Cowley strikers return

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ON "BUILD A FIGHTING LEFT!"

Socialist Organiser Public Tuesday October 20 at 7.30 pm Speakers Alan Thomett (TGWU Deputy Convenor BL Cowley Assembly Plant in a personal capacity)

Rachel Lever (Secretary, Women's Fightback Campaign)

Dr Johnson House Colmore Circus, BIRMINGHAM ABOUR AND THE FIGH FOR JOBS Thursday 22 October 7.30 pm North Islington Library, Manor Gardens, off Holloway Road Speakers include Laurence Sootts (invited)

Alan Thornett Mick Woods (St Mary's Hospital Occupation Committee)

Maureen Leigh, Islington North CLP Sponsored by Socialist Organiser and local labour movement bodies NATIONAL JNEMPLOYED WORKERS MOVEMENT National Conference 31 October-1 November Goldsmith College Student New Cross, London Full details available from Leicester UWU, c/o 52, Wyville Row, Leicester Tel: 0533-898324 Anti-Apartheid Movement Conference: Sunday November 1, 10 to 5.30 it Westminster Cathedral Conference Centre, Morpeth Terrace, SW1.

Open to all AAM members: details, AAM, 89 Charlotte St, W1.

DEMONSTRATION

"Stop the deportation of Nasreen Akhtar Saturday 17 October Assemble 2 pm at Thurch Stile, behind Town helma own Rochdale Highgate/ Archway Anti-Apartheid Group Workshop on Southem Africa for beginners:

Monday 19 October, at Archway Development Education Centre, 173 Archway Road.

Film programme at Jaci sons Lane Community Centre, Archway Rd, No: Tuesdays at 8pm, tel. 340 5226.

LAMBETH SOCIALIST Educational Programme October 25: Labour Theory of Value November 29: State and Revolution.

December 20: The Russian Revolution January 31: Stalinism.

February 28: The Origins of the Labour Party.

All meetings start at 7.00 pm. For further detaits phone 609 3071. nalgo OFFICIAL PICKET return THE NINE-day old strike by workers from the Acclaim and Princess tracks at the BL Cowley Assembly plant ended last Friday after dismissal notices had been sent out to the 750 workers in dispute.

The strike, over the loss of a day's pay in breach of lay-off agreements, was very militant, with a large picket maintained on the gates throughout.

Despite the militancy, however, the strikers were split at a mass meeting last Thursday, when the AUEW Executive issued an order instructing their members -about one third of the strikers - back to work.

Although the mood of the meeting was strongly for continuing the action, continuous pressure from the platform for a return to work : eventually split the meeting, which voted by a majority of only three to continue the strike.

The split vote, and the AUEW instruction, was more than enough to give Edwardes the cue to send out sacking notices An emergency meeting was called on Friday afternoon to make a collective response to the sackings.

There clearly had to be either a good majority for a continued strike, or a return to work on Monday morning. The convenors urged a return to work, and the meeting eventually voted to go back by a majority of two to one.