TELEPNONES!
ment. This seems likely to coincide with the first reading of the Bill.
In the meantime the - fight against Mercury will set the battle lines for the fight against the Tories. AN IMPORTANT viefor union rights was won at the Manchester firm of Barber and Colman this week. On Monday the 100-strong Trafford Park work force voted to return to work after six days of strike action.
The company had conceded to their demands for union recognition and for the reinstatement of four of their colleagues who had COCCl made pulsorily redundant.
Two of the four including Jon Silberman, who had been one of the prime movers behind the unionisation drive, had been given a matter of minutes to pack up and leave the premises Now there will be a period of six weeks during which there will be negotiations to find alternatives compulsory redundancies Throughout the negotiations spanning the whole strike the manageSlicl SU DDO refused to accept reinstateCM COOKSON Lical They know only too well strong organisation will lead to drastic changes in the Victorian working conditions and ultimately the wage rates • oT Tne workforce. They had proposed number of different formulas which recognised the union, but which kept Jon and the others outside the gates.
What changed their was the escalation of the dispute to the other Barber and Coman fac tories in nearby Sale. The strike committee leafletted the Sale factory the fourth morning of the SENIKe arranged some of the Sale workers. ISO L CHC li the pub at dinner-time to •usCIss Wial woo CoulE OL In all nearly seven!! lucica uo, baonie overla beer garden. They then ar ralecd for SCCond meeting the following day at which about a hundred turned up and after a full discussion voted unanimously to suppor! the Trafford Park workforce respec Lel acker The developments Sale forced management to concede. On Frida! Halacil! director Norton was broadcasting on the radio threatening to close the factory and ap pealing the strikers wives. By Saturday after noon an agreement hac been made with negotiating team thai guaranteed full recognition and reinstate ment The wel supported in the local Some £300 was raised in the first week, but perhaps important of all was the depth of action involved by all the strikers in the dispute.
Regular mass meeting were held, the overwhelming bulk of the workforc were on the picket line and every day about a quarte! of the workforce were involvea In delegations tc other factories.
A strong rank and file committee gained nvola sie expenece ne stage is set for a strong new shop heartland of Manchester Luluustl y