What has been the role of the police in your dispute? ...
in my opinion. the police an acting for McAlpines. They seem to want no approach at all to vehicles by the pickets. Lucy soom to want us to baron ualloul at them. They just want us away out of it.
Can you tell us about the arrest of the ten pickets on Wednesday night? ....
Out of the ten men who were arrested, nine were arrested for offences on the picket line. One man was arrested for nontulment of fines One man. Cec Valent. ine, has also been charged with possession of an offensive weapon.
He is an honest man When he was arrested he asked the police what the wes pon was They said the weapon would he provided when he appeared in court, but. as yet, no weapon has been produced.
The same charge has also been brob. shit against another man from Jarrow who when they were hondling him into the police vall to take him to the station. They claimed the shoe was an offensive weapon because he had picked it up. He Had to walk home with only one shoe on The other shoe is being labelled as exhibit One other person picked up, Tommy Tenant, was not even on picket duty but was one of the many member of the puble who had taken an interest in the Eidon Square dispate and had decided to sapport the picket Obviously the picket will help with any legal exponies that occur from tried to keep nick all night because they drunk and disorderly: be Newcastle University secing him in his co and had demanded his release Colln Atkinson, a merchant scaman by trade, was only freed after the intervention of the solicitos One lad was called techly minto be fore the arrests started taking place and wah told by pol ibe that he was going to he off the site, the pobue officer grabbod his loved it up his back, and just him into the black maria. That had done nothing whatsoever - he as just marked All the accused ware Ingerprinted and photogripbed by the 33333522625323 What has been the general attitude of the police towards your attempt to picket peacefully? ...
Well, the attitude of the police has bicer. to throw cordons down cither side of the road. Thes ve told us that we re not allowed to shout or to stop motor vehicks. We're only allowed to stand there know what we're supposco to da In fact in the presence of a Daily Mail reporter the pollo cordoned off one sootion of the road which forms a hack lane THIS THE HOt. Ine Ponce are meeting where we can go to picket Do you think there are any similarities between what has happened in your struggle and the struggle of the Shrewsbury 2?
At the presenz moment, 1 don't Lhink so. You see the Shrewsbury workers were chaaged a long time after the 1972 building lads like myself who have heen classed as strice cabers - Davy Deans, Eddie Brady. all "strike leadors'.
Passibly the police could come along with those sort of charges after the strike, when they actually come to weigh up the damage to Mc Aipines and the cost of the picket to the pobie. Possibly this might happen. We an aware of this. What are we ker Lines and ignore our strugdo !!
... What has been the response from other sites in the area?
T99TT97979C7TC0T2T97787484444 Well, at present, ail the shipyards on Tyneside scaffold-wise this is - all the labour force of five to six hundred scaffolders out on strike. Actually we're cal in to work, and when they are approached they ane coming out in sympathy.
One firm in particular has said that they are sitting there, waiting to be approached, but we cannot get into the shipyard whore they're working We're working to app roach these men so they can go and plane up manücomont and say we ve been called out on strike."
The local 'leaders" of the building trade unions have scabbed on your fight. Has this had an effect on your ability to get out other scaffolding jobs?
In the shipyards the lads walked out in sympathy with us and the convenors from other trades went in to management and said no scaffolding work will be done un til this dispute is finished. We have taken these men on their word, but if we find out other work has been done, we will go back in and say to them You have gone back on your word', and take it from there. say in the running of the site. What do you think of their attitude? - I dont ... .
On the question of the Council, we marched up to the Civic Centre and appreached the whole Council. Although Newcastle Corporation are paying £20 site, they insist that it is out of their hands. Although they are footing the bill, they in sit that it is just a dispate betwoon us and Mc Alpines There was quite a funny episode with one Labour councillor who came to the picket line the other day - can you tell us about it?
Yes. Dr Wade came down to the pic ket lines one night at about 4.30pm. It standing there, juat dressed in ordinary clothes, like one of the pickets. The same man apronence one of me catet robe: ofticers, I believe it was a chiel superinrendent, and asked him "Is it necessary for all these police to be here? erintendent turned round to this man, not knowing wad ne was, and sude Fuck or get yourself back on that pasement."
How did the councilior take that? #********************• He has taken it up with the Counci, but from what we have seen, if will be a long blacked for ever!
time.
Trades Council. rOMAS 94954894643642 ***+*---**---*--*-**** CUE CUTE H London sites, Ho have got a delegation We have paid for a minibus out of strike funis to take sixteen men. men that are poing ate the ones who were artested last Wednesday night. going to explain what Happened, how the arrests came about, to explain their cases - it was juar police snatch squads.
