BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S MOVE TO BUY OUT UNION MEMBERSHIP AT GCHQ

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96B01172R000300020016-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: February 5, 1984
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved
B 1,72R000300020016-1
pc(
*The government s' move
to atiy out union member-
Ship at GCHQ - Britain's?
SUrvelliance centre was
sudden and unexpected.
Yet behind It Is a plan ?
drawn Up some two years
ago by its former head, ?
Sir Brian Tovey. Frus-
trated as unions Increas-
ingly selected GCHQ as a
Sensitive target for Indus- ?
trial action; and with
American Intelligence at
his shoulderrhe played a .
double role: the sympath- ?
etic manager secretly
'pressing toend union ?
power,' -
ON FEBRUARY 23, 1979,
the Government Communi-
cations Headquarters at Chel-
tenham got its first real? taste
bf "industrial .action": It was,
by most. standards, 'a modest
piece of .disruption: .?a ? few
hundred members of two civil
service unions; all 'fairly low-
grade employees',-walked out
for the day in support of a pay
claim. But, for Sir Brian John
Maynard Tovey, an exPdft in
16th. ntury Italian art, and
the fia:Vbr what WaS'theit
Britain's most secret and
elaborate espionage centre, it -
was..a shocking act _GCHQ._ last.September must
?watershed. have been caused by his
? "That was the turning point opposition to the plan.
for me," Tovey told us last . That is because for four.
?
?week. "From thaf 'firfte95n. yeart Tovey played an elabo..)the Americans towards th,
'wards, there Was )silwityYlan ralet'dauble game. He 'shared "anomaly" of union prescnc,
'undercurrent of worry in some his belief that the unions were, inside somewhere as sensitiv,
spart of the office. It might be _damaging ,nationalUsecurity")1,\ GCHQ had a crucia
.the radio operators this week; with' Only., a, handful of 'influence on both Tovey, arc
the communication 'officers intelligence 'officers, -senior, on the politicians who wee,
)the next:, and ? the computer civil servants and politicians, eventually persuaded to grain
operators the week after, but As far as GCHQ's, unsuspect- the nettle he handed them.
!there was, ilwayi. something officials were con- ' ? As Tovey puts it: "They had
one was tryingto contain.",. ..ccryted,..he remained a??cour, always been puzzled by
Tovey quiekt Convinced. -tepus,'-and--`painittiking ifeign--', presence of unions. They have
,otr-ftbattstratytt unionism' randialie, Okft,. aewisibl?a cast-iron-organisation at the
espionage1;')WereY a ? thVilfri
etrable Alkin
sia 'NSA. If anyone goes on strike
impossible bedfellows.. That OfNithe)..ftlifitt'OMfdit-matiage-.8 here they .get the sack. We
,conviction was not based, he mentitneitingS,'.fteld Awice? :ised to have to tell them:
;insists, on any objection to the year "We've had to drop this "
unions'1. fight k for better. pay Lc:jelling back,- Tovey is, because of industrial unrest:
?
and conditions, ...nor .on 'any' pleased": with his.'iwncould you pick it up for us?'
fear that the unions might be duplicity: "I think it's quite a The Americans found this
'the vehicle for left-wing infd- feather, in Whitehall's cap ?that bizarre,"
'tration of 'GCHQ. Rather: we '.'kept ? the whole thing And, in time, Tovey says,
"They began to 'Understand seeret." he began to observe "some
, that action at GCHQ was, a ? ? reluctance to enter into the
:good way to bring Pressure on 'AMONG 'THE handful who .kind of work-shoring arrange-
the government. Here was a 'shared the -Secret was Vice. meat which we had enjoyed
with .the Americans. We read
'problem which was likely to Admiral Bobby Inman, then
. . this as a message. We asked
cripple,' "or se..erely.daniage'at director Of the National Seem.
