Garners: fight for levy
Socialist Press1978 1978-05-03Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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A glowing tribute to TGWU full-time catering officer George Abrahams appears in the latest issue of the employers' trade journal The Caterer.
Abraham's co-operation and support for the company's handling of staff grievances in the period leading up to the strike is praised by John Owen, who until recently was the General Manager of Garners' Steak Houses.
From this article it is possible to see the legacy of class collaboracion that has burdened the leadership of the strike since the beginning.
However, since it became clear to a section of the strikers that mobilise the membership of *e TGWU around policies that would win the strike would inevitably involve conflict with Abrahams, a consistent fight has been waged to wrest control from the paralysing grip of the bureaucracy and their spokesmen within the strike committee.
The latest gain in this fight came with the adoption of a resolution in the 1/647 branch of the TGWU on Monday 24 April.
Moved by members of the Garners strike committee it called on the Regional Committee of the TGWU to pay the hard pressed strikers £36 a week by means of a Regional levy or any other means it may consider.
Precedent
They will want to avoid, as a matter of principle, setting precedent on the levy which could force them into sustaining major strikes in strategic industries in the future.
This is, of course, the last thing this rotten leadership, com. mitted to the defence of capitalism wants to do.
Opposition
The passing of this resolution despite the opposition of Abrahams (who had blocked it at the last branch meeting) and strike committee chairman Rachman, demonstrates the degree of support within the strike for those who have opposed Abraham's policies of isolation and betrayal.
That this represents further proof that the bureaucracy are losing control of the strike was reflected in the appearance of National Organiser and Regional Secretary Ron Todd on the picket lines on Thursday.
Despite the assurances of Todd and Cooke (Food, Drink and Tobacco Trade Group secretary), that everything would now be done to win this strike, the strikers are determined to force their leaders to mobilise support around all their policies of secondary blacking, mass picketing and