Left gains ground in TGWU election

LEFT-wingers have slightly strengthened their control on the executive

of Britain's largest union and Labour Party affiliate, the Transport and

General Workers Union.

In a rerun postal ballot they gained one additional seat, to take

their majority to 22-17, beating off a determined challenge from the

so-called Kinnock loyalist right in the process.

The political make-up of the TGWU executive is important for the

Labour Party because the TGWU wields a 1,200,000 block vote at the party

conference -- equivalent to about 20% of the total vote.

When the rerun ballot closed last Friday, TGWU general secretary Mr

Ron Todd revealed that he had asked the police to investigate the breach

of security which caused him to abort the first ballot six weeks ago.

Announcing the results yesterday he said: ''I am pleased that this

election has been conducted within the scrupulous requirements of both

the union and the Electoral Reform Society, which also acted as

scrutineers.''

It remained a matter of great regret that the ballot had to be rerun

because of a breach of security, he said, adding: ''It is fair to remark

that the outcome of the ballot announced today broadly reflects the

trends in the first ballot before I suspended it.''

Four seats were returned unopposed. They included the union's

left-wing chairman, Glasgow dustcart driver Mr Dan Duffy, who may not

necessarily retain the chair. Hull docker Mr Walter Greendale, was one

of three Left gains in the election, compared with two gains by the

Right.

Right-wing leader, dismisssed Tilbury docker Mr Brian Nicholson,

finished behind three re-elected left-wing candidates in the union's

biggest region, London and the south-east. Other successful left-wing

gains were Mr Peter Dunnico in the north-west region, and Ms Carole Rowe

in the southern region.

The most spectacular right-wing gain was the unseating of Mr John

Swinburne, an East Kilbride leisure centre attendant, by Mr Ken Greening

from the south coast, whom he defeated by a majority of more than 11,000

in the last executive elections two years ago. Moderate, Mr Ted Marsh,

from the south-west, also deposed left-winger Mr Ivan Monckton from

Wales, for the agricultural section seat.

Another Scottish casualty was Glasgow dockers' leader Mr Tom O'Connor,

who lost the docks trade group seat he has held for the past four years

to Mersey tugboat man Mr Danny Maher, who is something of an unknown

quantity.

This ballot was certainly influenced by the fact that moderate Mr

O'Connor and left-wing challenger from Tilbury, Mr Colin Coughlin, have

both been dismisssed from their ports. Both hope that industrial

tribunals will reinstate them. Mr Coughlin lost by just eight votes.

Scots who were returned for a further two years are Paisley textile

worker Ms Margaret Cassidy, Stirling plasterer Mr George Kane, Mr Andrew

Smith, from BP Grangemouth, and Merseyside-based Mr Alan Quinn.

The police investigation will now continue into the attempts to rig

the first ballot. The alarm was raised when the Electoral Reform Society

spotted that several thousand ''spare'' voting papers had been stolen

from the union HQ, and cast in favour of several left-wing candidates.

TGWU leaders are now confident that the full postal balloting system,

introduced for the first time this year to meet legislation, is now

sound. It will be in action again later this year when deputy general

secretary and assisant general secretary respectively, Mr Bill Morris

and Mr Eddie Haigh, have to face re-election. Next year will see a

ballot to decide on a successor to Mr Todd.

The introduction of postal balloting has seen the level of

participation by TGWU members fall from 39% under the previous method,

based largely on work-place voting, to about 18%.

Mr Dennis Skinner, MP for Bolsover and another former Labour Party

chairman, said: ''This flies in the face of the pundits who thought that

the Transport and General Workers' was going to be dominated by the

right.

''This could assist the campaign to ensure that the repeal of all Tory

anti-trade union law by the next Labour government remains firmly on the

agenda.''