The mineworkers' leader made a passionate plea for opposition to monetary union, branding the EU an "exclusive, capitalist club".

The conference backed a motion acknowledging the advantages of European Monetary Union and calling for Britain to join the Euro-X finance committee.

But Mr Scargill told delegates that both the Maastricht Treaty and membership itself were evil.

"We in the NUM are internationalists," he said. "We could start by trading with the rest of the world, such as Cuba which has been blockaded."

A common currency would be disastrous, he said, and moves towards it were a disgrace.

Bosses slate Scargill

Alec Audley of the IPMS, a management union, argued that considerable progress had been made to ensure employment was a priority in the EU.

The government, employers, trade unions and others should ensure the UK is prepared for EMU, he said.

Opposing Mr Scargill's amendment, he said: "Such a position is wholly unrealistic, untenable and would cause workers in the UK to lose a great deal of the protection and benefits we have gained from being in Europe."

Ian Wood, from a food industry union, backing Mr Scargill, telling delegates fraud in the EU was costing �6-�8bn a year.

Membership would also mean tax on children's clothes, books and food, he warned.

Central bank warnings

And the central European bank would mean lower public spending, said Mr Wood.

"You can just hear the next Labour Party manifesto now: 'We'd like to put more money into education or health but we don't know how much we're going to get.'"

Tony Dubbins, general secretary of the GPMU, said the Tories' negative attitude to Europe had earned the UK a reputation of being the Trojan Horse. He hoped that was in the past now.

Bill Morris, of the TGWU, called for the conference to be recalled before any decision on a referendum was made.

He supported the motion but warned against a central bank: "If you think the Monetary Policy Committee is invisible and unaccountable, you ain't seen nothing yet," he said.

Mr Scargill's amendment calling for Britain to withdraw from the EU was defeated.