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Dear Comrades,
especially those in AUEW and AUEW- Readers of "Scottish Socialist" TASS, may be interested to know that the rank-and-file engineers* paper, "Engineering Voice" has recommenced publication. The "Voice" folded earlier this year after a long record of socialist activity in the AUEW. Its collapse wasn't inevitable: it was caused by withdrawal of support by "lefts" who preferred to water down their opposition rather than break with former lefts in the leadership such as Hugh Scanion, now among the foremost supporters of the Labour Government's right-wing policies.
Jimmy Reid conducted his election rallies for AUEW «Engineering Voice,Posts under the banner. But he let the "Voice" go to the wall when he no longer saw it as useful to him. AUEW leaders in the Communist Party, too, were part and parcel of a boycott of sales of *Engineering Voice" and the winding up of meetings of its supporters.
The "Voice" , however, is not dead. Backed by Assistant General Secretary Ernie Roberts, Lucas Combine Secretary. and former TASS President Mike Cooley, Vickers Combine Chairman Jim Murray, and groups of activists in Birmingham, Sheffield, London, Newcastle and elsewhere, the new "Engin- Voice" published this eering was month. It aims to provide a forum of debate for militants and a centre of action in the fight against the right and Callaghan's cronies in the AUEW.
The need for such a paper must be clear to many Scottish AUEW members after the fiasco of Jimmy Reid's campaign for the job of Scottish Divisional Officer. After a year's campaigning by the Broad Left textbook, Reid was defeated by postal balloting which excluded a third of AUEW members in Scotland, allowed non-members to receive ballots, and makes the union's leadership and policies dependent on massive press interference.
Even the "Sunday Mail" questions such a dubious system, but Reid doesn't propose a campaign throughout the membership against this system
and its backers such as John Boyd and Gavin Laird. He talks of taking the union to court = the right-wing's favourite ploy! Meanwhile, his comrades in the leadership of TASS give the right the green light to split the union refusing to accept the principle of election of officials in TASS!
The need has never been greater for building a socialist alternative which fights for working class democracy throughout the engineering union. "Engineering Voice" promises to do just that if it gets the support it deserves. Copies (10p plus postage — reduc-
tions for bulk) and leaflets can be obtained from: Vickers Shop Stewards Combine Committee, c/o Tyneside Socialist Centre, 235 Jesmond Road, Newcastle.
Any readers of "Scottish Socialist" who want to help build a network of "Voice" supporters in Scotland can get in touch with me at my address: 230 Liberty Road, Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
Fratemally, Mike Jordan (AUEW Shop Steward)