Pickets banned

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The Courts struck a hear?

blow at the strikers at the Trust Houses Forte's Nighi Out Theatre Restaurant ir Birmingham last week wher two of the regular picket:

were banned from picketing This outrageous decision came at the end of a Court hearing into charges arising out of assaults b scabs on eight pickets in April.

Immediately after the assault: the TGWU issued private summonses against the scabs concerned.

Five weeks later the scabs issued their own summonses, alleging assault by the pickets-an obvious move to create the maximum amount of conflicting evidence in The ploy worked, for at the end of the hearing the stipendiary magistrate ruled that there was not enough evidence to convict anyone of anything.

Despite this the magistrate bound over two of the pickets fo: £100 for one year-and ordered them to stay away from the Night Out.

Since there was no evidence to convict either of them of anything, the only "crime" they could have been guilty of was that of picketing.

Both had been regular pickets during the five months the strike has been running. This is the second illustration the Night Out strikers have had of the class bias of the Courts and other institutions of tie state.

In May ACAS conducted = investigation into the sacking =: Pat McGuire, whose victimisarx= began the strike.

The strikers shown or even of the ACAS obviously did strikers.

A further blow has been the dis covery that the supposed arrangement between the TGWU and Equity-by which Equity members would not renew their contracts with the Night Out-amounts to nothing.

Initially the strikers were told by Alan Law, TGWU Regional Official in charge of the strike, that the Equity ban would become effective from August 1.

Later he said the ban would begin from September.

It has now been discovered that Equity never at any time issued instructions to members about not appearing at the Night Out; that therefore Equity members are continuing to sign up for the Night Out; and that the Night Out has artists booked up till January!

BLACKING

These setbacks the need for a total on THF if the Night be won.

The Saturday evening mass pickets are due to resume from July 20. But although they must be fully supported, without the blacking the mass pickets will be a mere gesture.

The Hotels branch of the TGWU in Oxford has passed a resolution to be sent to the next Regional Committee meeting, condemning the full time officials sell-out of the strike at Trust Houses Forte's Randolph Hotel and calling on Regional Officials to implement a total black on THP to ensure the success of the Night Out strike.

Other branches should follow this lead.

Donations to the strike fund should be sent to the Night On: Strike Committee, c/o Pat McGuire. Transport House, Broad Street. Dixminaham have never pee= told the conters report, because ::

not favour the only reinforce Regional black Out strike is to