Cowley stewards invasion

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Workers from • the Transport Department at Assembly Plant invaded a meeting of TGWU Shop Stewards from the plant on Tuesday of last week.

The workers were protesting. at the decision of right wing IGWU Convenor Reg Parsons to bar their shop steward, Alan Thornett, from a meeting of stewards to discuss Leylands proposals for centralised wage bargaining.

Shop stewards at the meeting said that the 100 or so workers made a very powerful intervention accusing Parsons of witch-hunting. They vigourously defended their right to decide who will represent them.

The vast majority of 170 stewards supported the Transport drivers and in the end Parsons left the meeting after refusing to change his position.

British Leyland ordered a special sacking document to be drawn up last year for Asian families who take too long over visiting their families.

Leyland factories with a large number of immigrant workers were told to draw up agreements that would sack a worker on unpaid leave abroad who was not back on the decreed date.

The company told an industrial tribunal in Reading this week, that the policy was for both black and white workers but had been drawn up with Pakistanis and Indian workers in mind.

A Cowley worker who had signed the document although he could not read English and then was delayed in Pakistan through dysentry was told that whatever the outcome of the case the tribunal would not force Leyland to take him back.

The AUEW*s final appeal court last week unanimously deplored the action of the union's Executive.

The EC had refused to pass on to the court letters from the Sheffield District and from Smethwick objecting to the notorious Executive circular that backed the 12-month rule.

According to extreme right wing General Secretary John Boyd, the decision to suppress the letters in this way was taken unanimously by the Executive-which includes Maoist Reg Birch.

YOUR MAN AT THE TOP The lead given by workers in the London Metropole Hotel, on strike for over three weeks for a f50 minimum wage, has added urgency to the fight against low pay throughout the industry.

The strike committee's lobby of last week's meeting of the TUC General Councilin which they were supported by fellow GMWU members from the Centre Hotels group -challenged Bassnett, the union's General Secretary, on his support for the TUC's 12-month rule.

This rule is being used by the union's full time officials Romp and Tilston and the employer to resist the claim.

Arbitrary arrests

Arbitrary arrests of four pickets last Saturday have not succeeded in intimidating the remaining Metropole strikers and they are determined to hold out as workers in dozens of London hotels prepare for action on similar minimum wage demands.

First in line of these are the 600 union members in Centre Hotels where management are due to give their reply to the wage claim on November 3.

The following day GMWU shop stewards in Rank Hotels will be told of their company's response.

Grand Metropolitan, London's largest group with 22 hotels, have yet to answer a f50 per week minimum wage claim submitted in August.

Trust Houses Forte have been presented with the same demand from Strand Hotels a fortnight ago.

No help Conditions are better than ever to organise widespread action. To ensure victory at the Metropole and make the nost of this opportunity, allbut strikes in support of the minimum wage policy are immediately needed.

Hotel workers can expect no help from the GMWU bureaucracy in this struggle.

It is the officials who are responsible for the present situation. Their members have been organised only to pay their subscriptions; there has been no. attempt to mount any concerted cam19:30MM/ HOPPIT OFFICE FOR SUT ALL OF ACTION! 34 OFFICH YOU!

YES ONE O'CLOCK AT THE SAVOY paign against the millionaire tycoons like Maxwell Joseph, Tiny Rowland and Charles Forte who are making fortunes from sky-high prices and rock-bottom wages.

Meeting

The London Metropole Strike Committee and the Hotel and Catering Workers National Action Committee are sponsoring a CDLM hotel workers meeting on Saturday November 5 at 3pm at the YWCA, Great Russell St. Central London.

Workers in the catering and hotel industry are invited to discuss spreading the fight for the minimum wage and the adoption of a programme to take the campaign forward.

Support must be maintained for the Metropole, both on the picket and financially.

Blackouts throughout Britain due to the power workers dispute have been matched only by press blackouts on their claim and other pay disputes.

The action is over fringe benefits and 'backdoor' pay rises including demands for increased shift allowances and a travel allowance is pitifully inadequate. Its main importance is in its challenge to the 12-month rule since the power workers' present deal does not expire until March.

The effect of their minimal action has been dramatic. Noone sitting by candlelight can fail to notice it. But press stories have been confined to exhortations to consumers not to use electricity case there isn't any Strike figures have increas ed fourfold over the past three months-most of them over wages. But the only workers who hit the headlines are those who settle for 10% deals.

All over Britain the lights -and the news coverage of strikes-are going out.

10-30/ NOW FOR SOME PEACE AND... OH DRAT!

WRECK GANA EXPREMI (BRILLIANT! SIO SHOULD BE ENOLAH TO PULL THE PENSIONERS' VOTE SLURP SLURP National OFFICIAL SUPORTI LOOK, I DONT CERTAINLY -YOU MUST BE PERCENTAGE... GET BACK CARE WHAT NOT!

JOKING... CALL IT SEEN TO WORK REALISTIC HOW MANY GERIATRIC WARDS.

SHALL WE CLOSE TO PAY FOR IT?

Mass picket outside Metropole Hotel A mass picket has been called for Friday • evening between 6 pm and 10 pm. Donations should be sent to the Strike Committee, 76, Hatherley Rd., Walthamstow London E17. Messages of support and offers of help should be sent to the same address or phone 01-7234782.

The Newspaper Publishers Association have turned down a 35% claim by print unions representing Fleet Street workers.

Instead they have offered 10%, arguing that a larger settlement might in vite government sanctions.

Meanwhile, leaders 180,000 workers in general printing are preparing to submit a substantial claim in defiance of the 12 month rule. The unions involved are SLADE, SOGAT and NATSOPA.

NUJ members in Fleet Street, most of whom refused to make Phase 2 settlements, are also putting claims to each individual national paper of up to 40% But if the living standards of print workers are to be defended the most ruthless fight will have to be taken up against the leaders of these unions who despite their 'militant' stance at the TUC against the social contract have no intention of joining battle with the Lib-Lab coalition government-the author of the 12-month rule and the 10% limit.

SUrE The Lib-Lab government is preparing to use troops to smash any attempt by firemen to win their 30% pay claim through strike action.

Should firemen walk

troops will walk in to fire stations.

The government are clearly encouraged in these plans by union leaders' scandalous inactivity in the face of RAF picket-busting at Heathrow in an effort to break the air traffic control assistants' strike.

Strike action by firemen seems clearly on the cards. Several areas have already called for strike action, and on Merseyside, tremen are threatening action next week if the government offer is regarded as unsatisfactory by a special delegate meeting in Eastbourne on Monday 7 November.

Birmingham. Manchester, Strathclyde and Oxfordshire have threatened strike action and three mass demonstratons of firemen have taken place in support of the claim.

The firemen's struggle is a key one for every worker in PRESS › issues issues issues issues (Over would like Name. .

Address SPURS COAL GREN Now!

rOODs TO out, man the public sector. So tar. every settlement in excess of the 10% norm has been in private industry, while the public sector has faced the added barrier of rigid government cash limits.

The labour movement must be mobilised to ensure that the FBU claim is won in full.

This means an immediate fight in union branches and Labour Parties to force the breaking of the Lib-Lab coalition which is plainly intent on confrontation with the firemen.

And it means fighting for Trades Councils to organise immediate supporting strike action as soon as any attempt is made to use troops to break FBU strikes. £1.10 £2.20 €5.50 10.00 rates: write for detail Yes. I enclose ialist Press, 31, Dartmo London NW5 1HR

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SOCIALIST PRESS

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