Osram women strikers reject return plea

Workers Press no. 769, 19 May 1972 · scan pages 2, 3

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: headlines and words can be misread, and a caption or advert can run into the text. For anything you quote, read the scan.

TWO HUNDRED mainly women workers at GEC-Osram, Erith, Kent, defiied their union officials yesterday and voted overwhelmingly to reject a derisory £1.20 pay ofier.

The women were locked out by GEC in April for working-torule in support of the AUEW's £6-a-week pay claim.

Recommending a return to work AUEW Erith district secretary Albert Handy told a mass meeting yesterday: 'It was like extracting teeth to get as far as we have with management.' And General and Municipal Workers' Union area official Mike Hall said they had driven the management as far as they could.

Dozens of women, who had earlier marched through Erith to the Corinthian Restaurant, shouted, 'No! No!' when union officials asked whether they would return to wark,...

Sovex AUEW convenor and Erith AUEW district committee member Laurie Smith was loudly applauded when he said: What this meeting has to consider is whether what GEC are offering is equal to the sacrifices being made.' He added: 'GEC have been forced to recognize that they have got a labour force at Erith that can't be back to work, Cowed and beated The company, has offered a £1.20 across-the-board rise plus an extra 80p transferred from bonus pay.

The women-most of whom have had no money from any source since the lock-out beganvoted almost unanimously against the proposed cut in their bonuses and for a minim 12 62a-week no-strings pay tim they. resume. mork.

V SPENCER EXPLAINS