[ROOPIS_OUT, NOMF Anna: Why do you think strike…]

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ROOPIS_OUT, NOMF Anna: Why do you think strike has been so solid? Arthur: Because the organisation was very good inside the factory for some years. The stewards have put a lot of work in, and we had a record of helping others in struggle, contributing to strike funds, going on demos, etc. This has built an awarness over the years on the shop floor.

For example, we were the only factory in the area that stopped on May 14 1980. We were very isolated, really. People were laughing at us. But it educated our membership.

We came out on strike several times during the NHS dispute, joined the demonstrations, and had a nurse in to speak to a mass meeting in the cantee. Of course a lot of people that we supported remember it, and have helped us now.

At the last mass meeting, three weeks ago, out of 300 only 9 voted against continuing. People have definitely become more determined.

For a lot of people going on Anna Lunts spoke to Arthur Conheny, convenor at Greenings in Warrington, and other strikers strike was a very traumatic experience, but after three or four weeks they realise they haven't starved and that they can cope with the hardship.

Anna: What kind of support have you had from other factories, union branches, Trades Councils, Labour Parties, etc? Arthur: We've had very generous support from certain places, but we really do need a lot more than we've had so far.

Trades Councils? I'm sorry to say that they haven't been that helpful. Our local Labour Party has lent us their committee rooms as a headquarters. But we haven't had much from Labour Parties outside the area. Anna: Can you give any advice workers elsewhere facing redundancies?

Arthur: Well, of course, in every situation, tactics are important. There are issues you can live with and accommodate to, but sometimes there is no chance but to fight. As Martin Luther said, 'Here I stand: I can do no more!' The important thing is to have the will to fight and to do the preparation beforehand. You can't guarantee that willingness overnight.

Vincent: I say to others, stick at it. Once you are a few weeks into a dispute, people become more determined.

You've got to stand up to all the nasty tricks and the odd whining scab. When we occupied it was in response to management provocation on the picket lines. We knew we'd soon get evicted, but it boosted morale and it showed the management what we thought of them. Anna: How has the dispute affected you as individuals? Vincent: Some of us have always been political, but it's made us more politically aware, A lot of the workforce now understand what Tebbit's laws are all about. Ronnie: I'm very angry, very bitter. I've always been politically active, but this strike has really turned me into a militant. I'm 45. I've worked here 24 years and I've already lost £2,000 in wages. We can't back down now. There's nowhere for people like me to go. We'll still be here if it comes to a complete shutdown.

Anna: Finally, the obvious question: do you think you can win? Arthur: Oh yes, I'm confident of that. It's just a question of time.

The trade unions met the employers on July 29. Our proposals for ending the dispute were:

• reinstatement of all workers • agreement on work-sharing, • the use of redeployment as outlined in our existing agreement, and • cooperation on further voluntary redundancies if necessary.

The company ignored our proposals and put forward their own • re-engagement of all workers, including the 24 made redundant, to jobs and areas of the company's choice, • Re-employment would be on the company's new terms and conditions as outlined in their letter dated May 12 - that is, the loss of service, holidays, subsidies, negotiating machinery, etc.

The trade unions have never ruled out redeployment. But to preserve our basic rights it must be on a mutually agreed basis.

They want to impose a new and different form of redeployment on every one of us, and not just on the 24 who were to be made redundant.

The company's redeployment will mean no job security,. no discussion or agreement by trade union representatives just plain bosses' dictatorship.

So determined are the company to impose these new conditions that they have threatened closure if we won't return to work on conditions that put us at the mercy of middle managers and foremen. There is no way this is acceptable to us.

We think these are just threats, and if we stand our ground and slog it out with them we can win.

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"They may not get them. There's a lot of young workers at the yard, and they're lookire for very high percentages o: itdundancies in certain categ:::: of the workforce.

'But there's a lot of a?:: about. People aren't golz around talking about 3 p: back or even the redundancies. Closure of the yard is a possbility, and they might be abie :: get away with it.

"There's also the problem :: winning support outside the yard People, read in the papers =*3: we're meant to be a showe: o: lazy bastards. So they say :3 themselves, why should we lose money for the likes of them?

"The shop stewards aren't doing anything to get our case across. They met this week, and I heard they're meant to be discouraging people from going for voluntary redundancy. But they have done nothing about it.

When we started work on the Monday after the holidays they should have called a mass meeting and challenged anyone to volunteer for voluntary redundancy to put them on the spot. But the shop stewards are afraid to call a mass meeting. When McNeil (the convenor) sneezes, half of them catch the 'flu. Only half a dozen of them ever speak up at the committee meetings. ?. "Milne's suggestion of building warships isn't on. You can't support CND and SCAT (the Scottish Campaign against Trident) and at the same time be prepared to build nuclear submarines or warships. But you can bet your bottom dollar that It he got an order tor a frigate, then McNel and the stewards would put their arses into it.

'The boiler makers broad left isn't up to fighting the redundancies. They're too busy trying ; to get positions. Just look at some of the people involved in it. It's enough to put you off going to their meetings.

'What's needed is to show that it's not just us who are under attack, but all the nationalised industries, like Rail, Steel and the Mines. What we need to do is to be linking up with workers in these industries.' ee =