'Out till we win' Photo: CHRIS DAVIES (Renort Police knock down pickets (shop steward Sally Groves seen here on ground) to force way through for scabs, 29 July ENK 428G Below STEPHEN PAGE, Senior NUPE Steward at the St. Andrews and Hellesdon Hospital and Secretary of Norwich Health District Committee of NUPE, explains how they are planning to fight the Area Health Authority's cuts; while EVELYN BAILLIE, chairwoman of the Darlington nurses' branch of NUPE, tells why she will be on the NCC lobby and has circulated copies of the NCC petition amongst her members.
in Norwich concerned. WE'LL STAY OUT TILL WE WIN. After thirteen weeks on strike the 400 women and supporting male workmates at Trico104.
Folberth in West London are as defiant as ever in their struggle for Eight months after the implementation of the Equal Pay Act they have been on strike for three months to win the provisions which that Act is meant to lay down. No wonder the placards say *Equal Pay 1975-Trico 1985?' The Trico workers, with the full support of their union (the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers), are refusing to appear trying in vain to gain entry to the meeting to present their case, they did нотее з тишите тестпе осте АнА Norwich Trades Council and all unions As secretary of the NUPE Health District Committee, 1 also requested copies of the Consultative Document in a letter to the General Administrative лисетпе request was cenca, bui the Officer's letter stated - wait for it*It is not our wish, of course, to keep any part of this document from anythe Joint snop stewards Committe of St. Andrews and Hellesdon Hospitals were also kept uninformed, even though they are a recognised committee and most of the cuts are within the committee's field. We have consistently opposed the cuts, and this blatant and provocative manoeuvre will as ond steward put it, 'rejuvenate the stewards commuce m a more neorous and concentrated fight against the cuts in Plans are now being made for a stewards meeting in early September to organise a campaign to abolish the management-orientated Joint Conexplains Ms. Baillie. As a result, she and her colleagues decided to insist on providing what they considered to be correct staffing levels. The management, rather tan providing me stall, decided to fill only a percentage of the beds!
when David onas seenary oi State for the Social Services, visited the hospital recently he blamed the deaths set of circumstances. lines But the staff know full well that they were a result of the Government's failure to provide fully trained nurses and staff throughout the NHS.
The story has now taken a bizarre twist: a new wing or the Memona Hospital may now remain empty because of the staffing dispute. At the same time, the construction of the wing is providing an excuse to close down Bede Hospital in Barnard Castle, 16 miles from Darlington.
It is as a result of these experiences of the cut-backs in the health service in Darlington that Ms. Baillie is sup porting the lobby of the Labour Party conference and asking her NUPE regional organisation to provide wransport for ner members to attend before an industrial tribunal.
Simple arithmetic determines that: tribunals have upheld 41 equal pay claims -and rejected After abortive negotiation with the union in which a maximum of £2.40 on the grading system was offered compared with the women's demand for £6.50, management sought a re-arranged tribunal for 17 August. The strikers and the union are maintaining their boycott and say they will ignore.it, while management will use its findings to try and force the women back But there are problems. Despite a strong picket and blacking campaign, the strike has not had the impact that component disputes often do in the motor industry. Fords and other firms have been able to obtain and use supplies from abroad, particularly Germany. BLACKING A black on all wipers is vital and needs to be extended to the docks, railways and airports. This could reproduce and extend the situation that is now occurring at British Leyland where cars are being turned out with wipers only on the driver's side. Although Leyland hope that the dealers will still stock them so that production can continue, management are worried that soon there won't be enough stocks left to fit even one wiper.
By effective and intensive blacking the AUEW could bring down the whole weight of the car industry on Trico management's heads. This means organising meetings of the workers in all the major companies that use Trico's products and at all points of import into the country. This would freeze the market outlets that Trico management has been exploiting to smash the strike with supplies from their non-unionised factory at Northampton.
The picket line has been broken on three separate occasions, most recently a fortnight ago when lorries aided by police took out supplies.
TEST The picket crashing operations of these firms hand in glove with the police show that to win the strike it will have to be extended. Effective blacking is one means. Another is for the AUEW to otganise a one day solidarity stoppage throughout the local district and set up a workers' enquiry into the role of the police in aiding unmarked lomes unrougn the picke Co-ordinated with the activities of a support committee, which has been proposed by the Working Women's Charter Campaign, the resources of the local labour movement which supports the strike, including Brent and Hounslow Trades Councils, could be pooled to win even wider and broader support. The establishment of such things as a nursery by the Strike Committee will aid the full involvement of all the women in the strike.
Trico is a test case. They'll need the broadest support through -out te labour movement to wul Pat Masters