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Workers at Carousel ice-cream wafer factory have been on strike for union recognition since late July. They are now in the ninth week of their strike. They were sacked in early August. Stan Crooke spoke to some of them about the dispute.

What is your strategy for winning this dispute?

We need to get more people down here on the mass pickets. We had quite a lot down last Tuesday, but not enough. The mass pickets are just one day a week.' "Even if they were 100% effective, that would still leave the problem of supplie and scabs going in all the other days of the week.

As far as stopping supplies is concerned, it's all right, provided that the firms are unionised. The problem - is stopping the scabs. When the mass pickets are on, they come in the back way. But if we had enough people we could picket that as well.

But there have been . deliveries being made even by firms that are unionised, such as the flour delivery a fortnight ago.

That was brought in at six in the morning when no-one was here. It was one of Sandro's (the factory owner) dirty tricks. We need to get on to the suppliers and tell them that the dispute is still on.

Letters have been sent out by the union to appeal for blacking. But maybe the letters have just been read and ignored, so we need to go round the factories making the supplies ourselves.

Laird's has already blacked supplies of cardboard boxes. And the union members there put us in contact with other factories he gets supplies of boxes from.

How do you think the mass picketing can be made more effective?

Tell more people how important it is to get down here. At first we were going to hold the mass pickets on a different day each week, to keep the police and Sandro guessing, but we couldn't get the word round quick enough. So now the mass pickets are on the same day each week.

What support have you had from the Glasgow District Committee of the TGWU?

They have notified all branches and sent delegates down to the pickets. All TGWU District Committee Secretaries have been informed, and it's coming up at the Regional Committee next week. The dispute has also been raised at the TGWU Women's Advisory Committee and the Youth Committee.

But what has it actually done to build for the mass pickets?

Members of it are going round the factories before the weekend to get a turnout for the next mass picket, and other large factories around Glasgow are also being contacted about it to get more support.

Has support from Party been just at the level of donations or have Party members been turning up for the picketing?

There' s been quite a few people down from Labour Party branches, particularly the local ones, Easterhouse and Shettleston.

How support ployed groups, like Unemployed Workers Centres and Claimants They've been down as well, from Whitevale, the local centre, and also: from Castlemilk and the Maryhill Claimants What impact have you had so far on production in the factory?

Sandro certainly isn't getting as much done as he used to. The wafer machine used to operate from half eight to four. Now if just runs from ten to half twelve.

We also went down to Booker Cash and Carry, to try to get him to black Sandro's stuff. But he said he hadn't received any supplies from him for three weeks anyway.

In winter the main work is a bulk order from Saudi Arabia. But we're going to see the dockers to get it blacked, when we find out which docks it goes through. .. How long do you think the dispute will carry on for?

We're prepared to carry it on as long as it takes to win.

*Send donations and write for speakers to: TGWU, 216 West Regent St., Glasgow. INYTTED SI KERS AI RALLY INCLUDE "END OILERS BRIGHTON OND FR BRICHTONGMTI