'WE call on every trade unionist here today and every other in the especially those facing redundancy, to support the picket line at Laurence Scott. We are fighting a battle for every worker in Manchester and indeed nationally. Our fight is your fight. It's us today - it could be you tomorrow.' That was the message from Laurence Scott convenor Dennis Barry at the rallv attenaea Dy over 500 trade unionists last Sunday MANY AUEW statements of support for Laurence Scott over the past few weeks. The following from Geoff Stockham, Acting Rover works in Cardiff is typical:
by the Manchester District Committee calling on the National AUEW Executive to continue official backing for Laurence Scott. I raised this as an emergency motion at our district committee under the item minuting the July shop stewards quarterly. speaker from Laurence Scott occupation. support to the resolution. The actions of the AÚÉW executive are doing us no good at all. It's a typical action of the EC.
were left high and dry, and the Derek Robinson issue was the same.
The policy of AUEW executive is doing nothing to save jobs or safeguard living standards. That's why the Laurence Scott workers need defending. Geoff Stockham, works Cardiff.
Socialist Challenge Manchester area, in support of the Laurence Scott picket line and protest at the brutal eviccarried out five days earlier by 45 drink-sodden™ members have made Convenor " received the model resolution sent out where we heard a 'The District Committee gave unanimous We've had Rosedale's locally where they appeasement from the Acting Convenor, Rover 27 August 1981 of pay BK bailiffs.
Dennis Barry has challenged the AUEW executive to come clean on its attitude to the eviction.
to the whole of Fleet Street and the labour movement press coneculicu silence of the executive on this attack on their union members.
Their lack of condemnation or me encion. le says, can only be interpreted as being consent or at least indifference..
In a very real sense, the action of the AUEW executive in witnarawing 01icial support and opened the way for the bailiffs to do their dirty work.
But far from being the end of the story the evichas hardened the resolve of the Scott's Breaking in to workers. repossess the factory was one thing, but it will not be nearly So easy TOr the management remove of motors and masses of machinery and Strip In normal circumstances it would take Snipe 18 months to strip the factory. 'he workers at Scotts are determined to prevent a single nut or bolt being removed.
Bolstering their resolve is the knowledoe that, est NOTE region TGWU is concerned. the crike is still of. ficial. The Manchester By Hazel Macpherson (NUR) WHEN the NUR's Sidney ASLE's Ray Buckton announced the details the rail settlement presented it in such a way as to make it appear a victory. British Rail had agreed to pay cent January, backdated to August, in return for 'discussions' about productivity. reality of the deal became But Sunday the clear: the increase from an eight to an eleven per cent aware s conditional LICES union agreement on productivity.
Many of the changes in working practices which involve elmer ticket in working conterions on working conditions and some of the most important chances have already been agreed in principle by the NUR.
Far from being a vic- fect tory, the union leaderships shown they are prepared to sell jobs and WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR • The factory should reopen • No enforced redundancies • Compensation for the workforce in the form of an ex-gratia payment for loss of wages during a dispute unnecessarily prolonged through management's refusal to negotiate WHAT SNIPE IS OFFERING • The factory should reopen for a 3 month trial period on a 2 day week • No guarantee on enforced redundancies • Any return to work is conditional on total repayment of redundancy money paid by management during TGWU offices have issued instructions that GWU drivers must cross the picket line.
the meantime the TGWU is still paying its members in Scotts official strike pay. If this situation is contirmed ar a nanolla.
level during the next week then carrying the fight to Snipe by picketing his Doncaster 'factory becomes a real possibility once again.
It was official backing from the TGWU Weighell and Friday, they increase working conditions for a tiny wage increase.
THOSE important changes in working pracare the introduction oi open stauons and an end to five-day working. case sador. will involve continental-style on-board sale and collection on many routes. Jobs This will have the efNot eliminating TODS both among platform staff and booking office staff, members of the TSSA.
LSE Convenor Dennis Barry nicket at joncaster. which was decisive in starving Snipe's parent comfrom the British Oxygen Dally of essential gases Company, that forced him то лесотате The life blood of the dispute is national solidarity both politically and financially.
There is now a straight fight between the AUEW executive ano the Scotts stewards for support from the rank and lA r the engineering unions. moment, the stewards are way anead on points. The number of MPs supporting the dispute has risen to over 60. Since the beginning of August over 70 AUEW branches have responded to the circular calling for protest resolutions to be forwarded to Moreover, the train guards will nave burden increased, towards ticket collection and away from ensuring the safety of the train, their nominal first concern. The NUR have in any case already agreed to a seven-month experiment on open stations.
The abandonment five-day working will the concentr working conditions They will railway workers. now he ernected To work four ten-hour shifts.
Sunday will now be the concidered working week with no extra payment. Increased 'flexibility' in hours means that drivers and other workers will have to work spill snilts the same day.
other words, the the executive and for financial support. the last week, over £2000 has come into the strike fund, including a cheque for £600 Clancy Tooling, Sheffield. response Duffy and Boyd have lashed out with a four-page letter to ever one of the 2.400 AUEW branches The country. The stewards have sent out a repiy.
Duffy's letter
opens with a crude and scandalous attack on the first out by ale steads this out by the stewards labelled 'misleading material purporting to inform our members of the situation'. The executive letter then claims that the mandate given to keep the factory open was fulfilled. abandonment of five-day working will mean a considerable in the unsocial nature of the job.
The overall outcome of the deal is that hard-won tain induse have been industry have been sold for a measly three per cent wage increase.
Rash However, as these are implemented evitable that there will be a LOCAL struggles against them. It is this that the Rail Broad Left will have to address itself to to co-ordinate and build support TOT Lae SULLIC against productivity. If the changes are allowed to go through unchallenged, will amount to a defeat for all rail workers.
These actions of the union leadership show also the importance of building the triple alliance between steel, coal and rail workers at a rank and file level, so that when any sections go into struggle against the sell-out policies of the bureaucracy the maximum support can be developed.
But it is clear that the nationally negotiated agrement only guarantees three months working on a two-day week during which, to the stewards circular, 'the final closure of the factory could be more easily effected'.
As to the claim in the executive's letter that the national guarantees no enforced redundancies, this is even more outlandish.
As the stewards say: 'At no has it been stated that the company will remain open longer than three months, and at no stage has the expected level of employment been stated.' The protest resolutions must keep rolling in to the executive.
pansion has focussed on Norfinal tactic