[Reports by Ram Pau 80 wurkers occupying the…]

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Reports by Ram Pau 80 wurkers occupying the Firth Di rihun factory in Tinsley, Sheifield, against enforced redunancies and closure of the die shop and saw shop, are confient of victory.

The occupation has. beer made otticial by all 1 .. - 11 involved, AUEW EETPU, and UCATT.

AUEW convenor Paul Mckey told us:

"Management have made it clear that this would only be the start of an attack on our wages, conditions and shop floor organisation. Our victory would make the employers think twice"

ows in t Left platform which categorically opposes wage restraint, and his two-finger response to the Broad Left can only weaken those forces opposed to class-collaborationist policies.

France refuses to consider even the possibility of building resistance to class-collaborationișt policies from a position of leadership in USDAW. His resignation will only give encouragement to the Progressive Labour Group - the caucus of right wingers and right-wing füll-time officials prepared to sacrifice the interests of USDAW members to an election victory for Labour at any price and to their career prospects.

Up until France's resignation the PLG were despondent because they considered the newly elected Executive as outside their control. They were guaranteed the support of only four EC members.

Copped out

Just as the SWP has copped out in the fight for democracy in the Labour Party, so now within the trade unions it gives up the fight for class-struggle policies. Yet when the general election: comes, safe bets can be placer! that the SWP will call for 'vote Labour' without placing any demands on the Labour Party to carry out conference policies.

A member of the USDAW executive could use his/her position to organise a fight against sell out policies and support for strikes, solidarity actions, democracy in the unions, etc.

The Broad Left immediately responded to the SW bulletin by Firth Derihon - a subsidiary of Johnson Firth Brown - has been making profits of up to £2 million in recent years, but the Tinsley workers have been on short time for 2½ years. Over the last 15 months, 60 voluntary reaundancies nave peen maae hann manda out of a total workforce of 650 at the two Firth Derihon sites.

A call for blacking of Firth Derihon products has had a positive response at Rolls Ruyce, one of the largest customers.

Messages/donations to: Paul McKey. 17 Melin Way Sheffield 5. Cheques to: Firth Derihon (Tinsley) Joint Works Committee.

le towe issuing a leaflet which condemned France for his action. When asked why the SWP members had not just removed themselves from the ballot prior to the election, SWP Manchester organiser Andy Strouthos, who was at the conferènce, said that they had not expected France to be elected and that his candidacy was a mistake!

Such episodes can only accelerate the SWP's decline into the trough of sectarian irrelevance. THE strike at Holden's Glass, Digbeth, Birmingham, "remains rock solid.

ACAS have now been involved in negotiations between management and TGWU full-timers. But the strikers are insistent that whatever the outcome. of the talks, the strike will continue until full re-instatement of all the strikers is achived.

Morale amongst the strikers remains high, despite continuing scabbing by the majority of the workforce (FTAT, EETPU plus one TGWU member), harassment from management and even an air-gun being pulled on one picket by a cowboy lorry driver from a company called W&W of Liver- called w&w of Liver The TGWU, while making the dispute official from the start, has failed to produce any publicity material or collection sheets, so the strikers have now done this themselves and arranged to have a speaker at the Birmingham May Day Rally to publicise their Donations/messages of support to: J. Johnson, 68 Jayshaw Ave., Great Barr, Birmingham 43.

Published by Socialist Forum for Southern Solidarity.

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