Margolis "ballots" his scabs

Scan page 11

"Gradually, as has happened elsewhere, the picketing is drifting out of the hands of the more responsible union officials into the hands of the gaggle of political extremists.

«We believe this has alarmed the TGWU, but of course they are now so committed they do not seem to know how to disengage. Margolis •.. So it will continue to be business as usual at Garners Steak Houses.

"We hope that somebody on the other side will have the authority and commonsense to terminate activities that will never break our resolution and that of our employees, but will bring continuing " discredit upon the TGWU."

This was Garners' boss Margolis's message to his demoralised, worried staff on the 8 December 'stakeout' of Garners organised by the Greater • London Association of Trades Councils.

Line

But clearly his statement is aimed beyond his own employees.

In his tired old line about "political extremists" he puts out his hand to the TGWU bureaucracy who are desperately looking for a way to end the 11-month strike.

Margolis broke his silence with statements to the press which appeared in the Telegraph and Express on the day of picketing.

"I am not against trade unions at all" • said Margolis to a pliable Express reporter.

Pathetic

Even the vicous manager at the Whitcombe Street branch was cast in the pathetic role of someone who wanted to be left alone.

Margolis announced his intention to hold a "ballot" of the scabs to see if they wanted a union.

Surprise, surprise, the results announced this week show a 120-34 vote against the TGWU.

This week's strike committee bulletin points out that even the scabs most hostile to the strike have stated their willingness to have union recognition and are very sceptical about the ballot result.

It seems incredible that only a couple of months ago the Region 1 leadership was trying to get the strike committee to agree to a ballot as one of the conditions of calling off the strike.

TGWU Regional officials have a number of other things to answer for in this strike.

For example, although last week's Time Out in London said that the "police enforced an arbitrary limit of six people Todd on a piçket line" , this is not the case.

The "arbitrary limit" was agreed to by the Region 1 Secretary Staden and Organiser Les Shorter.

This is written for all to see in the minutes of the Regional Committee held in the summer.

Rescind

The strike committee this week called for the rescinding of this agreement and for Region 1 to organise a national delegate TGWU conference to decide the steps to be taken to win the strike.

The latest strike bulletin also asks for donations to a defence fund set up to defend and pay fines of those arrested for exercising their legal right to picket.

Fund

GLATC must urger tly ¡anise support for his Id especially nce the arrest of one of their number, Tom Durkin.

Support must be built now for the first anniversary of the strike when the strike committee has called a day of action on 27 January, which must be used to build for mass picketing to win the strike.

Durkin

Scan page 12

SOCIALIST SOCIALIST PRESS need new leaders Khomeini