Hands off our branches!

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'HANDS off our branches" was the unanimous call from a meeting of 100 rank and file EETPU members in London on Nov. 9th. The meeting, called by the suspended Central London branch, drew together activists from most of the 14 London branches now threatened with closure by Chapple and his Executive.

The new wave of cio. sures began with the EC's attack on the large Central London Branch because it defied their diktats, and now an all-out attack on left-wing branches is underway.

It is not only the wholesale closures. The new 'industrial' branches the Chapman El proposes to put in their place will be run by fulltime officials, in place of the lay committees which exist at present. Even branches like the London Film and TV Branch, not affected by the closures, are to have full-timers imposed on them on January Ist.

The meeting drew up plans to fight this attack. A mass lobby of the union's head office at Hayes Court is to be held on Monday Tth December, and the meeting set up a committee from among the branches to build it and coordinate other activities.

The key to the fight, as many members at the Chapple planning for his retirement? building and Engineering Unions (CSEU) implemented a ban on overtime and weekly one. day strikes in support of the sit-in - for just four weeks.

Retention

It is the CSEU's stab in the back of 23rd October, when it announced it was dropping all national sanctions in support of the sit-in that has forced the workers at Robb Caledon to drop Stan Crooke reports on the at Hillington (Glasgow)

certainly has.

The day of last week's meeting they all reccived a letter which told mass cach "Dear employec" that the strike was a waste of time since there was no way in which management wouk ever concede higher bonus rates for the introduction of standard data times.

Moaning

whole direction of 1his dispute must he changed. The divisive demand for 10% estra bonus for direct workers only, which Motormack sucked out of his thumb a fortnight ago. must be dropped.

Instead the dispute must take up this ycar's pay daim: incorporation of bonus payments for all workers into the basic, and a Pay nw at least in lins with the real rats of inflation.

The strike is insparable trom present and comme anars on jobs and passible factors doors The means fightme mum for work sharmeeting said, is convincing the many members who aren't regular branch attenders to be involved.

The attack on branch democracy will strengthen Chapple's ability to shove through the reasonable' and 'responsible' pay deals he's now talking about.. Every EETPU member needs to be told what's going on and shown how the attack on democracy is tied to the employers' attacks on their living standards.

Many members stressed that what was needed was industrial action in the strongest branches against Chapple's plans... but this can only come about if a strong campaign is build that wouldn't leave areas like the Press and Film and TV out on their own.

Plans are being made to make a national link-up as well as one between the London branches. Branches need to make plans to disrupt the EC's decision -refusing to transfer members out of or into the remaining branches. The closed branches should continue to meet and keep up their affiliations to wider labour movement bodies. their demand for retention of the yard as part of British Shipbuilders and to reluctantly accept privatisation if it guarantees their jobs.

Negotiations are now under way for British Shipbuilders to transfer the yard's lease to the Scottish Development Agency, which could then sub-let the yard to the Dundeebased firm of Kestrel Marine. ing with no loss of pay.

rather than waiting for management to announce the nest batch of redundancies. As soon as management threatens closure of another factory, as it invitably will.

immediate occupation is the only answer.

Management is already moaning about the lack of money to cover any signiticant pay rise. Irrespective of just what condition Rolls Royce linances are in.

workers must push home the pay claimi, but at the same time demand opening of the books to establish just what kind of financial wheeling and dealing the Rolls Royce bosses are involved in.

Mot'ormack and his fellow travellers on the combine committer will fight 1ooth and nail against such demands. just as they now botage the present strike.

They stand in the way of lighting for a real pay rise and in defence of jobs: they must be turned out and replaced by representatives "ho will be accountable to.

and recallable by, the workforct.