tion.
'We're just thinking about jobs Here they're thinking about the thing they grow up and leave school.
"That's why we got £10 year olds William Patton Junior School in Stoke union or community organisation • Pass resolutions tees of ASTMS and AUEW stamp • Plan fundraising events • Sell badges Chris Somers Road Challenge to Work Campaign have been invited to speak. at Hackney school 'I THINK the kids are looking at the jobs situation deeper than we are,' says Jim Cripps, on the finance committee of the Staffa occupaington, Hackney.' He told Socialist Challenge that the sit-in had already received over £1500 in its first few days.
Collections . are being taken at local firms and at labour meetings.
Socialist Chall• Arrange a speaker for your Labour Party, of support especially directed to the national executive commit• Take collections wherever possible using the official collection sheets with the union Staffa stays - order from Newson AUEW strike committee, Walthamstow, London E17.
20p each & 15p postage. No reduced rates for bulk orders. Cash with order. Quote Socialist Staffa workers aim to have a mass rally in London on Wednesday 21 October in Benthnal Green.
Ernie Roberts, MP and John Deason of the Right SUDOUrICI buses has been instrumental in getting a Staffa speaker along to the monthly conference of union delegates from all the London garages, representing some 30,000 workers The Right to Work Campaign has thrown itself energetically into collecting and getting speakers into the unions.
£l6 was given by one person from the Merchan Navy and Airlines Officers Association.
Socialist Challenge supporters in east London nave been working nara to get the word out about the occupation and the raise Here's what a few of them have to say about it.
Jo O'Brien, Grove Green Labour Party, Leyton:
'There's a lot of feeling in Leyton about the closure of the factory.
'People know about it which explains the big col lection of £18 from the 15 people at my ward meeting.
'Our local MP, Bryan Magee, who's constituency Staffa is in, gave fl'. Steve Harper, delegate the London North District of the engineering union AUEW:
'Over the last period there have been a whole number of redundancies in different fac tories where people have just accepted redundancy payments.
'The Staffa people have made a stand and are piving a ciear lead to all other workers 'The next big step is to compel the National Executive Committee make the sit-in official and pay out strike benefit.
'Engineers throughout London and the country should make sure that the sit-in's SUCCESS and doesn't crumble for lack of labour movement support.
Frank Gorton, Metal Box Clapton, AUEW:
*The f46 we raised was a good collection for Staffa from a bunch of engineers who are concerned that the meri reaunaancy numoer will be theirs I hope to be able to use my position as trade union/Labour Party liaison officer for Hackney North and Stoke Newington Labour Party to get support for Staffa throughout Hackney 'Hackney North Labour Party and its MP. Ernie Roberts who is sponsored by the AUEW, , have already pledged their sup John Duveen, a Na. tional Union of Teachers, epresel tative at lackne Downs School:
'There's total support fer the sit-in. We collected! at the union meeting fro» collectiple and we're si 'Staffa represents or third all engineerin jobs in this area, if it close that's a big blow to the future of our young peopie looking for jobs.' Michael Brown, Ford Dagenham, TGWU:
I started collecting on FriOne bloke said thai his dad who had worked at Staffa been giver leave to go Pakistan. He came back a week late and was promptly sacked.
bloke said sounded like the leopara hadn't changed its spots. Socialist-Challenge: 15-Oetober 1991 Page-5
Automotive sackings.
Tony: What we've got is a guarantee of noncompulsory redundancies here and in any of the AP plants in the UK.
On Monday the stewares will recommend manageMCIL OICE Stuart: The main reason the company puts or Ware compulsory redundancies was because voluntary redundancy was drying up.
But management had to back down because it coulan i lace all tne orner plants coming out in suppoll or us.
Tony: One of Line reasons we ve been able lo save the jobs is because of trading position componants.
It doesn't keep a buffer of stock to offset disputes. Its in a much more.
situation expect AP li auc U1l time customers are in a similar situation.
So we knew they were vulnerable to strike action 1968. Between 69 and 74 I joined the plant went through four rcaundancy exercises AP and during that time Valerie Coultas Talked to them at the we build up on the plant a joint approach among all staff ACTTS/TGWU AUEW/TASS, and ASTMS.
In 1975 were threatened major redundancies. We visited every AP plant talking to the unions meetings. They pledged support defend jobs.
was ine birin or ine combine as we know it.
Stuart: Over the six years we've kept affirming the position on jobs. Time and said 'one day we'll have to go out the gate'.
Tony: In 1975 the mere threat of a strike made the company withdraw. Iney ve never felt confident to take us on about compulsory redundancies in the last six years.
Last year for instance, the trading situation of the company was even unfavourable than this.
Eve were on a tour dav week. But they still didn't feel confident We'd had to back track pay staff levels replacements and made some of them think they'd damaged the union enouse so we'd not fight back.
Now it looks as if one of the managers, David On the picket line at Automotive Products Ltd we'll-get-rid-of-thedossers Wright, will have lo cal nis words Stuart: Our combine which is really strong is not recognised by the comDaNy …or controled ov une union officials, although some of our local officials have been quite sympathetic during this It is a lay body and we organise the rank and file.
Tony: But consciously shut them out al the beginning because we don't trust union officials.
We did have some pro blems with the shop floor going into work while we Over the last ten years we've tried to talk to the shop floor. Ever time management has made an offer we've asked them to sit down with us We understand there's growing sympathy at other plants for cooperation Stuart: But inside our plant the convenor sets against the other. On Tuesday the District Commullee or lne engineerin: union was to sup port the strike but the con yenor here argued against it, saying it would things difficult for his members He does enough at set times to get re-elected but as yet there isn't an alternative to replace him The Charter Group staff that shop floor workers is trybuild that native When he was up for re put in bulletin arguing it was time for a change.
But the security people came in and tore up the bulletin we nad in bulletins attacking the Delore lilal and no one had batted an eye.
The strike was successful because we acted so surprised Tree cape led surprised. expected us to wait for names to be named but we said 'we'll One,' 24 hour notice anc Once the names are out the battle's half lost.
So we went on the attack and we won.
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What you can do to support the Staffa sit-in
Products, Spa.
STUART Leath and Tony Wheeler have been out on strike with 1,500 others at Leamington
weekend. They expect to retrun to work on Tuesday having forced the company to withdraw its threat of 200