conditions.

Both men dared to challenge the local mine management at the pits where they worked. Both men complained about low pay, poor safety and so on and branches memberalso talk Support must be rallied beyond the POEU, in the wider trade union movement. Privatisation is already directly affecting many other of the public sector unions, and conditions exist for a fighting alliance, with the POEU strategically placed to lead it.

Support must, be mobilised from the TUC at national level through to regional and local Trades Councils.

Pulling back

Already there is some talk within the Broad Left of pulling hack from a sharn fight with the vavA lVI u JunIp, dbe TrAta teN right wing - for instance over the renomination of witch-hunter John Golding to the Labour Party National Executive. Weakness like this will only give confidence to the Right.

To have any chance of success, the Broad Left Executive members must learn the harsh lesson last year's CPSA Executive, where a Broad Left majority failed dismally. They abandoned any fichtino nersnective. alienated the rank and file, and were turfed out atter a year.

The task in the POEU is no less difficult. Despite the Broad Left gains, general secretary Bryan Stanley and his obedient bureaucracy remain intact, to curb, obstruct and frustrate, rather like the civil service with a radiAll miners who respect the right of our overseas comrades, whether in Chile; Bolivia, South Africa, Turkey or the Soviet Union, must raise their voice against this disgusting spectacle. Heffer leadership challenge -Jeremy Co ›yn, MP