Lancs GEC plants begin to link fights

INDUSTRIAL

£50,000 Union. dockers ° But messa "black" stays. ' for their stand Scottish TUC Dunoon.

Denis Howell, MP, ex-Minister of Sport, told meeting of Loughborough Labour Party last night that the NIRC would not 'melt away for the convenience of the trade unions'.

The MP, who the Clerical and Workers' Union, *It cannot help the trade union cause to allow its case to go by default, especially as it has accepted that the rule of law compels the movement to accept the decisions of the Court.' Mersey T&GWU officials con. tinued attempts to pressure dockers to call off their blacking action against road-haulage firms who have complained the NIRC.

However, Jimmy Symes, chairnan of the port's stewards' committee said the action would continue.

'I think it is a vicious fine.' he erseyside, the ge was: The And support came from the meeting in is president of Administrative added:

urged in its the Transport and General ers' SPACE -AGE PELA MORE than 5,500 workers in two major GEC plants in the Liverpool area are either sitting-in, on strike or are laid-off in a struggle for pay and conditions against the Weinstock empire.

At the Liverpool E Lancashire Rd plant 500 clerks have just ended their fifth week on official strike for a £6-aFACTORY ENTRANCE EA Some of the Lewisham GEC week pay rise. They have been offered between £1.50 and £1.75.

At the heavy diesel plant ; at Newton-leWillows, near Warrington, Lancs, 2,000 engineering workers are in the third week of their sit-in.

Letters threatening the Liverpool strikers with the sack have been unceremoniously workers in jubilant mood dumped in the personnel office.

The 80 per cent vote for the strike ended a year of negotiations. Some 3,500 production workers—all with claims in the pipeline—have been laid off.

Many of the male clerks, in some cases with long service, take home, less than £17 a week. Some female clerks go away with than £12 a week.

"A lot depends on üs,' says strike committee member Gerry Lynn.

"The manual workers all have claims in—so it's up to us. But I must say we've had great support from the shop floor.

'What amazes me is the declaration of over £80m profit. Clerks throughout the combine have been told each plant is losing money.

I remember all the talks we were given when the [GEC-AEI] merger took place in 1968 saying how good it was going to be.

'But they have tried to force us to accept less labour, a standstill on wages and more work.

"The only good thing that could come in my opinion is to get the Tory Party out and put back a Labour government. We would like to demand the nationalization of the heavy electrical industry, said Mr Lynn.

Clerks and production workers meet on Monday to review the situaThe clerks have also been in touch with the 2,000 Newton-le-Willows engineering workers.

Workers who came to the factory gate with a steward, Marshall Leigh, criticized their union.

"The AUEW formulated the deal and then threw it back at us,' said Mr Leigh.