AUEW organizer blasts 'no-action' Birmingham

ENGINEERING UNION CHIEFS MUST INDUSTRY will be hit by a series of massive strikes starting on Monday in defence of the engineers' union, which faces seizure of its assets after midnight tonight.

News came in yesterday more big engineering areas, and Merseyside, had decided the industrial action planned week throughout the industry.

In some areas, like Liverpool, the action is likely to spread outside the engineering to affect building sites and the docks.

This snowballing support shows that defence of the engineers has become the focal point of opposition to the Tory government for many workers.

But despite this impressive resistance, serious weaknesses have appeared in the ranks, highlighted yesterday by the decision of the CAV workers at Sudbury, Suffolk, to return to work after their three-day strike.

The Sudbury decision, like the vote against strike action in the CAV-Lucas combine Birmingham, is the work of the right wing within the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.

The right wingers have launched a determined campaign to stop engineering workers from taking action to defend policy of total opposition to the anti-union laws. Their long-term aim is to get a recall of the AUEW National Committee and overthrow the union's principled stand on the Industrial Relations Act.

Within the Lucas combine they have encouraged the most backward sections of the membership, who do not see that their living standards depend entirely on a strong trade union, to lead the stampede back to work.

Rather than fight, this the right wing would preter to hand over the union and its 1.2 million members to the Tory government and its courts. As such they are little better than James Goad, the Sudbury engineer whose deep hostility to a fighting work1g cIdso to mEll nuuna s wuu ino ic well known in Sud. bury.

The AUEW executive members must bear part of the responsibility for this situation. Their indecision over action against the fine has encouraged the right wingers to do their dirty_ work.

It is time now for the leadership to stop sitting on the fence and expecting officials in the areas to lead the campaign. They must come out and tell all their members to go on strike. that two Clydeside to join in for next and page 3. A LEADING member of the engineers' executive has condemned the right wing in the unlon who-are trying to stop the mass movement bullding up against the £55,000 fine imposed by the National Industrial Relations Court.

The attack came from AUEW national organizer Bob Wright. He is understood to be asking shop stewards in the CAVLucas combine in Birmingham to reverse their decision not to strike in support of workers at the group's Sudbury plant.

Wright concentrated his fire on the union's Birmingham East district secretary Norman Cartwright who went on televislon calling for an emergACT AGAINST RIGHT WIN Sudbury decision at dawn Workers at the Sudbury, Suffolk, CAV plant vote to return union. They gave as their reason for returning the lack of The policy of local battles proved disastrous in the engineering industry pay claim last spring when militancy was dissipated in a series of isolated stoppages. The same mistake must not be repeated in this crucial confrontation over the fine.

Union policy must also • carry with it the force of dicipline. The right wing is weakening the union every day it is allowed to conspire against the official line. ency AUEW national committee to reconsider their opposition to the Industrial Relations Act. This was a flagrant violation of union policy.

Wright is understood to have threatened some form of action against Cartwright or any other district official who breaks policy.

THE STRIKE movement against the fine continued to gather force yesterday. The biggest boost came from Scotland where engineers on Clydeside will stage a one-day strike on Wednesday. The action will stop factories throughout Glasgow and the shipyards on the upper Clyde.

to work support These men must be told to obey instructions or get out of the union. The AUEW can well do without its coterie of James Goads in every area and branch.

It was not with men like this that the foundations of trade unionism were laid during the bitter struggles against the Combination Laws over 150 years ago.

The other step the executive should take is to demand an immediate meeting of the national Confederation of Shipover 2,000 workers at weir engineering at Cathcart, Glasgow, voted yesterday to strike on Wednesday.

Workers at Paisley are likely to join in the protest after shop stewards voted yesterday to take action. The strike will affect the Chrysler and RollsRoyce plants.

The AUEW district committee had voted to call workers out on Wednesday, but after a trades council decision to support the action the strike may also involve the docks and building sites.

Birmingham East AUEW is calling a mass meeting of stewards on Monday to decide on action, but the Birmingham striking against the fines on their areas like Birmingham—see above building and Engineering Unions.

The unions in this body have given a lead in many areas in calling on their members to fight alongside the engineers. But the national leaders have kept cowardly Silence.

With the exception of the sheet metal workers, they have offered the AUEW no form of assistance or support. It is time for Hugh Scanlon to demand Jack Jones of the Transport and General Workers' Union declares West district committee has decided to ignore union policy and take no action to defend the union. Instead it is calling for a national committee meeting to reverse the policy on Enfield AUEW district committee is also calling for strikes on Wednesday. This involves workers in Enfield, Edmonton, Walthamstow and Tottenham.

All the big industrial areas of Britain are committed to action now and next week will see the biggest strike movement since the five dockers were jailed by the National Industrial Relations Court. where he stands-it was, in part, the action of the engineering workers that helped secure the release of five of his members from jail in August.

Finally the struggle against the fine has got to be seen for what it is- a political battle against this government and its laws.

This perspective was ignored during the campaign before the Industrial Relations Bill became law and the working class is paying the price.

FLEET STREET engineering workers yesterday afternoon voted overwhelmingly to hold an indefinite national stoppage over the £55,000 fine on their union.

The meeting of 290 engineers passed the resolution calling on their national executive to declare an indefinite stoppage by 216 votes to 29.

An earlier resolution calling for a one-day stoppage On Monday had 106 votes against and 180 for.

The secretary of the Fleet Street AUEW branch said afterwards: "The feeling of the meeting is they would prefer an indefinite national stoppage until the Industrial Relations Act is removed from the statute books.' The failure to develop a political consciousness among the members now gives the right wing base and puts a real obstacle in the way of defending the union.

It is also vital that workers in all unions come out and back the engineers. The warnings are there for everyone to see.

Prices are rocketing. wages are frozen, entry into Europe is only weeks away. The stage is set for a massive showdown between the working class and the Tories. In this fight the rank and file will need the strength of the AUEW on its side. The engineers must win this fight.

Friday 15,