Laird moves in on Hoover on Hoover SNIPE'S BIG LIE

Scan page 15

LAST WEEK Laurence Scott boss Arthur Snipe failed to reopen his Openshaw factory with a management-selected workforce and the loss of 500 jobs.

This week, after an emergency board meeting, he announced that as far as he was concerned, the dispute was finally over.

The factory will remain stated because it is impossible to reopen it in working order. He claims that vandalism' by the strikers has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

Snipe is an accomplished exponent of the philosophy that if you are going to tell a lie. make it a massive one.

His contemptible invention so far off beam as to be laughable, has simply strengthened the determination of the strikers to see the dispute, now entering its eighth month through to the bitter end.

The problem is that the workers are still fighting on two fronts. Their leaders, Sir John Boyd and Terry Duffy are just as determined: that the Scotts workers shoul spent a lot more than eight months on the dole queues. The AUEW Executive's refusal to pass onto the final appeal court important papers relating to the dispute meant that the court felt it was unable to adjudicate on the workers' claim that the Executive were in breach of rule in making the dispute unofficial and withdrawing the District levy.

The courts passed a motion of censure on the Executive. This is the third time in the last 12 months that the Executive have totally ignored the body which has attempted to provide a basic safeguard for members against Executive disregard of the union constitution and NC decisions.

• It emphasises yet again Duffy and Boyd's contempt for their membership. The problem is that despite protest resolutions and censure motions, they have got away with it.

In the case of Boyd's dismissal of Esward and Hughes, the two researchers, journal by Boyd to influence the misuse of the union Duffy's election and now by totally bypassing the powers the rules sive District Committees.

It is an ironic comment on the anarchic workings of the capitalist system that, as 260 Scotts workers fight for their jobs in Openshaw, the Aurora Group have declared the intention of closing their factory at Ecclesfield in Sheffield with the creation of over 100 extra jobs inguess where-Opensahw.

The Scotts strikers have no intention of benefitting from the misfortune of other workers. This move is being fiercely resisted by the Sheffield stewards and these jobs should be blacked by the whole Manchester labour movement.

For the Scotts workers the realisation now must be that only picketing and blacking can take their dispute forward, helpful though resolutions and messages of support may bé.

It is the organisation of this kind of action which should be made the central theme of the solidarity conference in Manchester on November 14. * Conference: Saturday Now. 14, from 10am, Univ. of Manchester Institure of science & Tratimalatty. action.

But Cambuslang and Merthyr are planning no action against their own job cuts. And Perivale has initiated no action either.

Instead of meeting a firm commitment from the unions to take action against any job cuts, anywhere, the Hoover bosses have been able to trade on the relief of Merthyr and Cambuslang at not being shut, and the despair of Perivale.

Laird-Duffy's crony

Scan page 16

SUPPORT ST MARY'S HOSPITAL!

Saturday November 21, 11am to 2pm, at Porchester Hall, Porchester Rd, London W2.

Making a point at Monday's mass meeting was soon to be displayed. found herself being returnTwo days later, on Friday ed to a male ward. (The ad31st, he organised the kid- ministrators now call it a napping of patients from "mixed ward' , since puttIlland. 9 under the watrh- ina these hiiarked women Sullivan (organiser, Islington Anti Nazi League)

day changed the lock to Police One trick they pulled, The police were again however, backfired on used to clear away the pickthem. A patient who was ets so that the last patient taken to X-ray suddenly could be dragged away. DRAMATIC new developments have changed the nature of the struggle at St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Road (London).

The last week has seen the occupation of the sector administrator's office, raid on Ward 2 with the aid of the boys in blue, and the suspension of two workers.

The new stage in the fight has come from the clash between the ruthiess desperation of the administration and the determination of the workforce to save the hospital and to put an end to their harassment and intimidation.

by Anna CHAPEL Market is a large, busy market in the south of Islington which is open all day on Saturdays and until one o'clock on Sunday. It is placed in a part of the borough where the population is predominantly white working class. For fascist groups like the National Front, it is seen as breeding ground for their extreme racist and fascist policies.

Although the National Front took a real beating at the polls in the general election and the GLC elections, and suffered tremendous disintegration because of their faction fights, they have used the present political climate of economic slump and mass unemployment to regroup and rebuild, mainly among youth.

They came back to Chapel Market a year ago on Sundays to try once more The key fig build-up of cor willingness to Rita Maxim, steward and orderly.

