and, in a special way, work must be allowed to do so.
prevent people going to work.
Therefore the governworkers dispute is a complete contradiction of all the arguments tney used against the miners. The reason for this is not hard to find is essential if the Thatcher government is to survive that media should be allowed to go on wild tre poncy 1 of disinformation, and Murstep up the struggle, August 1 September September strike arrangement.
25 September Mass meeting rejects new offer.
than previous ballot.
27 November TUC General Council votes by 23 EETPU.
5 December (eight suspended).
11 December Inter-union meeting calls national 13 December Biggest Saturday THE STRIKE by print workers against News International has now lasted as long as the miners strike is equally signiticant. In the case of the miners the argument for closures was that the pits were uneconomic and the police were used brutally on the excuse that those wanting to go to At Wapping the business owned by Rupert Murdoch has been highly profitable and the riot police there have been used to doch's newspapers are the most powerful weapon at disposal of the prime minister in her attempts to get reelected. Mrs Thatcher therefore needs Rupert Murdoch Rupert Murdoch needs Mrs Thatcher to provide a protecting his fortress of lies.
That is why the whole Labour movement should be rallying round the print SOGAT conference votes to back demands of the strikers. Executive take control of the dispute.
Mass meeting of strikers votes to demands a production to sites outside London. Mected onto the SOGAT executian.
TUC conference votes to overturn take action against the EEPTU.
New 'final offer' from Murdoch. offer at Telegraph job cuts, wage reductions and noTelegraph offer agreed by print Ballot result announced. Strikers reject new offer by a larger majority TUC General Council fails to take action against EETPU.
votes to 21 not to reopen file on the Mike Hicks jailed for 12 months demonstration for 24 January, and calls for the recall of the TUC. night turn-out since early summer as three marches converge on Fortress wapping. workers now in the same wav as thev ralled round the miners with support groups up and down the country.
From both the miners print workers strike millions of peopic Have Icallcu now the power of the state harnessed to the interest. of capital can be used to crush the rights of unions destroy livelihood of those who creme une gauon s wedill. We have also learned how the media. including the BBC and the IBA as well as the other proprietors have exercised the power censorship tempt to deny to the nation at large the truth of what is going on.
We all know that if there is a student demon stration in Shanghai or a Poland there will be mass coverage on radio. TV and papers. But in the heart London, only mile two along the Thames Westmin ster, we have seen police attack demonstrators even camera TV companies with barely the bulletins.
has been the same with the Greenham Common women. They were such threat establishment that not on ly are they being imprisoned but their names are be ing taken out of the media to prevent others don Bra gaining encouragement to do likewise.
Thus the printers strike whose anniversary. we did celebrating on 24 January nas becomi central to the whole political future of and that no doubt is why one of its greatest leaders, Mike Hicks, was imprisoned in the hope that his removal Will dampen the thusiasm of those who have been outside the gates of Wapping for a year that on January there will be a truly massive to give neart to nose wilc have been picketing and to alert the community ever more clearly to what is at stake.