ELSIE BROAD, former shop steward at Royal Pride Manchester, and a member of the Furniture, Timber and Allied Trades Union spoke at the LCC conference:
WE had been on strike for union recognition at our Manchester furniture factory for weeks up to yesterday (Friday 17 July) when the strike ended.
The have been withdrawn and the workforce has accented severance pav of £150 each. Our dispute shows wnatis wrong with the unions at the came out on strike because couldn't get our boss to pay us the newly agreed signed FTAT and the employers. We were out for the money and for union recognition for our democratic rights.
Our boss Mr Novak had long said how much he admired the democratic traditions of the British. But when asked about recognising the union he said we must remember that we are workers and he is Ine the boss.
He always said that the union would do nothing for us. Then a couple of days ago OUH union official Joss came to with a deal that had been arranged Novak. Davidson had assured Novak that f200 would be enough to get the pickets off the gate Vovak offered £150 Davidson wanted a vole ao ovull do possible. One of the girls who had been on the picket Photo:
Elsie Broad line since the beginning was off sick last week til Monday. I rang her before the vote. I asked her if she would call it off for £150. She said: 1 wouldn't call it off for £1,000. out TOY union recognition.
But the official Activist On the way out Davidson asked me: 'Elsie, do really think you could have won that strike? 'If you had tried as hard to win as you've tried to sell us out then of course we could, ' I replied.
Then he said: 'You're union activist now Will we be seeing you at branch meetings?
I turned to him and said: 'You bet your life you'll be seeing me at branch meetings. I'll be there just as long as it LANES get rid of you and your kind from out of our unions.'