Another blow for Scots workers

Aid pours in for tie unemployed workers in given a cynical boost by the employers this announcement that 1,400 men on Clydeside of a takeover bid.

The shipyard firm Alex- plans for the will MHE strike t Davy United ander Stephen Minthouse has 50,000 workers on the dole, are part of the preparations .. (Sheffield), involving over bought up the Simons-Lobnitz of British capitalism entry into the Common Market. 600 members of the AEU, yard at Renfrew and will promptly close it down. The Tories aim to make railways provide the most efficient ETU and Boilermakers reA statement issued on Monday and cheap service for private industry at the expense of railway mains 100 per cent solid, in by the chairman of the parent workers and to save the drain the Exchequer of money which the face of the attempt made Pickets been on duty have company of Simons-Lobnitz and they intend to employ by local and national leaders stop the attempt by Vaux- latest the chairman of the Minthouse profitably of the AEU to defeat it. hall's management to break their yard made it plain that the run- The strike occurred five-week old strike at the new £30,000,000 car factory at Hooton, down of yard will begin the as economy. The de ›ate on the British weeks ago because the of Merseyside. soon as existing contracts are Transport Commission report sacking of 44 workers, many of The dispute involves 30 pipe- finished. Total close-down which took place in Parliament on them leading shop stewards and fitters, riggers and mates employed expected by mid-summer. The move is clearly designed November 29 showed clearly that militants. by sub-contractors Stewart and Lloyds on construction work. arrest the plumetting profits in the the Labour leaders have quarrel with the aims of the no declared official The strike by th has = ETU now They are fighting • to maintain shipbuilding industry. The Ren- Tories. have 25 members on strike rates of pay established by trade frew yard was badiy equipped by Railway workers from tford the Boilermakers have yet to union agreement in the Merseyside modern standards. " In the world shipbuilding workshops in East London, who from their leaders. area. The strike is receiving official industry, where production listened to bitterly c isappointed the debate, Hall At last week the District a meeting held in the City Secsupport from the PTU and the capacity far exceeds the demand illusioned. retary read out a letter trom the 1 - 14 - 11. HDEU. for new construction, some Executive Council of the AEU form of rationalisation among Stewarts and Lloyds are paying instructing the men to return to on average 1/6 per hour less than the various home yards was desirable, the employers' hours they listened work so that talks could proceed. other contractors doing similar ment said. to a series of insipid speeches by This was angrily rejected by work the site. the six Labour MPs who spoke the strikers who realised that the 44 men will have been put on the Shop steward T. Radcliffe told Undermine The Renfrew yard produced MORE CLOSURES? to a motion accepting the BTC report but expressing concern street by negotiat have been completed. the time me that it was the opinion of mainly specialised craft like the closures.

deliberate attempt to undermine many workers that there was a dredgers. Workers in the industry now fear that 'desirable rationali- claims Not one of of them challenged the the Tories that the ort rates already won in this area. sation' will mean the closure of "losses' of the nationalised rail- Financial support has poured . The so-called 'soft' management many more of the smaller and ways are due to inefficient work- in from far and near. Many local of Vauxhalls have shown on several occasions just how 'soft' specialised yards. There are already some 9,000 shops, over-staffing and under- utilisation of existing lines. particular strike has received militants in the area say that this they are. jobless shipbuilding and marine Not one of them pointed WHILE millions choked last one which they can remember. greater support than any recent First they insisted with main- engineering workers in Scotland; that of the £130 million losses week's smog, workers the tenance men directly employed by on Clydeside alone more than 500 claimed for last year, f113 million plastics section at Projectiles' fac- Workers at John them that they do work blacked welders are unemployed. were interest repayments for tory in South London were win- (Shotton), the giant steel concern, by contract workers. On Monday It will be a bleak winter money loaned at extortionate ning a battle with their bosses have agreed to a 5/- levy per head they gave strike-bound work to hundreds of thousands of jobless interest rates to buy the dilapi- against air-poliution of a different until the strike is successful, other contractors, but men on the workers. dated railways from the ex- kind. whether the AEU declare site have seen through this mano- The new see the shareholders in 1947. Two polishers were working official or not. euvre and rejected the work. intensification of campaign under extremely dirty and un- This guarantees the strike Once again it is clear that the amongst the rank and file of the healthy conditions. Dust extractors enormous show of class solidarity. mittee £500 per week and is an employers' tactics of sub-dividing Scottish unions to win support for in use proved completely inade- Many firms in Sheffield have contracts (at Fords there are over concrete industrial and political quate. Shop stewards on behalf held collections and levies of 3/100 sub-contractors) can only be action a gainst the Tories in place of the men complained to the defeated by united action and of the disastrous policies being management, demanding 'dirty per head have been agreed to. organisation at site level. by the STUC. money' pending the installa tion of In addition money has come in effective dust extractors. from the Paint, Trim and Assembly shop at Dagenham, from Mr. Ray Gunter, NEC member the Port of London Authority and of the Labour Party, who started from George Manns (Leeds) and 'a little dazed by the kindly things management refusec many other firms outside Shefaffiliated trade unions ployers and their government. said by Tory MPs about the concede the men's demands field.

