Industrial Ne "participating' in Print Sackings

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A Visual Display Terminal, part of the new technology with which At a meeting of print employers and trade unions in London on October 12th, the policy of drawing in trade union leaders to do the employers' dirty work came out extremely clearly.

The Joint Standing Committee for National Newspapers, a kind of joint union-management 'participation' committee, produced proposals on the introduction of new machinery into the printing industry that will decimate the workforce.

PLATITUDES

After the usual platitudes about "no compulsory redundancy, the statement produced by the Standing Committee goes on to say that the savings made through the introduction of new technology should be, ...used to protect the viability of titles and in doing so, the interests of employees affected by these changes" - so bringing in the so-called "joint interests of employers and workers.

The procedure for introducing new machinery will be as follows:

"Companies wishing to introduce new technology and methods will first have to put forward their plans in accordance with JSC guidelines giving detailed information about economic prospects, company plans, the kind of new technology proposed and the implications for the quality of newspapers and for employees of the issued sins Ouse por discussions at that level.

On adoption of these recommendations, joint union/management house committees would be set up as soon as possible to discuss and reach agreement on manpower issues including the introduction of new technology, to carry through JSC policies on voluntary redundancy, pensions and decasualisation, to develop policies and to provide a regular forum for dealing THE NATIONAL ' Union of Journalists has issued a one month strike notice, due to expire on October 28th, to the management of the Sun Newspaper, in pursuit of a closed shop agreement.

At present, the NUJ Chapel has 100% membership at the Sun and has voted overwhelmingly in both London and Manchester to protect this strength by strike action if necessary.

PROVOCATIONS

Meanwhile on the Lancashire Evening Posi at Preston, 55 NUI journalits have taken official strike action after a 48-1 Chapel vote to resist a series of provocations by management.

In this fight, they confront the scab "union" beloved by the employers - the Institute of Journalists - whose ten members turned out to put in ten and eleven bour days in an effort to break the strike and ensure publication.

These struggles for trade unionwith problems which arise.

representatives present indicated their awareness of the critical state of the industry as a whole in the wake of the nation's present economic difficulties.

THROW OUT

All workers in the print must fight to throw out this system and fight for the independent interests of printworkers from their employers by rejecting all redundancies, voluntary or compulsory.

If the employer wishes to bring in new technology then it must not be at the expense of the jobs of printworkers and an overall lengthening of the dole queues. ism in newspapers are essential in this period of intense efforts towards rationalisation and redundancies by the employers in the They have to be fought against a background of conscious OJ strikebreaking and a barrage of hypocritica. management hysteria about "infringements" and "dangers" to so-called "press freedom"

These current struggles show that journalists are increasingly aware that such 'freedom' is provided only at the expense of their job security and living standards.

COMMON In the coming struggles against sackings in the print industry this developed awareness must be linked firmly in common struggles side-byide with the NGA, SOGAT, and other print unions in seeking a defence of all jobs and working conditions.

All available work in thi int industry must be shared amc the whole workforce on full pay.

If the employers claim they cannot afford such a policy, then their books must be opened to elected trade union committees.

This will prove the case for the natonalısation of genuinely bankrupt tirms, which can in turn provide the basis for a programme of useful public works, whether cheap publications for the education system or other forms of publshing and printing normally impeded by the print employers' thirst for profit.

the print employers seek to phase thousands ofjobs.

Leyland management have been forced to make full payCoventry for most of the time lost during their recent sit-in struggles against lay-offs.

The experience of this victory, secured by united and militant action of the workforce, must further strengthen the resistance of paintshop workers at the factory, who continue to impose an overtime ban in protest against company silence on plans to move paint operations out of the factory.

Yet the clear demonstration of the militancy of the workforce has scared the union leadership within the factory.

One T&GWU senior steward objected to management actions not on the grounds of his members' right to secure employment, but Callaghan A very important struggle for trade union recognition is currently being fought by over 200 Asian workers at Grunwick Film Processing in Willesden, North London.

The strike, now in its 9th week, began on August 23rd, when the workers walked out in protest at management's refusal to recognise their right to join a union - APEX.

The workers are also protesting against pay and work conditions: £25 for a 35-hour week, £28 for a 40-hour week; obligatory overtime; holidays allowed in winter only -none permitted during the summer!

FERVOUR

The management of the firm -which also operates under the names of "Cooper and Pearson" "Bonnspool" and "Trucolour" -have consistently demonstrated their anti-working class fervour since they smashed attempts to organise their factories over ten years ago.

This time the management are pulling out all the stops, and there has been some violence on the picket lines. Indeed, there is concrete evidence that management are working in tandem with the police at Willesden Green station -not surprising, really, given that one of the management teams was formerly employed by the police.

On Ist September the strike was made official and since then the strikers have received considerable MARCH For example, over 400 workers marched in support of the strike on 10th September, and the workers confidently claim that their "blacking" campaign has been 80% effective.

Verbal support has been forthcoming from Roy Grantham (General Secretary of APEX); local MPs 'because the company actions "gave a platform for troublemakers."!

But an indication of who are the real "troublemakers" came in Saturday's Coventry Evening Telegraph where it was announced that Leyland are now considering imposing short time working in the Browns Lane plant, in a new bid to isolate the paintshop workers.

Leyland point out that as a result of the paintshop overtime ban - in force since July - there are now more than 1,800 half painted bodies stockpiled in the plant.

But sooner than concede the demand for an enquiry into their plans, Jaguar management would prefer to hold out, and put the cost of this onto the backs of the rest of the workforce.

There are clear indications that such moves would be fought. If the company proceed to attempt to impose short-time, then a repeat of Grantham Laurie Pavitt and Reg Freeson; Brent Trades Council and the Greater London Association of Trades Councils.

And yet the strike continues. One reason for this is that the workers anger has been channelled into purely parliamentary protests by local APEX bureaucrats.

PROTEST

Thus when the pickets were molested by police, APEX decided to send a letter of protest to Robert Mark!

At the start of October, Grantham called on Albert Booth to set up a Court of Inquiry. On 15th October, the workers marched to Downing St. - only to present a petition to James Callaghan!

We say that such protests are entirely inadequate - what possible comfort will workers gain from men who are busily attacking their standards of living and livelihoods?

Only by direct working class action will this strike be wen, and not by relying on the offices" of such traitors as Booth and Callaghan.

APEX must call for a nationwide "black" of Grunwick goods, and boycott all chemists who deal with them.

They must draw in the active support of other unions - especially postal workers - to ensure that absolutely no deliveries are made at the plant.

The strike committee should set up their own defence squad to protect themsleves from the joint attacks of management and police. Concrete steps such as these are the only way to ensure victory.

Messages oi support and donations to:

Mahmood Ahmad, Brent Trades and Labour Hall, 375, High Rd., Willesden, London NW10. the successful tactic of sit-in strike must take place - but with the twin demands of full pay for working the reduced hours, and that the company at once open up full information on stocks, orders, component suppies, production schedules, lines of credit and future plans to an elected committee of trade unionists, from both the paintshop and the remainder of the plant.

In this way, wages can be defended and unity with the paintshop workers established, and Jaguar workers can begin to learn the inner workings of their section of Leyland as a part of the motor industry as a whole.

Only • in this way can an alternative to the vicious Ryder speed-up plan be drawn up in the interests of the car and component workers and the working class as a whole.

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ment to workers at Jaguar's Browns Lane factory in