Region 1 retreats
Socialist Press1978 1978-09-27Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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Officials of TGWU Region 1 have been forced to declare support for the Day of Action on October 7 called by the Garners Strike Committee.
They have. reluctantly pledged financial and material: support for what the Committee hopes will be a huge turnout on that day.
This decision, taken after the Strike Committee had been summoned to a 3-hour meeting at Regional office, now denies right-wing TGWU bureaucrats and 'left'-talking S.E. Region TUC Secretary Dromey any excuse for not supporting the Day of Action.
And it has vindicated those strike leaders who have fought consistently against official efforts to isolate, gag and sell out their struggle.
Since the last Garners support conference-where Regional Organiser Les Shorter was savagely attacked by delegates for his refusal to lift a finger to win the strike-TGWU bureaucrats have become increasingly determined to force a cancellation of the Day of Action.
Visits from Shorter to the Strike Committee became rarer, planned factory visits ceased and financial aid was continually postponed, as was the Day of Action itself.
On Monday September 11, Shorter appeared at a Strike Committee meeting and the next day Regional Secretary Staden threatened to withdraw support from the Day of Action.
But the Strike Committee held firm and went into last Wednesday's meeting with the majority arguing to press ahead with the Day of Action with or without official backing.
The resulting climbdown by Regional officials highlights the weakness of the bureaucracy, and the necessity to press forward with the Strike Committee's policies of mass picketing, blacking of Garners' suppliers and a Regional levy to increase strike pay to £36 a week. stewards' campaign. pay claim at the height of the Firemen's strike.
At a later point NUPE leaders could well be going out of their way to ensure a repetition of Sunday's miserable display in order to put the seal on a sellout deal with management.
20 building workers, members of TGWU and UCATT, have been Con unofficial strike for over 3 weeks in North London protesting at the sacking of their senior steward and the use of lump labour by their employer Malvern Construction Ltd.
The firm operates in the Kentish Town area of London, conducting house renovation work, and is thus closely linked with the Labour-controlled