I RETURNED this morning from the Warrington picket line. Not only have we had to contend with police, but with Mr. Shah's private army using dogs, which in the first week of the dispute were unleashed on the pickets.
broken and was dragged screaming 50 yards by the police. He was taken to a police station and it was an hour before he was allowed treatment.
We went to the journalists, and said this had happened, print it. The next morning the headline was 'Picket tured ant taken to hospital'. That's the kind of conspiracy we've had to deal with between the bosses, the media and the government to crush the trade unions.
Last night Frank Walsh, of our officials, was injured on the picket. He's not in good health, coming up for retirement, but he played his part. He was taken ill, and it was half an hour before the police would let an ambulance through.
But at 4 am there were two thousand police forcing Eddie Shah's wagon through. What kind of society is it that values free newsheets more than human life?
I've seen the tales in the press today about violence on the picket line. Let me tell you what really happened. We had 4000 peothere and were con. trolling it from our picket van. The police threw us out of the van and smashed the PA system. They so we couldn't use it. NGA They prevented us from carrying out a controlled and peaceful picket because they wanted riot. Any violence is the responsibility the I don't have to tell people at this meeting of the Triple Alliance the impor tance of the closed shop. As far as we're concerned it's not just about people who have a job but also THOSE WIll unemployed. It enables us to keep unemployment in the NGA down. It's vital to our members.
can we comply with these anti-union laws! support given us tonight by Arthur Scargill and Jimmy Knapp I'm surprised it has taken the TUC three weeks to We are confisupport Us. dent the support from the TUC employment COLL mittee wil be turned into support from the General Counci. Peonle have said that it's time for the TUC to come off the fence. But I say it's time for the TUC to get off it's knees and start fighting.
What is the use of the TUC talking to the Tories about the political levy? If they smash the trade union movement there will be nobody there to pay the political levy.
The NGA has got nothing left. Our funds have been sequestrated. Our property has peeI taken over. We now. The Na. tional Council of the NGA are preparing for all out strike action. But when we have done that comrades, when we are out on strike, we'll Slave nothing else left. It will then be up to the movenient. It will be up to the TUC to prepare a 24 hour general strike.
On 22 September 1982 the TUC asked us to take part in an unlawful strike support the healthworkers. We called every Fleet Street newspaper, every provincial newspaper, man shop out in support of the health workers. We got injunction after injunction for it. It's time for the TUC to start paying it's debts.
Tories, and Eddie Shah, Police in action at Warrington that our movement is not going to be held to ransom, either by Donaldson's court's, or Shah, or Thatcher or by anybody else. What I am appealing for comrades on the platform, is thousands and thousands of people on that picket line.
We need ten thousand miners, ten thousand steel workers, ten thousand NUR members if we are going to block and prevent that newspaper going out, which the cessful conclusion to the dispute with the Messenger We can't do anymore. We have to have the support of the movement. So go back to your branches, go back to your people to the picket line. workplaces We are doing all we can. It is up to the TUC to prepare the all out action but we have a responsibility to be on that picket line in our tens of thousands to prevent that newspaper coming out on the streets. from London - it fook 5 hours and the police tried to re-route us. But it's a miracle we got there at all because the police blocked off the motorway and were turning others away after about midnight.
We thought we were joining a picket to stop the Messenger, and challenge Tebbit's anti-anion laws.
Around oul there was only one thing in everyone's mind that night - the police.
The LSE Students banner arrived the Bradford •Graphical Association. They marched into the picket chanting the workers united will never reception was fantastic for every especially Fords Dagenham.
marched right through to the front line of the picket and from then the college. against trade union rights.
Led on the college premises.
Finally departed for home. on we were either surrounded by pigs, running away from pigs, dragging ler peopie tom lue pigs or making way for ambulances The police smashed up the NGÀ van with all the communication equipment. So the stewards were ent contact, while more and more police appeared.
For a long time they weren't anlg коркю jest dragging them through limes •A friend had his glasses ripped off literally trowa away, anoller was nearly strangled when they grabbed him by his scarf.
Behind police lines you could expect a few punches pretty bad beating. We saw one guy come back with blood streaming from a gash on his head.
A friend saw someone with his kneecap so swollen he could hardly walk. The only exception was when TV cameras were Then police would shout •We're being photographed' and let RUSKIN students gave CPSA general secretary Alastair Graham short shrift when he turned up to address some of his members on a short course at Many of the students who had been on the picket line at the Stockport Messenger the night before, had either seen or been subjected to the brutality of the police. They were incensed when at lunchtime the next day on TV Graham denounced the pickets and thus openly sided with the cops members defending their An 80 strong picket was set up and the college authorities were told Graham was not being allowtracked down in the comfort of the Royal Oxford Hotel but had more sense than brave the picket line which had the support of the CPSA members.
The sneaked out of the hotel let you you bout 4 o'clock the pigs went" wild. They'd managed to take most of the road in front of the Then they divided the picket in half. I thought we were badly off on our side. Pigs in crash helmets visors, wielding truncheons suddenly attacked the front we scattered, people got knocked over in As people drifted bacl to the coaches, we heard what nau napocacu on ta other side. The pigs backed Range Rovers full speed in. to the picket to scatter them, then actually chased them across a huge madd field into ditches and drose people as far as the motor. in their raid. It's wonder nobody was killed. let alone run over they leaders who were inciting a Call NGA riot!
We scored a final small victory before we had to leave. People started block ing the road with metal pip ing, fires, and made a fence connected to telegrap wires each side of the road.
Of the pigs couldn't resist driving through to smash it up and brought the telegraph wires down with it in a spec. tacular display A nice way to go.
Socialist Action 9 December 1983
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Photo: JOHN HARRIS An AUEW member, Bill Trainer, had his hip Speech by
Alliance rally, Digbeth Hall, Birmingham on Wednesday 30 November.
Chris Newis, member of the National Council, at the Triple
boot-boys WE WENT up by coach