of Employment to arrange a swift settlement, Nightcleoners at the Home Office Building in Horseferry Road have also now gone on strice, over the sacking of a supervisor. The real reason for the sacking seems to have been that she was suspected of being the source for a reccot Mornine Star article on the appalling pay and conditions on the building. So far the contractor there has saud he is "too busy to meet the Civil Service Union officials to discuss the strike. A 24 hour picket is being mounted at the Home Office Building. The cleaners there, like the cicaners involved in the other two strikes, are beginning to look beyond their own strike to more general questions. Socialist Woman has already arranged for them to go to Fakenham to see the film of the occupation and discuss the general problems facing women workers with the women there.
Messages of support and donations for the Home Ditce cleaners should be sent to the Cleaners Action Group, c/o 13 Middle Lane, London N.B. The response to the £25-E29 offer has been to spread the strikes.
LONDON: Has decided on a total stoppage by the end of the month. The strike is evidently beginning to hurt the employers, despite tbe extreme difficulties involved in pulling out all the thousands of small sites. Morale is high: the last demonstration was ten thousand strong and very militant.
MERSEYSIDE: ls also moving towards a total stoppage. They have used the flying picket tactic with considerable sucoess and looked like staying out even if the last offer had been accepBIRMINGHAM: Totally rejected the last offer and decided to stay out even if it was accepted. This resolve was stiffened when it was discovered that one of the major local employers, Bryants, bad known a day in advance of the Regional Officials that the UCATT Executive Committee planned to accept the offer, All major sites here are closed, although it is reported (subject to confirmation) that the T&GWU have sigaed a deal in excess of the claim with cross the UCATT picket lines SOUTH YORKSHIRE: A meeting took place on Wednesday (16 August) to call out all the maintenance workers in the stol works in Rotherham. This could close the local steel Industry inside two weeks. Workers involved in bricking the kilns walked out two weeks ago They had been pushing UCATT to allow them to come out, but the Regional Officials had instead granted them "special permits to work 60 hours".
SCOTLAND: The bureaucrats seem intent on calling out as few sites as possible, although several successful demonstrations have taken place. But the flying picket tactic is being used very successfully and a total stoppage is expected shortly in Glusgow.
In other areas not so renowned for their militancy, the response has similarly been to spread the strike, To take just two examples: Preston workers are calling for an all-out ,stoppage; and Bristol not only rejected the offer unanimously but were the first in the country to stop every site in the city centre. the fragmentation of the work foroe in the area (caused by the lack of concentrated industry). There can be little doubt also of ithe need to strengthen this trend. This can best be done by building the Support Comm ittee while these local struggies continue, and preparing more permanent forms of organisation to m-ordinate future workers' struggies.
Kate Lane no bounds. The following incredible item appeared on the front page of The Sail Telegraph (11 August) under the heading DESRAMAULT REFUSES 'IRA HELP' "The IRA has offered to belp Rene Desiransult keep his daughter Carolime awwy from her English mother a relative in Lilhe said yesterday. "He said M. Desramault had refused the offer when contacted by the IRA recently although it reportedly would have included cash as well as a European hiding plice. He sald he did not want to bring politics into's Hundle famille deems m
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The Press and the IRA The presa's anti-iRA campaign seems to know