THEM! The secretary-manager was
the sole arbiter of what they were allowed to discuss. The answer to one letter from my union was received twelve months later!’ With three representatives from the Shop Workers’ Union, including Archie Gemmell (their union had also experienced difficulties with the management), Jack was elected to the board of the Society. At an early meeting they discovered that the Society was making a regular contribution to the Willerby Unionist Association (that is, the TORY PARTY!). And the PETITIONERS are accused of playing politics! A move to allow the trade unions to bring correspondence on matters of principle direct to the board for consideration was _ (incredibly) defeated. In Jack’s words: “It was just hopeless unless we could increase trade union representation, but in two successive years we have failed. Voting for the established board has reached proportions previously unknown. Newcomers to the town are polling vastly more votes than could Harry Kirk, who for decades was the Society’s president. These election results may well be due to good organisation. If so, it would appear to be largely in the country. areas where hitherto there has been little or no interest, It. is amazing. “It is now a matter of common . knowledge how voting was seen to be fiddled at - the Greenwood Avenue shop, and how elementary justice was denied at the subsequent annual meeting of the Society. How, after long delay, the law-courts ruled in favour of Archie Gemmell in his case alleging fraud in these elections. “Those of us who feel we have been misled and bamboozled have formed the Co-operative Progressive Group, to co-ordinate protest among all those who think as we do, that there should be much closer cooperation between Labour, the trade unions and the Co-operatives; that there should be consumer councils and participation; that there should
Feb. 17, 1965 — THE WEEK
be joint consultative committees and.
that co-operatives should be member-
controlled in fact as well as in
theory.
“As I write, we are organising a
meeting of members to try to unseat
those who hold power today. We
hope that all trade unionists and
people who think as we do will give
us their ardent support. We are not
beaten. We are just starting to fight.”
L.C.S. to