YS Right-to-Work campaign

hired' to beat up builders' leader THE VICIOUS beating of a Birmingham build. ing workers' leader at his home on Tuesday night has shocked, but not intimidated. strikers returning to work their 12-week City officials of Union of Construc Allied Trades and 1 nicians said yesterday they were taking the attack very sertously.

I understand that steps are being taken to ensure as far as possible the safety of leading members of the building unions in the area.

Mike Shilvock (30), a UCATT militant and chairman of the Birmingham builders action committee, was beaten up in his Stourbridge flat at about 10.15 p.m. on Tuesday.

Shortly before he had been dropped near his home by UCATT • full-time official Ken Barlow, who later described the attack 'a professional beatingup' and claimed the men who did it were 'obviously hired.

Mike Shilvock's attackers called at the flat in Hanbury Court, College Road, Stourbridge, on the pretext of urgent union business. They forced their way in, slashing at him with a knife, and then forced him into a back room. and ruthless That will do! The beating was silent a comment:

Mike Shilvock sustained a broken arm, broken toe, badly crushed ribs and a badly battered face.

Stourbridge police told that they had as yet no clues to the identity of the men who carried out But they indigantly rejected a claim in yesterday's 'Daily Telegraph' that 'detectives believe he may have been the victim of extremists who opposed the decision ... to return to work:

•We never make such statements» We are said a spokesman. ing a completely open mind.' Curragh hunger strike NINE PRISONERS at the Curragh detention barracks near Dublin • have refused food and drink since Tuesday. Their hunger strike is in protest against the refusal of the authorities to implement promises on visits, letters and food parcels. Fertilizer prices grow ANOTHER fertilizer manufacturer, Albright and Wilson, announced yesterday it was raising prices by 7t per cent from October 1. The move, which is bound to raise food prices, follows a simiaf ter Jay rechA GREAT response to the Young Socialists' Right-toWork march in the mining towns along the route to Sunderland was topped off with a promise of trades council support when the marchers got there.

In the morning the march set out at top speed from Chesterle-Street in an attempt to reach Sunderland in time to canvas workers as they left factories and offices.

This was the fourth seven-day campaign.

The mining town of Fence Houses turned out to greet the march. Car horns tooted, coal drivers cheered from their trucks and 45 copies of the Workers Press were sold.

Unemployed workers and oldage pensioners greeted us from the squares of Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring which are all World's End standstill Union organizer BIII Lloyd discusses with pickets at the End site.

PHILIP

WORK AT the multi - million pound Cubitts' World's End housing site in West London was still at a standstill yesterday morning and pickets manned the gates.

Although the men returned on Monday morning, they were soon on strike again as it became obvious management were testing out the strength of the site organization following the end of the official strike for the pay claim.

The men claim one sub-contractor, Mark Prince, refused to pay the new agreed rates settled by union leaders. Then another firm, Barcott's, decided not to take back two men, including a carpenters' steward.

At the same time, the World's End men are demanding the employment of 'Lew' Lewis, a leading member of the Communist Party in the building unions.

Some months ago it was agreed by conciliation machinery to employ Lewis when work was available. He had been working on the site a • few days when management sacked him. lar rise announced Fisons a few days ago.

It is estimated that if other manutacturers like ICI impose increases, it would add between £9m and fl2m to the cost of producing food. day of the (centre)

World's by adds to support mining towns apparently doomed through pit closures, but have experienced a new lease of life with the construction of the Birtley Industrial Estate some miles away.

However, gathering economic storms that have forced some firms in neighbouring estates to close down has cast a cloud over the future of Birtley and the towns that depend on it.

As the marchers entered Deal a 'non-starter' FIVE THOUSAND Verseyside builders in Liverpool' 's Boxing Stadium yesterday vo ted by a large majority to retur n to work on Monday.

But they also overw helmingly carried a resolution deploring the settlement and co indemning the union's national ner gotiators.

Action committee Bill Crichton said Merseyside was going to serve noti ice on the national executive of t he unions that the nationally-1 negotiated package deal was a ni on-starter. PAPERBACKS CENTRE 28 Charlotte St London W1 BOOKS Friday-9 a.m.-7.30 p.m.

ST GOODGE TUE OTTEN AM CT RI RICT TOTO MIDDIESBOI TOGEWCA: derland they, Sunderland Echo, right-wing which claimed that they were 'weary and dejected'.

The paper claimed that a number of youth had dropped out of the march.

None of this is true. As marcher John Green (16) commented: 'Dejected marchers don't walk 20 miles in less than six hours.' On Wednesday evening the 'We don't want he said.

On Tuesday the Merseyside men overwhelmingly rejected a proposal from Communist Party member Billy Jones to end the strike.

Now, however, with a return to work in the other areas these workers have been left isolated.

The responsibility for this setback rests with the Stalinists who refused to fight the union leaders or to demand all-out national action. • PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS PAPERBACKS CENTRE . LC marchers got a further lift when they attended a public meeting in Sunderland called Speakers included Ernie Ennew, president of the trades council, who welcomed the marchers to the town.

He also pledged support to the Young Socialists and said that the trades council banner would appear at Saturday's Rightto-Work rally at Newcastle.

builders executive OUR OWN REPORTER A MEETING of over 100 building workers in Lancaster unanimously passed a vote of censure on the national executive of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians and demanded the resignation of general secretary George Smith and the rest of the executive.

Some builders said they intended to bring charges against Smith and the executive under union rule 31, clause 2, which provides for action against 'anyone acting against the interests of fellow-union members'.

Besides condemning the terms of the settlement, strike committee chairman Dave Barnes criticized the increase in the differentials between craftsmen and labourers, when union memhare had pallad for thair radur. UCIS MAU CALCU IVI LUEN ICHUL"

Several men questioned when the agreement had actually been made. Some who lobbied the national talks said they had waited for up to ten hours and got no information.

But Stan Jackson, convenor of the Taylor Woodrow site, Heysham, said members had received printed copies of the settlement as early as first post Saturday.

The meeting voted unanimously to keep the strike _ committee in existence in order to prepare for future actions.

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Press, Friday September 22,