ON FRIDAY 10 February workers in Hackney, East London packed into a local hall to hear shop stewards describe latest events in their clash with the local Labour council.
labour movement. Local workers feel that the council has acted in an anti-working class way — including the use of force to evict workers occupying one of the council's properties.
While this may not be unusual OLIC 'rotten boroughs', Hackney has been recently controlled by the new breed ot voung Labour leftwingers.
In mid January about hundred of the Direct Labour Organisation and tenants occupied the SI John's Area Housing Base began work much needed repairs to the estate.
1 ncy wate proteshlig al the council's privatisation sub-contracting, its failure to provide a prorepair service for tenants and to force it to Manifesto MalcilCul pledges decentralisaU11 tion.
The council leaders immediately stopped the wages of the shop stewards involved in the work-in. A week later, cupatior the Bowling Green Walk Supply Depot was ended when senior management usea a seage hammer to break down the door in a dawn raid.
1188 Wilson, Secretary of Hackney NALGO 1000 council building The issues raised are extremely serious for the which supported the occupations wrote to council leader, deploring these 'anti-trade ding that the council use 'negotiation tation to end the dispute' (Hackney North and Stoke Newington Labour Party, trade union liason officer The council then procedemande a new see demands workforce including the demand for sworn fidavits from the workers stating what work been Gone during period of the occupation, and asking the TGWU and UCATT annuchly against surcharge before they would pay the workforce.
As Rob Jones, Hackney South Laud