Ansells: call for inquiry in TGWU

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of the offer of compensatory stop workers who had been Andan are ra dea nandan are in pand arma tra Please send me more details about the Workers Socialist It's a crushing defeat, that's what you have to say if you're going to be comment on the outcome of the 21-week strike at Ansells Brewery, Birmingham.

'But don't blame the members," he continued, they were solid from start to finish."

• Another Ansells steward, Alan Harrison, added 'We were sold out by the officials at Regional and Divisional level, but we're keeping our branch together and staying in the union, because the TGWU is more than the officials-it's all of us.

• Cosy deals Despite everything, the TGWU is a working class organisation, and it's our job to make sure that it fights for the working class, and to stop the officials who want cosy deals with the gaffers instead of a tight for working class interests.

The dispute, which began on January 14, was initially to stop the company imposing a Michael Edwardesstyle package of conditions at the Ansells brewery. When Allied Breweries (the owners) announced the Name Address Send to: WSL, BM closure of Ansells, the battle became one to force the reopening of the brewery and to save all 1,000 jobs.

"Compromises

TGWU Regional Secretary Brian Mathers, Divisional Officer Doug Fairburn and other full time officials very soon made it clear that they didn't think the fight could be won. Throughout the dispute, they tried to foist management's "compromise deals on the workforce and acti ly undermined attempts w spread the dispute to other Allied breweries.

Finally, Mathers: made use of company facilities to send out a secret ballot over the heads of the Ansells stewards and their branch officers.

The two 'choices' offered by Mathers were: 1) "I fully understand that the brewery will not reopen, but wish to continue the dispute with the company and accept that as a result the compensation which had been offered will be withdrawn. "

2) "I have reconsidered my position and accept that negotiations should commence for the reopening of Aldridge and Gravelly Park distribution depots, runed with the accentance , London WCIN 3XX.

Denham Mathers payment to those who are not reemployed."

The choice of wording alone makes it clear what outcome Mathers wanted to see!

Settlement

Even then, a mass meeting of strikers voted to continue the dispute until a "satisfactory negotiated settlement" was reached, and pickets were mounted on the gates of the denots to League. offered re-employment breaking ranks.

But Mathers' sabotage finally broke down the determination of the strikers. At a meeting on Thursday 4 June they reluctantly voted to call off the strike and allow 300 workers to take the depot jobs.

But the workers are not going to allow the comradeship and solidarity built up over 21 weeks of struggle to go to waste. They voted to keep their branch-the 5/377 -together for the reemployed 300 and the unemployed 700, and to use this to ensure that all vacancies in Ansells are filled by branch members on a fair basis.

Protect interests Shop steward Barry Blinco told us how he saw the role of the branch in future:

"We're keeping the branch together to protect the interests of all the members, and to ensure that the unemployed members can call on the re-employed ones if Ansells start recruiting from outside.

But more important, we're going to use our resources and experience in the best interests of the rest of the movement-especially workers fighting similar struggles over closure and redundancy.

Rover is the immediate one now. We'll do all we can for them, and I hope they learn some lessons from our defeat. Strike fast, hit hard, and don't depend on officials, councillors 'public opinion'-only on your own strength and the support of other rank and file workers.

Control leaders

Barry Blinco added that he hoped the 5/377 would be in the forefront of a renewed campaign for the regular election of all TGWU officials, "so that the rank and file control the 'leaders', and we can make sure that no group of workers ever get let down like we were, ever again.

The mass meeting on Thursday 4 June had already voted unanimously to demand an investigation into. Fairburn, and branch chair- the conduct of Mainers aru... -SI. La and man Ken Bradley will be raising the matter: at the union's forthcoming Biennial Delegate Conteroner Has vac* cies for The workers call on the community to stand together • 44-hour wee TS OUR • Minimum ra • Plenty of over:

• Leyland • Immec • Grou • Sur nie BO close to ublic Were are still vacan Al-1l_.nce, to: Gate 1, Wimbled eath OR Epping Avenue, been only partially successful.

In the continuing struggles of black workers against the bosses' apartheid state in South Africa, the need for class solidarity action is sharply raised.

Solidarity action by workers in Britain can add great strength to the cause of South African workersparticularly in the many battles that erupt againsi managements of companies owned by British capitalists.

Two major struggles of this kind are currently being waged by workers at the subsidiaries of BL and Rowntree-MacK intosh.

The latest information available to Socialist Press is that the BL workers are maintaining the strike against huge odds. Management has launched a massive propaganda campaign while unions and working class organisations in the community have built support for the strikers.

Some strikers have returned to work and some new labour has been recruited but management claims of a return to normal have been denied by the workers who have said that no important production is taking place.

On 21 May IÇFTU leaders called on BL to reinstate the strikers. and claimed to have had discussions with TUC leaders over what action could be taken to pressure BL management.

Workers in BL and in the British labour movement as a whole must demand of TUC leaders that they organise concrete class action.

It is the same story with the Rowntree struggle. 500 black workers have been sacked by Wilson-Rowntree and are fighting for reinstatement.

Their union called for support from the TUC. But workers at Rowntrees plants in Britain have heard little or nothing since then of any moves to mobilise supporting action.

Messares of support to the British Leyland strikers should be sent to NUMARW, (WPMAWU), 2 Goodhope Street, Bellville South, Cape Town.

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honest"-that was shop steward Dickie Murphy's