Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 21:11:21 +0100
From: Nick Holden & Kate Ahrens <glengate-AT-foobar.co.uk>
Subject: Re: M-G: Liverpool UNISON officer reinstated


Hugh Rodwell wrote:
> 
> Lol Duffy, a union rep of the municipal workers, was suspended from his job
> with the Liverpool City Council (run by the Labour Party) for being
> involved in a leaflet urging residents of working class areas to complain
> and protest about planned cuts to those of their neighbours who were Labour
> councillors and therefore responsible for voting for the cuts. The
> councillors were presented in the leaflet with names, addresses and phone
> numbers. This was all too much direct democracy for the City Council, which
> obviously considered it had the right to decide on cuts and other attacks
> on people's living conditions in Inquisition-like anonymity and
> inviolability. Anyhow, thanks to a big campaign by the local union and
> members throughout the country (no thanks to the national union leadership,
> which left its members to take strike action on their own, unofficially,
> and no thanks to the Labour Party, which was gung-ho for screwing democracy
> and implementing the attacks at all costs), Lol has been reinstated after
> almost two months of suspension.

It might be worth mentioning that Liverpool City Council branch of UNISON is hosting a conference on the need 
to free trade unions from the anti-union legislation of the Tories, a conference which my UNISON branch, 
Leicestershire Health, voted this week to also support. Conference is on July 19th in Liverpool.

Any UK comrades who can get support / delegates / etc to the conference should contact Liverpool City UNISON 
at info-AT-mail.liv-unison.com.uk (I think).

Nick




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