NO MATTER what the super-profits of BT are, if the telecom tion. The BT strike is the first major national strike since the end of the miners dispute.
movement, they are equally high for the employers and the government. Thatcher and BT management are doing everything in their power to keep the Telecom engineers isolated. JIM DREW looks at the lessons of the miners strike and the Wapping dispute for the NCU.
UNDERSTANDING that the NCU are to map out a strategy to win.
The NCU HO C chose a strike against BT than did the NUM or the print unions. BT suspended its own emplovees tor the 'crime of refusing to work The union's members had only the choice of seeing the entire ability regulate the situation at work destroyed or engaging in an all out strike.
Despite their denials the government is right behind newly privalisea management - just as it is Murdoch's multinational and just as it was the nationalised Coal Board. The government needs the Bi manage ment to crush the NCU for ine success or Its entire programme.
Then it can do a deal on an programillic mass redundancies with a house Lille DUDLICOD The government enacted its trade union laws in 1980 and 1984 precisely for these situations. They have already been put to use against SOGAT NGA to seize those unions tacked under earlier legislation. The courts will be after the NCU the moment they feel the industrial action biting.
Both Wapping and the Caterpillar SHOP STEWARDS from throughout Scotland have been called to a special on Thursday 5 February in solidarity with the Caterpillar factory оссираtion. Organised by the Scottish TUC, the conference has the backing of Glasgow Trades Council.
It is the latest show of support for the Caterpillar workers who took over the plant in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, to fight against the company's closure decision.
The closure decision has been motivated by the USbased multi-national on the basis of their international COLDULaLC plan. has nothing whatever to do with workers lose this one it'll effect our If the stakes are high for the NCU and the labour NCU, the back to the members' again.
- and are lac balloted - but that won't its OYCL their 'giving the key contractors The on the the NCU will such arsena was 11111C1N lor a with mass the people's needs everything to do with closed.
The workers have used the occupation as a rallying focus for support for their struggle. They have time Wake assemble a 'Pink Panther' tractor which they are giving to famine relief via Bob Geldof.
The workers' determination to feed the world and save their jobs nas received support workers in Caterpillar factories in Europe and the US. American leaders sent a message ol support. Bill Knudsen, chair of the United AULO Workers branch in lowa where 1300 Caterpillar workers' jobs are threatened marvelled at the Uddingston determination. It shows 'the of feeling' he said, FORCE "they're real fighters'.
Caterpillar bosses at the firm's headquarters in Il• linois are reported to LNCI officer John Moynihan addresses mass meeting of the miners informed.
T.ne preventing blocking picketting.
victory. it's vented for tion'. illegal.
been hit law injuncuon leadership TINe towel. The LOll LICI with the NCU been advisor declared 'We just can't understand why your cops aren't in there busting heads!' The workers have received backing leaders of all unions on site.
front bench spokesperson on industry, occupation as has AEU sericlal y Gavin Laird.
John Brannan, the convenor said 'We recognise the hardships that may follow when the money dries up, but there is no time limit to our determination. We have nowhere else to go and we have justice on our side.' Brum ONE hundred eleven workers have been locked out by Joseph Pray Ltd in Birmingham.
mem bers the walked out in November 1986 when two of them were sacked for workingAt the annover 24 on rally now ment settle the will the Campaign the miners tough The The gross hour week per cent an extra бр Those that Major • For further information phone 021-525 5275 Messages of support and Strike Fund, 324 High Street, West Bromwich B170 8DT.
NUM FOR THE first time since establishment of the UDM. the Coal Board has the NUM certain recognition in Nottinghamshire. At Bolsover colliery where the NUM has always maintained majority memsold awa far because Manage NCU demand pay deal without important.
Golding mediate with B build dominated an electoral duce Broad Left.
• and turn the arallls bership the has recognised the NUM's right to carry out inspection specified under the Mines and Quarries Act.
Merseyside
BUS DRIVERS sacked by the Chester-based Crossville firm have occupied the Liverpool depot. They were sacked on 26 January after taking strike action on 5 January rather than take secondhand buses with serious steering problems.
The dispute is the product of the Tory government's deregulation of the to effect on 26 October last vcal. Delegulan. volves the dissolution of the old passenger transport execulives reorganisation of local transport on the principle of all services making a profit.
Many services put out to tender in Liverpool COMMUNICATION Picket points of 'What do we want?
through the city centre.
spective Labour parliamentary support.
group after the branch was locked out by BT.
pickets as they did during the miners strike.
ment to date.
funds.
toured picket lines to express support. City NCU produced a strike bulletin and solidarity sticke in on Monday.
Golding's phone is being tapped plain about the tapping - done inefficiently.
porarily out of service pen to miners!
members The members as a result of the action.
Tommy Hanley TOMMY HANLEY was Cardiff branch Secretary of the National Union of Seamen, and a Communist member. He died last month in tragic circumstances, aged 47.
Tommy was highly respected intne South Wales labour movement.
As well as fighting for the interests of seafarers he gave unstinting support to many different struggles, Three hundred people attended his funeral. representing Hiall different organisations South Wales, including the NUM executive, several NUM lodges, the Well proceeded snapped to put into service buses they'd got from the West Midlands which had been mothballed there after September '85 report said • Leicester The local union branch has published a 'hotline' to advise the flood of BT's much-lauded worker-shareholders now selling up to finance the • Birmingham Five hundred engineers, clerical statt and sunporters marched on 30 Januarv. Chants No strings!' echoed • Nottingham Known as a traditionally 'moderate' area, the NCU is 100 per cent solid. Twice weekly mass meetings are attended by 1000 engineers. Procandidates have visited picket lines as part of broad labour movement • North London Strike headquarters are being shared with the local Wapping printworkers support • North-west London Letters have been sent to exBT employees inviting them to strike-break. Heinz workers have shown support by donating soup to • • Western London Supervisors have been asked to fill in questionnaires after talking to pickets in a management effort to regauge the mood of the rank and file after their disastrous errors of judge• Manchester Manchester STE voted for all-out strike action if any STE member is suspended. They are retusing to do engineers work. have put a week ly f10 levy on their members, collected £900 at one meeting for the engineers and donated £2000 from • East London Diane Abbott, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Hackney North ha • Wapping Taking advantage of the dispute striking printers succeeded in marooning News International's editorial office through a coordinated call• Newcastle Media claims of sabotage by telecom strikers in Newcastle have been found to be completely unfounded. The cables were sawn through and reported a full week before the strike started! Needless to say, the gutter press have not printed •Phone-tapping NCU general secretary, John He has firn evidence that the state is organising against the strike at the highest level. But Golding didn't com- just that it was being • TOS An NCU member with a week to go before retirement at the beginning of the dispute went to work. He was given a list of numbers to puttem They included a number of local NCU branch officers. It doesn't just hapis winning Forty in Manchester, 100 in Birmingham; in the Black Country former members of the management "sweetheart organisation, EOTA, have come over to the NCU.
Labour Party, the Com munist Pir Closures and Womet Against Pit large seafarers.
An NUM lodge banne was placed near the coffin in tribute.
Musa Nogan, local seafarers leader, who worked closely with Tommy, said •Tommy had remarkable qualities. He learned the hard way and entirely self-taught He was the most honest person I've met in my lif His commitment to strug gle and trade unionism was total. We will miss him But at the same : time we have to be glad for his life and the example he gave they'd especially heavy steering The occupation has action by dever trike action drivers Crossville's other Mersey side depots
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wages and conditions for years to come. That was the verdict of an NCU rep after London's North Cen- tral Internal Branch had voted for all-out strike ac-