Two members of the East Kilbride branch of the Amalgamated Umon of Engineering workers have been and Thomas Dunn were found guilty of forging more than 200 signatFinal Appeals Court.
The Beonomist saw the isue as a tirst-class chance to bash the left in the ALEW-che Kilbride 'vote' had ensured the victory of Commurist winger John Byrne rigator sent to inquire into the Fast Kilbride vote, they decided hy only four votes to three to nullfy the result. But the BC refused to discipline or ask for any explanation from the branch ofjuiled for three years. Doug McLeod ures in u union ballot for the AUEWs Attention was first drawn to the ballot-rigging late last year and enthusastically taken up by the Economist in its edition of 10 November 1973.
Party member Jim Callan over rightWhen the matter was tirst reported to the soven-man ALEW exocutive, alter listening to the report of an official invesaction, The reluctance of the union leaders to take any action opened the door for the capitalis media, Thames Television moved in like a flash and on 17 Janu ary 1974 in its programme "This Week" did a fenture on East Kübride, using the programme to try and drug up other alleged hallot-rigaing incidents. The right wine uI snce wien the by seporer: made hay, hur Scanlon and the exccutive refused to appear on the programme.
By 26 January the Economin was calling for police action, painting out that the polios "will have lo move fast If they are "lo investigate the ballot-rigping in Mr Scanton's AUEW". In accordance with union rules the hallot papers were due to be destroyed on 13 February.
ALLIES
New allies for the right wing wore ap pearing on the scene. Aims of Industrytront ereanisatioo Jor bie business wrore ta the Home Secretary to ask the polico to look into the aflair. Woodrow W'yatt, the ex-Labour MP who specialises in writing anti union articlos for the capitalist press, asked the Juige Advocpte to take As the ciscour fromn the capitalist maintainod a discreet and stupid silence.
The lack of action by the AUEW executive provided the anti-union fotces with ammunitioo to discredit militants ,in the union. Because the executive falled to take action to put its own house in order it allowed papers like the Economist to present themselves as defenders of democracy inside the union. What is even more serious if opened the way for the police and the capitalist courts to interELEC TEOE VONLE BESEREY PLIANT The great ballot-rigging scandal in the Communist Party-dominaled Electrical Trade Union opened the way for the Can non-Chapple leaersbip which converted the union into a pliant servant of the night wing Members of the CP are now denied the right to hold office in that uneon and the nights of the mank and file have been trampled underfoot.
Unless the left shows itself to bo the most fism defenders of union democtacy inside the AUEW it can suffer the same fate as the El U Jeadership di and the poople who will pay the b gest price for that are the members