Trade Councils: blacklist, fracking & Cyril Smith

GREATER Manchester Association of Trade Union Councils today discussed the anti-fracking campaign in Salford,  the Park Cakes dispute in Oldham, the problems of care-workers in Rochdale and Doncaster, blacklisting in the local building trade, and the antics of Cyril Smith in Rochdale.

Plans are taking place for the production of a booklet on the history of blacklisting and its special significance to the Greater Manchester area where the campaign was first initiated in 2003.  Later this year there are expected to be cases of blacklisted workers being taken to the Court, and the proposed forthcoming publication or publications will be of much interest.  Also, the book launches in Manchester and Rochdale of  'Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith' by Simon Danzcuk MP and Matthew Baker, were reported as being successful this week with over 60 copies sold at the Rochdale event. 

There was much discussion of the behaviour of the police at the ant-fracking protest at Barton Moss in Swinton, Salford.  One Salford delegate having asked the Police Commissioner, Tony Lloyd, if the tactical police unit was 'fit for purpose'?  She had been told by Mr Lloyd:  'It's at the top of my list of priorities!'.

Meanwhile, a report in the minutes of Manchester TUC noted there had been  'On going correspondence between Manchester Trade Union Council and Manchester City Council on Bedroom Tax, Blacklisting and social housing provision.   Over the blacklist correspondence has been received that umpteen companies that had previously been involved in the blacklisting of trade unionists had written to the City Council to reassure everyone that they no-longer operated any blacklists.

Well, there's a surprise!