Hosiery workers fight sackings
Socialist Organiser1983 1983-02-24Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 15 →
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Johnstone WORKERS at Daleside Hadden, a Nottingham textile firm, are into the 5th week of a round the clock picket after being sacked for refusing to accept the imposition of a 168 hour continental shitt pattern.
The new shift system would involve tearing up previous agreements.
It would mean the arbitrary alteration of shifts, compulsory weekend working (3 weekends out of 4), increased hours and effectively lower pay.
But this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The . company boss had already implemented the following:
1. Tops and bottoms of toilet doors cut off to allow management to 'see who is in there' 2. Continuous sacking threats to workers who have the temerity to refuse overtime.
3. No wage increase for four years!
4. 14 YOP 'trainees' out of a workforce of 100, doing shift work on production.
5. The immediate sacking of three cleaners and three clerks who refused to operate machinery during a lock-out.
The strike is solid among the 60-odd sacked workers, and they are all helping out on the 24 hour picket, which has also been boosted by delegations from the Nottingham Trades Council and Unemployed Centre.
The unemployed have been particularly useful in persuading would-be recruits to go away and, in some cases, even join the picket The management have advertised (in the scab local rag, which is blacked by the trade union inovement) for 20 production operatives, who should be 'companyoriented people'.
The Hosiery and Knitwear Union has made the strike official, but some of the workers feel that the union full-timers could be doing more. The district secretary's chief boast is: "What other union would have got you a cabin this quick?"
One of the stewards has been charged with burglary and theft of company property. Magistrates have remanded him on bail and ordered him to stay away from the picket and any negotiations.
The attitude of the workers remains very positive, and they are looking to the rest of the movement for support, financial, moral, but particularly bodily, on the regular mass pickets.
Donations and messages: to Daleside Hadden Strike Committee, Martin Lawson, 1 Eugene Gardens, The Meadows, Nottingham. OVER 100 delegates from Broad Lefts in nearly 20 unions, meeting in London last Saturday, were told by Tony Benn that raising the question of the block .vote by Tony Gard