Fresh arrests on Scotts picket

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SOCIALIST Organiser fights to act as a real SOCIALIST Organiser fights to act as a real MORE than 30 police stormed the Laurence Scott picket line while non-union maintenance and removal men from a local Manchester security company climbed into the back of the factory to prepare finished goods for removal.

Police arrested four Scotts workers including works convenor Dennis Barry, and the works committee chairman, Peter Rowan.

Charged with obstruction they will appear in court on May 10.

Dennis Barry commented What's another arrest? We shall have to take this in our stride as we have taken so many other things.' "Throughout this dispute there has been the closest cooperation between the employer and the police."

Pete Rowan felt The whole thing was pre-planned. First the scabs approached us. When they turned back a few police came so and then a whole bus bad. When we refused to le *them in we were arrested obstruction. What price e right to picket?"

The arrests were followed by a mass picket last Friday, supported by local trade unionists at which the Scotts workers congratulated the Leyland Vehicle workers in joining the struggle against redundancy.

Crush

This dispute is now entering its tenth month. The stubborn endurance of the workforce has put to shame the bleating of the bureaucracy that there is no will to fight on the shop floor.

These same bureaucrats are, of course, not prepared to stand aside and let the workers fight the Tories.

They are determined to actively crush any struggles that break out and dismantle union democracy in process.

In the last few weeks, Alex Ferry, General Secretay of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions, has written to the National Union of Mineworkers Executive asking them to cut off all support coming from the mines. and requesting "if you could use your good offices to inform your members to cease blacking work from the factories of Mining Supplies Ltd"

Violation

John Boyd has written to AUEW Manchester North District Secretary Dougie Daniels, stating "You, as a full time official, under the control of the Executive Council, are hereby instructed that you must not send out any further correspondence on the Laurence Scott Electromotors Company Limited dispute. As far as our union is concerned the dispute is completely terminated and you must not in any way continue to be involved in any residual activities without prior approval of the EC.

"Additionally you, the District Committee and the shop stewards must discontinue any involvement or support of the picketing of Mining Supplies, Doncaster.

"We trust that you appreciate the seriousness • and importance of this instruction which must be obeyed."

In violation of the AUEW rule book and National Committee decision, Boyd is attempting to strangle this dispute in order to protect the employers.

The defeat of this witchhunt is in the interests of all AUEW members and indeed of all trade unionists. The influence strong right-wing controlled unions can wield in today's multi-union disputes is immense. Leyland Vehicle workers for example must learn, from the LSE workers what they can expect from the AUEW leadership.

Meanwhile, the odds against the LSE strikers are immense. They can only win now with the help of other workers along the following lines:

*A drive for support in the Manchester and Yorkshire labour movement to reinstate a mass picket at Doncaster.

On December 7, despite the inadequacies . of the picketing, the Confed stated "we have now reached a very serious situation where continued picketing and blacking of work is seriously jeopardising the jobs of our members, employed in the company's other tactories, Mining Supplies Ltd."

Power

*A determined attempt by NUM militants to ger Arthur Scargill and Jack Taylor to fight for blacking in the mines of all LSE products.

The argument is often used that the left must prevaricate to get power. Let us now see that power used in the interests of those who are fighting the Tories in the way Arthur and Jack wanted the miners to do.

*A final effort in the AUEW to get the 10% of branches required by Rule 14 to get a ballot for reelection of the Executive Council.

If all the branches which have sent messages of support to Scotts workers were to pass resolutions along these lines, this could be achieved.

Scotts workers are still full of fight. In the last few weeks they have visited over 150 factories. We must not let them down. THE SIT-IN at the Lovable Bra factory (Cumbernauld) near Glasgow), begun by the predominantly female workforce four weeks ago, continues.

Last Friday (29 January) shop stewards from the factory flew to London to meet the firm's receivers (since October the factory has been in the hands of the receivers) and Richard Corbett, representative of the consortium interested in taking over the factory. But nothing positive emerged from the talks.

Reductions

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