Lanarkshire April, after a 103-day occupation by the workforce. The occupation, led by the AEU stewards representing the 800 hourly-paid workers, had won the wholehearted support of the Scottish people.
The return to work is no victory. Some concessions have been won from manelayed closure date for tl plant and better redundanbut there is no guarantee that the™ 1200 jobs, so badly needed Scotland, will eventually be saved. resumed production on Monday, Tremendous pressure was put on the occupying workers to call off their acpressure Call the highly barassed by the withdrawal Caterpillar Scotland in January of this year after they had invested to2 million in October of last year. It came from the courts, which declared the granted the company an interdict against the workforce.
It came from the media which, despite crocodile tears about the loss of jobs, gave voice to all those like Jimmy Reid, former leader of the famous 1971 sit-in, who argued for a It also came from the AEU leadership, and latterly from the Scottish TUC.
March, threatened with the court interdict, the workforce voted by a narrow majority to continue the occupation. Media calls lor a secrel were Then, fresh-foot from AEU ecutive member Jimmy Airlie - himself a leader of the UCS sit-in in 1971 - to the plant the message the leadership was withdrawing cutive super. "The ecutive, told the stewards, could not support "illegal action'.
Despite this, the occupation did not become isolated. Support increased from the Scottish more pressure broughi Caterpillar management to meet the shop stewards do from day one of the As a result, meetings were held involving ACAS the STUC. These resulted in an agreement on immediate realiti work and a rundown of the factory from October 1987.
A factor in the agree. ment was the establishment of a working party, involv ing the CBI, STUC government, and the Caterpillar workforce, to find an alternative buyer.
Whilst maxımum pressure should be brough to bear on the working party to deliver a satistactory On the last day of congress, an amended motion on lesbian and gav rights was moved by NALGO and seconded Glasgow Trades Council. The motion stood out against the anti-gay hysteria whipped up in reaction to the AIDS virus, and provided another chance to highlight Labour-controlled Glasgow District Council's disgraceful retusal to include a clause against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in its equal opportunities policy The motion was carned overwhelmingly on a show of hands.
Along with the EETPU's antics a sour note of was GMBATU general secretary John Edmonds' attempt to induce unity in an already united congress by indulging in some loony left' bashing, (which went down like a lead balloon with most seized upon by the press).
But there Wan no mistaking the strength of anti-Thatcher feeling in the Scottish trade union movement which will be a force WILl whatever the election result in the k as a whole