Browbeaten

She refused to be browbeaten by yet another call to a disciplinary hearing for her refusal to do the work of others. 'There are so many without work" she said, "it is wrong for them to expect us to do the work of two or three people"

She would not accept the validity of the meeting with Streets by Det ure in the fidence and fight was T&G shop a ward (organiser, Islington Anti They at first tried to put on a respectable face. This didn't last long. They launched one attack after another on members of the ANL, the Other Bookshop (where a woman in the shop was injured so badly her skull was fractured), and an arson attack on the Community Press.

They have sworn to get rid of any opposition to them by any means available - and we all know what that means in fascist terms: violence and intimidation.

The people of Islington have made it quite clear that they do not want them selling their filthy literalocal shoppers stating their opposition to the sale of Clinton the administrator, Julian Nettal, and a personnel officer.

"I would not sit down with them. I told my union district officer, Mr John Newe, but he wanted me to take part in the meeting, as they could decide to sack me anyway without me being there.

"But I said no.

'I went into the meeting with Mr Newe and Mr Beckles, my branch secretary. When they told me to sit down and talked to me like a naughty boy in front of the teacher, I got very angry and told them they were not my judge and I Nazi under attack and harassment for a long time, and we have to say and to show loud and clear that we are not prepared for this situation to go on any longer.

Two weeks ago a member of the ANL was almost stabbed to death by a fascist lunatic. In other parts of London there have been attacks by fascists on blacks and Asians that have resulted in death.

We have to form a strong united front to fight this threat to our community, and show that we will not be intimidated. The Islington ANL ask for support at Chapel Market on Sunday mornings from 10am, on the corner of Liverpool Road and Upper Street. would not stay to hear them. I walked out.

"My supporters side walked into the room refused to move unti the disciplinary charges intimidation against me were dropped"

24 hour After Rita left, the 35 or 40 other workers, don estics, porters, nurses and lab assistants, gave the "judges' a hard time. Mr Nettal went out and was then not allowed back into the room. The other great man ran off like a frightened rabbit.

In a long discussion on the next thing to do, the link was drawn between the harassment of Rita and others and the rundown of the hospital and closure of wards. It was decided that the occupation needed a permanent office to coordinate the fightback all over the hospital and - where someone could always be contacted with information, questions, or problems.

A vote was taken for a 24 hour occupation of the office. That has been in operation for the last week.

Nettal has had to camp out in other offices since, with only a bleep to keep him in contact. He has been pushing silly letters under the door stating he gave nO permission for this occupation and pleading for his filing cabinet back, and trying to harass the switchboard staff into cutting off the phones.

Axeman

This more pathetic picture of Nettal, however, is only one side of the axeman of St Benedict's hospital, where he opened the gates to the scab ambulances.

His more vicious self 7 MIR AA Tonin ATTA _TIMATO AA ful eye of the police:

Suspended With the help of the Head Porter, two administrators /Allsop and Alabaster, the former said to bea NALGO member), and Miss Morrell, the distriot hareing chiaf he took control of the ward and wheeled the patients out.

Word came late to the occupation office, and by the time a picket could be assembled to stop this atrocity only one very sick woman was (left. These 'brave' specimens then locked themselves into the ward with this unfortunate patient.

They had earlier in the ensure no slip-ups.

Ria 1. axım 416 HAJELHOU TULIU in there).

She bravely refused to cooperate, and insisted on being returned to Ward 2. She was eventually brought back - but left locked out and unattended for more than 20 minutes, getting more and more distressed and unhappy.

This sight would surely be enough to make them see reason and relent? Far from it! Instead, Miss Morrell, with the help of a police inspector, wheeled her away and suspended two of the workers, a porter, Mick Woods, and nurse, Adrian Herz: mark, for refusing to go along • with this heartless act.

Her husband, who was constantly at the side of his 86 year old wife, said, "I have seen things like this before - when I was in a concentration camp"

These actions have made the workers and their supporters more determined than ever.

A deputation of nurses and others demanded Adrian's immediate reinstatement. The petition going round the hospital has been well supported. • It is reported that the locks on the other wards have also been changed. But the workforce must prepare too. Any hint of an attempt to clear a ward again must be met with an immediate stoppage of work and a mass picket at the door of the ward.

Each group of workers must begin to prepare their own work rotas, to be able to do away with the supervisors.

Any compromise must be rejected - such as the offer to reinstate Adrian, while investigations and inquiries are carried out, at St Mary's Hospital, Praed St, W2! -Support must flow in from outside bodies. The conference in Porchester

----- pull-quotes -----

ture, and we have collected 1,000 signatures from the

NICVOLYREISICRS GIRISTINE Ç