Drivers strike for sacked union men

DRIVERS employed by Brockelhurst Transport Co at Hammersmith, West London, yesterday staged a token stoppage in support of three of their union representatives whom management have refused to re-employ.

All 70 drivers who do contract work for Manbré Sugars had been sacked by Brockelhurst the previous week for staging a walk-out in protest at the victimization of a fellow driver.

Last Friday all the men reapplied for their jobs back on the advice of their representatives.

All were taken back apart from their Transport and General Workers' Union branch secretary, Jim Butt, branch vice-chairman, Pat Harrison and shop steward Mike Gash.

When the drivers returned to work on Monday they registered a 'failure to agree' on the nonreinstatement of the three with their district official, Bob Kay.

The dispute was then taken through official union channels. CENTRAL London branch of the National Union of On Wednesday, however, T&GWU road transpc t group secretary Bill Packer ca le to the factory when none of the men knew there was going to be a meeting.

Then after meeting Brockelhurst management he told the men that they would not reemploy them, and advised them to get new Jobs.

The drivers refused to accept this and called for an official stoppage. Packer refused on the grounds that he could not prove a case of victimization. The drivers then met and decided to call a token stoppage until the three outside the gate had been reinstated.

On Thursday Packer told the men that he had put the case to the union executive and asked them to return to work. They refused.

It was next proposed that the three should be taken back for six months without their union credentials, providing the three agreed. As we went to press yesterday negotiations were still going on to see if these terms would be accepted by manage.