CALL IN THE SCABS

FROM IAN YEATS COVENTRY FOUR THOUSAND men at Chrysler's Stoke plant, Coventry, are near certain to vote for strike action at a mass meeting today after scabs attacked a millwright and crashed through picket lines.

This will bring the number of men on strike at Chrysler's Coventry plants to over 8,000.

Millwright John Doherty (37) was working in the factory at 3 a.m. yesterday morning when he heard noises and went to investigate.

Later he said he was chased by a gang. of men with east London accents and beaten with a spanner.

Earlier the men entered the Stoke works by smashing the chains on a side gate and hacking a hole in a wire mesh perimeter fence with special cutters.

They manoeuvred three tractors into the works and just after 3 a.m., with the full co-operation of the Chryster security guards, drove across picket lines at 40 mph towing trailers packed with car engines.

Pickets and police jumped clear as the drivers made their getaway hurling bottles, bricks and iron bars at Ryton workers who moved to stop them.

All 100 millwrights at Stoke struck work immediately yesterday in protest at the cold-blooded assault on John Doherty.

Trade union leaders at the plant went into emergency session and decided to call a mass meeting fur 11 a.m. today.

Ryton shop stewards retaliated to Chrysler's new tactics by withdrawing the last remaining safety men from their plant and completely sealing off the Stoke works with strengthened pickets.

Chrysler issued a statement at lunchtime yesterday admitting they had hired contractors to move the engines but denying all knowledge of violence.

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