tour Britain.
Hormel company months and representatives from three plants Austin, Nebraska — where they certainly made a splash.
Participants al many fringe meetings were able w ncar we tale or tneir struggle began August of last year, when workers at Hormel's flagship miant in Austin were forced out on strike alter the company tried to impose the seventeenth consecutive concessionary wages and conditions deal in a row.
leader Jim Guyette told us that the mood of the workers was that 'enough was enough'. It was easy to speed-up, wage-cuts and a 'safety record of 202 accidents workers improvement not further In the course of their year long LIC Spam' badges are circulating in the labour movement as striking meatpackers from the United States The meat-packers have been in dispute with the which produces Spam, for • in Minnesota, Ottumwa, Iowa and Fremont, were at the Labour Party conference strikers have had to stand up to the courts, the local police and the US National Guard. Guard troo lee used to reen plant January.
Refusing to be cowed, the strikers took the struggle to other Hormel plants.
Pickets won backing from fellow meatpackers at OtFremont, Nebraska. The these plants who honoured the picket line were promptly sacked — as the strikers at Austin have been.
The strikers did not receive full backing from WICH national union the United Food ComWorkers. Ever THE DUARTE GOVERNMENT in El Salvador is since December of last year when the UFCW ofrecommenced acceptance of a mediator's connaut willen naa been agreed to by the company, the actually LUD starting attacking the workers who had voted down the contract on two occasions.
January, UFCW President Wynn first publicly demanded return to work. Ten days later the union officially produced a so-called 'fact book' which defended the company slandered the strikers' branch, P-9.
Despite the campaign of the official leadership, escalated. In addition successfully picketing the other Hormel plants, organised 3,000-strong rally in Austin in February Following the strike being declared in March, 5,000 supFinally most of the strikers were forced the Jim Guyette told that the nation-wide solidarity 'has been magnificent. We sent péople on the road throughout the country. They were given the simple brief of Kullet c telling the truth. The response to the truth had been OYCE whelming.
Solidarity has come both in the form of finance and a nationwide boycott OTI Hormel products Guyette says that LiNC boycott has 'hurt the company tremendously. That's why the company is trying so hard to get the boycott called off.
Local Jim Guyette unions, civic groups icizious organisations have responded to the campaign. Now the strikers are in Britain seeking to extend the boycott members of the tour party is Barbara Collette who's on the steering committee the United Support Group in Austin.
Barbara told us of the huge response that had greeted their presence at Labour Party conference. Barbara was deeply impressed by the solidarity they'd received members Women Against Pit Closures 'in particular because their stor ony been was promi nent in drumming up suport for the strikers' caus They spoke at many fring meetings Benn explained that such solidarity with US strikers was Ine basic to we wler nationalism so necessary in the Labour Party • Donations message. of support Fightback Fund, PO Box 903, Austin, Minnesota 55912, USA. These policies are already substantial minority movement.
byn, to the pamphlet Peace Campaign Group Labour Party conference. the 1985 Labour Conference when million votes membership.
contradiction ment refuses ANZUS treaty.
sinkable aircraft carrier whenever it is used for that purpose THERE IS a clear contradiction between Labour's policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament and its support for NATO memberShip. At this year's party conference the cal for the removal of all US bases received 1,159,000 votes, and the call for withdrawal NATO altogether 1,033,000 votes. established as views in the labour We print here major exiracts from the introduction by Tony Benn and Jeremy Corthrough non-alignment — the case for British withdrawal from NATO, which is sponsored by the was launched at Successive Labour Party conferences, and election manifestoes, have committed Labour govern ments to retain British membership of NATO When the general election comes, all of us who are parliamentary candidates will be explaining to our electors that this is the official policy of the party.
Nevertheless, there are many people, both inside and outside the Party, who most certainly do want to see the issue raised, as became apparent at nearly 2/½ were actually cast for a resolution asking the NEC to re-examine Britain's NATO This is partly because there is a clear potential between Labour's commitment to NATO, and its equally clear commitment to the removal of all nuclear weapons and US nuclear bases from Britain. For if the American govern to accede to that demand and threatens to end our NATO membership if we persist, a stark choice may have to be made. In New Zealand a Labour government, backed up by a solid majority of electoral support, has also had to face outright opposition from the Americans, who are effectively squeezing New Zealand out of the Furthermore, President Reagan's decision 1o bomb Libya from US bases in Britain shows that the country is now seen in Washington as an un- a thought that cannot be very reassuring to British people who are at risk It was after the war, at about the time that
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YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T heard of Hormel, but Spam is a name we know well. And now 'cram your