bread in the shops.
picket lines.
JUDE WOODWARD reports.
In Birmingham bread workers at ten bakeries are on strike, and at all the plants the strike is nearly 100 per cent solid.
Thirty women rejoined the so from the point of view the Bakers Union the strike is strengthThe problem has largely been with the DOlICe.
One of the worst scenes Violence has been at the West Bromwich bakery in BirmingПаТ.
One bread worker had his nose broken on the picket line week, and -LEE Friday morning 'the police just went berserk, in the words of the branch secretary. This led to another arrest.
ARRESTS In Coventry, the police have played a similar strike-breaking role al sultons bakery. Last Thursday there were arrests police against the pickets.
In one bakery the police were in direct communication with ahead. unions and police support for management on the management through walkie-Bikies In Manchester, Was Tenored Lo police for brandishing a gun at the strikers. The response of the local police was:
He's got a licence for it.
But police violence dividing the strikers. When the bread workers become aware of of the kind of harassment that strengthen the picket lines.
ALCH Hass discuss the strike and a report on- DOlICt Denaviour, regular picket bakery ın Manchester increased in size from 15 to 60.
Bread workers around the country have expressed particular anger with the drivers which have instructed their members to refuse to cross picket lines.
Brother Olgiati, otticer for the Bakers Union in Birmingham, explains: *We are not getting any other unions. We are particularly disgusted TGWU.
Journalists, like the bakers, may soon have to confront police on the picket line again if the strike goes are doing their own jobs". But they're normal jobs. They are bringing in yeast and flour which they don't normally do."
The Bakers organising flying pickets to the maior flour mills up and down their the country to help strengthen Une Suke What does the TUC say? 'We picket the have sent a circular to all the UnIOnS them that the bakers are on okay. strike.
And we have passed on a is not request from Sam Maddox general secretary of the Bakers Union - for the other unions to stop at the picket lines and to it tends to support the strike.
'That's about as much as the TUC can do.? - mecung to PICKETS the Sharrocks The TUC has not helping to organise the flying pickets. It has not threatened the United Road Union with expulsion from the TUC if it continues to ignore HOL one stake.
It has not strongly recomregional mended ASTMS stay out of the bakeries support of ine strike, the TGWU support trom drivers on the right side of the the picket lines.
Bringing forward settlement doing just their Union concerned informing been Transport WOrKCES For told keep MEMBERS of the Bolton Evening cent limit.
demand ¿CrUSS the employers' the national whether mincemeat of the senior wage). they stressed, Whitehall's approval.
SANCTIONS earlier this month dates and striking now against to delea the 5 percent, and organising Other joint actions through local pay organise action committees would aid all those the Government hopes National Union of Journalists at the campaign were sanctions, locked out last Friday in the union's battle against the 5 per cannot Journalists on provincial and disruptive local newspapers are now set undermined for an all-out strike to win their for a f20 increase beard, reports printworker:
The first offer from the association, the Newspaper Society, was only 5 Dinted at a possible improve- But they ment after they had looked at situation' (i.e.
Ford and other
workers were going to make 5 per cent Two weeks ago the NS upped Their orero y per cent a mere £2-3 before tax on the average But even this, depended on sector A national delegate meeting of NUJ chapels (workplace branches) general threw out the offer and voted Employees.
workers should with the bread strikers wherever they through meetings, by 4 to l for the CUrren hard-hitting to be followed if necessary by an all-out strike.
The problem, however, that journalists on their own stop Their action can be and they need non-union the backing of NGA and SOGAT make strike action bite.
the NUJ said: leadership is dragging its feet over strike action. tHey navi failed to set a deadline for the end of sanctions and the start of can't afford a strike because its campaign in Bath HAD THE TUC agreed to the proposals on wages, workers in the public would have been hit particularly hard.
Who says so? Alan Fisher, than secretary of the National Union of Public He argued that the proposed principle of comparing wages in the public sector with those in the private sector would comparison industries 'which have scandalously low rates of pay.
Undoubtedly Alan Fisher made a good point. But what about the battle against low pay by his own members?
A public meeting in Bath on 9 showed possible. ANNE CHESTER TON, a member of Bath Trades Council and a NUPE shop steward, explains A Socialist Challenge sup- for porter from NUPE (ambu lances) put forward the idea of a campaign against low pay at a NUPE meeting, and afterwards it was taken up by the trades A group of activists ther built the meeting using NUPE leaflets and raising the strike in their union branches and -trade flying pickets and those at the bakeries.
But events are overtaking them. On Monday a 200-strong mass meeting in London voted unanimously fight immediate strike action in their chapels. Journalists Hornsey Journal/Camden Journal/Islington Gazette group have already come out.
As North London • branch chairperson Howard Hannah must be out on the picket line in order to get NGA and SOGAT to help us stop our papers. We must strike now, our managements can bring out the profitable pre-Xmas issues." posters, by getting in contact with unions in low pay sectors A lot of personal contact was involved The response was far better expected. hundred and thirty people turned up, which is incredible for Bath.
There was tremendous militancy, and a very strong dissatisfaction with the union leaders was expressed because of the way the previous claims had been handled We hoped . the campaign would argue the case for a E60 minimum wage and a 35-hour week. we wanted to build inter-union solidarity, especially for the coming public sector pay claim.
These were widely supported. The sentiments from the floor were distrust of the union leaders and the need unity to defend living Sears A steering committee was set up, but the campaign is being run by rank-and-file unionists -from many different sectors.
The campaign can be contacted via: Alan Davis, 120 Holcombe Vale, Bathampton, Bath, Avon.
Socialist Challenge 30 November 1978 Page 5
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that their strike is solid. But there is no real shortage of The reason? The absence of support from other