T&G "done nothing"

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Interviewed by Socialist Organiser, an S&K striker describes the obstacles full of smoke when this unschooled working Said the words that put the lawyers in a stew. You can talk of famous phrases that have solved Of which I understand there've been a few.

The gaffers had their pencils, their accounts They were crying in their beers that they, Tom and Barry sat so quiet, touched and saddened by a That held the bosses' waistlines' down to fifty. They heard the gory story of investment without glory. But the facts and figures seemed a little shifty.

The gaffers, on the table just as fast as they were able The union boys grew weary, their eyes were wet and bleary Wher our hero cried, "Hold on! I've had enough!" And he looked them in the eye, this uneducated guy, This unschooled, gnarled, wrinkled working wretch, He said, "Though I'm not smart I like a bevvy, I've got And all I know is My Pay Don't Stretch?"

And with Logic absolute he did their facts confabulate He pricked the hot-air ballons of the company's buffor And the workers in the plant took rp the shout.....

But we like a bevvy and we've got a heart, ASIAN workers at the Sandhar and Kang cash and carry warehouse in Coventry struck in September against redundancy and the victimisation of TGWU members. Since then local TGWU officials have refused either to back the strike or to defend the strikers against a High Court injunction.

Largely as a result of this, the workers have been sacked, and the injunetion has prevented effective picketing.

A Socialist. Organiser supporter in the local Foleshill Ward Labour Party spoke to Manjit Singh, TGWU shop steward for the S&K strikers.

Manjit explained that the workers struck because the S&K management 'were anti-union, wouldn't recognise the union and victimised members through redundancies, as we made clear in our leatlets."

He said that the negotiations between the management, the official and the workers were 'no use. The official said the same things as the management and wanted us to accept redundancy.".

After the workers decided to come out 'the union did nothing to back the strike."

On the question of the court injunction, Manjit said that this was deliberately done to delay and prolong the struggle "and weaken the picketing"

The bosses were able to do this because the TGWU had refused to back the strike: When the strikers were faced with legal action, Manjit said the officials "didn't say anything in our support and didn't listen to us.

Manjit commented that there was little support from the District Committee and explained that one AUEW member told the strikers that people had been spreading the idea that only one S&K worker was in the TGWU. 'We showed him our membership cards to prove we were in the union.

The original picketing, The was And files that went straight back to '45;

Had hardly made enough to keep alive. Laid reams and reams of tabulated stuff. He put their foolish figures all to rout.

"You may think we're not so smart, And all we know is Our pay Don't Stretch!" st Organiser, an S&K s said Manjit, was effective effective to begin with, but was stopped by the injunction. The strikers and supporters decided to hold solidarity pickets on Saturdays, and 'these were useful to tell the people of the dispute."

He particularly mentioned the support from the local Labour Party, the University and community organisations such as the IWA.

Manjit then explained that 'these pickets were stopped because of the legal action, as the solicitor advised." The strikers decided to call off the solidarity action and to return to the pictet lines themselves.

Tony Cashman reports on moves to industrial action in the British branch of General Motors ON Friday January meeting took place between Vauxhall Motors top management and the full time officers of the trades It was reported in the media as discussions about the union's ban on the Spanish-built Scar; the truth was the meeting was called for by Gerry Russel, the AUEW national officer with.. the main subject matter being the lack of investment and the massive run-down in component and manufacturing areas in this country.

At the meeting Vauxhall management tried to bring up the subject. Alex Kitson, the deputy general describes the obstacl 'We think our pickets were effective for three to four weeks, then just before Christmas it just wasn't effective as the trade went up and the injunction kept us away from the gate.

The strikers decided to stop picketing. 'Now we still hope that the injunction will be lifted."

Manjit said firmly "I am not discouraged by this strike," and commented finally that the injunction had been the strikers' biggest problem, coupled with the lack of union support.

You can help strikers by:

Kitson secretary of the TGWU said that they could not and would not talk about the S-car, and that if it was discussed they would leave the meeting. So the company more or less stated that they had no plans for investment in manufacturing areas of Vauxhalls, which just reinforced the trade unions' views about the run-down of the British side of General Motors into small facing their struggle •Sending donations to the strike committee, c/o 88 King George's Ave., Foleshill, Coventry.

•Sending motions from TGWU branches demanding the strike be made official, to the TGWU regional secretary, Brian Mathers, 917 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, B17 8HY, and to GWU, Transport House, Smith Square, London SWI and to the TGWU District Office, Short St., Coventry CVI 2LS - with a copy to the strike committee. assembly plants.

Since that meeting there has been a meeting on January 13 of the TGWU full-time officials and shop floor representatives where Alex Kitson reported on what was happening.

The _national committee, districts, branches and membership had supported the ban.

Contact had been made with the seamen's union, International Transport Union and Spanish unions, and as a follow-up to this Alex Kitson would be leaving for Spain on January 17 to talk again to Spanish unions and to get the information on where, how and when the imports of the S-car start.

A joint meeting of all unions at Vauxhall at national level would be held on January 27 to coordinate policy and tac tics in implementing the bar ca Provincial Newspapers -S4 STRI With less than three months to go before the start of the ban and a strike threatened if necessary by all of the Vauxhall plants, for the first time in their history the unions in Vauxhall's three big plants are working and acting together.' There are plans for joint stewards' meeting inside the plants over the ban. A publicity campaign which is just starting includes badges, car stickers local leafletting of the areas around the factories to get the support of local communities.

A strike levy which started in December of a pound a month, and in my own plant at Ellesmere Port, out of 1900 TGWU members, only nine people have not paid so far.

A meeting of all Vauxhall shop stewards will take place on Sunday january 30 (10.30 in. Digbeth Hall, 1900 jobs are to go at two Timex factories in Dundee; 4,000 AUEW members there voted by a 3-2 majority to strike if there are any compulsory redundancies.

Harry Mclevy, AUEW District Secretary, said "If we concede the principle of total opposition for 1900 workers, then the effect is to concede it for all our memor when profits aren't nets. high enough. The only way The Dundee factories such multinationals can be recently lost the contract for fought effectively is by the new 3-D camera, designinternational workers' ed by Nimslo, which will unity. ACCOUN for the loss of - Although we don't 500 jobs, the remainder to support import controls, go in watch manuracturing.

Nimslo decided to switch if the strike and ban do production of the camera to happen then we as trade unionists will, of course; of, in the words of Graham lanan and trance because campaign for the strike to Dowson, deputy chairperson win for three main reasons. of Nimslo, "serious labour 1) There is no doubt that relations difficulties at if the unions lose, Vauxhall Dundee" and hoped for Motors will carry out mass production levels not being redundancies and smash INCL the unions just when they Since the announcement have pulled themselves of the sunke unreal. Clive together after losing a Sinclair of Sinclair Research bitfer, divided strike in who make the ZX81 and 1979 over wages. Spectrum computers who is Timex's major cus2) It will be the first has threatened well organised,: united take his business elsewhere fight against redundancies "overnight" if the strike goes in the car industry for ahead and production is disyears. It will also give rupted. workers hope and the will One option for Sinclair is to fight back at a time when the Fraslen Company which they are demoralised. owns former Timex 3)If the strike and ban do factory in Besancon, France.

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to a fight auxhaleyes to a fight, no to import controls!

BUILDING T&GWU ~nex axIe