Garment workers leaders under fire in the North

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several attempts to end the strike.

But, 'strengthened by the falling off in outside support on the picket lines, and the refusal of the Regional Committee to take action to force the closure of his restaurants, Margolis has effectively stuck up two fingers to the biggest union in the country.

Strikers however, remain determined to win this dispute which their officials are determined to 'lose. Last Tuesday they lobbied the Regional Committee, demanding that:

* Each trade group "adopt" a Garners restaurant. for continued picketing.

*More finance be made available above the £2,000 just given by the GEC.

*An official be allocated to the strike.

*Region 1 support a TGWU national delegate conference on the strike.

The Guinness Book of Records tells of a man who spent seven days crawling on his knees and claimed a world record.

Workers in the textile industry in the North-west of England flatly deny such a claim -since most of their officials have been crawling on their knees for the last 20 years!

Recent wage negotiations for the industry show the validity of their claim -the following are END SERB VIOLENCE REGION 1 IPEC PICKETS NOVE ISE STONS LIFe The Garners lobby extracts from letters exchanged between Jack. MacGougan, General Secretary of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers and other full time officials.

September 14 " ... There is, however, no change in the decision to accept the Clothing Manufacturers' Federation condition that negotiations should be within the framework of the White Paper ... It was also agreed not to oppose. an employers' request for an adjournment of the wages council meeting."

September 20 "The clothing Manufacturers Federation media it a condition of negotiations that the agreement be within the terms of the government's 5%. The Executive Board ... accept these conditions."

October 16 "The replies [from branches opposing the sell-out] indicated a volume of dissatisfaction at the terms of the settlement" [!] " ... the replies indícated outright rejection of the government's White Paper." "The Executive Board gave serious consideration to the objections raised, but it should be pointed out that at the outset of the negotiations the employers indicated that they were only prepared to nogotiate within the terms of the government White Paper.

"After a careful review of the circumstances of the industry, the Executive Board agreed that it was in the interest of the union to negotiate on that basis.

"The Executive Board, taking cognisance of the current situation and the replies from branches, decidad to ratify the agreement on the condition that the Clothing Manufacturers Federation agree to arrange a meeting in January 1979 with the Exocutive Board to review the position in the light of developments in industrial relations generally."

The employers rejected that 'condition' and the union accepted the rejection.

In. recent NUT&GW pamphlet 'Employment in clothing-a struggle for survival" we also read the following:

"While there is genuine cause for optimism about the future of the UK clothing industry. it would, however, be a classic example of wishful thinking if we were to believe that employ• ment in the industry had reached the end of its contraction ...

"It is a sobering thought (!] that the International Labour Office (ILO) have warned that technological progress and changes in international trade are likely to make 1.6 million Western "European textile workers redundant by 1985."

That the leadership of the NUT&GW will do nothing to defend those jobs is clear from That USDAW. and managemoves the strikers had fittle doubt.

The USDAW official actually turned up at the picket within an hour of the strikers' meeting Hulett and, surprised to find the picket still there, crossed it to meet management!

blashes. however, →5=577=-5 -5347 Ng 31, -109=75: 12 5c8 on the spot and presenter exc striker with back strike pay.

He also called a new meeting of the strikers (as we were going to press) together with Hulett and the Northants official, Morris, to discuss policies.

This. turn by the TGWU bureaucracy produced an instant heartening effect on the strikers who are now confident of winning back to the picket lino inmo whn had loft in BRIG despair.

They have called for a mass picket at the warehouse at the fact that in the past tweive months plants have closed at Preston, Clitheroe, Bolton and Crewe, with a further 650 members due to be sacked from the Burtons plant at Bolton.

In that whole period the union's national disputes benefits paid out amount to an unbelievable £29!

But at a recent North West Regional Shop Stewards conference representing 20,000 NUT&GW members, union officials including MacGougan suffered a severe setback when a WSL supporter and factory convenor from Winsford fought successfully for the conference to allow picketing strikers from Brentwear Ltd, Stockport, into the hall.

She then went on to attack the leadership's support for wage limitation, called for the opening of the books of companies declaring insolvency, and attacked the officials for not supporting the nationalisation of the clothing industry inder workers' management and control.

All this took place under an item on the agenga entitled '1.15 to 3.00pm Work Studya lecture and discussion led by Mr. V. Fairbrother." In this fight she received the total support from all shop stewards present.

The fight to remove the well-fed NUT&GW crawlers began at that point.

Halert _ local ZI tea it We urge a 5000zs = fight for union. Tades sunci and Labour Party de agations io join the picket.

The factory is at Chipping Warden on the Banbury to Daventry Road, and is next to the Export Packing Services factory.

Donations and messages of support to House of Holland Strike Committee, 15 Plowden Close, Aston-Le-Walls, Daventry Northants.