number of unemployed supply information of employed and the unemployed was If unity in action between railways, , expressed himself being more 'hopeful about as in No. 31 shop, where on Thursday mid-day all 40 Bill Walker Donations should AEU be sent to Mr. Club, Stanley the vacant register. achieved then the next stage would future'. polishers worked, downed tools. Street, Sheffi ild, 1.

Steps should then be to fight for the nationalization His only the report criticism of The stewards then informed the to see to it that no of the basic industries and the was that 'the commission is des- management that if their demands tries where there was worked in tho introduction of a system of workers' control. perately in need of one or two men who have a deep and kindly were not met by 3 the men would walk out. COVENTRY UNEMPLOYemployed. If capitalism could not give knowledge of what is involved' At 2.30 the 25 another The unions must decent standard of living to those and the government is 'driving plastics shop stopped work in the employment of who worked in its industries, then decent, reasonable, intelligent support and at 3 o'clock the men The annual meeting employed members. the industries concerned should trade union leaders to the wall'. in both shops, all AEU members, Coventry District AEU shop unionists who are should, he stressed, energetically. The problem of Whilst it was constitutionally unemployed be tackled non-trade closure in 1963. said, of the nationalised workshops which were be taken over at once. This was particularly true, he due for railway intend to ruthless their railway workers It now be the Tories clearer to through that if no agreement was reached fitting section had met and decided by Friday morning they, walked out. In the meantime the men in the too, the unemployment and short-time stewards on December 5 discussed working position and noted that 2,500 were out of work in the area, with 11,000 on short-time, not possible to enrol them directly These should be placed under would strike in sympathy. unemployed their trades and they should be into the unions, steps should be taken to compile a register of workers' control of producing ba sumer goods. diy needed con- for the purpose neither railway union chiefs like It also be quite clear that The men's militant soon Results upon A resolution was carried calling the district committee to asked to give undertakings that immediately they found work they would join a trade union. Socialist Labour League was only organisation in the labour Gerry Healy said that the the leaders of the Labour Party have Sidney Greene nor the present any intention of opposing these 31 and 32 shops were told by the on Friday morning the men in produced results. At a meeting press tion waging a campaign on meeting stewards of Confedera- to discuss unemployThey should then receive the movement with a programme plans and forcing their with- works' convenor that the manage- ment. same preference as those who which offered an alternative to drawal. ment had agreed to meet the This campaign should be based in unions when it came to the scourge of unemployment. Yet railwaymen have already stewards and it was decided to on the fight for the 40-hour week, work or full maintenance at union question of filling vacant All those who talked about shown the way to defeat the return to work pending a success- rates for those unemployed, a ban posts. lobbying Parliament were simplý Beeching plan. ful settlement.

It was wrong to create the diverting the struggle from the Given the full support the At 9.30 men's negotiating on overtime and the removal of impression that the employers real enemy. TUC and the whole labour move- committee the management the Tory government and its replacement by a Labour could solv : the p roblem since it ment, a national railway strike who agreed to meet their demands sponsible was their system for it, which was re- Gerry Healy upon Clyde to could force the downfall of the Tory government in full. The 3d. an hour polishers are to get dirty money until ment committed to policies. went on. to fore suitable dust extractors are in- Rogistered at the G.P.O. as a newspapor The threat of unemployment Council stalled. Published by The Newsletter, would only be defi eated by uniting against By Friday evening installation 1864 Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4 working cl against the em- work had alre Idy been started. Printed by Plough Press Lid. (TU), r.o. 180 Clapham High Street. London, S.W.4