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THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY polystyrene ceiling tiles melt into burning globules. Most synthetic materials will behave in a similar way.

The existing tests serve as a cover for the manufacturers who have to appear sell some safety standards. The method used in most tests is to hold a sample of the material horizontally and light one end It is then withdrawn from the flame. If it goes out, it is "self extinguishable'.

Even wood can be self extinguishing under those conditions. Alternatively, the extent to which the fire spreads can be measured.

No attempt is made to reproduce real conditions, to assess the effect of ventilation, as in a corridor, to see whether poisonous fumes are given off or to see how the material responds to an established fire.

Experiments by the FRS, which try to reproduce real conditions, and reports by Fire Brigades, clearly show The danger of these tests which are only used to deceive customers.

The BSI claims that the tests 'quality control' tests only ANNOUNCING...

Writings of Lean Trotsky B1-80 (1938-91 WRITINGS OF WRITINGS OFI TEDD LEON TRO SHY TROTSKT 939:341 1834:35 Six volumes of Trotsky's writings during the years 1933-1940 £8.00 including postage Please tick those you require. Amount encloser Name Addre:

Anel form and rk Publications, 186a Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UG k Pub lica tions, New Park Publications Booklist is a vailable, free, on request. lew P Publi —so much for its service 'the consumer'!

The manufacturers are, of course, opposed to any legal controls. A proposal to ban the use of inflammable materials in corridors and circulation areas, when the Building Regulations (1972) were being drawn up, was quickly thrown out.

At the same time, manufacturers are getting worried. In 1970 Alfred Moskovits, who supplied "self - extinguishing' foam plastic furnishings to a French dance hall, was subsequently held partially responsible for the fire in which History of Russian Revol ution —special gift pack of three volumes £1.70 including postage am High Stree atir klis t is a railab Above: Firemen tackle the fire in Paris which killed 23 people.

146 people died because he had not warned the buyer of the dangers.

Businessmen are afraid that incidents like this will put people off buying plastics for construction and furnishings.

As an editorial in 'Modern Plastics International' said, with reference to this problem:

"To be able to predict real fire risk is a very complex problem requiring an expensive research effort. Is it worth it? We think the future of plastics in buildings hangs in the balance.

ROT Trotsky—a documentary Francis Wyndham and David King £1.65 including

fight 'the lump' and the Tories throughout Britain are fighting back against the most serious attempt ever made to undermine the basis of trade union. ism in the industry.

The Tories have • set the scene with the attacks on the basic rights of all trade unionists, making it a criminal offence to strike for higher wages, taking the road to dictatorship and the corporate state.

And since the end of last year's massive and determined strike by builders for the national claim—betrayed by the union leaders after 12 weeks-the employers in this industry have hit back with a campaign of victimization, intimidation "and, above all, by the use of 'the lump' (labour only sub-contracting).

First a number of militants were sacked and strikes provoked aimed at undermining union organization. Then the employers produced dossiers claiming conspiracy by pickets during the national dispute.

Then it was the rapid expansion of labour only sub-contracting. It is estimated that over 500,000 men in the industry now work as self-employed, in some cases legally, in others not.

No tax In other words, half the men in the building industry are not organized on a trade union basis, and pay no tax and have no insurance cards.

'Subbies' are being paid lump sums of up to f15 a day. For thạt they rush around the site, doing any jobs required and working any hours demanded. While the main contractor stands by, the trade unions are seriously weakened.

In London's Aldwych, men on the McAlpine luxury _hotel site have been out since Wednesday against labour only subcontractors and plan to stay out until they are removed from the site. McAlpine's deny the subcontractors a 'lump merchant'.

Last week I talked to some of the men on the picket line about the strike, while two men sat in a car opposite, taking notes. Some claimed to recognize them as company spies.

First I spoke to federation steward Tony Crilly, a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union. He told me that since work began last August, about 40 per cent of the men had joined a union. The fight was now on against the lumps.

'As well as taking on men with insurance cards, these sort of companies take on men with exemary to the atorking Rule This is contrary The Agreement which says all operatives working for contractors have to be directly employed.

'We want to get labour only sub-contractors out altogether, even if some of the men do pay tax. These subbies are the base for the whole business. We have to fight to remove the basis on which the lump operates,' he told me.

Lump labour makes it impossible to get any unity on the site, and undermines the whole basis of trade unionism here.

"The purpose of this campaign by the Joint Sites Committee is to eliminate the lump, and combine the struggle for the extension of trade unionism throughout the industry. Icket McAlpine's without being attached to the main contractor. In that way, without unions, they'll have the militants out as soon as they open their mouths.

"They want to go back to the days when everyone employed themselves. Already many of the militants can't get jobs. They have a blacklist out all over London.

'Then we end up building useless things like this hotel which none of us can use.

I say nationalizing the industry is the only idea. Get rid of the sub-contractors and people like McAlpine's who make millions out of these projects' Carpenter William Allan told contractorg obs like this, subcontractors men can take the whole site over. Subbies are preferred because they never cause He explained that while he was earning about £35 for an average 45-hour week, those working as self-employed were being paid £12 to £14 a day.

*This means the union is powerless, he said. "These men just run around the site, working like madmen, preventing trade unionists getting work' Blacklist Another man said he had been forced to work for a sub-contractor because he could not get a start with McAlpine's.

A former worker at the militant World's End site, Chelsea, he BB 1.007.05 7.35 8.00 8.55 10.10 11.00 11.25 Play school. 5.25 Open University. PARENTS AND CHILDREN. 7.30 NEWS SUMA LOOK, STRANGER. A Good Job With Prospec ALIAS SMITH AND JONES. Something to Get CALL MY BLUFF. 9.25 DAVE ALLEN. METRO-LAND. A celebration of suburbia Betjeman.

OPINION. 'witt