Rulecan fight rattles Standing firm against

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TebbIt TacTICS by Press boss union solicitor believe the and one th Why have Wandsworth Council workers been taking industrial action for . 2 weeks?

The reason is that the Council have produced, and begun to implement major plans for the privatisation of a number of services refuse collection, parks and cemetries, and mechanical workshops.

So advanced were these projects that they would have been very difficult to stop, for a new administration elected on May 6 - so we took action now.

What action has been taken so far?

All the action has been joint action, organised by a Joint Action Committee consisting of NALGO, and officers and manual workers from GMWU, NUPE, and UCATT.

The first action, on April 19, was a one-day strike of all Wandsworth Council workers, followed by a oneweek strike of ail the manual workers.

These actions were most successful and were followed up by all-out strike of refuse collection staff (officers and manual workers).

Selective support action has been taken by telephonists, creditors (the staff who pay the council's bills), rates staff, Valuer's admin, part of Planning admin (with the effect of stopping property searches - so that now there can effectively be no buying or selling of property by the Borough), and very importantly, two groups who work on the Borough's computer.

One reaction from the Council was to bring in agency telephonists, and we countered this by instructing our members not to use the phone. They threatened to suspend anyone not working THE TWO-month struggle by NUJ members still under way at the South London Guardian carries grim warnings for trade unionists In the print industry.

Management approached the NUJ chapel a year ago and again in January; demanding the introduction of new technology. This was then coupled with the threat that if the chapel refused, printing would be transferred to a subsidiary of the notorious anti-union firm T.Bailey Forman in Nottingham.

The chapel held out for proper recognition and a negotiated house agreement, and Guardian proprietor Paul Morgan transferred printing to Nottingham on March 5.

On March 8, NUJ normally, but we took this head on, and the Council were forced to back off.

Now they've sent out letters saying that people refusing to answer the phone won't be paid - but they can still continue to turn up for work if they want to! So we're 'working in', in a sense - but there's no way they can not pay us, especially as this action is holding solid. Have the manual, craft, and white collar unions been united in the action?

Absolutely. The action began with a joint rally, and since then the Joint Action Committee has worked extremely well in coordinating events.

We will negotiate the end of the dispute together - no group will settle separately, without the support of the other sections.

What has been the Council's response to the action? The Council tried to be very heavy-handed - but this has backfired on them.

Clearly senior management are very embarrassed about the situation and are trying to keep out of it. Only about 500 workers have had these letters so far. How effective has the action been?

It has been absolutely effective. The Council has ground to a halt, its cashflow has been stopped, the rate demands have not gone out - and if the rate demands don't go out by mid-May, and there's every chance that they won't -they will have serious legal problems recovering the money.

What are the future objectives of the campaign?

Our objective remains what it always was - there shall be no further privatis-acri bers. were instructed to black copy to this union-busting firm: two hours later all 11 who complied with this instruction were sacked.

The struggle amounts to a copy-book exercise in the application of Tebbit tactics by management. His new anti-union bill specifically encourages employers to pick off and sack union members who take industrial action; makes unlawful solidarity action such as the NUJ blacking copy to non-union printers; and would make the NUJ liable to claims for damages arising from its action.

Support of any kind is welcomed. Contact the Strike Committee, 162 London Rd, Kingston, Surrey (01 546 6002). ation in Wandsworth.

They succeeded in privatising street cleaning, but now it appears that those pirates who took over are going to be faced with so many penalties because of the way they've done the job, that a Labour council would be able to remunicipalise the THE strike at corn, is now week.

70 women workers came Colin Moort NALGO, sp service.

Are there you'd like clusion?

Yes. The National Executive of NALGO should give us its full support. The action is official - and some strikers are getting strike pay of £20 Rulecan, Run-in its eleventh , chail persor ›ke to Bob S any other points to make in conout on strike against poverty wages and to defend trade union rights.

When the factory was indsworth from Soci a week - and we had jump through hoops to that!

NALGO should pay ! 55% of gross earnings as st rike pay - the amount that l Ised to be paid before it was changed in 1979.

