Sant do a for 7,500 workers.
Socialisi Challenge 27 September 1979 Page 6 CHARTER Never fiddin...
Copies of Engineer's Charter from: PO Box 82, London E2 A QUARTER of the entire population of Corby marched on the talks that took place last Thursday on the future of the town's steel works.
'If this doesn't strengthen the hands of our negotiatiors, I don't know what will, ' said Doug Cameron of the AUEW district committee. The British Steel Corporation's plan is to axe the Corby plant and sack Birmingham branch secretary, Rover Solihull THE TWO-day strikes have received the support of the vast majority Birmingham.
Even in BL, despite the announcement of redundancies and closure, the strike is solid the Castle Bromwich BL body plant, where 7,500 workers are threatened redundancy, some unions have been attempting to break the strike. They are trying to prove to Edwardes that they are 'good girls and boys', so that some jobs might be saved.
But the majority of workers at the plant are staying out on the strike days.
The local Tory paper, the Evening Mail, has been attempting to whip up a back-to-work movement The SUCCESS, handful of supporters which the scabs initially had has dwindled away. At Longbridge and Lucas Great King Street, where the Mail concentrated its attention, the strike is a hundred per cent.
The new hard line from the EEF will undoubtedly see a number of lockouts begin after the September holiday, which has closed most of the industry Birmingham for a week.
It is expected that BL will follow Rolls Royce in imposing Militants will be preparing for occupations, flying pickets, and for all-out strike in the district in response to the employers' action. Bristol By Mike Eaude Bristol Trades Council ROLLS ROYCE is being used as the spearhead of the engineering employers' Management announced that preferred to close factories rather than run on three-fifths production.
response, the hourly-paid workforce at Rolls Royce in Bristol turned up to defy the lock-out on Wednesday of last week. The gates were locked, since management preferred to lay-off all the clerical and admin workers in addition, rather than risk a work-in.
At a mass meeting held outside the gates. John Blackley, AUEW convenor at the • plant, and chairperson of the nationAerospace Liasion Committee, called for la short, sharp national strike' to win the claim The engineering strike is solid throughout Avon.
Attempts by local media to I whip up opposition have failed to produce than two enthusiasts, whose counter-demo was a total failure.
But there is по picketing at Rolls Royce and attempt by the AUEW to wot kers families, nor the local labour movement.
Ву Кау Carter, AUEW member, Leicester WITH only one or two exceptions, the strike Leicester is solid. There have been reports of some scabbing, but this has been taken care "of by the pickets The local paper has been forced to search outside the city for glowing reports of strike breaking omits mention the solidarity and strength of the strikers.
Branches and shop stewards have been pushing for all-out action from the outset of the strike. A motion calling for a mass meeting was squashed by the district leadership, which confines its action 10 calling infrequent shop stewards' meetings.
Our Engineers Charter group has organised flying pickets, and has attracted a few members of picket information and support that the leadership should be providing.
firms have threatened redundancies and lock-outs, and many have organised ballots [not At Rolly Royce Montsorrel, one lone picket stopped two hundred workers from returning, after the local shop stewards voted not to have pickets.
Coalville THE AUEW strikers at T Grieves Coalville Leicestershire are now entering their ninth week of all-out action. Despite lack of support from their district COLLELCC the strike is completely solid, with 24hour picketing.
Coalvilles IS a small engineering firm, workers, ove half of whom are women. The strike came after a claim for a 15 per cent wage rise was met with a 5 per cent offer. This has since been increased to 12.5 per cent, but with productivity and bonus strings attached.
Although part of the Bentley group, in which workers enjoy the benefit ot sickness schemes, overalls, like, Coalville workers are still fighting for these rights.
These workers are isolated in a small county community, support their city leadership. They need donations and messages of support, c/o K. Carter, 22 Berners St. Leicester
By Valerie Coultas IN 14th CENTURY England women who performed abortions were burnt at the stake as witches. century Britain, Tory MP John Corrie is more civilised — brand 'criminals' perform abortions Corrie doesn't approve. his anti-abortion Bill aims to do, that's why it has to be fought.
The same fight has been going on for hundreds of years. The first state legislation came 1801 abortion was made offence. Another law, passed in 1861, went further, laying down a sentence of life imprisonment for attempting to procure 'unlawfully'.
At the same time these all-male parliaments were passing such laws the birth control ULLY were dostenniod, drawal, or such lovely practices as Today, in 20th poor should he only wants to doctors who Place and Richard Carlile.
which Mr That's what methods occurred in diaphragm.
when obtain. Evidence. at statutory reached epidemic proportions.
Obscene
abortion I nose who something about methods When, 1887 ception she control with reactionaries who argued that in order to control the population and avoid famine and poverty the exercise 'moral restraint'. The progressive arguments in favour of contraception were left to radicals like John Stuart Mili, Francis A breakthrough in birth control 1ooz wnen a Dutch doctor invented the Mensinga But for working class women the diaphragm was difficult to the time from class. doctors and women's organisations showed that back street abortions had sought it received the unwelcome attentions of the state.
Annie Besant. socialist, produced a cheap pamphlet containing information about contra- selves'.
was charged contained the same information that was available for a few shillings in another publication. Annie Besant's pamphlet cost sixpence — her 'crime' • that she sought to spread the information to the working class.
By the First World War the sheath was commonly, if furtively on sale. Dr Marie Stopes was pioneering birth control clinics to provide reliable and well-fitted contraceptives. A study in 1927 showed that 90 per cent of the clients at her clinic were working By then, certain labour leaders were more receptive to birth control arguments. Ben Tillet and John Burns supported Marie Stopes' efforts as did a representative from Huddersfield Trades Council who declared, 'Aye! The time's gone when we'll breed soldiers to be shot for a shilling manufacturers and starve them-