Little 'adventure' in Britain's most exploitative industry

IAN RIMMER, the 'brassie'-yo a trawler crew-as he was seen documentary 'A Life Apart'. 'Mind-labs for strikers' Labour Minister's Orwellian plan for industry's mental illness' the former Labour Health Minister, has an answer to Britain's swelling strike movement.

He says that striking is 'a mental illness' and needs to be treated.

This extraordinary view of the class struggle is contained in a letter written by Robinson to a magazine called •Management in Action':

'The underlying causes of strikes and general unrest among workers has been under a tremendous amount of research.

•It has now been fully established beyond any doubt Coles Cranes occupation determined HE 1.000 sit-in workers at thev call "scurrilous slander' in to have been reached. But then Employme THE 1,000 sit-in workers at Coles Cranes, Sunderland, are to continue their fight for trade union rights despite an attempt to split them.

They voted unanimously at a mass meeting yesterday to keep up their ten-week occupation. They are to maintain control of their crane-making plant owned by Acrow (Engineers) Ltd.

They also lashed back at remember. It should be immediately emphasized that easons for going on the boats are not lyrical o mates all romantic life!

And thirdiv.

Fleetwood?

chronic.

So lan left went to the College for ll ceived £2 a week.

-although in my life'.

Association.

gest member the Granada that behind the tendency to strike lies a severe mental illness which has to be treated by psychiatric techniques.

Madness *The best way to solve this problem would be to open psychiatric units in every major corporation where the workers could be screened for mental illness.' Robinson's Orwellian 'solution' to strikes is all the more sinister because he was personnel director of the British Steel Corporation. He wields enormous influence over the lives of tens of thousands of workers.

By Robinson's account they call "scurrilous the local Press.

Shop steward Matty Wake laid down this challenge: 'We will not suffer the tyranny of this dictatorship now or in the future. this fight until we win, Continue We are determined to continue Management made 300 men redundant without consultation and drew up new works rules which destroy trade union rights. Last week, agreement between unions and management appeared fishing town. It Grimsby it is producing port. that when youn he went to sea.

one of this 'down t the sea in ships'.

In his own complicated way, Ian explains why. First of all, says, manes alto bet to set. H Secondly, the trawler owners take young boys 'pleasuring' while they are still at school. The idea s to give the local lads a couple of pleasant days at sea and thus encourage them to take this the most compelling reason, what else is there to do in It was really the only job open to Ian which offered some sort of prospects.

Unemployment in the towr school and Navigation weeks. He Botor awweeks of weeks ourse he went to sea a an observer'. For this h reBole recerved 'fish were 'the hardest I'd spent On his 'observer' trip Ian was aboard the 'Fair Isle' owned by Ward's. Dick Ward is chairman of the Fleet wood Fishing Vessel Owners' recent Granada Television nrogramme Life Apart' on the Fleetwood fishing industry, Ward said:

caca vovare new gasmen, hospital ancillary workers, civil servants and teachers are all suffering from 'a severe mental illness'. He wants them all psychiatrically treated.

The madness and irrationality is not in the minds of workers. They simply want to earn a decent wage and defend their basic standard of living.

It is the crisis-ridden capitalist system which has gone mad. To resolve its contradictions, it is lashing out and attempting to deprive workers of their basic democratic rights.

The way to 'heal the madness' is to overthrow capitalism and socialize the means of production. has been since local people can east coast towns Hull and Britain's third biggest fish. It wasn't surprising, therefore, g lan Rimmer left school at 14 Harsh adventure. They really go off with a fresh heart each time. Starting all over again.' the same film Joe Hobbs, a deckhand, married with two children, gave a more sobering view of the work: 'Well, me, I mean, when I started this job I thought it was great. Plenty money. 1 was, what, 17.1 thought it was plenty • of money. was going in, I had three weeks wages in my pockets when I was going deckie. Three weeks! I was just blowing it, having a good time. But when you get married you realize ittoo late then to back out.' Ian is now 16. He's heading for the same disappointments that previous generations have felt in this most exploitative industry.

On a recent trip one mates earned £3 for weeks at sea. to have been reached. But then management insisted on new terms for a return which even more stringent than those originally proposed.

They demanded that only men who agreed to a 68-point "bosses' charter' would be allowed into the plant. To return on these terms would be to crawl back, AUEW organizer Harry Wilkinson said yesterday..

He said a joint meeting had been arranged for tomorrow, but this time two Department les, trawler life drawing men into union of his three KENNETH ROBINSON strikers need psychiatry.

After money is taken out tor his mother, lan himself has picked up the following amounts: • £61 for three weeks when the catch. was worth £17,000. • £48 for three weeks (£17,000). • £20 for weeks (£6,400).

On one. of trips Ian was involved in first accident.

A jagged piece of wire from the net ran through his glove and through his inde› inger. It Duled him along the deck towards the rollers which take the nets over the side.

Luckily the splinter of metal was rusty and it snapped.

When the job was finished, Ian's gloves were cut off. Another fisherman took the splinter in his teeth and pulled it out.

Co-ordinate all hospital strikes MORE than 700 hospital workers at Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary return to work today, but many want to see all-out strike action in the future.

Their two-day strike was the first of a series of protests against the government's state pay laws.

More stoppages will take place next week and meanwhile supply drivers at Newcastle's hospitals will remain on indefinite strike.

Shop steward Bob Holland said: 'I think the strike action should be co-ordinated throughout the country for selective periods. This would have maximum effect.' Joe Head, a porter, complained bitterly against the Tory government. 'I was in the merchant navy for more than 25 years. During the war I fought against a dictator. Now.we have a dictator in this country.

'Heath decides how we live, we eat and what our wages will trol over everything.' See Merthyr Tydfil to defend union Employment officials would be present as observers.

Many men are demanding, however, that the unions should organize action throughout the Acrow group against the anti-union action of chairman, Swiss millionaire Alphonse de Vigier.

The dispute has: now reached a new height of bitterness after the intervention of a local vicar, the Rev John Taylor.

Taylor, described as an 'Orange man from County Antrim' at yesterday's meeting, has visited IAN RIMMER left school at 14 and had little choice but to join the trawler men of Fleetwood.

The relatives of fishermen washed overboard or killed at sea receive a death benefit of £1,000. There is no scheme for injuries.

In recent weeks lan and many mates have decided to join the union, the Transport and General Workers' Union.

They are disappointed, however, with the union's attitude.

I've never met the union man,' _says Ian. I've heard that he's never been on a are in Blackpool. fo offices Ian's union contributions are deducted from his wages which breaks down any contact which with the union might have with the union.

About 60 per cent of the men are in the union and the membership is growing. The national political developments are provoking a keen interest in political and industrial matters which has been dormant for many The Fleetwood men don't want to see another generation of young men exploited by the monopoly owners. Ian says: 'People are starting to talk about all the problems. There's even talk of strike action. 'That'll give you an idea of how serious it's getting.' says steward how much food be. He has conthree Acrow factories at management's invitation. He has now described de Vigier as 'an angel'.

In a letter in the 'Sunderland Echo'-renamed the 'Sunderland Acrow' by Coles Cranes workers —Taylor said de Vigier was 'a Stronu, trustworthy, generous, approachable, genuine person' Many trade unionists in many parts of the country who have come in! o touch with him over sackings and to disagreen rationalization would te pu:

VOSPER THORMYCROFTS