Pergamon journalists fight for union rights

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The struggle being fought by nine sacked strikers against Robert Maxwell's Pergamon Press has now been on for 13 weeks.

Support for the strike continues to grow. Maxwell shows little inclination of being prepared to come to the table. He is certainly smarting, though, from the bad publicity he has been getting throughout the labour movement.

Last week Pergamon produced yet another press release' for sending to organisations and individuals who have written to him in support of the strikers.

This "press release' gives six reasons why the strikers won't be reinstated. These include the fact that they have been picketing the gate (!) and the far thal they have sent oui publicity material about the strike to trade union branches and CLPs. Heinous crimes indeed!

But the company's response does not stop at propaganda.

For some time the company has been claiming that it had a large number of people who wanted to join the NUJ but were repelled by the behaviour of the existing chapel.

On closer inspection this potential membership turns out to be a group of managers who fat whose bidding", have been trying to pass themselves off as bona fide "moderate" would-be trade unionists.

Mr Maxwell, not surprisingly. has hampioned their cause. Wani they always omit trom their propaganda, however, is the tact that the NUs nationally and locally has told them that another chapel is out of the question and that they will have to come out on strike if they want to join.

• This bizarre initiative by the company is, believe it or not, not that untypical of the way Pergamon conducts its relations with trade unions.

One piece of labour movement support which may be particularly worrying Maxwell is that from members both in publishing and other fields -of ASTMS.

The NUJ nationally has now written to ASTMS (of which Maxwell is a member) complaining about Maxwell's conduct and inviting ASTMS to take the appropriate disciplinary measures against him.

Meanwhile Pergamon continue to attack the strikers as politically motivated wreckers with a viciousness reminiscent of the Mol'arthyite period in the US Aside from popularising their strike, the nine sacked NUJ members are also persuing more tangible means of foreing Maxwell to the negotiating table.

They are trying to organise blacking of Pergamon publications by trade unions in libraries and bookshops. • They are also launching a campaign to get NUJ members who supply copy to Maxwell owned printers to transfer the work elsewhere.

At the same time number of initiatives are way, through the Support for the Pergamon strikers has been forthcom-l ing from the Polish inn fram tho Dritint!

union Solidarity.

Less keen

however to show support are the Kremlin leaders who according to Soviet !

Weekly found time for personal talks with Maxwell!

No doubt they i consider that Maxwents redamess 10/ publish works by:

Brezhnev and witchhunt. Trotskyists' !

puts him on their side of the fence!

Printing Industries Committee of the TUC and through the Labour Party, to try to persuade Maxwell to talk.

Meanwhile trouble is brewing again at the London office-occupied for three months last winter by the NUJ in a battle over jobs. This time the dispute is over wages.

The weakest term in the equation continues to print unions. If KUBIKI MAXWELL of Pergamon Press thinks British business circles have an important stake in the improvement of trade and cconomic relations with Mr Maxwell was speaking in Moscow, during a meeting with Prime Minister Nikolai Tikhonov.

Nikolai Tikhonov pointed the the the Pergamon strike has demonstrated anything it is that to defeat an employer like Maxwell we need a determined and united stand. It is the duty of every print militant working for Maxwell to find ways of forging links with other printers, in other plants. Then we will be in a strong position to defend trade union organisation, jobs and living standards. to the broader scientific and publishers like Mr Maxwell's firm. Pergamon.

As far as the Soviet Union is concerned, he said, it has alwavs worked for detente for strengthening mutual understandino and buildina un trimmo any vulung up confidence between itself and other countries.

Weekly, May 16 1981.

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SOCIALIST PRESS *

Let's

SEe some actor The South African government and the capitalist class behind it have been celebrating 20 years of their apartheid Republic.

Anti-Republic Day Committees were set up to boyThe mass action of the orking class has done more 1 one year to shatter the confidence, deepen the divisions, and weaken the grip of the ruling class, than 20 years of ANC armed The ANC leaders continually try to harness and shackle the great revolutionary strength of the working With production organ ised for profits and profits dependent on cheap black labour, the fact is that capitalism in South Africa -however it may be re organised

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cultural ties which, he said, were being positively aided by

class to their struggle for a reformed capitalism.