endous support everywhere demonstration from Laurence Scott workers we endorse the fight for the right to work.
for precisely that, to save jobs and keep 650 workers off the scrap heap.
all those on the march to support our fight against closure by donating generously to our collectors on 31 May or by sending money to our appeal fund.
Bob Penchion, Convenor Messages of support and donations to: G Fryer, Roundcroft, Romiley, Cheshire.
Thursday Committee again. Write leaflets for the demo, slogans and see the police. Land Rover and Range Rover shop stewards are in and out of the union office taking bundles to distribute.
The response to the demo shop floor favourable.
Socialist Challenge sells well. une shop steward takes copies Toe nine bug ne was attend the Socialist Challenge conference. I'm told my Dicture paper makes me look like an escaped convict.
Friday. Last day the spring holiday.
Management has started creating difficulties about releasing members of the ad, học committee their jobs. carry on anyway.
meet Clive Wilkinson, leader of the city council. He does not want to attack the Edwardes' plan LOO ously; he thinks reason and logic should prevail.
At dinner time the 5/909 branch agrees to give money to the campaign fund and submit an emergency resolution to the trades council.
Socialist Challenge Appeal to 31 May WE'LL be with the People's March because We're currently in a five week occupation We appeal to Laurence Scott Workers' Appeal, 20 sales round Rover pubs go well. We get a message of support Laurence Scott occupation. We'll put this in the next bulletin. In the evening Socialist Challenge rally. London Saturday. Back to Birmingham for a meeting of the affected The turnout is a bit disappointing but the discussion is Use u Neither the engineering union nor the IGWU nationally are giving any kind of lead. need to overcome the isolation of the separate plants.
June De a busy month, with meetings of the transport union's finance and general purposes committee, the automotive group national committee, automotive group national policy conference and the biennial delegate conference We will need to send lobbies to all of these.
We raise the possibility of a central Birmingham demonstration alci June, to involve the rest of Birmingham labour Llls movement.
Next week will provide organise the demo and do some leafleting. Holidays at last - you can tell by ARTHUR Snipe, Laurence Scott made first contact They've never seen spoken to him since his Doncaster based company Mining Supply took over Laurence Scott last Uc tober.
Snipe's letter to the 'ex Manchester work force' 'Well you've got says. yourself into a right mess, and your you di C sitting in at the Manchester factory which has put in position yvu lIU pay from anywhere' This financier of the Tory party, sacked the workers three weeks earlier went on: 'there has been lot of political twaddle written and talked about Laurence Scott'. managing director of Electromotors, week with his Manchester There were 'no winners at this game' workers reacted fury Any doubts they had over taking the action were now removed. 'He's not even got the finesse of Michael Edwardes. Snipe may consider this to be a game, we don't. It's our future, declared convenor Bob Penchion.
'He's treating the Laurence Scott group like a circus, his directors are militant workforce, they feel they have no other resource but to fight Senior Steward Tom Clare, explains: 'We want to keep 650 people off the scrap heap. . Right from the start we've saic we want jobs, not money. Redundancy is just a form of industrial nerve gas.
Laurence Scott workers have been influenced In nercoa cessful Gardners occupation last November 'Each dirty trick that Snipe pulls,' Tom Clarke says, we'll meet and deal with. so should he resor to legal action, we'll ex. pect the lUC to back us 'If this man thinks he's going to get us out by force, then he'll have another koberts Arundel on his hands.' Roberts Arundell was to prevent the Greenock plant closing.
As multinational Lee's could afford to ig nore the occupation by keeping production and distribution in their factories in Europe.
Lee's have four factories in Ireland one in the south and three in the north. The ports are vital to ensure replacement for the Greenock products The firm are keen to maintain their share of the market and have recently launched a flm advertising campaign Workers at the factory feel that only now wirethe really begin to feel the affects of the occupation.
As Caroline McDaid said, 'They might throw us out, but it's time we did something that will hurt them.
Despite the militancy and optimism the THERE'S more unity on the march now because of the response along the route. As the receptions get better so does the feeling of strength. The Black Country and Birmingham's been the best so far. You could get the building workers off the dole today by building council houses and increasing direct works but the Tories won't have it. The 35 hour week would help too; the building industry's been crying out for it for years. I'd like to see a Labour government but not one like the last lot. We need one that carries out socialist policies. support the things Benn says but can he carry it out? FROM this week dockers at Britain's ports are refusing to handle Lee Jeans products. The occupation of mainly women workers is now in its fourth month as the struggle continues workers, their union, National Union of Tailor and Garment Workers continues to act disgracetull!
It still hasn't given an! support to the call for the boycott.
The occupation needs the support of a concerted cott Lee's products in the Callpall bo! shops This will counter the affect of the Lee's adver tising campaign and complement the action taker by the dockers No further progresi has been made in negotiations with the compan!
A delegation from Lei Jeans will March in 0: tre March in don.
Messages of suppori Torasions, an be stewards Broughan Si, Greenock.
JOHN FAIRCLOUGH, ar unemployed joiner and Furniture, Timber and Allied Trade member worked at Schreibers in Manchester the time he left school at 16 until he was made redun. dant in 1972. He is spon sored on the march by FAT.
I'm on the march because there's too much apathy about redundancies and closures are accepted without a fight. Workers should get in and occupy wher We should do it ourselves Schreiber. Supporting the march doesn't just mean givin? money; it means joining in struggles. It's no good workers like they did at one factor: where they're being made redundant. They've got to figh themselves. The march is about helping and educating other workers to do this. We don't need church service:
DENNIS SWAIN is an FTAT member at Schreibers ir Manchester. He's worked there for fifteen years since he was an apprentice. Currently, he's on a two I'm on the march because I don't just think it's abou. jobs but about union rights as well. After all, I lost my job There's too much apathy about. We need some action. The unions shoul take more of a lead; there's too many which back peddle Everyone supports the women at Lee Jeans because thei fought, but we need more than just support, we need uniELSIE BROAD worked at Royal Pride for 18 years She is one of the workers recently sacked for strik.
"Socialist Challenge " 28 May 1981 Pag
----- pull-quotes -----
...AT LSE Laurence Scott Engineering Occupy for jobs
workforce. All 650 have been occupying their factory for five weeks to prevent its closure.
... AT LEE JEANS Boycott Lee Jeans