Woolwich "siege' stirs Labourites into backing action

AN hour-long "siege' of town hall by chanting Young Socialists, Woo wich Labour council defied Transport House and the TUC and gave hospitality to the jobs marchers.

Earlier Woolwich Labour Party secretary N. Stevens ordered a YS deputation asking for support out of the Party's offices. The Co-op also refused any help.

But at lunchtime a double column of more than 20 Young Socialists in high spirits after their walk from Belvedere, where they had spent the night, marched to the town 'all.

Within an hour of an initial cold • shouldering, Woolwich Labour leader and prospective Labour parliamentary candidate for Bexleyheath Mr John Cartwright intervened.

The marchers were invited the town clerk's department for coffee and then news came that the council would lay on a free three-course meal in their canteen. LP manoeuvres In addition they opened a section of stage three housing used for London's homeless so the marchers could stay the night and mattresses and bedding were supplied.

Said marcher John Strand: 'l was really impressed. The council's decision shows we can do something. Men like these have got all the power and we're just a relatively small group of people, yet we frightened the hell out of them.' And John Quilty added: 'It was fantastic. I've never seen anyone shake me so much as the men who we spoke to at the town hall.' By mid-afternoon after a march round Woolwich town centre, collecting tins were heavy with cash and sellers once again sold out of the Workers Press.

Shoppers were donating 10p a time for single sheet leaflets advertising the Empire Pool rally.

AND GETS ON THE PHONE TO ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION Reading incensed by against marchers •NATIONAL' SEORETARY CLIVE NORRIS SOAKING OFFICIAL SUPPLIES MARCHI ERS WITH TRANSPORT workers, engineers, railwaymen, postmen and Labour Party members in Reading all welcomed the Right-to-Work marchers from S Wales and the Their support came despite a campaign of slander and obstruction by the Communist Party and the Labour Party right wing.

We were comfortably fed and Students in Union under the housed the University auspices of the Transport and General Workers' Union.

Tom Hibbard, T&GWU district organizer and Fred Roberts, a railwayman council prospective Labour Council candidate, marched with us on the last leg of our 19-mile hike from Wallingford And at an evening meeting in the city centre a broad cross-section of trade unionists turned out to greet the marchers.

Unemployment has only recently started to come back to Reading in a big way-increasing by some 40 per cent in the last year. work down a S Tom Hibbard Yorkshire coal who started coall mine in 1934, remembers what mass unemployment is like even for those who have a job. 'We had three days work and three days idle', , he told me.

'The fight to defend wages, then and now, is inseparable from the fight against unemploy'That's why we have to support a campaign of the kind you are mounting. It's absolutely essential to protect the working man, whether he has a job or not.' He later told the marchers: "I congratulate your guts and your courage.

'If, at the end of the day, you bring home the message that you have the right to work, then it's all worthwhile.' Christchurch ward Labour Party overwhelmingly supported the Right-to-Work campaign in the teeth of Transport House opposition.

And Fred Roberts, the ward's prospective council candidate, condemned attempts to block the march and cast a slur on it. /'They say it's a proscribed organization, he told me. 'But when "left" Labour MPs marched with members of the National Front on an anti-Common Market demonstration, not a word was said. Presumably they consider these extreme right-wingers more acceptable than unemployed youth.

"They've let the right vote for the Common Market, but they don't want us to support you.' Fred, a member of the No. 1 branch of the National Union of Railwaymen, also condemned as attempt complete manoeuvre' the delegates to the Reading Trades Council to stop support.

"Everv self-respecting unionist must back this campaign', he added.

Railwaymen from the city's NUR No. 2 branch have also backed the marchers, with the No. 2 branch of the Amalgamated Union Engineering Workers, AUEW West Reading, T&GWU 1/163 branch, the local brance Woodcutting Machinists' Association / Reading branch of the National Graphical Association.

On the road to Reading a meal was provided for the marcher v Tilehurst ward Labour Part!

WITH LOIS backing the marchers-now joined by the Southampton marchers — moved confidently into the city.

about three miles, . they chanted continuously the slogans against the Tory government they have kept up for the last two and a half weeks.

At the meeting, they were met the T&GWU national executive who is demanding a special meeting of the Trades Counci executive because the violation of trade union democracy' it had practised against the camAnd it was there also that Gerry Healy, national secretary of the Socialist Labour League, threw down the gauntlet to the pponents of the march The Labour Party is mor rightened of 50 to 60 'Right-to Work' marchers than it is of th lory government,' he said When we campaign for th right to work we campaign against all aspects of Tory policy, from the Industrial Relations Act to rising rents.' He challenged local Communist Party leaders to come forwarc and debate their reasons for opposing the marches in th open.