Disaster course in NUJ pay fight
Socialist Press1978 1978-11-15Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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The strongest wave of militancy ever experienced in provincial newspapers has been headed off by the body responsible for handling wage claimsthe Provincial NewsPacked with people elected • on the basis of militant sounding manifestos, the PNIC last against recommending strike'? action to the members in support of their £20 claim.
Delegates sent to a meeting in Birmingham reported support for strike action from even the least militant chapels.
But the PNIC had prepared a mealy mouthed resolution which called for sanctions from November 20 with a strike to follow at some unspecified date in the future.
Delegates were aiso tola Malanstar ador alan tala that there would be immedA bitter six week pay strike by 100 TGWU members at a Birmingham factory has turned into an all-out fight for union rights.
MacShane iate strike action nationally if members were victimised for imposing sanctions such as refusing to use telephones or do night work.
For the third year running, the leadership of the NUJ is heading for a dispute, not over wages, but over a side issue of the wages struggle which the employers are free to create at any time, say one week before Christmas.
An amendment calling for strike action from 20 November was witch-hunted and defeated by 102 votes to 49. The PNIC resolution, being the only one left, was then carried by an even larger majority.
Amongst those arguing wholeheartedly against strike action was union President, Denis MacShane, one of the plethora of fake lefts elected into office with the support of Journalists' Charter, who later become the most skilful advocates of reactionary and spineless policies.
MacShane, in a late intervention, even tried to have all reference to strike action removed• from the PNIC motion, although he had earlier told delegates that during last year's dispute he had not been able to tell the difference between papers where sanctions had been applied and those where no action was taking place.
Such was the dishonesty of the final resolution that those delegates who had openly said from the rostrum that they would never obey a call to strike on whatever grounds, nevertheless voted for a resolution containing that policy. They understood that it was there for decoration only.
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papers Industrial' weekend voted by 6-2 PHOTO: Andrew Wiard: