ADWEST-the right to picket!
Woman Worker1980 1980-08-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.
Scan page 2
The dispute at the car components firm of Adwest south of Reading is fast becoming the first victim of Prior's strike-breaking "Employment Bill"-before it has become law.
11 weeks ago the management sacked and AUEW member, Martin Kaufmann, and the TGWU convenor, Danny Broderick and 56 workers walked out in his defence.
Since then they have campaigned for his reinstatement by pressing the TGWU for official support and by daily picketing backed up by regular mass pickets.
The lack of official support-withdrawn according to the official Eynon (instrumental in the sell-out of a unionisation struggle at Didcot Selected Toys) because the branch's finances were not up to dateis undoubtedly part of the reason why the rest of the 750 workforce, including most of the women workers have not joined the strike, but are daily crossing the picket lines. The women in the factory are mainly in the semi-skilled inspector's section and receive lower pay than the men because of their grading. Their claim for regrading has now been before management for a year but the conscious right-wing domination of the section by Anne Smith, AUEW Convenor has prevented them struggling for their rights and is probably responsible for keeping the women in the factory now.
Since the beginning of the strike the AUEW has negotiated sole union recognition with the management.
On July 2nd, the police completely cordoned off the main gate of Adwest preventing any picket from standing at the gate to persuade the scabs not to cross.
Union convenor Danny Broderick defied the cordon and walked to the gate, demanding the right to picket. He was immediately arrested.
26 Arrests This arrest was followed on the next mass picket on July 14th by arrests of 26 others, including TGWU member Jean Dhoot, Treasurer of the strike committee.
These arrests followed a similar police tactic of completely denying the right to picket and arresting any pickets who attempted to bar the entrance or who shouted at the scabs as they went in.
Also arrested was a young black man charged with causing £17.29 worth of damage to police trousers and jackets by throwing a flour bomb!
Support the Adwest strikers by:
*Demanding TGWU official support.
*Join the next mass picket August 11th.
*Organise collections and donations in support of the strikers and the 27 arrested (one has already been fined £150)
Send letters of support and donations to Danny Broderick, 46 Berkley Avenue, Reading.
Scan page 3
Page by Itio Woman Worker, August/September 1980 Statement issued the Bolshevik Worke eag (LOB) on Intern: nal Day 1980