and Ulster Queen, occupied their ships on 6/7 November to stop plans.
service on 11 November. If this succeeds, it will follow the path of Cunard, Manchester Liners, Canadian Pacific and other firms who have put hundreds of Liverpool seafarers on the dole.
_ne other service British and Irish Ferry and Jetfoil to Dublin is in doubt, which may mean the end of the centuries old shipping links DCLWCCHI Liverpool The occupation is a defiant move to stop this rundown and job losses.
The national Union of Seamen convenor on the Ester Queen, Danny McGee, told Socialist Challenge, 'We are not interested in talking about cuundancy money. I his Is a fight for jobs.' P&O originally planned to close down the two Liverpool-Belfast last January.
They claimed be making a loss of £600,000 Roy Physick, convenor the Ulster Prince said, ' the firm had eight years of good profits from this run, but now we SOME 300 ENGINEERING WOrKers Sulzer Leeos are going into the third week against their of five and a half per cent not on the vialtale bonus payments.
Workers are Swiss •ultilaliulid and Have Ene management to open the books to he chaint they can't meet claim.
The Lecas lactory brand new. costino f22m complete perimeter of plants. chormous Level So many. in tact, inat The managing cirector willem walton applied to the AUEW district permission for gardeners LUIC picket une to orevent nis walton is also une orest. •ent or use yoreshire ano Humberside The crews of the P&0 ferries, Ulster Prince management's closure The company wants to end the 160 year old are in recession they want to close us down.
company had to back off after a six day ocсирано by une crews.
The NUS made suggestions for saving £370,000 and the other unions involved made similar sugggestions totalling £900,000 P&O then claimed that their losses really over £1 million. in a situa TION the company overall made f40 million union view that P&0 want This backs the pull out of shipping altogether. They all cauy have substantial dealings oil and construction (Bovis).
For the workers it is a straight fight for jobs. 350 on both ships, with office staff, dockers and suppliers nearly thousand jobs at stake.
The NUS members inPickets on the Ulster Prince and Ulster Queen volved are determined not see taese go. seaman told first went to sea in the 1950s the union was 100,000 strong.
Today has about 21,000 members of which 3,000 are unemployed, 900 of them in Liverpool.
Danny McGee summed it up this way: 'We hope to get the backing of the executive stop every P&O ship the country 'This is our last chance to save our jobs. There are work. If we join them will be virtually impossible to get work.
At the recent Labour Party Colic cuce chairperson Alex Kitson of the transport umon picag ed full support to them.
Many . workers who deal with the shops, dockers, drivers, tug and gig boat son's union and can play an important part in bring ing P&O to a halt.
Send messages of support trade unions and speakers line capution vour branca r workplace. Hold collections 4 messag and dona tions to:
National Chio. seamen Paracie Ss1-109 178617. Telepc. -a
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Leeds workers reject 5½%
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