niture Union (FTAT) convenor at Schreibers in Manchester, told •ocialist Challenge, how the workers stopped a closure.
Christmas received two offerings management; card wishing us well for the new year and a refusal to pay our national pay rise of f7 on the minimum rate.
Our boss, Chaim Schreiber. pretends to be socialist. He said wasn't his tault. It was Maggie Thatcher's.
But he's implementing Tory policies and Phil Davies GEC which owns the compan donor well known to Tory Party funds.
all started Michael Edwardes Leyland divide and game. They're all doing it now.
The Schreibers action committee put out leaflet to the workforce saying: constaering all the broken promises and suffering of members, the FTAT within Schreibers saying enough is enough, and members must prepared to fight for our basic union rights.
have over the years made many frenas in the trade union movement and we call on their support. we should look at the victory of the workers at Gardner 's as a shining example of solidarity and workers their slogan — unity in should become action our slogan. Closure Then came the bombshell. On January closure plant. Alter lunch we ad mass meeting. The workiorce didn't want any more bullshit. There was a unanimous vote for a fight and we immediately slowed down production.
Schreiber blamed the recession for the closure, but saw technology His profits were still high f4.3m in 1980. After few weeks our action had cost him Elm lost deliveries we'd cut production to per cent.
We had also publicisTom Macafee, Gardner s got agreement the docks about boycotting goods and meetings other FTAT convenors all over Schreibers managelicil Kicw we welc will ning the argument over closure. Everyone knew that if Gardner's could win by occupying, then could we Everyday we had mass meetings to Tunne In the third week of the dispute management called us in for a meeting.
Chaim Schreiber said it was the saddest day of his The company had lost orders for all its plants because of our ac tion. Regretfully he said tht he was forced to keep the plant open! We were over the moon, victory like Gardner's.
But our problems weren't over. Management sent troubleshooter. Mr. Southan. The day he arrived he told us to stop having so many meetings as they lost the company much production. Within ten minutes we had stopped the factory and marched through Trafford Park for a mass meeting.
voted unanımously for no interference in our custom and practice. Again management climbed down.
Southan's next move was to ask - that is, tell me and the Schreibers' convenors al four other to work and held a mass meeting which i called for was recognised.
In fact the shopfloor voted not to recognise Southan! Every time he went on the shopfloor, everyone downed tools.
After national meeting at the weekend we were set on an ocOn the Moncuballull. day, leafletted Schreibers Bolton, urging them to join us in the battle.
Workers Once again the management reeled was recognised as conThe strength of increased enormously. The message went up on the lines: Schreibers 0, Workers 2.
Now we're going on further. We have a coach going up to the Glasgow Two weeks ago we had 150 on the torchlight march ahalils ployment in Manchester. And a number of us are joining Labour Party, where the Council Democracy.
I don't think there's a problem putting the Labour Party in at the next election - the problem Will have socialist policies? I agree with the idea of Jobs not That's I'll FTAT executive to the CND labour HIOVC ment conference.