'THEY'LL have to stab us in the front now'. This was the comment of a Laurence Scott shop steward on the national leadership of the AUEW as he came out of the mass meeting held in the factory on 14 July. The meeting had thrown out a deal worked out between officials Engineering and Shipbuilding Laurence Scott owner Arthur Snipe, by 579 votes to 21.
Workers at LSE have been their lac tory for weeks. They have faced closure threats Snipe, bailiffs with orders demanding their eviction, hostile press and, cap it all, union leadership tearing, up its own rules to crush the fight Despite the decision of the mass meeting on 14 July Terry Duffy, John Boyd and the seven other members of the AUE Wi Executive remained comoffer. The union leaders called lilas. meeting, over the heads of the stewards, on 23 July to get the workers to agree to their sell VUI AUEW official Ken Cure was instructea ov ine ex ecutive to present its case.
Confederation of Unions and dispute which has the supcommittee is a blatant contravention of rule The latest mass meeting of the Laurence Scott workforce was on 10 August. Again the vote to Lawrence Scott receives unexpected support. was overwhelming The LSE workers have circulated avoca lol support for their struggle and calling for officia backing. Already, been signed by over leading convenors in the Manchester arca.
Request The Manchester North district committee has circulated every convenor, shop steward and branch secretary in the area with requests to forward protest resolutions to Laurence Scal financial support.
£1,000 Everywhere the LSE workers have sought support from the ranks they have found it. One example is the sent this week by British Aerospace shop stewards a t Chadderton. Now the LSE worker. are turning such support union leadership.
As convenor Dennis Barry said to the August mass meeting, the union officials are frightened of a victory at OLICI ple it would give to other workers faced with redundancies and closures.
"They nave been prepared to turn a situalion or assurea victory into near disaster and sacrifice the very best platform they have had so far fight for jobs, "said Barry.
Fight but as early results show, the campaign building up in support Laurence scoll Is unlikely to let them get away with Laurence Scut Convenor Dennis Barry on duty THE Laurence Scott stewards have launched a
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NO CLOSURE! SILEN STRIKE!