by Brian Bamford
ON my way to the University of Greenwich
for the conference organised by the Blacklist Support Group, I picked up a copy
of the Morning Star with a leading story about an undercover policeman who had
used the alias Carlo Neri, who had successfully seduced three women to
infiltrate the RMT trade union and other
leftist organisations in the early years of the 21st century. When I got to the conference a lass he
targeted who used the name 'Andrea' described how he won her over with his
plausible Italian personality.
More revelations of the involvement of the
security services and the police in the practice of blacklisting trade
unionists and spying on radical organisations have been documented in the 2nd edition of 'Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business &
Union Activists' authored by Dave Smith and the journalist Phil Chamberlain.
The Blacklisting conference itself which lasted
for two days last weekend, was attended by well over 200. The Conference Programme was populated by
many academics like Pro. Sian Moore (University of Greenwich), Dr. Jack Fawbert
(Anglia Ruskin University), Pro. Keith Ewing (Kings College London) and Pro.
Phil Taylor (Strathclyde University); trade union leaders like Gail Cartmail of
Unite, Amanda Brown (Assistant General Secretary of the NUT), Roger McKenzie
(Unison) and Matt Wrack of the FBU; legal advisers like the barrister David
Renton and Shamik Dutta; and activists like Helen Steel of the 'McDonald Two' and
a participant in the Pitchford Enquiry.
Issues such as bullying at work; the tragedy of
modern performance management and its consequences for the workforce; Edna's
Law; protection for whistle-blowers; the campaign opposing police surveillance;
'Angry Women' and the Pitchford Enquiry were all discussed at the
conference. All in all I told Dave Smith
in the interval that this was another triumph for the London based Blacklist
Support Group, and as a proud northerner I don't give my praise to Cockneys that
easily.
www.northernvoicesmag.blogspot.comFreedom Collective
Statement! on this blog 09/08/2016
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