THE attack on the Post Office monopoly will be implemented over two or three years after the Telecoms Bill becomes law. Many Post Office workers desperately hope that by then Thatcher will have been kicked out. But what alternative is the Labour Party likely to offer? What policies should it follow?
At a recent meeting of the Post Office EngineerUnion executive council the Labour Stan Orme, discussed these Issues the union's leaders. The result wasn't promising.
Union general secretary Bryan Stanley had written to Michael Foot to demand that an incoming LaDoul should hold talks with the coverumen POEU 'to halt, and ideally reverse the damaging consequences the liberalisation the monopolies'.
Not surprisingly, Stan Orme was quite happy to ssure ine NEc inal suc meetings would take place, because they commit the Labour government to absolutely nothing.
The first thing we need WriLLCul into the Labour manifesto is a clear commitment to the repeal of the TelecomOnly such a policy can begin to of the Tories marauding attack on the Post Office.
to go a lot further . It hasto make it clear that those in POEU general secretary Bryan Stanley volved in ripping-off the assets of the public communications network are dearly for gong o pay their actions.
The only way to keep the grubby hands of the and IbIs of this world off our nationalised industry Sal ailinge they cream off nationalised without compensation.
Repeal of the Telecoms Bill and re-nationalisation without compensation are the foundation stones of a genuine socialist policy lowares commauricauous The advent of technology also opens tremendous sno access of increasing every working class person to a wealth of information and contacts denied to them by our present system.
Such a system can only be built by seizing contro of the whole communications industry and running it in the interests of working people.
That is why the main telecoms manufacturers -GEC, Plessey, STC and the rest should be nationalised under workers' control. Plessey, to take just one example, makes tremendous profits out of its sales of main exchanges £5m in 1980. This rip-off the Post Office - UVCI real change as the Broad Left candidates in the forthcoming elections for Council and other posts. has to end West Yorkshire political committee of the POEU has begun to forge links with activists in other unions, other nationalised austres unal are unaer al tack such as British Rail, workers no mat private sector. especially of the electricians union EETPU.