[The judge announced that he was tempted to…]
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The judge announced that he was tempted to imprison them for contempt of court. The strikers after the hearing declared that their fight would go on, and they would not. pay the fines.
Bestobell's is again being picketed.
This use of the courts to fine and attempt to intimidate strikers fighting in defence of trade union rights The whole of Ford car production in Britain is at a standstill as we go to press, with 10,000 strikers at Halewood saying that they will not return until the company withdraws its punitive disciplinary code.
The code was imposed without union agreement and provides for the suspension of workers who engage in unofficial strikes both for the shift in which the strike takes place and for the next shift as well.
The present. dispute began when four body plant workers were suspended for refusing to work to impossible standards.
As workers walked out in their defence production was hit and layoffs began. By last Monday 10,000 workers on both shifts and assembly and body plants were in dispute.
Management have weighed in with the now routine threat of closurethough the Halewood plant has been the site of £207 million investment in preparation for the new Escort.
TGWU national official Ron Todd put on the spot by the mass walkout is calling on management to "rethink" the disciplinary code: workers should insist that the conclusion reached is that the code is scrapped and hard-won conditions protected.