and Julian Atkinson Arrested strikers going to court have had maximum fines doled out for minor offences like obstruction. Prem Singh Chargar was fined E18, almost the maximum, although it was his first ever offence. Another striker got fines totalling L78.
Although the local TGWU has consistently supported management against the strikers, the Strike Bulletin of the workers keeps pointing out that they are fighting for the principles of trade unionism and a strong democratic union.
Imperial is a fight for trade union principles. If the labour movement cannot come to the support of black workers fighting for improved pay and conditions then it will be unable to defend itself in future batiles with the employers.
CORRECT
Unfortunately, some trade union members and even some left-wing socialists turn reality on its head, They see these struggles of black workers as struggles that split the working class Of course black workers do have to wage strikes strikes on their own. This is because the white workers have refused to join them. The black workers are correct not to sit back and wait. By taking up the fight now they set a real exampie of how to unity the working class.
Mathers, the area TGWU official, says he is warried about the National Front in Leicester. If he is serious about that then the Imperial strikers have given him an excellent opportunity to deal a real blow at the NF. A victory -for this strike would demoralise the NF An Inquiry has been ordered by the Miller and her break-a-strike mob. At Leicester they try and use racism. By use of the Immig ration Acts and using racism in the factory they are setting out to create a demoralised and intimidated cheap labour force.
Black workers are fighting back against this. The strikes at Crepe-Sizes, Mansfield Hosiery, Standard Telephone, Art Castings, and now Imperial show this. They refuse to be cowed. They are against rotten wages, intolerable conditions and racism. This strike demands the support of every militant who is serious about fighting the capitalist offensive. Members of the TWU should put resolutions down in their branches insisting that the:
TGWU make the strike official now.
The results of the Inquiry be published immediately The TGWU give full financial and blacking support The TGWU organise mass meetings of its members at all Litton factories and outlets to extend solidarity actions Supporters of the strike in every area should take the following steps:
Organise pickets at all Litton factories and show rooms Collect finance in union branches, on the job and at meetings Arrange local meetings on support for Im perial strikers, in defence of immigrant workers and in defence of pickels Rally support from the unions and all supporters of the strike for the mass picket on 16 July There should also he a national conference organised to support the strike and discuss how to organise on-going solidarity actions to support future disputes. This conference should he organised by immigrant workers orginisations and trade union members. ships. works" convenor, have used racialist arguments to attack the strikers.
EEPTU Telephone strike section of the working class! town, Asians had to work ten hour shifts with по рторет meal breaks. They pot half an hour to cat their food while still at their machines.
If factories employing black workers are well organised they are not as bad as this. But good union organisation does not mean that racial discrimination disappears. It still shows in lack of upgrading and promotion, often disguised by anti-dilution agreements and a migration laws. limited access to the necessary apprenticeWhat have the unions done to fight racism? Very little, is the answer. Sometimes sections of the trace union movement has behaved in an open and actively racist way Dockers and Smithfield porters marched for Powell. Stewards in Yorkshire agreed u "colour quota with one bus company. AUEW stewards negotiated a blacks only redundancy clause at a West Midlands factory. A TGWU official in alliance with management tried to oust black, militant stewards at British Celanese by playing on the racist semtiments of white workers Al Imperial Typewriters, both Bromley (the TGWU official) and Weaver (TGWU Nationally, the unions have recently been busy making anti-racist declarations. The electricians" and plumbers unsonpassed a magnificent resolution ugainst racialism at its annual conference. A few short months later the same union played an overtly racist role in the Standard In the sixties the Labour Goreroment went to the TUC with a plan to include no"discrimination clauses in goveroment contracta The TUC said no. They explained that they were opposed to giving privileges to one certainly demand that trade union journals cease publishing racist and fascist articles The journal of the Hosiery and Knitwear Union has a deplorable record in this tespect: Again, trade union militants should fight to get contingenis from union branches and jobs to the anti-fascist demonstrations, as well as taking up a vigorous struggle against the reactionary imORGANISED The fight against racism in the unions has to be organised by militants and revolutionaries organising practical interventions, not waiting until the union leaders decide to act.
In America the Government has introduced "fair employment" legislation. Marxists are opposed to the capitalist State intervening in the unions. However the unions themselves must take up the fight to guarantee racial equality in employment. They must also insist on cywality in promotion and access to employment.
Black workers have often orginised their factories and handed over thousands of mombers to the unions. This has often been done wilhout the assistance of the unions. What is needed is a massive recruilment campaign of black workers and the publication of material explaining the need for trade unions in the language of the immigrant minorities. If the national Icaders refuse to do this, then, local brunches. shop stewards' committees, trades councils or even ad hot groups of local unionists must undertake this tast NO EXCEPTION Racisni totally permeates British society and the unions arc Do exception to this Guarantees of no discrimination are not worth the paper that they are written on unless properly policed Black workers lave by hard struggle won important battles aguinst the employers. When they have gor back to work they have seen their leaders victimised and the newly won agreements not fully implemented because of the attitudes of the union bureauerals. This is why the IMG supports the demand for black caucuses in the unions. This is an effective way of ensuring agreements are implemented and the demands of the immigrant workers are taken up and actually The working class will pay dearly in the coming period if it does not cleanse its organisations of racism. Racism is the most powerful tool the employers have to divide the working class. And in the coming battles the ruling class will not ANDREW JENKINS