THIS WAS the angry message on 20 February from over two hundred lobbiers outside the inquiry into the waterworkers 15 percent claim.
Waterworkers had coachloads from Sheffield, ford, Birmingham, Leeds and London, backed up by wives, companions and labour movement supporters.
Fury and frustration boiled over when lobbiers stormed through the doors of the Arbitration Concilation and Advisory Service, charged up the stairs occupied room within shouting distance For fifteen minutes the conciliators were left in no doubt of the demands and mood of the chanting waterworkers.
Feelings Eddie Riggs from the Hampton committee in sil blackeneon, his eye after police treatment, ed the lobbiers feelings to Socialist Challenge …HOdie Newall, the GMBATU union negotiator has not spoken to the members since he went into that buildi We are worried about a sell out. He should at least find out what his members think. employ him and he should come and listen to us Martin Burgess Riverhead in North London echoed this.
We're not going back uncome in their Rotherham, Oxill we get the full claim. We're in militant mood. For the first time we're really united and we're not going to be put down Evidence of sell out circulated through the lobby.
telex trom Maurice Reed, national industrial OFFICEE OF We UNIDAU had Just been sent to regional ofticers, his in structed them to halt the water industry craft strike due to start at midnight, if the manual workers were ordered back to work over the weekend.
As the hours dragged on and no news came from COTHECO rooms, lobbiers exchanged experiences in the cold o. the street or the more welcome warmth of a convenient pub.
Scab Leeds and Rotherham Birmingham and London, the stories were the same. Private contracters used to clean filter beds and mend mains. Staff and management paid thousands pounds to scab. Cowboy labour used move chlorine with scant regard to brea! solidarity chemical workers Management blaming waterworkers for hitting domestic users but deciding to divert water from homes to industry.
and CHESTS.
Lessons Despite all this the strike is beginning to bite Strike committees are starting to learn valuable lessons. Flying pickets are sent out daily and plans are now afoot to concentrate these in mass pickets on the most important fronts like the Hampton pumping services most of London forts of strike committees has started. The first week in the life of the All London Strike Committee saw successful solidarity demonstration and the calling of the ACAS lobbrought down by South Yorkshire Water and Pollution Control Branch lan Drayton explained how this is used to inform pickets latest developments and gear Impressed strike committee trom other areas thought this was an idea well worth co/ discussed aD proaching local Labour Parties and support committees to help them with printing facilities to get these bulletins out.
Lobby chat turned into serious proposals as they considered coordinating andtional level. Foundations began to be laid to set up a national strike coordinating committee to overcome the absence of leadership from the na Harry Bristow from the London strike commit tee summed up many of made that afternoon We were naive about all sort of things when started this strike. We've been able to go a long way with help unim supports n other NUR U3103S who've been through thi all before. We should hav Thing alone begin ing. We doing, this sort should also The importance solidarity the broader labour movement was well understood that Media tempts to blame *outsiders tor the occupatior of ACAS were roundly put down by pickets.
The bulk of the occupiers were indeed waterworkers but they willingly embraced the involvement of 'outsiders from other unions, the Labour Party left organisations One picket, from Coppermill Lanes pumping staEast London, in sisted 'We can't fight this alone. It's comg to be a tough battle and we need all the friends we can get the labour move ment'.
Phil Symons from BirSTE 919288 sayit Wants to ry Cus all. NICHL WAIL LO CELCUS The only way round this is to unite Warmed Examples of solidarity on that cold Sunday aler- warmed atmosphere noon outside ACAS. Hetty Cowpe, one of the few women stewards in the industry explained how nurses hospital in Leeds provided a caravan for pickets.
As she joined her brothers for the journey back to Leeds she summed up the message of the day 'We've come here to tell the officials we want the tull claim. It they think we can manage on anything else, out of their hats. . We don' Want a SCIOUL
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dustries involvedother in- Solidarity