'BLACK MAC' HAS LOST THE FIRST ROUND

Thanks to an unprecedented and heart-warming display of working-class solidarity on the South Bank picket line on Wednesday, Sir Robert ('Weed out the worst militants') McAlpine lost miserably the first round of his battle with Britain's building workers.

The employers' own paper, the Financial Times, had prophesied that morning: 'Although these militant elements are not expected to accept the resumption without loud vocal protests, it is felt that they represent too small a minority to create any major obstacle to work today.'

But they had not reckoned with the determination and guts of the South Bank workers, powerfully backed by delegations of workers from a whole galaxy of building sites all over London, and even farther afield.

Hundreds rallied round to make the picket line around the Shell-Mex site a solid human barrier that no more than fifteen scabs found it possible to crawl their way through.

Fraternal pickets—120 of them—came from Abbey Wood, where the site had shut down for four hours in a solidarity token stoppage. They came from the Belvedere power station, from the Bradwell atomic power station, from the Isle of Grain, from Beckton gasworks, from Harry Neill's, Stevenage.

They came from Barking power station, from Trollope and Coll's, from W. G. French's (Daily Mirror) site, from Lang's, Camberwell, from McAlpine's, Tottenham Court Road, from the Briggs site at Dagenham.

Members of Camden Town branch of the Electrical Trades Union brought their branch banner with its proud slogan: 'Light and Liberty'. Prominent too were the banners of the steel-benders' and fixers' branches of the Transport and General Workers' Union and of the Constructional Engineering Union's Scottish division.

It was more than a picket line. It was a tremendous demonstration that the building workers, despite the treachery of their officials, are going to resist the employers' offensive now, and not when it is too late.

Men of different religious and political views found themselves with linked arms, together resisting the shoving and jostling of foot and mounted police, together wrestling with the police to protect their posters, together jeering at the handful of blacklegs who went on to the site to sell themselves to McAlpine—for as long as he finds it convenient to keep them there.

What united them was the feeling of working-class solidarity against an arrogant employer whose word for victimization is 'rephasing'.

This feeling was symbolized by the figures of the South Bank stewards—Hugh Cassidy, Matt Lynch, Mick Maguire—who went tirelessly from gate to gate, strengthening the line, encouraging the lads.

It was symbolized, too, by the three young Negroes, unemployed men, who had come along to the South Bank to seek work. Told that the site was 'black', they took posters and proudly joined the picket line.

Here is a minute-by-minute report from the picket line:

7.30 The pickets are gathering at the gates. Already several workers have gone away on realizing that the site is 'black'.

7.45 Two rather sheepish men are stopped by pickets.

'We are from McAlpine's job at St. James's,' says one. 'We were told there would be no trouble.' He adds:

'No, I am not going in, boys. Might as well tear up my union card first.'

Gap is soon blocked

7.50 The lads are singing 'Solidarity for ever'. Police try to force a way through. There is a sudden rush as a group of five scabs clamber over the railings. Soon the gap is blocked. No more will get through there.

7.55 Sub-agent Sam Hall tries to force his way through the crowd. Within seconds he is on the floor, with police dashing to his rescue.

'Go away, copper, and find Alfie Hinds,' cracks a worker from Abbey Wood.

8.5 A group on the other side of the road walks off. They have decided not to brave the pickets.

8.15 South Bank ETU members and their mates from Camden Town are arguing with some other 'sparks':

'Look, Bill, our full-time official says there is no dispute,' they argue.

'What do you think all these pickets are, Scotch mist?'

Finally it is agreed not to start. (The ETU later officially 'blacked' the site.)

9.10 Trucks of sand and granite start to arrive. Workers drag railings and posts to block the road.

As police push and thrust, arms are linked and a solid, immovable human wall confronts the drivers and the police.

A big Irish worker rolls a drum at the lorry. There are cries of: 'Don't scab,' 'Turn back,' and 'This is black'.

A cheer goes up

A cheer goes up as the first lorry turns away. From then on, no more try to enter the site.

9.45 Fifteen men at the most have started work—though it's doubtful whether any work can be found for them. A dejected little group can be seen standing under a large crane. Above their heads is a notice saying 'McAlpines'.

'Bloody appropriate,' says a picket. 'He must own those bastards.'

Through a loud-hailer, Hugh Cassidy and stewards from other sites addressed the pickets during the day.

Said Cassidy (who had earlier presented himself for work together with other stewards, only to be told there was no work for them):

'This is one of the greatest shows of solidarity that have been put up in the building trade for many years. You are doing much, much better than McAlpine ever expected.

'If McAlpine gets away with this "rephasing" we all know he will "rephase" every one of his jobs later on.

'The trade union officials have got to come here and see there is an organized return to work by the lads who have been victimized.'

Brian Behan, a member of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers and of the Editorial Board of The Newsletter, declared:

'This is a great morning for the working man. We are standing out here so that men may go to work in a proper fashion.

'They call this Waterloo. Well, if this is Waterloo, McAlpine must be Napoleon.

'The demand of the McAlpine men is quite simple: for the reinstatement of all available men, including shop stewards.

'Let us keep this picket up. Get anybody you can to report down here. Get a picket round here in the next week that even the handful of scabs that have got in won't be able to pass. If we can keep it up, victory will be ours.'