THE ASLEF leadership called off the strike. Buckton spoke to the press shortly after the decision:
"This was a battle that could not be won without Ine support assistance of the whole trade union movemenl — support forthcoming.' A large share of the responsibility for that lack of official support must to NUR secretary, WEIGHELL. For the first time ever Ray Buckton was moved to make a public statement Weighell's role. here can be no doubt that had the NUR given its support to the ASLEF — no matter how passive that support may nave been — the pressure on the TUC's Finance and General Purposes Committee to give official backing would have been far greater.
Instead Weighell stood at the head of the massive campaign against the Socialist Challenge 23 July 1982 has Ray Tory ministers themselves.
For NUR and that was not massive turnout from the ranks.
"advising' these
repudiating legal position ambiguously cross the picket lines.
wouldn't be worth money isn't available anyway'.
implementing and ASLEF, his vicious public attacks have been taken up and quoted not only by the Tory media but also by members Weighell's treacherous role has been clear right journal! from the time he used the AGM to call off their national strike despite the against His response to the possible sacking of the NUR drivers who had been told not to cross picket lines by the NUR AGM was to send out a circular members of their — in other words an phrased invitation His response to the possible lock out of his members was to say that it Weighell going to cour (despite the fact that the BRB would be breaking a contract) and that 'the beheaded probably Weighell is far more interested in plans of the BR management than in fighting for the jobs and livelihoods of his membership. He even went as far as to allow Sir Peter Parker to air his views in the pages of the union's Inside the NUR Weighell is massive witch-hunt those who are trying challenge this bankrupt class collaborationist line.
ASLEF and NUR members who attended the lobby of the TUC last week put the feeling of the majority of rank and file railworkers very clearly when they chanted 'Scab, scab, scab' as Weighell was escorted by the police to the door of Congress House.
wasn t Sid him, grounds or insanty.
Bob Black, Selhurst branch secretary, ASLEF