Witch-hunter Routed in Cowley Election

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bish solidamity resses and 'Trades Council, as preparation of five for an al-out drive to secure the its who had election of extreme right winger. us attempt The witch-hunt failed only ry violence because of the prompt action of at the right wing TGWU bureaucracy last week as left wing candidate Bob Fryer was re-elected convenor of BL's Cowley Assembly Plant with a greatly increased majority in a stop floor ballot.

His sweeding 1.173-577 vietory on an extremely high poll of the 3,500 TGWU members in the plant was even more significant, however, in that it came in the teeth of a desperate witch-hunt organised jointly by the extreme right wing and the Communist Party.

Recognising that Fryer's right wing opponent Jim Barson had no chance of winning mass support, the right wing alliance set out instead to alienate Bob Fryer's supporters.

They therefore produced a leaflet designed spuriously to connect Fryer and deputy convenor Alan Thornett with the bombing tactics of the Provisional IRA.

Factory gates

A statement, drawn up in the name of one of the three TGWU branches on the plant, the 5/837 branch, was handed out to workers on the gates of the plant.

Referring to the national demonstration held in Oxford by Provisional Sinn Fein on October 20 last year, it declared that:

"Provisional Sinn Fein is the political front of the Provisional IRA. Branch members will be aware that this march was greeted with hostility by the people of Oxford, and Oxford Trades Union Council refused to support it. Many TGWU members have died or have been maimed or made homeless or jobless because of Provisional IRA activity in Northern Ireland and England" (original emphasis).

Silent of course about the TGWU members maimed, killed, made homeless or jobless by the activities of the British army and the Loyalist murder gangs in the six counties of ireland, the leaflet went on to make the allegation that:

"Mass executions of TGWU working people have been carried out. The TGWU totally opposes such violence."

Was Bob Fryer, then being accused of being a member of the IRA, of conducting such "mass executions" of fellow trade unionists?

No, his 'crime' in the eyes of the 5/837 Branch leadership was that in a debate on the Oxford TGWU District Committee he waged a principled fight in defence of the right of Provisional Sinn Fein (a legal organisation) to march, and in defence of the 5/833 (Blackwells Bookshop) branch which had voted to participate in the Defend rights It is, of course, vital that, even while criticising the tactics of the IRA, the right of the Irish people to struggle for their rights is defended in the labour movement.

The leaflet went on to point out that Fryer, together with the chairman of the 5/55 Branch and Alan Thornett, chairman of the 5/293 Branch had voted against a 5/837 Branch resolution.

That resolution declared that, as far as support from an Oxford TGWU branch for a Provisional Sinn Fein demonstration is concerned:

"The District Committee totally disassociates. itself from such action and deplores it in the strongest possible manner".

In conclusion, the 5/837 Branch leaflet declared:

"The Branch Committee of the 5/837 Car Assembly Branch Such naturally (...) fully supports the District ommittee in condeming Blackwells TGWU Branch's and Banner's involvement on Provisional Sinn Fein march.

"We ask: On what grounds do Officers of the 5/293 and 5/55 and the Senior Steward oppose the District Committee's condemnation of this Branch?

"We feel that the membership on this Plant is owed an explanation.

"Be sure to vote this week to elect a responsible Senior Steward."

• Of course no socialist should e surprised when extreme right wing forces attempt to witchhunt them for defending the right of the Irish people to struggle for self-determination.

Posters

witch-hunts will intensify at times of Indeed only a few weeks earlier, in the run up to the elections, an anonymous right wing group mass leafleted the Cowley factories with thousands copies of an expensively printed poster carrying photographs, names, add telephone numbers Oxford trade unionis supported the Sinn F stration, in an obvio to stir up reactionar against them.

But the deliberat e intervention by the 5/837 B ranch into the Cowley convenol rs" election was not written by the right wing. It was written I by Tony Gallagher-a membe of the Communist Party!

Gallagher was apr Jointed by the right wing as stan id-in secretary of the 5/837 Brat ach for the duration of the electio He personally v vrote and produced the scurrilo lus leaflet. Two out of the thr ee people who distributed it on I the gates were Communist members.

Gallagher himself had been the one who raised th le issue of the Sinn Fein marc h on the District Committee al nd in the ein demon- Jim Barson as convenor!

Bob Fryer, who called a meeting of TGWU stewards on both day and night shifts within hours of the leaflet being distributed.

Unanimous

• There followed a unanimous vote of night shift stewards and a 120-7 vote on the day shift to condemn the 5/837 witch-hunt (the seven were all committee members of the 5/837 branch, two of whom are Communist Party members!)

And, hours later, workers on the shop floor registered their profouna contempt for the witch-hunters by voting overwhelmingly for Fryer.

The result is a further blow TGWU officials who have

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