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THE 110 workers of Phillips Rubber Ltd, Manchester, have now been on strike for over 16 weeks. The strike was called because of the refusal of Phillips management to increase their present basic pay of £48 a week to a figure nearer £70 a week typical of the rest of the rubber industry.

The workers, all TGWU members, have been picketing ever since and occupied the factory on two occasions.

Recently they all received letters informing them of their dismissal. In the past few weeks management have been taking on scabs, and while some of these have been turned away by pickets about 30 regularly report for work.

As a consequence of this atest management initiative, he strikers have called for nass pickets at 7 am every Monday and Thursday.

Socialist Organiser spoke to iome of the pickets.

«We've had financial support from places all over the country. On 4 April a load of Durham miners who had been picketing Agecroft colliery came over."

One striker told us how the night after the miners had been on the picket line several van loads of police came down and blocked off the road outside the factory. The pretext was a "bomb scare"

In the mornings the police have limited the number of pickets on the gate to three. The day we spoke to the pickets none of them were even allowed on the same side of the road as the main entrance.

We asked the strikers what conditions were like in the factory. "Victorian", , we were told. "You have to handle a lot of chemicals without any protective gear. Lots of people get bad backs through shifting heavy loads. Some of the scabs have found that out already and packed it in. They think it's bad now but they should wait until the hot weather.

We are more militant. We are more aware of things. We all support the miners.