Organising for victory ONE key to revealed by Tom such support for militant action was communication'.
stewards' meeting in followed by sectional meetings.
plains: 'If a steward doesn't go workforce and they see him or hit once every 12 months, they'll tell the stewards to piss off when they call for action.
the success at Gardner's is Macafee: 'What brought Every fortnight prior to the strike there was a work time, immediately Mike Smethurst, a Gardner's apprentice, exhack to the against redundancies, workers at the This is how convenor Tom Macafee puts 'That organisation at management wanted to break!
picketing, and more besides. volve people as much as we could,' counts.
were actively involved, committee.
Gardner's was what During the seven-week dispute the stewards set up committees for everything: delegations for entertainments, running the canteen, 'Instead of just sitting around we tried to inMike reSeveral hundred of the 2,400-strong workforce although the could have been stronger with an elected strike For Gardner's workers there is one problem they won't face back at work, and that's a shortage of candidates for the shop steward elections. From Leicester IMG TASS and APEX members at Hawker Siddeley's brush and switchxeur plant in Loughborough were told by management November that the company requires 30 compulsory redundancies.
The white-collar workers are considering strike action to oppose these redundanceSs and APEX members at the plant supporte the Gardner's sil-in by col lecting money.
The AUEW's engineering section has been ting names of volunteers early retirement and volunrenanda Although Loughborough district committee the AUEW the occupation locally.
GARDNER & SONS LTD Because the plant makes parts for Hawker Siddeley's Harrier jump iets and cen turian tanks, a supply shor. tage would be highly embar rassing to the government.
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VER & SONS LTD Photo. Kevin Coen