NUJ 'no' to strike call

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Screwing the Gaffers!

bloke historic mazes print stencils, twenty PROVINCIAL journalists have voted heavily against strike action over their 1983 pay claim.

The penalty for accepting is now - according to the Newspaper Society - that they will not have the £4-f6 pittance backdated to January 1, the date the agreement is supposed to start. The employers declared that even if the accepted the offer, the NUJ members would los? out for daring to vote on it (they set a limit of January 7 to capitulate).

Scab

The scab organisation -the IOJ - was told it could have a week longer to make up its mind than the NUJ -so long as its executive did not recommend rejection (some hope: rejection is not in their vocabulary).

The journalists voted about five to one against an all-out strike, despite a recommendation from the Industrial Council and a delegate meeting of chapel representatives.

The crucial factor was the belief by the membership that the strike would be long and bloody, and their doubt that they would win it.

The employers pumped out propaganda - using the papers on which the journalists worked — about the precarious state of their newspapers and the threat from competition (although much of this competition is the same owners wearing a different hat).

This propaganda had less effect than the loss of 700 jobs in the provincial newsrooms over the past two years.

The employers warned that a high wage settlement would lead to rapid job loss. The settlement is minute, but those jobs will be attacked anyway. Birmingham) with national full-time officials from the unions. The meeting will be chaired by Tony Woodley, the chairman of the union's combine committee. it is important because the shop stewards are planning to make their feelings plain and clear to the full time officers, to stop any ideas of a sell-out.

In short, the Vauxhall unions have built the foundations that if necessary can take them into a joint fight and beat General Motors at a time when they are making a good profit and increasing their share of the market.

But what about the demands of the campaign?

Agree

As socialists we don't agree with the idea of import controls because it means workers one country fighting and doing other workers out of a job in another, instead of fighting for the company to make a different product or for a guaranteed job. Workers should start questioning why multi-nationais Cale open factories and employ workers on low wages, while happily making profits out of them and then just sacking them when they are not needed take place,. it will mean Mr Sinclair has been breaking the Tebbit anti- offered a seat on the board union laws on issues like of Fraslen; which is owned secondary and mass picket- by Norwegian shipping maging, solidarity strikes and nate Fred •Olsen who is blacking. Hundreds of Timex and Nimslo. different firms could sue directors of Nimslo already sit on the board of Fraslen.

The union have now •Different received £10,000 from Dundee District Council and But we should argue for the support of councillors different demands. To stop and local MPs, Ernie Ross imports of the S-car would and Gordon Wilson. be a blow to Spanish secretary of the AUEgeneral Gavin Laird, general workers, but would guarantee nothing for • British visit the plant this week. But workers. Rather than fight- it is clear that the actions of ing about the different these multi-national corporshares of GM production international tradet union res- ations must be with an allocated to different countries, GM workers ponse. Direct links with workers employed by Timex international strategy to need to have a common in other countries are necescounter the international sary to combat the situation. strategy of GM bosses.

Demands for a guarantee on jobs and increased AIR India workers are still picketing New Bond investment would relate Street and Heathrow. They directly to workers' interhave been on strike since ests, and provide a basis for July 2 last year against unity with Spanish GM first the sacking of a shop workers. steward and then the sackThe major thing that in fill the striners. comes out of the campaign, whether Vauxhall workers picket, they fight or not, is that they ing the case to an industrial have created the foun- tribunal. They dations by united action, hearing to be next month which they can use to take Messages/money: Ail on the company over wages India IGWU, c/o Transpon and conditions in the House, 7-9 South Rd., future. Southall, Middlesex.