Successful Mass Picket at St Mary's

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by lan McLeish HEAVY rain and bitter cold have not been enough to break the morale of the 15 women picketing Glencroft Knitwear in Glasgow.

Determination is what they've got plenty of -"We'll stand here all year if we have to" . Sadly, new initiatives to step up the struggle are thin on the ground.

Blacking imports, mass mobilisations on the picket ine, and secondary pickethave yet to be Financial support from trade union and Labour Party branches continues to grow steadily, with local branches of NALGO and SOGAT each giving £40 last week. The only deliveries last week were made by the boss's nephew, although the women are sure the lorries are dumping their loads elsewhere and he is ferrying them in.

He has also become more aggressive towards the pickets. He'd thought he had found a perfect way through - instead of walking, drive a van through.

The smirk was soon wiped off his face when one of the women charged him on the spot for assault. The police didn't want to charge him, and it was only after the women threated to report them to their superiors that they changed their minds.

The police were only too happy to cooperate when Newman (the boss) accused three of the women after someone had poured sugar in his petrol tank. But there is no evidence against any of them - in fact one of them wasn't even on the picket line that day - so they are not being charged.

One certainty from all this is that Newman will now go hell for leather to get his own back in whatever way he can.

ACAS won't stop him using the police against the pickets, nor will it stop the scabs from crossing the picket line. What is needed is action now that the women aren't standing there this time next year.

Join the picket line: | black all Glencroft goods. THE ALL-day picket of St Mary's hospital (London management instructions. The picket peaked at about 50 around 8.30am, and continued with about 20 people all day.

Many hospital workers, especially domestics, came out in their tea-breaks and lunch break.

Inside the hospital, the struggle is hotting up as management aim to close wards 2, 3 and 5 in line with their reorganisation plans.

On the day of the picket, management published their third circular assuring us that jobs and services would not be affected by the cuts. Staff at the hospital are unconvinced of this.

Porters have declared their intention not to move patients from the threatened wards without the agreement of the sister and staff nurses in charge. Nursing staff are showing remarkable determination to maintain services and staffing levels.

Possibly the weak point is the doctors, who despite their commitment to the hospital are under heavy pressure from administrators and consultants not to admit patients into the threatened wards.

The policy of transfer, if adopted, will not only HARROW HOSPITAL

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endanger the fight to save the hospital, but will also involve discomfort and danger to those patients moved.

Obviously the medical staff need to be encouraged to take a stand by the mass support of the labour move. ment and the community The first step towards this is a conference which is being organised by the Defence Committee for Saturday November 21st at llam in Porchester Hall.

* Messages/money/details of conference: Defence Committee, c/o TGWU office, St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Rd, London W9:

* Regular commitments to picket are urgently required from all labour movement organisations. Any organisation or individual wishing to commit themselves should ring the Defence Committee at 01-286 4884 ex. 544/372.

STOP PRESS: In an ominous step towards victimisation, TWU shop steward Rita l Maxim - 17 years at St Mary's and a leading figure in the fight against cuts in services and staffing levels -has been summoned to an inquiry hearing on her final disciplinary warning.

This movement by management is another reason why trade unionists should support the picket on the gates of the hospital.

_ane, Lond Please make payable to Name....

Address. n N8. cheques THE FINAL Appeal Court of the AUEW - highest body in the union - has found that President Terry Duffy was in breach of rule during his election campaign.

Duffy's candidacy was backed by material in the union's official journal and by 250,000 leaflets issued in the name of the union.

His challenger, Broad Left careerist Bob Wright, enjoyed no such privileges. He has now called for the ballot to be re-run with the same candidates.

The union's rules - if heeded by the ruling right wing cabal of Duffy/Boyd -oblige the executive to observe the rulings of the appeal court.

But they are unlikely to implement either of their two options: to declare Wright elected, or hold a new ballot.

AUEW branches should take up this issue with urg ency and demand that the rules of union democracy are enforced.