THOUSANDS OF printers and their supporters will converge on Fortress Wapping on 24 January to mark the first anniversary Rupert Murdoch. Few people anticipated a year ago what sort of fight was in store, writes JON SILBERpeople in the aftermath of the miners' strike that to workers would face such a tremendous onslaught.
provoked order to smash the union.
been on the statute book for years - that if you go • SunKe vou DIcaK yOul laws He sought to minimise the LOC Southampton titles. 1986 20 January Section 24 January SOGAT, NI workers. 9 February First mass Saturday night. 11 February 7 March celebrate Day.
March Redundancies going example. 30,000 printworkers.
During offers paper, as SOGAT ( considering it.
SOGAT attacked First 3000 offer. ballot.
of the fight against It is a mark of the difficulties that face working labour operation recruited Murdoch won the support of the entire capitalist Wallis i put their common class interests with Murdoch above any tactical advantage they could get by selling more papers and trying out of business As tha of business. The Guardian's director Harry Roche put 'Murdoch created the bench-mark' Other employers and round to ensure rallied ensure the success of the government's anti-union policies and the defeat COT union action.
UDON thousands of police have been deployed against the pickets date the equivalent of 100,000 police work-days. Up-to-date figures aren't available but as long ago as six months twelve hunCHeO Devoe a co rested Many sacked been phillels rested two or three times.
The courts have meted out draconian sentences culminating the imprisonment Mike Hicks, closer associate with the strike and elected to the SOGAT executive last August because of that association. Even in jail the maltreatment continues. Hicks has been moved three times is now in the Isle of Wight - as the authorities try to prevent expressions of solidarity.
Despite such attacks the printers fight Regularly, twice weekly they have massed with their supporters to demonstrate their determination to win Three 'final offers' hare been ranced de The lucrative hand-outs. octobe ballot against Murdoch's £56 million 'final, final offer' was rejected by an even bigger majority than the first. Less than one-third were nenticed • into taking the Following the ballot, the of the demonstrations have been consistently over 2000strong, quite a remarkable achievement after a year of The have their own newspaper, Post, through which they and their supporters can be kept in touch with the latest developments.
Wives, daughters and friends have WAM - Women Against Murdoch as support group. WAM has organised pickets, their own marches thousands of pounds.
the Slave printers message to other workers in struggle such as Hanger's, to residents in the distributing 5000 Christand to the mas caras mining communities.
The printers have organisa auring consoule have organised a national tour to promote solidarity. The 24 January march was called meet. of activists on 11 It has been the deter. mination and resilience of the printworkers them. selves which has ensured the solidarity from the rest of the labour movement. They continue to receive huge support, regular delegations to the me boycott of Murdoch marches titles is widespread. Print support groups exist in a number areas members of the Campaign group of MPs nave given consistent sup port.
But all this has not been enough to win the dispute. massive increase that solidarity will be needed to win that much-needed victory with newspaper tions, the manage jobs conditions almost identical sought by the leaderships because maintain Today, with 10,000 jobs Fleet to extend mobilised attacks workers ing fightback.
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