Big guns used for Stoke sell-out

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Following the successful struggle to end the strike by workers at Talbot's Ryton plant the national leaderships of the TGWU and AUEW wheeled out even bigger guns to knife the strike at the nearby Stoke plant.

A mass meeting held last Thursday was addressed by. Grenville Hawley, national secretary of the automotive trade group of the TGWU and Sen Cure, Midlands Executive member of the AUEW.

The task facing them was more difficult than that which their colleagues had faced two weeks previously because the plant leadership at Stoke were opposing the company's offer and arguing for a continuation of the strike.

Bureaucrats everywhere will have been inspired by the officials' performance. In the face of militant workers chanting "Off, Off, Off" they pushed home the message that there was clearly no money available and that to continue the strike would mean that Talbot workers would end up on the dole.

These people, who dio nothing to aid the strike from week one to week fifteen played Hawley the decisive role management required.

When the vote was taken it was narrowly in favour of à return to work.

Stoke workers have little to show for their fifteen week strike, Management refused to go above its original 5½% offer. • As with the Ryton strike the prime lesson which must be learnt is the treachery of the national officials and the necessity of workers themselves to act to defend and extend their strikes.

The Stoke leaders initiated a series of important actions to of important actions to black Talbot products. The Talbot products. The officials should have been le chould have heen (where 9 hospitals are scheduled for closure) they have three fully operational occupation committees ready to take over threatened hospitals.

Tommy Dumas spoke of the Hackney wide one-day strike action involving production