WHEN PRINT workers struck last Friday they did so because iney were in a battle to the death for their own jobs and those of every other print worker up and down the country. If Murdoch gets his way, literally tens of thousands of jobs will be lost.
He has already tried to sack the 5500-odd workers on his own four titles, The Times, Sunday Times, News of the World, and the Sun, who are now La lavourable climate created by Murdoch's hard-line over Wapping, in the last week alone: United Newspapers, the new owners of ine Express group, nas announced plans for major cuts in its 6000-strong workforce; the Telegraph group has announced its intention to begin talks on reducing its London production staff by halti and the financial limes about to make public its proposals for moving to a new plant on the outskirts of London, with new staffing levels and a commensurate number of redundancies as a result.
Unlikely When the Murdoch presses rolled at Wapping last weekend it was a red rag to the bulls of the press corporations -and every single print worker knows it. That NGA members recently voted by huge majorities to take action, and why there is an anticipated 3:l for dustrial action among members.
Murdoch's plans aren't about trimming the fat from a corpulent print industry, they aren't about the prospect of well-paid Fleet Street having their earnings cut - but they are about the comolete restructuring of the whole print industry, and about leading theon-management relations in this union-management relations country, leaving other workers' jobs equally vulnerable.
It is for those reasons that Murdoch's print workers have no option but all-out strike. And for the same reasons that the rest of the trade union move ment must offer their wholehearted backing. That means:
• mass picketting — which to be effective would have to be on a scale that dwarfs Warrington and Orgreave;
complete boycott of distribution for Murdoch's scab papers, propriate industrial solidarity action by other workers; • in short, the sort of mass industrial solidarity action by every major trade union in this country that will make Hule SOGAT inAUEW workers union laws unworkable.
Such solidarity of course won't come automatically. for, and hard. The decision by the NGA and SOGAT, who are calling on all trade unionists not to cross dicker dues. conies lale alu so far is much too little to stop News Inwith apternational in its tracks. More of a lead is needed.
Afready Murdoch has proved he can print an adequate quantity of all four newspapers at his Wapping plant, and distribute them throughout most of the It will have to be fought supported by the lUc Wapping and elsewhere.
All along the road, pease him and delay his scheme.
strategy.
himself (with the minate them.
tional's country. The print unions with the full collaboration of the TUC, must fight for the total solidarity that's needed from the labour movement - starting Refusal with stepping up their own action al print leaders have conceded more and more ground to Murdoch in an attempt to apThe events of the last week have conclusive- agreement ly proved the abject inadequacy of such VIuTCOCI himselt CON mented last weekend: 'So long as Brentain in
the future. What that will amount to is more than just pulling the teeth of a few powerful print unions.
of the reprinted on these pages graphically shows.
Murdoch Murdoch offer which have Socialist Action 31 January 1986 An article in last Saturday's Financial Times speaks worlds of the events the present print 'Mr Murdoch has won so far, it