keep fighting.
John Cope from the Hoover shop stewards committee made this clear when he made an appeal at the IPYS Young Workers Conference last Saturday. 'Management consciously took the decision to put us on the streets, said Cope. "They believe that because we are locked out we will accept anything to get back in there to make their profits. Management want to see us humbled," he continued, "but if they think we will rush for the privilege of working on their terms, they've never been so wrong.
CLEARLY
The Hoover workers see quite clearly what the management are attempting to do. This lock-out was deliberately designed to cause mass redundancies -a convenient way for the bosses to streamline the workforce.
They hope that if they lock people out loag enough eventually a large proportion of them will be forced into looking for alternative jobs. The situation is especially precarious for women workers most of whom get no benefits whatsoever not having paid full insurance stamps.
Because of the question of redundancies the Hoover workers have raised the issue of nationalisation. John Cope has contacted the local Labour MP suggesting that he meet up with the constituency MP's from Cambuslang and Merthyr Tydfil where the other Hoover plants are The fight against the lock-out of 2000 workers continues at the Hoover Motors plant in Perivale, West London. It looks as if the struggle, now five weeks old, could be a long one but the Hoover workers are determined to and that they should get together with the Labour MP's representing the unions at Hoovers G&MWU and AUEW - to discuss nationalisation plans. He also suggested that perhaps Tony Benn should be invited to the discussions.
Cope is demanding the right to examine the company's books, and shop stewards from Hoover will be amongst those addressing the meeting on Workers Control to be held in Caxton Hall on Wednesday.
VITAL
Solidarity actions and support are vital to the strength and morale of the locked-out workers. A tour of twenty of the largest local factories by members of the shop stewards committee begins this week. This is being organised by the Brent Working Womens Charter Campaign and the Brent Trades Council. The factories include Rolls Royce, British Oxygen, GEC and Glacier Metal.
Successful meetings have already been held, including one at Middlesex Polytechnic in Enfield where the Socialist Women's Group organised a lunchtime support meeting raising E23 for the hardship fund.
Margaret Thompson a representative of the women at Hoovers, addressed the 65 students present, * stressing particularly the important tole played by women workers and the huge problems confronting them in this dispute. • T&G, 'If management think we will rush back for the privilege of working on their terms, they've never boon so wrong Forms.
Unlike the left, the Government doer have a plan for mining - which is to close down the 'uneconomic" pits, exploit to the maximum the more productive coal fields, and boost production by using a smaller PAY Although defeated in the first battle of the war, the NCB and the Government have no intention of surrendering. They are determined to use coal and all other energy resources to prop up British industry, and they intend the miners Because the CP want to make an opportunist alliance with the so-called progressives and leit Labour MPs they find themscives entrapped in the mesh of the social contract, and can only insist that Labour applies the 'social aspects of the contract and puts the incomes But the whole purpose of Labour's social programme is to lure the workine cLass Into acceptin an incomes policy. And now even its promises of limited social reforms are being quietly shelved as Britain's capitalist economy simply cannot afford to pay for them.
Because the CP sets as its main aim winning over the "middle ground and building a parliamentary alliance with "progressives" in the Lahour Party, it is forced to tail-end social democracy. It is therefore restricted to fighting the more blatant attacks from the government and the NCB as one-off issues, and between times putting its main campaign behind pressurising the more 'moderate? union leaders into fighting for rel-
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Hoover workers HOOVER SHEEPS OUT