BELVEDERE: SELL-OUT AFTER 14 WEEKS

UNION officials have capitulated to the employers at the Belvedere construction site. They have agreed to the victimization of leading militants after a lock-out which lasted fourteen weeks. The firms and the unions have agreed that 116 of the 240 men involved in the mass sackings of October 17 will be taken back on the basis of length of service.

Excluded from the first list are twelve workers from Brown’s, most of them stewards and militants, and four from Sir William Arrol’s—the shop steward, the deputy steward, a former steward and the chairman of ENGINEERS FIGHT SACKINGS BY STAYING the site committee. AWAY ONE DAY A FORTNIGHT The agreement is valid until May 26, when the firms will be free to employ whoever they like, regardless of the list.

WORKERS’ resistance to sackings in Manchester enginThe steelworkers who were employed by Arrol’s overeering factories is growing. In two well known factories whelmingly rejected this agreement and were threatened the workers are opposing sackings and imposing short with expulsion from the union if they dared to picket the time against the employers’ wishes.

site on January 26.

The workers have now decided to accept the agreement At Ferguson Pailin Ltd the management declared eight under protest, but they intend to keep their liaison committee fitters redundant and rejected the shop stewards’ demand for intact so as to carry on the fight for the reinstatement of all spreading the work by reducing hours. ‘ sacked workers. But 140 production fitters, at a mass meeting, decided to defy the management and to impose reduced hours on their WORKERS WUST LEARN. THE LESSONS OF own initiative by refusing to report for work one day cach fortnight.

THESE TWO SELL-OUTS On Monday, January 12, not a single production fitter reBy Brian Behan ported for work. The workers intend to repeat their action on Most of the Belvedere men I have spoken to are Monday, January 26. The first notices expire on the following convinced that they have been sold out by the officials Friday.

Ferguson Pailin is part of the giant Associated Electrical of their union, the Constructional Engineering Union.

Industries Ltd, which employs 100,000 workers.

Many of them are bewildered. They cannot understand In an attempt to blunt opposition to sackings the AEI why it was necessary to reach such an agreement with the group recently introduced a scheme based on one week’s extra firm when they themselves were showing no sign of weakening, notice for every two years of service. The scheme was reand were quite prepared to remain out until the employer Ejected by the shop stewards at Ferguson Pailin. was broken.

The redundancy at Ferguson Pailin is the first case in the The employer was in serious difficulties, with a site that AEI combine since then. A meeting of shop stewards from had been held up for fourteen weeks, and with pressure on all AEI factories in Britain is being convened soon in London him from the Central Electricity Authority for work to be to consider a policy on redundancy. resumed, At a nearby factory, Laurence Scott Electro-Motors Ltd, Victory was snatched from the hands of the workers.

the 500-odd workers have taken a similar decision to impose The men are also complaining that the union is quite preshort time in response to the employers’ intention of sacking pared to arrive at settlements with the employer, but has fifty workers. not participated in the initiation or maintenance of the disThese workers are loyally carrying out the policy adopted pute.

by the Manchester district committee of the Confederation When the men were sacked it was the site liaison comof Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, which was endorsed hy mass meetings in many factories last November. * FOR MASS ACTION AGAINST SACKINGS Liverpool Readers: Stork Hotel, Queen Square, Sunday, February 1 at 7 p.m.

Hear HARRY CONSTABLE, PETER FRYER and GERRY HEALY Wigan Readers: The Baths Lounge, Millgate Menday, February 2, at 7.30 p.m. oa A Pr) ——— “Hear, GERRY HEALY — ——Chairman, JACK SMITH (member of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives)

. nn sneer Se ——— a cE Ee a em ee Rr

W HY has the British Communist Party failed to which it is the carrier of the new, socialist society, no Marxist would disagree. If anything, apart from the fact that many workers would just not know what he is talking about, he errs in making it sound more romantic