DEFEND PRINT UNIONS | Socialist Action 1983

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'WE EITHER fight now or not at all.' That was the truth which SOGAT, told print workers at Rupert Murdoch's News International on Monday.

new £100 million Wapping plant. Murdoch himself flew into London last week to personally supervise the fight.

carried out an open provocation last Sunday when they unilaterally announced in the Sunday Times that pages of the paper's colour supplement would printed the Wapping plant this week.

was December that International the first time publicly admitted what SOGAT NGA had known all time - that the plant was to be used to try to smash union organisation on Murdoch's Fleet Street papers, The Sun, the Times, and Sunday Times.

Until then Murdoch had claimed that Wapping was simply to be used to print his proposed new London evening paper The Post.

Now that its positions are out in the open Murdoch's company is revealing its plans for the most brutal possible attack the print unions. Asked on Monday's World at radio news over wieller was seeking contentall with the print unions, the companies director Bruce Matthews Send general secretary The Murdoch management is now openly putdeclared: 'If we are forced into it then. yes, that what it will be.

Elaborate preparations have been made by News International for the fight. The factory protected by barbed wire guards. Electricians short term have been operate the presses.

Uccl seeking to sign legally union deal with the EETin clear violation of TUC policy. The EETPU executive was still meeting to take a minal accision on this as we go to press.

News International has also been scullig alternative distribution network for the plant. was reported at the end of becember that the TNT distribution company had purchased a fleet of extra lorries for paper distribuSÓGAT also LUlL reported that the company was taking on extra staff for handling newspapers.

TNT shares with News the ownership of Australian Ansett commissioned by News International last summer to SUBSCRIBE ternational last summer to undertake feasibility

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ting into operation its long publicised plan for the biggest attack on the print unions since World War II — a fight organised around News International's