Yet another Region 5

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TO PHOTO Mark Rusher IFL 1500 'LEFT' TALKING NUPE General Secretary Alan Fisher was left with virtually no-one to talk to last Sunday, when an allLondon demonstration on low pay turned out to be a 40-strong fiasco.

Among the other 'chiefs' who turned up without Indians were SE Region TUC Secretary Jack Dromey and 'left' Labourite Arthur Latham.

Despite Fisher's embarassed bluster that this flop was 'only the start' of the campaign, local authority workers must keep a careful watch on this leadership, which last year jettisoned their In another major move to victimise militant shop stewards, the bureaucracy of the TGWU Region No. 5 has ordered a Regional inquiry into the TGWU membership at Export Packing Services near Banbury, Oxon.

Aimed at stewards who, as leadership of the site, led a principled struggle against Phase 111 of the Government's wage controls last year, the methods employed follow exactly the frame-up and kangaroo court technniques used against nine leading stewards at British Leyland's Cowley Assembly Plant.

A two-day inquiry (3rd and 4th October) is to be The strikers have called for support from local Labour councillors and from workers in the Direct Labour department.

They have received I no support from union officials, however.

Indeed, according to strikers, they were confronted by one official who arrived in the bosses' luxury limousine, climbed out, and called on them to return to work!

This advice has been unanimously rejected, and the strikers are calling • for supporting messages and finance to be sent to Strike HQ, 30, Camden Road, London NW1. held on the site with full facilities granted by management.

No charges or allegations are being made, but any minority, who have a gripe against the stewards concerned will be encouraged to attend-the charges will be drawn up afterwards.

TGWU branches should immediately submit resolutions condemning this latest witchhunting move by the notorious Region 5 bureaucracy, which has established a record second to none in its willingness to split branches and victimise or even seek to expel any worker who challenges the dictatorial rule of the TGWU leadership.

IN BRIEF A £40 FINE was the penalty inflicted last week on Leeds Trades Council Secretary Beryl Huffingley for organising an "illegal demonstration" on May Dayi this year.

She and another Trades' Council member were' cleared of obstructing the The march had been' banned by Labour Home Secretary Rees under the Public Order Act .

NEARLY A THOUSAND engineering workers at Transmission Manufacturers Renold Ltd have been on strike since September 18 for a 10% pay claim