10,000 people marched in support of the Timex strikers on Saturday June 19 and heard Alan Tuffin of the UCW call for an international boycott of Timex goods.
Timex may well survive without the plant at Dundee but paign aimed at all its products A campaign must be waged in the trade unions for this to become real solidarity action rather than a consumer boycott.
TRADE UNION NEWS Recent traoc union comercace pledges of full support for Timex workers must be turned into a reality.
The decision taken by Timex on June 15 to close its Dundee plant is a sign of weakness by the transnational company.
Insult to injury
Months after the bitter dispute began, Mohammod Salch, the company's director of human resources added insult 10 injury with the statement, 'We tried to negotiate an amicable settlement for an orderly closure - salvage the best we can for Dundee and our employees -istic demands that we take back He went on to say that sacked стрюус would oc scicome back at the plant to help Timex finish outstanding orders - work that cannot he done by the unskilled scabs currently employed.
Timex also stated that they would like ACAS to participate in negotiations for an orderly rundown of the plant. This cyni* novo comes nostr the workers request for ACAS to be brought in prior to the lock out.
Timex management's attempt to appear reasonable defies belief. Their methods of Birmingham New Street Timex workers have united with the struggles of others like these railworkers industrial relations are their worldwide operation.
Workers in the United States have also been on the receiving were sacked on Christmas Eve and New Years eve and then had to threaten to picket local shop severance pay.
Negotiation
Gavin Laird said that he wished the national union had been brought in carlier because no was sure a accouaica scuc ment could have been reached. But it is not possible to negotiate a settlement on the terms orc fered by Timex management.
Laird peddles the well wom wares of new realism - that the strike committee should have accepted some of management's proposals and kept their heads down.
But it is the failure of the new realises in the trade union moveTor is sort or dispute. ivas in opens the floodgates whereas saying no, standing up and fighting, winning suppon and solidarity from other workers make such offers in the first By Helen Shaw THE TORY government has forced through new legislation to allow employers to discriminate against trade union members.
An amendment to the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill passed through the Commons with a government majority of 22, with even Tory MP Peter Bottomiey saying it would The executive of the main rail union, RMT, agreed by ten votes to nine on June 15 to ballot their membership In British Rail for a mandate for action against the 1.5 per cent pay oiler.
The executive are recommending rejection. The ballot will be carried out at the end or July.