Pergamon strike wins support

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Nine members of the NUJ remain sacked by millionaire Labourite Robert Maxwell for taking official strike action at his Pergamon Press offices in The NUJ chapel was called out after months of fruitless dealings with Maxwell had failed to secure any meaningful negotiations on the pay and conditions embodied in the Pergamon house agreement.

An NUJ survey shows that only three out of 57 compar able publishing firms pay lc weI wages than Pergamon. The chapel is demanding a 28% pay increase, a 35 hour week, and improved holiday, sickness and maternity benefits.

The strike has won immediate support in the local labour movement. A public meeting called in Ruskin College was attended by over S0 trade unionists and a Trades Councilbacked support committee has been established.

Within the Labour Party local wards are beginning to voice their support for the strikers-a profound embarrassment to Maxwell who sits on the Oxford GC.

The chapel is seeking to ensure the immediate blacking of Pergamon journals by NGA and other print and distribution unions, and the blacking of supplies and services to the company's Headington office. • Messages of support and donations are urged from all labour movement bodies-to be sent to the Strike Committee c/o 5 Union Street, Oxford. MEANWHILE, in London 65 journalists at BPC have been temporarily reemployed by Maxwell after a three month occupation of their offices. But the arrangement lasts only two weeks, while Maxwell finalises plans for BPC, of which he has just become the proud owner.

Print unions have agreed to a total of at least 600 redundancies in BPC's various print shops, including 400 sackings at Sun printers, Watford.

The NUJ members at BPC face a further round of struggle if they are to press home their fight against redundancies.

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