OCCUPYING workers the Dundee Timex factory are on a tour of South Wales workplaces this week to gain support. They will meet other Engineering members occupying the British Steel subsidiary, Unit Superheaters in Swansea.
These unionists have seen thousands lose their livelihoods in the avalanche of closures that have hit Wales and Scotland in recent years. But now they saying enough is enough.
The Timex workers are defiant in the face of management attempts to break the sit-in. On 6 the company sacked the workers who refused to participate Managemchl ballot. Another 500 occupiers will be taken to court.
Similar threats lie in store for the sit-in at Unit Superheaters and the workers at Firth Derihon in Sheffield and Greenings in Warrington.
There too, workers have taken over the factories to fight forcredundancies in steel related industries.
SUPPORT the occupations. Send messages and money. Organise solidarity tours.
Unit Superheaters. r rens vaas.
Bishopston Rd, Bishoosion. swansea Timex. Treasurer John Kydd, 81 Brownhill Rd, Dundee. • Firth Derihon. D Michie, 21 Mather Ra, Littledale, Sheffield SS 4GN. • Greenings. JSSC Strike Fund. c/O L Blood, 26 St John St, Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside. with Transport General Workers oralcn orniccs. tion will be taken against the workers finishing early Management now plan to impose aualea plant status. This would De « dow to conamuons. The strength to stop APS DUI LOC leaders refuse to harness thing clear, Cowley workers are still a force to be reckoned with!
Unit WORKERS now in their second week of occupation at Unit Superheaters have discovered plans to sell OUI Engineering Division of Babcock NilcoX.
Convenor Pete Thomas explains 'Units is an engineering service company providing high speed quality. products.
an overtime LalLeuHUUSLV atena always had its peaks and The Louels Iclosull really caught up with us two years ago and since then we've been on three or four day LW U. week'.
common with the rest OI negotiated redundancies in an altempt to keep lic plant open.
We gave everything, we sold our souls. We accepted full flexibility and the result at the end of the day was redundancles sayere The pattern was initia voluntarv redundan. cies with older men being happy OCC)I pa) off But last November, 45 more lobs were cut.
The redundancies were not accepted and ar overtime ban followed. When management came back more compulsory including the convenor, the workers occupied.
Mass mccul last week rejected BSC deal and ualarelc ll the union is preparing THE NATIONAL of Public Employees, fifth largest meets in Scarborough this week.
NUPE, long regarded as the face public sector unionism, organises mostamong local government manual workers, health service ancillary WORKer nl Willi smaller contingents in the universities and water ll dustry.
'WO thirds of its members women, many of them part-time. A This militancy echoed in resolutions or exccuuve council launch Campaign by 1 September next year's 13. 3 for a minimum wage of -100. . They also criticise the IC for not doine this last year, despite clear conference policy.
NUPE Oxford NHS (personal capacity)
There are similar calls for mass nationwide action against Although this was agreed at last year's NU