Garners: the mass picketing begins at last

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oh shall YOUR MAN AT THE TOP Last week Jack Dromey hopefully announced to the press that the Grunwick strike was all over bar the shouting.

But the union recognition strike at Garners Steak House which he recently adopted as a gastronomic Grunwick, nas begun to challenge the kind of class collaborationist policies which have left the Grunwick strike unguarded against a planned attack by the APEX bureaucracy.

Dromey, of course, speaks for the interests of the TUC and the APEX and TGWU bureaucracy-not for the workers who have been 18 months on strike.

The Grunwick strike committee was quick to denounce his statement and declare their determination to fight on.

Meanwhile the policies of the recently formed Garners strike committee demanding blacking and mass picketing have signalled all-out confrontation with NAFF-backed Garners owner Margolis.

But the problems which have dogged the strikers' capacity to fight this anti-union boss remair.

The union bureaucracy have remained determined as ever to prevent any independent mobilisation around these policies in order to win the strike.

No accident The non-appearance of demands for blacking and mass pickets in the strike bulletin and elsewhere is no accidental omission.

Deliberate obstruction by the union bureaucracy against democratic decisions of the strike committee is now the order of the day The c for mass all picketing strongly nounced de by Jack Dromey and by TGWU Catering Officer George Abrahams, is being se ibotaged, and a vague call for building "a regular picket su bstituted in its place.

DUR M The argument against mass picketing is that the strike might "lose public support" Yet the winning of the strike demands first and foremost a turn to mobilising the massive strength of Region 1 of the TGWU, not abstract appeals to the public.

Chief fear

A mobilisation of the working class sufficient to achieve victory is the chief fear of TGWU officials and their hangers-on who have no intention of taking up the demands of workers on wages and working conditions that lie behind the fight for organisation.

So rather than fight for the demands of the strikers for a Regional levy, full blacking, and Saturday mass pickets, the union officials have slandered and fought against those who support these legitimate demands.

Simultaneously they have moved behind the scenes to secret talks with Margolis for an unconditional return to work in exchange for an ACAS inquiry.

Smash and defeat

It is the officials and lackeys who are determ to smash and defeat strike.

Despite this sabotage the newly elected leadership gave substantial impetus to last Saturday's mass picketwhich drew considerable support, including a delegation of TGWU members from Tottenham Bus Garage and other trade unionists from the London area The conference called by the SE Region of the TUC and the Greater London Association of Trades Councils as well as the Grunwick Strike (ommittee must be based on such policies and fight to extend active support for this strike throughout the lavour move ment in Londor:

Delegatio essuntii from t aerson Their ined this It is essential that dele- lele ga IS un vic and nisE tia PHOZO: Andre ELGA GAL Pickets Garners last Saturday struggles are invited to the Mr. Kilpatrick who owns the Allesley Hotel in Coventry is well known in the area for his anti-trade union views.

During the bakers strike he is reported to have imported bread from Jersey and the hotel workers are still not organised despite persistent efforts to start a union there.

Kilpatrick is also known for his somewhat less than exemplary role in the struggle against racism:

With this in mind his hotel is hardly the place to hold a TGWU May Day Social.

Up in arms

Trade unionists Coventry are therefore up in arms at the TGWU district committee's plans to do just that on April 28.

At the March meeting of the Coventry Trades Council a motion protesting against the use of this particular hotel was passed-despite opposition from, among others, one Eddie McCluskey TGWU convenor at Chrysler Stoke and a member of the Communist Party.

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CP backs hotelier