licity, Sinn Fein: The Provisional Republican movement is the only real threat to the status quo today. What we are demanding is a phased one thing that is not negotiable and that is the sovereignty of the Irish people?
EDDIE FENNELL, delegate NUR, North London District Counci. Unti one nas been in ine gneto areas of Belfast and seen the violence of the troops the violent arrest of individuals, the attacks on social clubs, the continual mass arrests no-one can accept that this goes on in "Britain". If British troops can treat "British" nationals in such a manner. then God help anyone they deem as an enemy. We all nope tor a alalogue between all sides, but the possibility of this seems very bleak.' BERNADETTE McALISKEY: 'If Callaghan says "sort it out for yourselves", fair enough. But we cannot sort it out while there is a British
Eighteen heroic weeks. That's how long the 400 women and 150 male workers from the Trico-Folberth windscreen-wiper factory in Brentford, West London, have held out for qual pay. Their claim is for £6.50 to bring their rate in line with male workers doing the same job.
The strikers have stayed solid and maintained pickets throughout in the face of vicious management provocations, ranging from picket busting with cowboy trucks and police help to a series of derisory offers. In a further effort to divide the workers, management laid off 250 who had black-legged on the strike from the beginning. They also announced lay-offs at the other Trico factory in Northampton.
This strike for equal pay has become a symbol of the struggle for WEEKLY spilling over into a direct clash with either the national leadership of the AUEW or the policies of the Labour Government. The strike is after all an empanassment to born ine aurv leaders and the Government.
The fact that equal pay ments are formally allowed to exceed both the £6 and the 4½ per cent pay limits carries the danger that male workers will be provoked into challenging the pay selves. Furthermore, dustrial Tribunal (boycotted by the strikers) ruled that the Trico claim workers had nothing to do with equal pay but was a straight money claim, 10.50 demand of the women be comes a direct challenge to the 4½ per cent limit.
of Trico socialion or trades has previously discussed suct tiative, finally a misunderstanding mobilisation has been postponed.
Southall District Committee of the Communist Party.
in union elections, determined not to settlerelationship limit themstune pay.
The national demonstration in support Womens Charter Campaian for 2 Octo ber has been CALLED OFF. The secretariat of the Campaign took its decision for a number of reasons: the AUEW Southall District Committee are conLa demonstration arcater London As Councils, which will be meeting on 5 Octobe and will be discussing it once more occurred between the strike committee and the wwww over its attitude to organising a demo in support of equal pay on national level. Until all these con siderations nave been cleared up, the strongly influenced by the policies But under pressure from the right CP • are antagonise the leaders of the AUEW, hoping that one day they might regain their cosy with Scanion. In the " meantime the class struggle can wait, and workers such as those at Trico must suffer for eighteen weeks with the possibility of an eventual These are harsh words. But they are carefully chosen, even though the District Committee have certainly pursued the strike. They de clared it official, maintained pickets raised a district levy and secured They have launched country-wide appeal for support and LOOKING FOR LEADERSHIP: Trico women at last week's mass meeting heard some fine rhetoric from AUEW District Secretary Roger Butler. But their still looking for effective action on blacking.