stop redundancies.
nationally.
Whydo you thirst bilg ner's first L0 OG' cupy in defence of jobs.
I think we were able to convince people on the shoc floor that enough is enough. I right to put up my hand for Kuld wille Lilal it'll be someone else that's going down the road.
This is one of the bestorganised factories, regular shop meetings and all the rest. Trade union organisation was built through struggles.
In 1973 we had a sit-in here for 13 weeks. Before that we'd been working to rule for nine weeks against management's demand for a change to piece work. It came to a sit-in because they tried to move the engines out of the plant Footway organised mass pickets to stop them. The police said we were blocking the footway and threatened to arrest the pickets. So the convenor asked what would happen if we picketed from inside he gates The police inspector jus shrugged so we picked up the security inspector who was on marched inside and we all That was the -week оссираtion. At that time half of the workers unlolliscu. Since then we've built up to a hundred per cent.
That was in 1973. I think that now things have changed. People are taking redundancies as if they were inevitable. People are scared.
far off fascism under Margaret Thatcher's government they rule by fear. All that's missing is the guns! THE Gardners' occupation is an example to workers all over the country of the type of action necessary to Socialist Challenge talked to Vinnie Peers, What should the Party and TUC be doing?
They should be giving a lead against hatcher.
Labour Party and TUC conferences not one leader stood up and said "The Tories have gone too Tal. i ney nave lo be stopped. We'll this government.' That's what the mass. of trade unionists for leadership top. up They talk about a crisis in the Labour Party, but I'll tell you out in the country haven't got a crisis -got a disaster. If you look at it logically how can this country be conservative number of trade unionists?
But people don't trust the trade union and Labour Party leaders. For example in past Benn's said a lot of fine senior Labour organise things but then when he was against in government he ducked out. In the unions, as soon as they are looking most of them the know us ally lure.
You wouldn't they're being paid to help us.
we've In my opinion members of the union executives Labour MPs should be comthe ing round the factories and seeing what the people really want. through to the mass of trade That's the unionists. That's the way they
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shop steward in the 340 strong foundry section at Gardner's, about why the workforce was the first to occupy and the role of the unions and the Labour Part...