He will wait for the next What do you think of the T&GWU The McAlpine's building site in Eldon Square, Newcastle, where 14 vietimised scaffolders have been in dispute since November was closed down completely on Monday when the rest of the workforce - some 300 men, including scabs imported from London -walked off in sympathy with them This development followed closely on a massive boost for the scaffolders from 370 drivers at the locai Scottish & Newcastle brewery, who voted to strike in The drivers were planning to join the strikers and other supporters on the picket line on Wednesday morning, and then to march with them to the local offices of the Transport and General Workers Union to demand that the strike be made official. On top of this, the drivers have also issued an ultimatum to the hotel where the scabs imported from London are staying: either the scabs are kicked out or the hotel will be The action of the brewery drivers comes at a vital Police have stepped up repression against the picket line, arresting ten pickets on Wednesday 29 January. But support is growing in the labour movement. A defence committee has been set up at a meeting sponsored by many prominent trade unionists, inc luding Jim Murray, convenor at the Vickers Elswick works, and Ken Ternant, vice-president of Newscastle The strike itself is being run very democratically. A strike committee has been elected, and last Saturday a meeting of 80 scaffolders discussed how to extend ABOVE: Picketing the Eldon Square sita. BELOW: Scaffolders' steward Alan Todd 4099.09 How are you raising national support?
going down to the start of the Wigan march. adverts in the paper.
Some of the ENEY SEC the struggle. A guest speaker was international Marvenor from Edinburgh, up his arse".
donating £400 to thestrike committee was also carried, empts to smash effective union organisation on their sites. But the scaffolders, who have now been out nearly three months, are more determined than ever.
its weight behind them S6 Benwell Lane, Newcastle. (tel.: 0632-32365).
the strike.
says: 1 believe / am a strike leader the last away from them picket lines. in the Evening Chronicle! 04*0**+*************#**** he asked one or the renorters down an the picket line how much such an advert would cost. We can't afford money to put He said an advert that size would cost L700. I believe this advert was issued by the Joint Conciliation Board, so in fact 1350 of Cat money was puid out of trade union funds.
You have had some support from the local Scottish und Newcastle Brewery What form has that taken? ... xist Group militant Stewart Maclennan, a UCATT conUCATT, along with the T& GWU, has openly scabbed on the strike, and since the North East regional official of UCATT also represents Scotland, Maclennan prom ised to get union branches in Scotland 'to send a rocket McAlpine's, the firm which set up the Shrewsbury It is vital that the labour movement nationally swings The IMG will be mobilising all the support it can, both through resolutions in trade union branches and collections in the colleges. Collection sheets, signed letters asking for support, or more information can be obtained from the Strike Committee, c/e Eddie Brady.
The following interview with Colin Cookson, of the Newcastle Scaffolders Branch of the Transport and General Workers Union, was carried out on 31 January by IG militants active in building support for Colin Cookson was one of the first to be on picket duty when the picketing started, and is classed by both the police and McAlpine's as a 'strike leader'. As Colin I will be one of 100 per cent support The convenor of the transport side, Jons Short, has heen down to see us and told us that he wants a representative from us to nddress a mecting tomorrow, which of course we will de. We have been told that if we ask For support the transport side ol'S & N Breweries will stop deliveries of beer, POLES CATERES ATE CO BIE DILEM that is harbouting the scabs. All supplics to this hotel will he stopped.
What about support from the student movement in the area? How have the men reacted to this?
We have had support from students in the area, excellent support. McAlpines are asing this and are calling the help of stadcals subversive, They ace labelling the students as comenunists and in a recent document circulated on the site they have said that the students have nothing lo do with the strike whatsoever But the support of the stadents has been fantastic! When McAlpines have iss ued propapaoda about the strike to the workforce we have met them leatlet for loaflet all the way along the line with the osaks at rally to launch Wigan march help of student facilities and so on -to printing machines, financial support, use of rooms for meetings, 100 per cent supp 25-5433232 3047019499494я What would you say is the general morale of the men at this time? --** The morale of the ten at the moment i5, Ebelieve, more than 100 per ocat. The i cans base done culon souan dispute have spent Christmas and New Year on the dole. They know what they were fighting for from 14 November when we first came out. They know that they would have to money over Christmas
loss of pay. In every plant the trade anions should monitor the amount of work to be done and calculate the length of the working week according ly. And workers must insist on the full guaranteed week's pay.
To light short time working it is also necessary to take the Labour
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The Labour Council has invested vast amounts of public money in the El- don Square project, and do have some