Carialietl bUMIJI Plessey workers firm against

Scan page 16

Organıser

FTER a few gestures of fiance, the British Rail pard last week accepted * McCarthy report-and so haceded defeat to ASLEF. The train drivers will get ing them to vacate the Bathgate factory which they have been occupying to save jobs.

Management took the step last week of applying to the Court of Session to instruct the workers to explain their action.

The explanation is simple: they cannot abandon their fight for jobs.

The 142 workers involved in the hearing are well aware of the likely outcome, but afterwards the whole workforce will hold a mass meeting to decide the next steps. • I spoke to George Wilson, shop stewards' convenor at the plant. "Supportive action by other workers has been promised. Financial support from the other Plessey plants is already coming through, and the Plessey combine committee, which met on Saturday 20th, discussed what other support could be given.

"The combine is weak -it has not before been faced with such a crisis - but the stewards attending will be well aware that it. is not simply a dispute confined to Bathgate, but relates to the future of Plessey Capacitors entire workforce"

The strike committee has discussed the blacking of Plessey products, and knows that this will be essential if they are to seriously hit their bosses. Many of Plesseys products are exported, and cooperation from dockers would go a long way to escalating the effects.

Informal approaches have already been made, and formal approaches will be made to the TGWU.

Many of the women I spoke to were angry at the BL decision to return to work. They know that management at BL has the workers on the run, and they don't expect the factory will last much longer. This only strengthens their resolve to protect their own jobs.

Messages/money: Mary Murphy, 30 Main St, Fauldhouse, West Lothian.

DAVE MILLIKEN