TGWU leader Bill Morris has told a rally in* Chelmsford that he would sell the union's Transport House headquarters if it were necessary to help the bus workers win.
His speech is part of a developing campaign seeking the reinstatement of the 105 sacked by Eastern National for taking TRADE UNION NEWS lawful strike action to resist unsafe working hours.
It has been gathering momentum in recent weeks as a number of the sacked workers have gone into workplaces to explain the dispute and ask for support. The boycott of Eastern National has also been supplemented by a free minibus to local bus users who need transport but want to avoid scab buses.
Support group
The support group established by the Trades Council has received broad backing from local trades unionists, the Freedom Network, supporters of Socialist Outlook and members of the SWP in Essex.
There have been marches through Chelmsford in December. The first was a street party organised by the Essex TRADE Freedom Network in defiance of the Criminal Justice Aut It tried to stop outside of te bus station to read out the names and service records of the sacked workers - which is over 2,000 years.
Although this would have only lasted a few minutes the police totally overreacted and attacked the demonstration which the police later admitted had been totally peaceful. They made three arrests.
This was not an entirely negative outcome however as the police panic led them to seal off the bus station for more than half an hour!
The second march was organised nationally by the TGWU and attracted the support of almost 1,000 trades unionists and activists from Essex and London. Although the turnout was reasonable, certainly increased the morale of sacked workers, it could have been much larger.
The march was followed by a rally addressed by Bill Morris. He referred to a letter from Badgerline threatening to sue the TGWU for claiming that it, rather than just Eastern National, was involved in the dispute.
Their denial is obviously false - the buses have the Badgerline logo sprayed all over them.
Nevertheless Morris promised to sell Transport House if it was necessary to defeat litigation and win the dispute. knows that Badgerline has to date no basis for mounting legal action.
Just the same, sacked workers and rank and file members two of the TGWU should demand he puts his money where his mouth is by calling for solidarity aution throughout Badgerline to force it le reinstate the his writers and engage in proper negacames ever pa:
and orkine bours.
Only then a ould the promise become more than rhetoric.
The TGWU is intending to organise another march early in the new year. It is important that left-wing union activists mobilise to make it as large as possible.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No.75. 7 January 1995, Page 7