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taken over by a Mr Rattles the workers were given six weeks to adjust to the new work and an assurance that their right to remain in the union and be represented by the NUTGW would continue.

After only four weeks the truth was becoming apparent. The employer brought in time and study men and made prices so tight that wages above £30 would be unattainable. When the machinists called in the full time official, the management refused to discuss the ratings and escorted him from the premises, telling the workers that the union was no longer recognised.

This happened on a Friday afternoon. On the Monday morning none of the members clocked in and they said they would strike for union rights.

The management responded with a threat to sack anyone who didn't clock in by Wednesday. 90% agreed to stay out and only five or six went back to work.

Pickets were set up and appeals sent to the local factories. The General Secretary made the strike official immediately (he could do little else after being condemned for making the Lee Jeans workers wait six weeks).

the following weeks support came from Widnes and Runcorn Trades Council, Liverpool Trades Council, Mid-Cheshire Trades Council, Vale Royal Constituency Labour Party, the Women's Fightback trade union conference, ICI, Fords and Bass Charrington.

But what really hit the company, who were by this time recruiting scab labour, was the blacking of the goods sent to Gratton and Kays Warehouses.

Refused

USDAW and TGWU members refused to handle the garmets despatched from Rattles' non-union factory, Kingland Models, Kidgrove.

It was as a result of this action that Rattles agreed to talk to the area official (he still refused to meet the local official).

The talks resulted in Rattles saying he would not sack any of the scab workers but he would take back half the strikers. As there were 25 scab workers in the factory at this time, the trade union solicitor believe the motion to be out of order -because outside the aims and objectives of the union - and the conference cannot break the rules of the union.

The fact that his ruling on the disarmament motion was overturned by conference; the fact that the motion passed through four separate card votes before it was finally adopted -all this is irrelevant, says Budd, the new benevolent despot of Hamilton House.

Even the union executive has not had the chance to discuss the issue. NUT rules state quite clearly that interpretation of the rules is a matter for the executive. There is no mention of superior powers for the president.

NUT members who wish see a democratic union, union members would have been outnumbered when they returned.

This was turned down by the strikers and the dispute continued.

Rattles then informed the local official and the USDAW shop steward that a court injunction would be served on them for secondary blacking which is contrary to the Prior Bill of 1980. He said work being blacked was not Rulecan's but from Kingsland Models.

As Kingsland Models is owned by the same firm, and all Rulecan work is cut out there before being sent to Runcorn to be made up, then returned to Kidgrove for packing and dispatching, to say it's not the same work is ridiculous.

The local official was willing to fight the court injunction and take the case to the TUC Conference on April 5 as an example of the attacks being made on the trade unions, but unfortunately the General Secretary was not so eager to fight for his members' rights.

He immediately called the Rulecan employer and assured him the blacking would be lifted.

The Executive Board, who are lay members of the union, unanimously endorsed the General Secretary's decision - though the EB includes four Communist Party members, the same group who came under so much criticism for their role in the Lee Jeans dispute.

The action of these people is a gross betrayal of the working class.

The strikers have reacted very strongly and called for a full meeting of the Liverpool factory stewards and all the strikers with the two North West members of the EB to make them account for their actions and to overturn the decision to lift the blacking.

It is very important that NUTGW members realise what a blow this is to their union rights. If these women are to win, all the groups who have given verbal .and financial support as well as some support on the picket line must redouble their efforts and make the picket line into a mass picket every day. The blacking must be supported by all the unions involved in the handling of any goods, whether Rulecan or Kingsland Models.

Support the picket line at 7 am every day, Pilcow Farm Lane. and one that has a conference that can adopt policies on all the real political issues facing teachers, should begin now to campaign through their local associations to break the president's ruling, through a fight to get support for the anti-Reagan demonstrations on June 6 and 7.

They should also argue for a clear commitment to support for other disarmament activities in their areas, and in particular to set up disarmament groups in schools.

The fight for democracy in the NUT is clearly just beginning. We must fight between now and next year's conference to create the conditions to challenge the president's bureaucratic ruling - and to change the union rules to delete the 'non-political clause.