[TGWU officials will attempt to use the half-hearted…]

Scan page 11

TGWU officials will attempt to use the half-hearted December 8 'Day of Action' called by the Greater London Association of Trades Councils as a pretext for withholding further support from the Garners strike.

This became clear last Tuesday in a meeting between the strike committee and Regional officials Staden and Shorter.

They declared that the Day of Action would be a "tes of whether further support st suld be forthcoming.

Open threat

Since these bureaucrats have been distinguished up to now by their blank refusal to mobilise support on the picket lines or release even the financial support that has been allocated to the strike, this amounts to an open threat to knife the strike.

UNION DUES While stating that they will regard the turn-out ОП December 8 as a measure of the strength of the strike, the officials have predictably lifted not a finger to mobilise support for the Day of Action.

They have reportedly "informed" TGWU branches in the 500,000-strong Region.

Police stations

But at the same time Shorter, with catering officer Abrahams, were visiting police stations last week-no doubt reaffirming their treacherous agreement to limit picket lines to six strong.

To help enforce this arbitrary limit, Shorter and Staden are insisting that contingents of supporters should first report to them at strike HQ, to be directed by them to appropriate restaurants.

The largest possible turn-out on Friday is therefore essential to protect the strike from further bureaucratic sabotage as its first anniversary approaches.

The announcement of the TGWU victory of the marathon recognition dispute at Sandersons shows that the length of the Garners strike does not mean in any way that the case is hopeless.

It could have been won long ago if the strike committee's policies of mass picketing, full secondary blacking of Garners' suppliers and a Regional levy to sustain the strikers had been implemented.

The present strike committee campaign for a national TGWU delegate conference to be called to discuss these demands therefore point the way forward from Friday's Day of Action to the victory that could so easily be won in this dispute.

• PUBLIC HEALTH inspectors have now closed the canteen at Leeds main local government office after GMWU members refused to cross the social workers' picket lines to clear rubbish.

Similar support from postal workers has also led to a blacking of mail into the office, bringing long delays in the granting of planning permission.

Scan page 12

SOCIALIST PRESS port

----- pull-quotes -----

Offall AT THE