THE FINE TUBES FIGHT

PART TWO OF AN INVESTI After the Fine Tubes strike had been going 22 weeks, Jack Jones, general secretary of the T&GWU, the majority union at the Plymouth factory, paid a surprise visit to the factory-gate pickets.

Jones, however, brought no promise of using his union's strength to win the strike. Instead he talked of 'trying to get the American owners of Fine Tubes to recognize the gravity of the position.' He made a plea to American firms to recognize 'British standards of justice, fair play and reasonable negotiations' Jones was speaking shortly after the introduction of the Industrial Relations Bill into the House of Commons by Robert 'Securicor' Carr.

The attitude being taken some American companies to trade unionism left him feeling 'rather apprehensive' But the strikers wanted a good deal more than the knowledge of Jones' feelings about the matter. Leadership in action was what they wanted.

After eleven months about 75 of the original group who struck work the previous June were still fighting on. It was at this stage that the T&GWU executive hit the strikers hard by calling on Vic Feather to set up... a court of inquiry.

This capitulation to the puny Fine Tubes management by the leadership of Britain's largest and most powerful union opened the door for another virulent attack on the strikers by the 'Western Evening Herald'. On June 16 1971, a year and one day, after the walk-out at Fine Tubes, they wrote:

'Now ... it would be better the strikers to give up their senseless picketing and for the unions to make a start on encouraging these men to become, once again, useful members of Plymouth's workforce.' Not surprisingly Tom Barclay welcomed the T&GWU's suggestion, even feeling free to speak to the Press for the first time since the strike began. You could join as an individual if you liked. But any attempt to organize in order to represent the factory was not on.

Then on July 30 1971 hundreds of police from all over the region converged on Fine Tubes to deal with a mass picket of 200 trade unionists who had come from factories all over the area.

That day the police moved in viciously, striking out at who they could, arresting nine in the process. Television film of the event showed beyond all doubt the brutality of the police who provoked the violent situation they wanted.

Said Ron Nethercott, the T&GWU's regional organizer about the police intimidation: "This is the sort of thing we saw in Fascist Germany before the war. I have never seen scenes like this before in all my life. The police have behaved disgracefully and many of our lads have been pushed into the ground thing' These incidents-later to be whitewashed by the police who found themselves not guilty of any provocations-pushed the union leaders into the required position. The court of inquiry was announced and Nethercott was over the hill with joy.

'On behalf of Jack Jones and the union I am very pleased that this has come about. We are very happy about the Minister's decision. We think it is necessary and hope it will lead to an end to this long strike and relations can get back to normal,' he said enthusiastically.

Such illusions were common place among the trade union bureaucracy. The inquiry was seen as a way of easing the pressure, under the benevolent eye of the Tory minister.

And what about the three wise men who made up the committee? Archibald Camp-