Said of weekly paper THERE has been an immediate response to our emergency appeal last week to defend the weekly Socialist Action. Because our financial position dictated missing some issues of the paper, it was announced last week that we would not be publishing the issue on 30 May. This was the week of the National Communications Union national conference in the first week of June. Socialist Action readers plan to be very active there, So they have decided to raise a fund to ensure publication that week.
Their aim is to raise a minimum of £400 by a series of measures:
London readers contributing the major of their London weighting award due for payment this month By readers wille dIC delegates to the NCU conference or to the Labour forgoing ment and donating their expenses • By all Socialist Action supporters who work for British Telecoms to be asked to make a £5 or £10 the sort of response we hoped would be forthcoming. This is the way to the other threatened issues. If this response is kept up need not miss single issue.
In addition, readers in North London have sent in £200 and those in North £30. another £60 has been Individual contributions Contributions from areas Supporters in the NUR, AUEW,NCU Public meeting Total SUBSCRIBE received various other donations.
This brings the current total to £13,062 counting towards our £15,000 target Whit. We also readers Southall organised a very successful jumble sale. More about this next week. What are you doing?
Here is the area by area breakdown:
A bereceu £50 Birmingham £100 Bristol £10 Cardiff/Cynon £275 noventy covenly £40 Glasgow £125 Huddersfield £70 • Leeds LCCUS £91 Leicester Liverpool £333 Newport £176 £205 S Yorks £683 Swindon Swansea E London £1808 Nlondon NW London £539 SE London £325 SW London £149 OW London £191 £6126 £6134 £527 £75 £13,062 Free Book Offer!
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On Afto American History b falcolm )
OR The Struggle is on Mandela Nelson Man the print union SOGAT which has relied exclusively on a consumer boycott of the News International titles, have clearly failed. reorienting their tactics for a real fight, the leadership is preparing to sell out. now to meet Rupert Murdoch to agree some facerecognition.
But the striking printers moves lying down.
COGAT's London district council registered its 'disgust and contemp?' at the purging of the unions contempt of court.
The London clerical tion of no confidence in Matonal And, best news of all, there is to be a mass meeting ot Central Hall, Westminster, to boost the Wapping picket and the involvement of the ranks in to extend Unfortunately instead of The purging of the unions contempt of court is the first step. They are their picketing to •the wholesalers depots.
The main effect of the purging of the contempt is to lift the boycott of News International titles by wholesalers which had been particularly effective in London. However, the central London branch which covers SOGAT's members London Wholesalers. pledged that it will continue the boycott action in detiance of the court the leacersnp.
Meanwhile. moves are underfoot to end • mass .of the plant. This remarkable acmobilised ton ha! several thousands for •alllud weeks. Whilst it has so far stop transport union-staffed TNT lorries from convoving the papers out of the plant, it continues to offer a pontica focus for mass protest.
weeks, the picketing has been taken over by the rank and file leadership and is becomeffective. 1112 now a real question that Murdoch's lorries could be stopped:
This is why the police rioted on 3 May. The aim was to intimidate the thousands of Sup DUlCIS that had been mobilised that day and to lay the basis for court action to limit the size of the Hishincour Already, High Judge in releasing SOGAT's fund after the purge of contempt suggested that timidation the outsiuc want a real union to inplant represent a breach of the court order.
In the miners' instructed the the courts South Wales area to limit its pickets of the pits to six on the grounds 'that a dai ly congregation of 50 to 70 hurling abuse unreasonable harassment of working miners The SOGAT leader ship's reaction has been to Move lu colaboralt Will the police in controlling the picket. Despite this, the police yet another vicious and unprovoked attack on demonstrators last Saturday.
Now is not the time to retreal. now is ine hme lo take the gloves off and end ine pnonty wal first step in this is the planned mass meeting which can bring the striking printers more fully into the dispute as we saw in the This is the best way reach oul lo other members of the especially in Lon don. bran ches are the backbone of Then, the membership needs to be organised fan out into the rest of the movement trans forming the paper support that exists into action. renewed appeal needs to go lo the miners and women against pit closures.
• Tahure or tne Ha tional leadership to make any appeai liccu. to be remedied by the Londistric contintice Other key allies, especially the as vet unapproacnec black community needs to be mobilised.
Finally, the London leadership would go a long way stymie Brenda Dean's sell-out plans if it made clear that it would the dispute Contauc through its own resources even if the national union tried to throw in the towel But this means turning to the ranks.
• Eyewitness report Tony Benn, pll.
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saving formula which capitulates on reinstatement of the sacked printers and forgoes direct union