Communist Party record on Scotts

Scan page 12

to EDE Star.

Dez Editor, Ia your paper dated 7 tati 1982, you went to Esa: lengths to describe the toon in the Laurence 5o5s March Bulletin. The mz point was the indigration oi vertain Communist PEs members.

I sete you did not spraao the cartoon in a 2a explain your Ta= Eme no criticiom s ata minia Communist Pr Iece: =30 supporDë 1s != ia: oe apprectaie I suzzi ist acult no:

SE gemme =: r: 22 CosmE.

Pa: 2i 3e B:0di Lei: as • á*. : ": :saleral =4802.

IE X TI :.?

TX:T:

SESIT A: Je CT that we were badly let down and felt it was our duty to express our feelings.

We did not criticise the Communist Party or the Broad Left in the Bulletins, but illustrated our feelings in the cartoon, which the Joint Shop Stewards Committee considered very mild form.

It is a pity you did not show the same indignation when we were smashed on the picket line. And it would be a disgrace if other irade unionists fell into the same trap and were eventuail! abandoned.

Deluding

One of the main criticisms of the Broad Left and the Manchester Confed, including yourselves, is that genuine socialists are deludthemselves. Laurence Sibit's were promised Grunnick type support but when the crunch came they were unable or unwilling up with the goods.

Accepting that the Broad Left are genuine pro-working class it must be pointed out that they are sitting in Ivory Towers promising the earth. During the boom years they were talking of fighting when it was unnecessary but in the recession when the rank and file were looking for kadership, iney have not ço: are armiy io produc it.

Thes are kidding themebas in ibe arios membes A: inen sories a tent rushed all CYCL Brian. the time and 2 paper to express !.u. ..sensitive crittisms cartoon.

Well, brother. the truth hurts, doesn't it. Let's hope the pain stirs you into some sense of perspective.

It is one thing lo stand and fight in times of full employment, but when the chips are down and with over 3 million on the dole the time is here to stand up and be counted.

In our Rule 14 Campaign within the AUEW the Communist Party are refusing to support us. The excuse they offer is that they do not feel that sufficient support could be mustered from the rank and file to remove the Executive. You have been saying it is better not to fight, the time is not right.

What a load of rubbish. If you are awaitine the green lighi. le: me sas iha? the molution was no: afal With your attitude and ite preseni union leadership. tbe Thatchers and Tabbits o* this world will find no pres iems in Tushing workers.

Their position is dos m kkeling terms a batte:'s paradise.

Yours iraternall!.

D.J. Barry Laurence Scotts Shop Stewards Committee was still the verdict - fight.

on the Tuesday. So we said This was Laurence After 11 weeks Snipe sent Cure to meet us at the Free Trade Hall. We let Cure speak and the officials of six other unions speak.

Then the convenor and I had a go and I reminded Cure what he had told me the week before down at Peckham Road when we had occupied that place. We said, make the strike official and give us two weeks and we'll have Snipe round the table negotiating properly.

He wouldn't give us a fortnight. I said give us a week and we'll have him here. He said, I know, you'll put a secondary picket on Doncaster again, endangering their jobs. So we, AUEW, are going to sacrifice your 650 jobs - to stop you from secondary picketing.

Now at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester I told him that he was a puppet. He denied being a puppet although the strings are there anyone He wouldn't deny what I said about him sacrificing our jobs.

They threatened us with bailiffs. The sheriff came. He was told politely to go home. On his third attempt he said I will be back'. One night with 18 pickets there, the bailiffs came, 47 of them escorted by a party of police.

They couldn't get in the gate so they smashed their

Scan page 13

Socialist Organiser no.82 April 29, 1982 Page 13 HER LANE-FATTE to the Order of His Honour Judile Fitzhugh Q.C. herein dated the The Laurence Scotts strikers still Roundcroft, Romiley, Cheshire.

The police and Duffy: obstacles for the ISk strikers two fronts way in through the windows. When you had men coming at you - they all seemed to be about 10 feet tall - with pickaxe or sledgehammer handles in their hands, threatening to part your hair, all you can say is 'Fellers, I didn't mean it' And the 18 pickets were thrown out.

So we threw a picket around the factory. And we still played the game. We didn't do any violence or damage of any description.

That was our factory. Those were our machines.

кто. Paid 12% Paid Aoter 430.

13, We were going to work There'd been too much redundancy, too many people accepting it, not realising that they were selling not their own jobs, but the jobs of youngsters behind who had never had the chance of working, never known what it was to learn a skill. That's what Laurence Scotts were fighting on.

Snipe did all sorts to try and béat us.