'any time ,the essence of What I? ity Agency (NSA), the Amen- ourselves: 'Can it be that they
consider' to be' an important can equivalent to GCHQ, 'are questioning our re-
, organisation." : When in 1981 Tovey told him "
So,'in Tovey, began a that he had finalised his plans Meanwhile. separate :nes-
:campaign to get .the' unions to get theUnions banned, and sages were reaching London
? banned. . . committed . them to paper, from the Central Intelligence
The news that TOvey, Was, Inman 'replied: "That's mar- Agency. We have learned
.
therefore the original archi- venous." from Washington that, begin-
sect of the ,. governments All- last week the govern. ning iii 980, "represen-
schemeto buy out the right to meat was firrnlY insisting that tations" were made by the
'union Membership, at ELMO there had been no American CIA to "the highest levels of
?a time 18670 after tax), will pressure for the move against M16 (British intelligence) -
'amaze Most of the staff at the unions, and that is strictly and higher", presumably to the
f'C'helienham. , Last week, they true, In Tovey's words: "The government's Joint Intelli-
? were convinced that his relationship is more subtle." genre Committee, a depart-
- sudden and, at the age of 58, There is no doubt at all ?
premature , retirement from however, that the attitude Cl
Approved For Release 2005/08/03 : CIA-RDP96601172R000300020016-1
Approved For Release 2005/08/03: CIA-RDP96601172R000300020016-1
_
merit ;of the cabinet . office :analysis of. intercepted signals
which 'coordinates all British,-,ter; a Malt. Thenii a dispute
intelligence activity), ,rn6:. involving radio-maintenance
message: the loss of ? any -emen:!tFirsally, :iis Deoembdr
intelligence because of thdusi; ?1979, ' 'after ' the, ;.R.t,Lssiene
sial, dismites was ,"prepotter, invaded Afghanistan', a work-
osis", According to our source: to-rule by radio Officers Mid:
"We Stopped short ;iipsiiiing ted the degree to Which
low tcleal with the prOblein.;=Cheltenhanc'eciuld eavesdrop
But point out the problem4e-..'Cin :Solt - tank and troop
nost certainly did" - v-
hitit self hti4ngto aptlbgine to
,.'llit''"etOrifer,s". for GCHQ'spoor pefformanteY,
?? ?
But, When Tovey'iviallkeet
,
by itha Joint' ,Intelligence
=Cornmittee?for-in'lassessment
.4,.'of the Idamage.:theie.disnutea
.,had = not ,
..tnsiverc...I said, :'Look; it's, no
',use :rains for precise damage
because LU?doit;OttOty,..,what
bierit'pre-
f' r kiioKj3e .tWa,
pith .me'pnbereuistdeGcI1Q
1;.t.yiere blisifully.uneWItre Of the
Pigifr011kY.41ereigrii0Oar
WItar'partly.beCiiti eitreY,S1
Prime: public traunta, nUitnirta=;:affabilitY:7,,Partly
tiSe the' dispiltea.were:`, In
These Signals cansed grev,ei, ?their view, merely "nighng";
:oncern in Whithhall -.as hadi.and.PardYibeetiuskithe mern-
lie incretistherathemeelvei Were adamant
ng taste for industrial action" t they, ::,WoUld :do nothing to
it Cheltenham. .The .one,day,:qiiiapardise.ti OCHQ'O.'-,strork.
arike in February 1979 was When, for example, on ,May
'allowed by a dispute involv- 1.1t. 1980; the TUC called fore
ng, in Tovey s words, staff nationwide Day of Action, ,
vho "lugged computer reels only seven' of -GCHQ's 1,000.
iround and the like" which, employees 'would apaa to
le says, brought the longterm walk out.
. _
C01TINUED1,11015
PAGE 15
security commission's main .
recommendation that,' in the
light of Prime, polygraph or
"lie detector" tests should be
introduced, on a trial basis, as
part of the security vetting.
Neither union officials nor
members seem to have had
any inkling that the govern-
ment had had enough. The
delivery ? on the desks at
Cheltenham of general notice
ON 100/84, contained in buff'
brown envelopes, stunned
staff. "Some people went
white, some people started to
giggle", said a Cheltenham
branch secretary. "You could
say they were in a mild state of
clinical shock."
