Mass pickets win pay strike
Socialist Press1977 1977-03-02Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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first attempt to bring The CLASH Conference The 17 day strike of hourly paid workers at Winsford's giant Internatir ›nal Computers factory ended •with a partial victory.
The strike by 900 members of the Electrical and Engineering unions became necessary after months of abortive discussions with management over a claim for back pay averaging £120 per employee.
DETERMINATION
The determination to win was reflected in some of the stron gest and most organised picket lines the Industrial Estate has seen in its ten year history, with mass pickets out 24 hours a day.
A cry of 'poverty' by the employers was quickly muted by the recent announcement that ICL had made profits of £47 million in the last financial period, and this news made the strikers even more determined to win.
The calibre of their however can be assessed from the long-standing campaign and Equity to black the Barras Green Working Men's Club, which operates a colour bar, met with success recently when T&GWU convenors at Ancells, Davenports & Courage all refused to deliver to the club.
Within four days, however, the deliveries started again. The black had been called off by someone in the T&GWU hierarchy.
Now, eight prominent T&GWU convenors in Coventry have signed a letter calling on the brewery convenors to reintroduce the blacking.
The T&GWU has produced a fine-sounding pamphlet and many words on the need to fight racialism. Why then was the blacking called off? statement by Mr Terry McMahon, Senior Steward of the EETPU, to the local press:
"We were prepared to meet them [the management] half way"
His desire to meet them half way was fulfilled when, along with the full time officials, a meeting was arranged without the knowledge of the work force.
A solution of £70 tax free to be paid immediately upon a return to work was agreed and this was eventually accepted by the strikers.
Some workers see the 'return formula' as a sell out.
One worker, Ritchie Dunleavy, told Socialist Press:
"These full-time officials with senior stewards in tow have caved in at a time when we had management on the run. The shop floor workers were solid."
"The need to have democracy in the trade union movement IS vital when you have these officials making deals behind our backs. They should be elected and not selected,"
Pickets at ICL, Winsford.
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