UCW: divided we stand

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ber 20-21, ten colleges eventually walked out in protest.

Staff strikers had lobbied the Council, saying that they wanted the meeting to go ahead but without staff work like minuting.

In a statement issued later, Russell McVean of Glasgow School of Art and Donny Hyslop of Paisley Tech report: 'We put up a motion condemning the Scottish and National Executives and supporting the staff action.

• We won it, 26 votes to 25 votes, until the 'recount' which bumped the votes up to 26 votes to 31. [Then] we walked out because we were disgusted at the attitude to the staff dispute, and because we could not participate in an unconstitutional meeting which, by recording decisions etc., was scabbing on the staff's work"

STRIKERS at Air India had a further meeting with management at the government arbitration service ACAS this Tuesday. They expected little progress.

Pickets and solidarity action have cut the airline's freight to 30% of normal, the strikers hope to stop even more.

Messages/money: Air India TGWU, c/o Transport House, 7-9 South Road, Southall, Middlesex.

Will Adams MEMBERS of ACTSS Stanford's map shop in Covent Garuen, London, have now been out for nine weeks.

The management have withdrawn the offer of reengagement . under terms and conditions which the strikers had rejected in hearing at the government arbitration service ACAS. There are no further meetings planned with ACAS.

Support for the strike is still needed. A recent benefit social for the strikers was a great success. Another one is planned for December 21 at the Seven Dials Club, Shelton Street, Covent Garden.

Messages/money: c/o ACTSS, 173 Clapham Road, London SW9 OQF. Cheques payable to J A Cook and R P D Hobbs, Stanford Strike Account.

Will Adams ON Friday November 19 Macmillans publishers Basingstoke • sacked Phil Spreadbury, an NGA member at the company. The stated reason was that the had airended a TUC-run health dId safer at work course.

The NGA chapel responded immediately and came out on strike. They got a leafler omi io other sections of the firm. Local Socialist Organises supporters mobilised at meetings over the weekend for a picker on the Monday morning.

picket was wellattended and effective. By 10.30 the management had reinstated Phil Spreadbury and issued a public apology.

Alasdait Jamison THE Special UCW Conference on the Future of the Operator Service held in Bournemouth on November 19 had both its positive and negative side.

On the negative side there was the defeat of an impassioned plea by Sylvester McGovern from London Overseas Tels Branch to delete the Executive's recommendation to take existing work away where it is currently performed by other grades.

In moving the deletion, Sylvester said we must forget the sectarian divides left over from the Civil Service days; Trade Unions were meant to be in the búsiness to keep people in jobs and that management enjoy the situation of playing one off against the other. It was up to the UCW to give a lead.

In her reply Kim McKinlay (Assistant Secretary on the Tels Executive) said they were stating openly to take existing work from existing grades.

It is apparent from this that it is not only in management's interest to divide and rule, but also in the interests of union leaderships. While inter-union disputes persist it will be more and more difficult to amalgamate with these unions - at least the union leadership are adept at protecting their own jobs!

An amendment from Glasgow seeking forecasts with a view to increasing productivity payments for every stage locally and nationally was withdrawn after debate.

But it was interesting to hear Kim McKinlay state that BT have said this is the last year of national productivity deals — and that there is a real danger of them going for local ones next year.

Already the Executive are paving the way for accepting Directory Enquiry work on computers (DQ CIR) regardless of health hazards or a new technology agreement to protect jobs.

Despite Executive opposition a Composite was passed asking for a full report on trials and the effects on health to be put before a Conference.

One of the arguments being used was that we may not have time for these things to come back to a Conference and another union could get their hands on this work.

In reply the mover of the Composite said that we would be jeopardising our health and that after the experience of microfiche there was a need to restore confidence and trust in the UCW.

If we didn't get DQ CIR on our terms and not at the detriment of our health, others would be welcome to it.

At the end of the Special Conference the General Secretary, Alan Tuffin, made a statement on Privatisation and the legislation that was set in motion on the previous day. The statement was basically another call to vote Labour at the next election and calling on the BT Chairperson George Jefferson to say how he will protect hs employees.

Yet the UCW still is not making it clear how it will protect their Tels members.

The members need in the next few months to tell Alan Tuffin and the rest of the Executive their views and that any further industrial action planned must be supported by the UCW this time.

Ann McKinley TGWU members at the Coventry warehouse of Sandhar and Kang cash and carry group have been on strike for ten weeks for union recognition. Strike leader Manjit Singh and a member of the support committee spoke at a meeting called by Socialist Organiser in Oxford last week.

The employer had used a medieval law to obtain an injunction that prevents strikers from picketing their own workplace. Valuable funds are being used on getting a lawyer's advice to lift the injunction.

But an unlikely success in the courts will not win this strike.

On the advice of the district official, the district committee of the TGWU has voted against backing the dispute.

The fight for official support is crucial to winning. Trade union members in the Midlands and TGWU members nationally must give priority support to this dispute, one of three (the others are Raindis and Air India) in which Asian workers are leading the struggle to obtain and defend trade union rights.

Send motions from TGWU branches, demanding the strike be made official and that the TGWU be seen to defend in practice the rights of Asian workers, to: TGWU regional secretary