The key to the unions'
strategy in the debate which
this curt ultimatum triggered,
has been the realisation by
their leaders that they cannot
really deny the possible dam-
age caused by industrial
action. So the unions have
conceded that, despite every
effort not to endanger national
security, there may have been
klast
week by the employment
select committee whether the
unions had disrupted security,
the chairman of the council of
civil service unions, Bill
McCall, replied; "I would say
that the straight answer to that
is, yes we have."
Instead they argue that had
they been asked, they would
have negotiated some form of'
no-strike agreement at
?
?
with the Russians making
menacing noises, the Polish
communist central committee
went into emergency session.
Whatever the crisis, thc
incident finally . convinced
',Tovey;to "Put pen to paper"
and make a written rec.
onimendation to the Joint
Intelligence Committee that
unions should be banned Boni
' Britain's secret surveillance GCHQ. He justified it by
and communications net- saying that union action had
works, and they promised put "unfair stress' on the
"national and, ? international .Americans". and 'caused a
To sortie ? extent; ? the repercussions" is a result. It 'degree of "schizophrenia" for
national officials of the unions was not a hollow threat. the staff: on the onehrind they
can.' be excuied " for not The unions called a one-day t were desperately patriotic and
appreciating the effect and ' strike at Cheltenharn and probdto be part of GCHQ; on
'consequences of the: disputes' then;' for the next four Weeks, the', other they; Were being
itf:,1979!and 1980. 'The were mounted "selective disruptive called on to cause disruption
only allowed into Cheltenhany,:action": at .some of GCHQ's with increasing frequency.
with .a??SeOutity. cavort; and British outposts. According to That recommendation was
then .?invariablyVerinfined to T6vey,. it-became imperative passed on to the. prime
canteens or libraries: Internal that .orte 'of those actions be minister and Lord Carrington,
staff documents of the.,kind called -off "for theMlost then 'foreign secretary: It ,was
they.wduld.routinelpget from , security, , .reasons",,' and l'he'alot takeli AirSolelY' beciuse
'otheOfgoveminente depart- therefore sent one of his senior they 'believed such a move
trients Were, always Classified; staff to plead with ? a??tracle would inevitably put the
if the officialagot them atall, union 'official to spare . the spotlight on GCHQ, and
reference,- tol;anything even./ outstation concerned. expose it to the .public as a
mildly,. sensittie .would be.' For security reasons, the major centre of espionage.
razored out ?.V! union official .could not be put The subsequent arrest and
Buti, in. Tovey;s4View, ? any completely in thapicture: But, trial of. Geoffrey Prime, the
such excuse-, evaninnted?i irt; sets .T0eY,,:lile axPlanation. GCHQ sPY,,,obviously made
? 1981.:-In -the Spring. Of tliat, he; was given. "sailed pretty that argument redundant,
year, be says; the unions made,: close . to the wind". ,The Once the security commission
it "brutally elear",!that they', official's blunt response' was: had investigated and reported
now 'regarded ? GCHQ -Its a ? "You are telling me wherel'm on the Prime affair, in May
'preferable. target - 'damn hurting Mrs Thatcher,",1983, the only wonder is why
good place to hit." ? ,?.:, iTovey will not Say .whihthe government did not take
"Hitting GCHQ doesn't hit outstation 'was -involved 'or !! UP Tovey's Proposal immedt-
theiniblitbileit?does bother which international crisis ately.
and " emberrass'.' HMG,? he. made its operation "vital",
said. '"Once," the' unions but during this Period there
'swigged thatby godfathers, we was an attempt to assassinate
didn't havea nable:option."' President Reagan in Washing-
?? ' ? ' .? ? ? ' ton, Solidarity, called,, a
TOVEY GOT she first hint of national Strike in Poland and,
this. brutal truth on March.8, ---
1981.?The Civil service unions
had justbegun their first-ever,
full-scale. national dispute
,Over -thrviovemment's de-
cision 'to, abandon the civil
Service pay 'agreement and to
limit payvrtses.to 7 per cent.