We said there were 280 pickets left. This was last October. We wanted them Telax 887965 COSTS 1. 119817 May • did Pa. hear 6 00 Solici Page all in. He said I'll give you 150 jobs, full-time work' We said we'll leave no-one out. They all come in on a short-time working week.

He said I'll be here on Monday. I'll send 650 cards out and then l'Il lottery 150 jobs. Well, we told him where to go.

Then they sent round horsemen, a couple of hundrea police. They allowed six pickets on the gate. A few minutes later the helicopters arrived. People cried It's over' ' It wasn't. What they got out was nothing.

and at Disture stirre 300.

Fighters (left)

We laughed. Snipe described us as picketing an empty factory. It was not empty. But the pickets were reduced to 180. The police said they would smash open the gates. The convenor said we'll put 100 pickets on. We'll have 100 police against you. Good, we'll put 200 pickets on. We'll have 200 police against you. And if you get help from anywhere else and there are 700 of you we will put 1400 police against you. And all police leave in the Greater Manchester area was stopped.

We were told on Monday 15th at 4 o'clock that they were coming the following day. At 6.10 we had 70 pickets there. Our local District Secretary came up and said, 'For God's sake, Steve, be careful, they're going to hit you' After five minutes they smashed their way into us. It was a wonderful fight. 70 of us against 500 police. I think I lasted 42 seconds.

They smashed us into oblivion. That was the saga of the greatest workforce and saboteurs (right) you ever met with regards standing up for their rights.

We want 250 branches - 10% - to support our resolution and fetch Boyd Duffy and the rest of this hierarchy down.

We were smashed into oblivion, but we are still there. We never put another picket on because the police were never less than 300. And we weren't sending women or men out to be smashed again.

What happened that Tuesday morning at 6.30 had to be seen to be believed. Women were dragged out of the picket line by their hair. And the sorriest sight I've ever seen in 40 years as a trade unionist was to see trade union men smashea to the ground.

They had 500 police, 400 in reserve, another 800 in Ashton, caravans, television, the lot.

Scab Now I'm going to give you some wonderful men in the unions. We'll start with the TGWU. Moss Evans, Kitson, and what about the man in charge of the TUC, Len Murray. You all saw that wonderful photograph of them last week when they were loading up a lorry with food and stuff for Poland.

Did any of you notice the name on the wagon? Because we did at Scotts - Eldreds. Now they were one of the scab firms that ran across us only the week before. And the TGWU were going to stop these scabs.

Yet lo and behold there was the high and mighty loading up one of these scab wagons.

At Laurence Scotts we are not martyrs, but we did show that the ordinary working people can stand up, can fight, and can win. We beat Snipe. We beat the AUEW. We beat the government on secondary picketing but at the end of the day we couldn't beat the police.

Now that exercise wasn't just to smash Scotts. That exercise was to let you people know that they are in charge and that if they com sma!

Do mea £251 char little mor: Cror alon we :

have wou the 1 repri men the Sher am i whel begin charl thret win smile We'll to t was they 2099 492ie to smash sh you.

Vow for the Tebbit you know wha ns? Never mind 0,000 a union car ged. I've got to ta • bus ride on Tue ning - down to wn Court in Manch g with other steward Because we led the st are faced with a bil 00. But Laurence Si : no money to pay 00. And if we had Idn't.

Juffy sent us word union lawyers would esent the Manch ibers after July 14. main money is for iff - £4,118.06 a determined to find re the 6p came from Ind that is only nning. I'm only on ge. The convenor i lut on Tuesday again because 3. That's all we can I never be beaten. I he north and say Laurence Scotts, ar can do it, we can. Bill.

it the a be ke a :sday the ester Il for cotts that •, We that i not ester Now • the nd I out the one S on we'1l we'll I do. -00k that ad if

Scan page 14

Socialist Organiser no.82 April 29, 1982 Page 14 An NUT teacher CUTS ARE AVERTED (but who's got the a Mr Dagenham

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

DeR: Sir, action dated 23: Yours taithfull

Lee Lane Smith Gershon Leo 11 St. James's Square

(5) STEPHEN LONGSHAR LAPENCE SCOT: AND ELECTROMOTORS ::::: 23rd July 1981 BILL

3. 78. Attending on Conference with Sumed on Conference with 5. Paid fee to Counsel Value Added

employ 34 Officers and Bailiffs Paid - and the Sher' sherifts attendance fees, nastur Paid fees of Mason Investigatior SUMMARY TOTAL

Telex 22738 Queena Houso Telex 41390 0634 76323 Deferat-ts

4118| 06 5597/21 40/00

Is. rike,