Bitter Fight for Hotel Unions

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:5/670 ASEMBLY ... AND IN LONDON 100 mInERS BALLOT ing workers at two hotels in the town who are striking over union recognition.

Workers at the Linton Lodge and at the four star Randolph came out on strike after being sacked when they joined the T&GWU. Their struggles are now in their fifth and fourth weeks respectively.

NO NICETIES The managements - with none of the niceties that the Leyland management have learned to hand out to the union bigwigs - sent the ACAS arbitration men packing and at first refused to meet union officials.

response the Oxford and District Trades Union Council called a demonstration in the town to back the hotel workers to which about 300 workers responded.

At the meeting following the march Pat Lally, a representative of the Student-Trade Union Liason Committee, called on the T&GWU to recall the District Committee after Christmas and to call strike action throughout Oxford.

It was a key contribution which struck an immediate response from the ' meeting. Lally quoted the T&GWU District Organiser Geoff Hulett, as saying that the strikes were crucial to the pay and conditions of the catering industry throughout the Midlands If that is so it followed that strike action on a massive scale was appropriate. "The time has come to well as wordspute with action as well as words.

Hulett, sitting next to Lally on the plattorm weighed with invective against the "last bastion of slave labour" but studiously avoided mentioning either the District Committee or supporting strikes.

The omission was so blatant that he was forced to his feet a second time to say that the matter was already in hand "if it proves necessary"

Left-talking Trades Council president, John Power, said that if the : T&GWU called.. supporting strikes he would, as AUEW convenor at BLMC Service, do his THE VOTES CAST in the miners' union ballot on whether to mandate the National Executive to call industrial action to back the NUM demand for early retirement are still being counted as we go to press - but two things are certain.

FIRSTLY, there will be a huge majority in support of action to win what is obviously a legitimate demand - and one which the leadership have refused to fight for for the last 30 years.

AND SECONDLY, NUM President Gormley has already made it clear he has no intention of. calling any action regardless of the vote - simply using this indication of rank and file militancy to press for a more respectable "compromise" deal.

Socialist Press stressed two weeks ago that the early retirement issue has been wheeled out at this point by the NUM leaders as a conscious diversion from the wages struggle - aiming to syphon off miners' hostility to the impact of Yet some other left wing groups seem to regard the early retirement issue as a threat to the Social Contract - to such an extent that they do not even criticise the stand of the right wing NUM leaders!

The front page of the IMG's best to get his members out too.

He said that once the disputes were won they should look to extend the battles into pubs and then shops!

But Power, fearing an excess of zeal, added a warning "You can only do your best and if your best is not good enough it isn't any good walking round criticising anyone."

FORTE

Truste Houses Forte, who own the Randolph and who are strongly rumoured to be taking over the Linton Lodge early next year, have now called a meeting with Hulett and the T&GWU District Secretary, Davia Buckle.

Ominous signs that these officials are already looking for some form of compromise sell out came from Hulett who said that the meeting must lead to a reasonable basis for further meetings.

The workers have no such illusions. They have declared their conditions to be reinstatement for all sacked workers, full union recognition and the start of talks, in one hotel on contracts of employment, in the other on wages and conditions.

Both hotels are suffering under the pickets which have been successful, in turning back guests and deliveries but both picket lines are suffering from lack of numbers at key times of day - which has enabled the Randolph to force through a load of oil in the early hours of Monday morning.

Oxford workers demonstrate The vital factor keeping the pickets going has been the workers' own massive efforts and the guidance and support of the Student-Trade Union Liason Committee.

Workers at the hotels are beginning to understand the links with other disputes up and down the country. A speaker from the striking bingo hall workers at Coventry, Ann Coffey, spoke at the Oxford meeting saying they had been paid 50p an hour for two Another section of hotel workers in struggle are in the Aquatels strike at Basildon, now in its second month.

Conflict began when hotel workers at Aquatels Leisure Centre formed a G&M branch in an effort to hait the increasing exploitation on that site.

Even though the ACAS arbitration found that 23 out of a workforce of 29 had become members, and therefore legitimately formed a branch, Aquatels managing director Mr.' Reg Treble refused to recognise it.

When the newly-unionised workers struck in defence of their rights, Treble promptly sacked them all and evicted them from their houses on the site.

Treble then brought in new workers who were hired basis that they would not join the union.

Despite harassmen in support of striking hotel workers.

years and joined the union to get a rise ve thought it would be quite an easy fight but it hasn't worked out like that. Trade Union officials have not backed anything.

The fact is that in Coventry and in Oxford workers are learning how bankrupt are the militant noises of the trade union bureaucrats. It will take the maximum efforts of militants to ensure that they do not have to learn that lesson too bitterly. the workers are still on strike, manning a picket line which blocks the main road and blacking delivery of supplies to the bar and hoteh...

But although the G&M agreed official support for the strike, the six have received no strike pay to date and no assistance from the union until the London Hotels (3) branch jumped in to give them aid.

Officers of this branch ignored their Regional Officials who first sent out a circular asking for financial and strikers and Moral support to the - when the London branch officers paid a visit to the picket and advised moving it to a strategic point where all incoming vehicles could be blacked - turned around and told the branch that "this strike does not concern you!"

The London branch have donated all their branch funds to the strikers and solicited funds from other sources SEVERAL HUNDR Coventry trade unionists crow into the local T&GWU hall | Friday to attend 1. a fund-rais social for the women, now in eighth week of their strike union recognition at Club ( Bingo.

The response of the Coven labour movement was so great t the hall was soon filled to capac and many had to be turned away In a situation where massive support exists the obvi question is why eight weeks?

Why have the strikers and tl supporters been standing in freez temperatures picketing Club ( Bingo, while even with the tr being official from the first d there have been no moves by trade union officials to instit blacking.

The strikers have had to fi every inch of the way for a moves from the officials.

It was not until thirty of strikers occupied the T&G1 offices that the union began distribute' regular .hards payments.

The powerful support shown the social should be turned intı concerted effort to force the T. officials to black all deliveries Club One and other Orr Enterpri establishments.

Donations and picketing help both still urgently needed. Get touch with:

Sister Ann Coffey, ,T&G) Shop Steward, 42, Hamilton Ro Stoke, Coventry.

The Basildon Trades Cour donated a tent so that the pick can man a 24-hour vigil.

But the rolé of the G&M bure crats is no different from that the AUEW in the Trico strike.

There the AUEW gave offi support but did not fight for bla ing of windscreen wipers within car industry - thereby prolong the struggle.

The G&M similarly refuses give any lead at all to hotel work in the Central Hotels group London, (Central Hotels own hotel at the Leisure Centre), giv no call for industrial action defence of victimised un members.

The London (3) branch has v correctly challenged the Regio Officials on this issue and is call for all workers, especially Gi members, to raise the call for s port in their branches and or Regional level.