Seamen's union backs sit-in

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ON MONDAY 23rd the Executive of the National Union of Seamen voted to black all shipping links between Britain and Northern Ireland. This move is in support of 120 NUS members sitting in on the P&O's Ulster Queen and Ulster Prince in Liverpool.

The Executive also decided to stop the sailings of P&O ships from all UK ONaL UNION BRANCH with the fight for St Mary's.

Administrators had planned to have Casualty and all the threatened wards closed by November 16th. The occupation and the vital support given by the London Ambulance Service has stopped that plan. Last week a consultant publicly condemned the rundown of the hospital. ports, and narrowly rejected a call to immediately block the sailings of all P&0 ships from British and continental ports.

The decision means that Townsend Thoresen and Sealink are drawn into the dispute alongside P&o.

P&O closed its LiverpoolBelfast service on November Ilth, and NUS General Secretary Jim Slater is from back page GRANCH community group. Call for strike action your branch. Support the demonstration on December 4th.

* Messages/money: Occupation Committee, St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Road, London W9 [phone 286 4884 x372/544/220]. calling for the government to keep the service operating on a temporary basis until a new operator is feund.

The call for the service and the jobs to be retained must be supported in all ports, and NUS members must hold Slater to his promise of organising an international strike if necessary.

BOB TOWERS from front page tant for all workers.

BL are using a clause in the 1979 Engineering Employers Federation/ Confed agreement (requiring the 39 hour week to be financed by increased productivity) to justify cutting relaxation allowance from 52 to 40 minutes per However, the bosses themselves admit that productivity at Longbridge has increased by 40% over flas the last three years.

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BLIC EMALOYEES MARYS HOSPITA HROW HOAD-FA