From the outset , the unions
? nlerleed they.
THE UNIONS have used the
interim to upset the govern..
ment further by opposing the
CONTiNUEO ON 0
PAGE 18
"M `.E:.,; ? ' ?? ,
CrCHQ,t and they. pnint to belong:to' a trade Untion-JC.has other are4 less' certain.' like
precedents - such as those at been vigorously simported"not Dave" Blogg.. a 39-year-Old
Coulpo#.?ind?Faslane; +where' just,by.? the TUC, but byi an. design engineer who sairk,',.`Aa.i,
Polaris sUitriarinea.are rear-,1-. unexpected ,TUC,
of ? .1 body we havestrengtb, buf
med with nuclear warheads. ?. support embracing haPa of all don't know4With- ? wife anda,
There, a ?880-per-year allow- parties, even right-wing Tories family, who caq afford prin-
ance negotiated in July 1982 is such as ?John Gorst. He . said ? 'mini" ? " ? ? - ?
payable only on condition that last week that, he was "baffled
the workforce "carry out and bemused" by thabani.
conditions 'of service". Al. banning trade unions Will not
Union officials argue thin
normal duties under their
though the deal is a long way ensure greeter "Oommittment
from the cast-iron no-strike , from staff, They, also argue
agreement the government that it will not technically
would demand at GCHQ as a eliminate the threat of strikes
at GCHQ, disruption could be
organised by the staff associ-
ation which the government
wants to see in the unions'
place.
While these arguments swirl
around them, the staff at
Cheltenham and the outsta-
tions find themselves, once doubts as to ,whether resist--
again, the unwilling centre of ance among' the staff will last
press attention. They are, as Last week' few were'willing to
one anion official from Lon- say they- would .,-risk being',
ii
,don said, "terribly: secretive transferred to whatever jobt
, and loYal to-the country. They the civil service may decide
are not 'theatrical people; "suitable", for ? =Jhose MI&
prone to makinCpublie din- refuse to:sign .
plays of conscience." For his part; Brian-,
But that has happened. At Tovey is dismayed at the waY,...=
one union meeting last week that his plan Was brutally'"
the depth of feeling was still, presented to the staff, whom
minimum condition if it did palpable Members stood up he believes are paragons of
not compromise, it shows, say and made angry speeches and loyalty. But he holds fum.
union officials, what can be some even gave?their names to his belief that the. plan was,.
achieved with discussion, the press - a decision that right: "They have had a lot of
The union hope is to caused many great anguish'. trauma at GCHQ. First Prime, ?
appeal to the British sense of Of those who have spoken now this. But if one believes,,
fair play. "We are pitching our out, some are defiant, saying as I do, that the work is vital -
campaign at the right level, " they will not give in. "I will then we have to do this.
"says John' Sheldon, general not work for any orpnisation "At the ' moment it's like
secretary Of the Civil Service that denies me baste human having an army whose soldiers -
union. The basic theme - that rights," said Dick Pinhey, an say they don't feel like fighting
people should, have a right to engineer at ,Cheltenham. But one day,"
Geoffrey Howe: the
foreign secretary who
grasped the nettle
NeYeithelessAshe staff are, s
for the mornenb: putting uP,i
more resistance, than 'anyone ,
expected, ?? indst, Of all the,'
government: One' proniinenei!.
minister told :;The. Sunday'
Times yesterdaY:thil,GCHQ s
nnanagement haellgiyen assur.
illiCCS that ."only about: 20
people!. would object ,to ,the
union ban; the rest would.
welcome it. "It, may, be they ,
didn't plan their campaign
with the care that they might: =
have", said the miniater. ;
, .There are, however, strong
Approved For Release 2005/08/03 : CIA-RDP96601172R000300020016-1