As readers of The Red Mole will be aware, building workers represented by U.C.A.T.T., T.G.W.U. and the furniture trade unions, have submitted a wage claim to the building employers' federation for a 50 per cent increase and a reduction of the working week to 35 hours. Although the unions are nationally very weak (two million operatives 265,000 unionised), they are preparing to take action in support of the claim. National, regional and local action committees have been set up, (1) to keep the men informed of the latest developments, and (2) to organise selective strikes, bans on overtime, go-slows and demonstrations etc. Mass meetings have been held in various areas, where great stress has been laid on the recruitment of new members in preparation for strike action.
Obviously, if the above tactics are applied, i.e. selective strikes, there will be a limited number of firms affected. The firms that will be hit will be those with a big say in the employers' federation, and those (like Shepherds', Rotherham) which are handicapped by a penalty clause written into their agreements, whereby the employer is obliged to reimburse the customer financially if the site is not completed Here in Rotherham a mass meeting was held some weeks ago, addressed by an IMG militant working on the site. The meeting discussed the need for 100 percent trade unionism on the site (60 men applied to join after the meeting), and agreed to set up a site committee. This was seen as necessary not simply to conduct the struggle for increased wages, but also to fight for a veto on management decisions, against the "Lump" etc. (see The Red Mole, 42). Unknown to the speaker and to the men, management had infiltrated the meeting. One week later the IMG militant was sacked on the feeble excuse of "bad workmanship".
THE FIGHT BACK What has been made clear at various branch and site meetings since then, is that the employers are preparing for the struggles to come. They have recognised that a strong site committee, not simply fighting over the question take no responsibility for the running of the of wages but actually coming to grips with political questions facing the working class, is a great threat to their interests. This was hammered home when on the Tuesday after the sacking a 24 hour stoppage took place, involving other smaller sites in the area. After the token stoppage, pending the victimisation going to the disputes tribunal, seven other militants from another site were sacked for coming out in solidarity. At the tribunal which followed, the employers, armed with computer data, demonstrated their strength by bringing up activities which the IMG militant had carried out in other areas. Moreover, the procedures of the tribunal are heavily weighted against a victory, as a unanimous decision of both management and unions must be reached before reinstatement can take place.
The tribunal has taught us all how success can be achieved only if we fight the employers on our territory, i.e, militant action at site level, and not under theirs, i.e. conciliation tribunals heavily weighed against the workers; that the fight for control can only be won if the unions site. Last week the seven militants were reinstated only because they pursued such actionmilitant pickets on the site and the threat by the union to black the firm nationally.
THE LESSONS The employers, backed by the State, are well aware of the growing militancy and political understanding of large sections of the working class. In Britain they attack this through the creation of a large pool of unemployed, the Industrial Relations Act, and attacks on the living standards of the working class. On the building sites the I.R.A. is used as a last resort. Because of the weakness of the unions, the casualised nature of the trade, and until recently the absence of a strong rank and file, the employers use other methods, i.e. "Lump" labour, the "blacklist" victimisations etc. The events of the last few weeks show that it is necessary to develop a strong national political rank and file movement, in order that we can come to grips with the political problems facing us at every turn.
Mick Blane Rotherham IMG, building worker.
posed". "This Act is the spearhead of the "There is a crisis of leadership in the unions.