Fire Brigades Union's West Midlands region. PETE of the FBO. Just interviewed for Socialist Challenge by Bruce Young.
"This isn't a strike in the normal sense, argued Geoff Poxon, 'where an employer bas Timited resources, If you take on got limited resources.
"They call in the army, they call the police force, they call in the media. They call in the whole damn structure of the State. And they're mobslising against as very, very effectively; to crush a group of workers"
Geoff Poxon and Pete Bilson areleading members of the FBU in Wolverhampton. They were militants before the strike began, and they are militants now. But as Geoff Pozon said: The greatest political lesson of anybody's life is a strike, and both men have learned a lot from the first strike in the history ofthe FBU.
Reviewing the progress of the strike, Pete made the point that the Government has operated a two phase strategy. 'The first one was a shame campaign and the second was a starvation campaign". But for Bilson, the GEOFF POXON is secretary of the 'E' division of the governent?
BILSON is chairperson of the Wolverbampton branch before Christmas they were biggest stab in the back came in General Purposes Committee General Purposes Committee of the TUC and its asGrunwick, we support you -*No, for the sake of the CBI, the Tories and the Lib-Lab is essential. We have used our pact Geotf said he was not politically naive', but even then the once we've used that ultimate decision of the Finance and the form of the Finance and surprised him: We expected this Sub- them to come out and say, same immedinte claim, but for all Basnett (GNIWL), Bottini MacDrain Maddox (Bakers), Lloyd (UC Smith (UCA. Christopher (Inland Revenue).
Harry Unwin (TGWU) ab and then forget it. never Geoff Poxen detailed the expected fed val support, rat whose support. But tbey even turned were reports of many members The failure of the TUC 10 And they go organising the strike and the supportit attracted fell on other So how could the Tasks RICH PALSER It was just six months ago that the miners' national conference decided to reject productivity dealing, and instead submit a claim for E135 a week. Since then the right wing on the NUM executive, led by Gormley and Daly, have tried manoeuvre after manoeuvre to reverse or over-ride that decision.
They began by continuing to productivity deal. A national was then held, wittich again reGive scheme. So the erocutive came up with a loophole. They sanctioned the negotiation of incentive schemes at local leve which — by creating differen wowe races in caco arca and splitting support for the LI35 have precisely the same effect as a national prodactivity deal.
But weakening the lighting unity of the union is exactly what Daly and Cormies are strike bewon!
For Pete Bilson: *Solidarity ultimate weapon — by striking - and we have to win, because weapon, there is nothing else we can use. We bave to maintain claims that nught occur within - the fireservice in the future"
For Poxon, the key to money: "If we don't get the finances in we'Illese eventually. So it's all to do with how to organise collections, contribuleft and the trade unions that counts, -Ithink this strike shows that the left is disorganised. rallied tremendously, and the public have, around the banner of the fireman's strike, but it's When the strike hegan, there sympathy for the strike. The experience in Wolverhampton suggests differently. Geoff thought that 'iniLially they were aLlin favour, but now, let us be after, and now they hope that the more local deals that are concluded in easily-worked pits and areas, the less support there will be for a fight for the nat ional claim.
This was recognised by the left wing on the union execurive, based on Scodland, Kent, Yorkshire and the South Wales arcas. But lefts Like Mick McGahey of the ved to pledge themselves to increased nroductivity.And
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happened to the miners' pay claim?
still disorganised. POLICE SYMPATHY