Lifts staff fight

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20p plus postage Iram Organise 28 Middl Lane, Lo SIXTY-EIGHT members of TASS at Evans Lifts, Leicester, have was the, Deen sacked. This management's response to the TASS members' claim for a closed shop agreement, a shorter working week and a wage increase in line with inflation.

Management claim that TASS members have broken their contract by working to rule and therefore have dis missed themselves.

They informed the sacked workers individually that they should come in and sign a letter stating that they would work normally. There was no way to read this before actually going in to sign. Only one person has now done this and is scabbing on the rest.

All the others have ed this intimidation and started picketing on Friday 11 September.

On the Monday they occupied the canteen but were evicted by court order 24 hours later.

Gates

Picketing immediately resumed on the gates and has been kept up ever since.

The last three years, union negotiators have entered the disputes procedure with management to resolve their claim. This year, however, Evans management, in an attempt to weaken trade union organisation, has clearly gone on the offensive, demanding settlement on 20p democracy their terms alone.

TASS, who have sole negotiating rights for staff in Evans, have made these workers among the best organised and best paid in the district, with members playing leading roles within the unions. Management are offering TASS jobs to the shop-floor (AUEW Engineering section) and a few have applied. The AUEW District Committee, meeting this Tuesday, has sent instructions to members not to take these jobs.

Need

Carmen Wootton, the Divisional President of TASS and . one of the sacked workers, told Socialist Organiser: "We need, and are looking to the District Committee for • support, especially an instruction to the shop floor not to do work issued to them by management. who have brought wives and friends in to help them produce TASS members' work."

The attempt to break TASS organisation at Evans is a concerted attack on trade union organisation in the district and as part of the employers'• offensive, should be resisted both locally and nationally.

"Our members are determined. It's either all back or none back. And now the picket is going to be strengthened until we win and get full reinstatement," said Miss Wootton, who won this year's TUC Youth by Steve Akers Award.

It remains to be seen what the trade union leaders will do to defend the Evans workers. The first step can be taken locally by AUEW stewards in all the engineering factories locally, (Bentley's, Marconi, Jones and Shipman) linking together in the jobs fight.

Messages of support and donations should be sent to: Mr. B. Bixam, 42, Elmfield Avenue, Birstall, Leicester. Make cheques payable to Evans Lifts Ltd AUEW/ TASS Staff Fund.

NEXT WEEK Next week's issue of Socialist Organiser will restore many of the features squeezed out this week by our Labour Conference coverage.

There will be a centre page feature on the fight for union democracy; a round-up of US policy in the Middle East; reviews, our controversial Rock column, and much more.

MAKE SURE OF YOUR COPY! IT WAS only a fortnight ago that the Scottish papers were full of the news that Scotland was in the foreSocidlist Organiser. Thursday I October {981 Fase T3*naustria NewsTHUN SNIc DUTN

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