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Picketing is continuing this week at two building Lane and Croudace at Upper Tooting Park, as part of a campaign against the efforts of the local Tory council to run down the Direct Works department.

The Tories in Wandsworth are laying the ground in every way for national government policy. By cutting back on public building they hope to give more work to private contractors in the area but also to attack the conditions of building workers in the area which have been maintained by the presence there of a large, stable group of 800 employed by the council on full union conditions.

Tory policies will thus not only give "jobs for the boys" but will also increase the use of lump labour.

Since early this year the council has been refusing to tender for such obvious work as renovations to council property.

A number of such sites where private contractors were working were stopped for several months by picketing earlier this year.

The councit responded with court injunctions against picketing which closely mirror the proposed laws of the national • The High Court injunction against picketing names Stalinist union full-time official Lou Lewis.

Although the UCATT Regional Committee correctly voted to defy the injunction, UCATT General Secretary Les Woods reversed this and insisted the issue be fought through the .courts. All official backing was then withdrawn.

However around 200 trade unionists attended a mass picket on 21 August called by the Trades Council and the Direct Works Joint Shop Stewards Committee.

Further pickets are planned for 29 August and later.

Efforts must now be made to build support amongst Direct Labour workers themselves who are being held back by the attitude of their union leaders and action must be built up to close other sites in the area.

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sites at Wandsworth, South London, Turriffs on Garratt