WORKERS at Plessey Capacitors in Bathgate are determined to fight for their jobs and continue their sit-in now in its fifth week. They were sorry to see the Leyland workers in Bathgate give up their fight, but this has made them even more insistent on 'continuing for the sake of the community.
Bathgate, as they point out, once a centre of the industrial revolution, is now an industrial desert; unemployment runs at 30 per cent in the town.
The management are trying the workers by using On Friday 2E February, 141 workers will be summoned to court to answer why they had not complied with an original order to end their sit-in.
The slogan of the sit-in We want justice - and jobs' describes the The fight for jobs is a the 19th century law which the ment has credoed up and which has only been used once before this century is bosses' law and represents the bosses' interests - not the workers.
Scott in Manchester: "We had one meeting we wouldn't turn down no matter what came up, and that was this meeting, because we know what support you've given us in the past and we know the problems you're going to come up against.
Lucas in Kingsidiary of the multi-natTEST foods conglomerate which week nounced fits of E19.6m.
The strike now in its third week, is save jobs in the PUSH mill which is due for closure in March.
The rally attended by some 300 strikers, their Lucas strikers and families keen to fight The only way to win is to make Lee JESTIS Scotland Already the workers have received delegations from Plessey factories in Liverpool and Beeston and the local community is right behind them.
A rally has been called for 27 February and the West Lothian Labour Party and Trades Council are proueing me matenai m cluding badges, and col Why don't you • Take collection sheets to nunity organisations • Send a delegation from OUT TOCON • oroanis meetings factory visits. particularly event on b June called by Ine LaDOUr FarLY money through 19 February said on of Laurence families, dockers. busworkers. other unionists and Labour Party representatives began to point the way forward.
Tony Benn MP for Bristol South East as TESTEEKON the parallels between Polish Solidarity the industrial struggles breaking out oVer Britain.
He gave his full support the Lucas workers and offered local women's right whactivities.
resolutions Labour Wares and tract unions calling on the TUC and LP whatever help he could give.
The question of leadership was the consistent theme. Colwyn Jones. Lucas convenor demanded:
SULTES Coordinate 80our ano trade leadership to tight Thatcher's un. employment policies.
Traitors like Healey. Duffy. Boyd and Kitson must be thrown out.
Busworker, Jim Cheek. echoed this point: Workers are fac ing three-cornered fight. It's the rank and file against the bosses. the covernment and the trade union bureauCrOS The need Is to soread the dispute, to use speakers WILL THERE B5, JOBS IN BATICATE INHON nationally to show supstreet. Mary Murphy.
TOONOUSE VIES like Tony Benn to drive the struggle into the base the labour movement and to link it the national fightmaCK against Thatcher and her suitors in the Labour and trade union bureaucracy As Phil Penning said at the Lucas rally, people like vou who are going to keep the fire burning the trade union move. ment, and hoDe blazes out of all proportion The workers at Laurence Scott salute What you are doing." 1980 Civil Service strikes weren't enough Civil service pay offer By Bill Alder, Mansfield CPSA MOST people's idea of a civil servant is a bowler-hatted city gent, but the overwhelming majority of civil servants are low paid clerical workers.
Tens of thousands are below the official poverty line.
On Tuesday February ware tid trot our 190a pay nise had Deer cancelled. Other civil service grades were offered one to five per cent.
In areas like Nottingham the response of many civil servants was an immediate out.
Last year the civil service unions were in dispute with the government for five months, the longest national wages struggles since the Genera/ Strike But rather than call an all out strike of the biggest Jimited the action to selective strikes and over time bans. The result was that union members gor fed up with losing pay for actions which had little effect on the government.
eventually we settled for just one per cent more than had originaly been uffered. Union By Judith Arkwright "Ten applicants for every job' the Tories 65,000 of us walk for the membership The the CPSA miserable three per membership and morale fell The nil pay offer this year makes sense to first veal workers are less ikely to be union members because they fear victimisation and are almost ignored by union officials. stated on To it the don tike it the should Barney remember that there are ten applicants for But as the walkouts showe membership is still willing to fight. The unof ficial stoppages must be used to force the national officials to call strike action The CPSA's full claim is 13 per cent. The full time negotiators must not be allowed to settle for less, that is, to negotiate a wage cut CPSA should plan joint action with the teachers unions who have been offered a • cent, The CPSA has the power to close airports and nuclear submarine bases, to foul up the government system of administration That power should be used now to stop the Tories in their tracks.
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PHIL PENNING speaking at the Defend Lucas jobs' rally in Bristol on behalf of the strike committee
an- half year pro-
ILEAVE SOHOL DAD! OSED
OFFICIAL PICKET LIN