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DEFEND TRADE UNION FREEDOM! by Dave Windsor Y The Trades Union Congress has distributed a letter signed by George Woodcock ~. to member unions and trades council warning them apainst supporting trade union defence conmittees, This unprecendented piece of witch-hunting is, apparently, designed te reduce support for the National iiaison Committee for Defence of Trede Unions and the Oxford Liaison Conmittee for the Defence of Trade Unions, The latter body organised a national conference last week end in Birmingham attended by 400-500 people - it is wineiy considered to be under the influence of the Socialist Labour League and, indsed, the bulk of the eudience was made up of Keep Left Young Socialists. supporters, although there was an important trade union representation. The Na ational one is organising a meeting in London on February 17th and is rerarded as being an expression of Communist Party supporters. The TUC action is scandalous and should be rejected by all trade unionists Apart from any other matter it is entirely a matter for the trsde unionists . concerned to support, or not to support, such conferences or orranisations, Moreover, the TUC turns a blind eye to most right wing actiatty (witness ? the support given to the essentihlly anti-trede wiion "I'm backing Britain Campaign"), If rank and file trade unionists support such activities it is because they feel, quite rightly, that the existing official machinery is inadequate to defend their interests, And how could it be otherwise when the TUC and most trade union leaders have worked hand in glove with © Wilson to reduce the standards of the British peoples? George Woodcock reiected Gunter's "winter of discontent" reds-under—the—beds speech, but this latest action is in line with the Minister of Labour's attempt to whip up a witch-hunt, The difference being that this time, tne TUC feels that someone is poaching on their preserve and perhaps even actine in such a way to make it redundant, It is up to trade unionists at all levels to protest against the Woodcock letter, Any attempt to victimise unionists for taking part in these prganisations or conferences must be vigorously fought, Fortunately, th? mood is different from that of the 1946-52 period when under the pressure of cold war hysteria many witch-hunting actions pushed throuch, On thie contrary all active trade unionists should be campaigning for the removal of the last vestiges of these years, Far from accepting George Woodcock's strictures, we should all demand and fight for an end to all bans and proscriptions in the labour movement, Journals like The Week should camapign against any tendency to split the labour movement and for the united front.