Police called to disperse EETPU meeting

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by Mark Starr "FOR AN hour it felt like we controlled the union. Members were meeting in the union's office, having a real debate, electing their own officials, and making their own decisions."

"But the price for that sort of behaviour in UuI union is fairly high. Officials took our membership cards, disowned the meeting, and then called the police evict everyone."

The first meeting of the London Contracting Branch of the EETPU, last week, was a disaster for the officials.

The members were called to the meeting to rubberstamp Chapple's decision to close three electricians' branches in London (including the already suspended Central London Branch) by letting him establish the new 16,000-member branch.

But the electricians were in no mood to applaud the closure of their active local branches, run by the members. They were there to protest, and members of other branches and plumbers lodges also facing Chapple's axe were there to protest too.

And they came to protest in numbers. 150 members crowded into the small room set aside for the meetingdespite many having little notice and despite the fact it was to start at 5.30 - that was the officials' first setback.

Crooke To make up for it the supposed secretary of the new branch-an official called Dormer-took away all the members' cards "to check them". An official then returned to the meeting to order out all the visitors from other branches. Nobody moved.

Eric Hammond-the EC member widely tipped to be Chapple's successor for the right-then took the chair of the meeting and started reading out the names of visitors he wanted to exclude. Why?, 'Because it's an EC decission"

An uproar began as members had to remind him of our union's rules, that a member can be a visitor at any branch or lodge meetTHE STRIKE by workers at the Scott Lithgow shipyards at Greenock, near Glasgow, which began a fortnight ago in protest at the inadequate toilet facilities, continues with management still showing no signs of meeting the men's demands.

The dispute began on Monday 18 January, when workers in the Kingston yard walked out as a result of management's failure to restore the toilet facilities damaged during the cold spell over Christmas and the New Year.

The next day, and also on the Wednesday the strikers returned to work, only to walk out again after discovering management's ings as long as he is fully paid up. We refused to leave.

Hammond ignored the points of order and kept going- "What branch are you in then, you're just a visitor too" "If they can't come in, neither can you."

From this point it started to get a bit much for Mr Hammond. He ordered a well-known member of the former • Central London branch out-till it was pointed out he was a member of this new branch. He then decided his pride had suffered enough, declared the meeting closed and asked us to leave.

Set-back number two; we didn't, he did. Unfortunately the officials walked out with our membership cards too.

Stan had been handled by the shop stewards' committee.

No strike committee had been set up to organise and spread the strike. Nor had any picketing been organised after the mass meeting on the Thursday.

by a London EETPU member

But at least now t meeting could get going. T? members elected officers i ine branch, the officers: the old Central Lond Branch that Chapple suspe ded.

Danny McCarthy as cha and Sandy McPherson minutes secretary.

The meeting made : first vital decision -it didr want this branch to exist. wanted the real branch back. Set-back number thr for the officials.

Quiet While the meeting we on officials had bern hangi around by the do. r keepi members out l sayi "there is no meetin. ". Bu delegation from the very r meeting that was guing • put a stop to that.

So the officials' ne move was to call the polit As with other recent oc sions where EETPU me bers have been accused "trespassing' on the proper they own, the police h more than a little difficul about what to do. Th eventually asked if there any trouble and then left i building. Setback num! four for the officials.

Re-establish

But Chapple will determined to get his or back. He will try and for through all the closures a discipline members w protest.

Last month the EC to action to start disciptini proceedings agamst Mi Melior for joining a lobby the EC at the union conf ence last May.

l'his time, since they ! all our membership cards prove we were there, action might be fa!

coming. The "Hands Off ( Branches" campaign that lead the fightback in Lor will need even more supF to stop the victimisati and re-establish democr in the union.

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IN VEN