NUJ strike for close

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the TUČ decides on, was defeated by a 2-1 majority. The EC's motion on pay that was adopted shows how the whole way the union bureaucracy is acting in terms of manoeuvres and contempt for their membership.

The resolution included the words:

"The government has not honoured its part of the so cial contract" and therefore went on to *reject any form of wage control".

But as soon as the resolution was passed, Fisher actually used it to support a Phase 3, using the argument that it's not wage control you reach an agreement with your employer or with the government.

There great hostility from Basnett More than 100 NUJ members working for the North of England Newspapers in Darlington and Durham have come out on indefinite strike to fight for a closed shop agreement.

Chapel officers of the Northern Echo, the Evening Dispatch and a series of weeklies won an informal agreement from their editor last October that all new members of staff would be obliged to join the NUJ.

That agreement has now been broken a matter of days after the many of their aircratt flying during newspaper owners- Westminster Press-sent out eminder to editors that they were supposed to resist the closed shop for journalists.

The letter-to all Westminster Press editors from the editorial director of the group, Nicholas Herbert, "drew their attention" to a speech by Lord Gibson-in the House of Lords against the closed shop. The letter-a new version of Westminster Press policy to encourage scab organisations-concludes:

"It could, also, in certain circumstances, be useful in helping to reassure editorial executives or non-members of the NU., who may be under pressure, that they will be supported by Westminster Press.

"I am not advocating that we should necessarily give it widespread circulation (that might be said to be provocative) but it is there on the record as a measure of our determination."

The North of England chapelwhich voted overwhelmingly to strike after a well known anti-union sub editor had been drafted in and promised support from the management-is clearly taking on the whole might of Westminster Press Supporters of the 39 pickets arrested on the Randolph Hotel picket line trying to prevent Self Help fascists from breaking the strike, held a 300-strong demonstration outside Oxford Magistrates Court, when the pickets appeared there on a variety of charges.

Then they marched to the local TGWU offices demanding that all costs and fines should be met by the union. They • were told by District Official Geoff Hulett that TGWU members alone might Just have a chance of being supported.

Two of the 39 pleaded guilty to obstruction and were fined £25 each with £10 costs. The other 37 have denied the charges, ranging from obstruction to assault and if the courts live up to their record fines of more than £1,500 are on