Nottingham adventure ended by scab violence

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At lunchtime last Saturday some 30 NUJ and other union members occupied the offices of the Nottingham Post.

The delegation demanded to meet Managing Director Christopher Pole-Carew, to press for reinstatement of the 28 NUJ members sacked for joining the provincial journalists' national strike last December.

Assaulted

Apparently first agreeing to a meeting, Pole-Carew rounded up 15-20 scabs and security men and led them in carrying out a violent eviction.

Although none of the delegation offered violence many were assaulted, several being pushed to the floor before they were beaten up.

An ambulance subsequently took NUJ Regional Organiser M. Bower to hospital with a suspected broken nose.

Ill prepared

lil prepared for organised violence and led without previous briefing into this adventure by Bower and NEC member Aidan White, the delegation avoided being drawn into an all out brawl despite repeated assaults and withdrew shouting the slogan "Reinstate the 28".

The eight policemen present, who had announced they would be observing that no more than "reasonable force' was employed in the eviction, disappeared at the first signs of Militants angered at this violence organised against trade unionists must nevertheless recognise that this adventure was a diversion from the policies needed to reinstate the 28 and combat a vicious anti-union employer with a long record of smashing union organisation and forcing through new technology on his own terms.

Sheriff

. Pole-Carew is inaddition in charge of the employer Newspaper Society's New Technology Committee and Was recently appointed Sheriff of Nottingham.

Saturday was planned as a "mass picket" but the NUJ's organisation had ensured that less than 100 were mobilised.

The NEC has only half-heartedly pursued a campaign of mass pickets, and, via print unions, blacking of the Nottingham Evening Post and of companies advertising in it.

At a meeting of the South Midlands Area Council only five days earlier it was not even clear to all delegates that the NEC was calling for a mass picket..

Conference

Some branches armed provincial newspaper chapells haven't even received the last two issues of the strike bulletim.

Now, two weeks before thre NUJ's Annual Delegate Meetims, it is vital to prepare to raisse these points at conference and to support calls for strike actio throughout provincial newspaper chapels.

There is an emergency resolution . from Coventry branch to this effect.

THESE WRECKERS ARE CALLING ON US TO OCCUPY THE PLANT! DONT LISTEN TO THEM—WEVE GOT A BETTER WAY, SHAME THEM INTO TOTAL SUBMISSION. RIGHT!

(ALL THOSE IN FAVOUR?