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The fight for union organisation was a continual battle from the start, against the company on the one hand and the trade union bureaucracy on the other. At each point, the rich experiences which were made proved an important element in the struggle over union recognition.

The allocation of the membership initially to the branch of a leading T&GWU right-winger brought immediate conflict, as the branch had not met for six months - and then only did so on their insistence!

As union recruitment increased, a leading union organiser was victimised in the middle of 1974, and though only a dozen took strike action, the strike was short entirely successful. This resulted in increased membership and the formation of a separate Blackwell's T&GWU branch at the beginning of 1975.

For six months before the dealt with on a trade union basis with union representation, which the company had refused recognise formally.

The company eventually moved in with an ultimatum; either accept a move to an isolated section of the firm without union representation - or be sacked. The decision of the branch was to defend the principle of representation and challenge the company with strike action on that basis.

The branch leadership raised the issue with the local T&GWU officials, Thompson and Buckle, ureaucrats whose history of opposition to principled trade unionism in Cowley goes back more than a decade.

Thompson pledged full support for the action and confirmed this with Regional Office. Feeling certain of official backing, when the company refused to concede representation and Ted Heslin was Thompson, refusing to leave his office and visit the picket line, demanded. a meeting of the strikers.

CAMPAIGN

A recommendation that these proposals be rejected wa s carried by the picketing strikes and a campaign was begun to raise support for the struggle in the local trade union and student movement, demanding the strike be made official.

Following support from Oxford Trades Council and many local branches, particularly BLMC Service 12G 5/55, students at kuskin and Balliol Colleges voted to hand over their facilities to the strikers, who had been maintaining pickets from early morning throughout the day under arduous conditions outside Blackwell's main premises.

statements were prepared for the 600 people still "Fair Grants Now!" roared 20,000 college and university students on the march from Waterloo to Hyde Park on Friday, February 27th.

We agree. The £100m to be hacked away by Healey's axe over the next 3 years put education at the top of Labour's list of targets.

In higher education, not only would grant levels: slide, but facilities would be allowed to run down, and jobs, of every kind will be under constant "scrutiny" if the cuts go through.

But what do the student leaders propose? The Stalinist "Broad Left" who dominate the NUS Executive spoke to the marchers of "priorities": education is "more important" they say.

More important than what? Medical care? Public transport? Housing? Social services? Pensions?

In the current situation all such talk is reactionary and vicious.

It is no accident that the Broad Left now stoops to signing joint appeals with the Confederation of Conservative Students, for on these matters there is no fundamental hostility between them. But there is no way out down this road.

We say to students: your fight must be alongside workers in education and on a socialist * for a rising scale of grants and wages to offset the inroads of inflation, as determined by elected committees of the students and trade unionists. * Not one job less * Not one place less * For increases in expenditure * To maintain and facilities!

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at his office where they would be instructed to go back.