With the General Election campaign underway many Labour and Trade Union leaders would like to see the long running industrial disputes wound up before they embarrass a Labour government. Socialists have to step up support.
The strikers at Magnet in Darlington, where 3 worken were se tor going on strike for a pay rise, are in a confident mood. Magnet strike support committees are start. the country and Magnet outlets are being regularty eafleted by supporters in Glasgow, London, Darlington, Liverpool and Stockcon.
The leafeting in Glas. gow is being done by the Fire Brigades Union, and a посет осия in cason with the GPMU and UNISON branches there, The strikers are now establishing many international stance in Germany.
On Tuesday March 18, TUC chief John Monks met fulleime officials from the four unions involved (UCATT, TGWU. GMB and AEEU; and, surprisingly offered support to the strikers. The TUC committed itself to an emergency mail-shot to all its affilates. urging them to get involved in support groups, leaflet Magnet outiets and to support the strike financially. The strike committee is aware of the possible pitfalls that the TUC codio tum round and attemps to close down the dispute, bue such Meanwhile, the company has got tself into a mess of its own making. It had hoped to do deais on the quiet with builders and subtions. This has started a price war between different companies. its current position.
The Hilingdon Hospital strikers. fighting against a pay cut, are still resisting the attempts of UNISON's bureaucracy to oken tem. I ney have received the support of several union regions, and the next stage of that battle will be at UNISON's conference. Community Chest: Robbie Fowier displays the Liverpool dockers' T-shirt at Anfield The hospital is attempting to get strike supporters removed from their property by taking out an inJunction, but Hilingdon Council has provided an alternative spot to picket just outside the hospital.
The Liverpool dockworkers are at last getting wider publicity here in Fowler and Steve McManaman wore T-shirts in support of the dockers at their European CupWinners' Cup match against SK Brann. which has received wide spread coverage (and which the pleased about).
42 comedians organised a major benefit for the dockers at the Lon. don Palladium on March 16. Through the efforts of John Pliger and Ken Loach more publicity has been gained and more support is therefore coming in from union branches.
The dockers are stil building on have led to support action around the world -Akinobu Itoh. Assistant General Secretary of the National Council of Dock Workers' Unions of Saches son Septero Japan, recently travelled to Liverpool to address a dockers' meeting The bad news is that the TGWU leadership is still negotiating with the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board on the possibility of establishing a Labour Supply Unit - and keoping the stewards in the dark abour the progress of the talks.
No pay-off Having at last recognised that the dockers are unwilling to accept a pay off, rather than winning their jobs back, the TGWU put forward the proposal that the dockers should form a cooperative from which the company would employ its workforce. The dockers ' shop stewards are adamant that this means a monopoly on work and scabs out", but it is by no means certain that the TGWU leadership is putting forward anything like this.
nitially it seemed that the MDHC had reiected any such Labour Sup ply Unit out of hand, this was later denied. It seems that the union bureaucracy persuaded the employer that it was in their interests to seok a deal which the TGWU hopes to