ASTMS group secretary, ICL West Gorton plant THE THREATENED closure of the Internationa Comonters' Dukinfield, near Manchester, shows once and for all that internationalism not a moral issue workers.
As Dukinfield closes, negotiating for a new plant in South Africa, where it would doubtless take advantage of non-unionised, paid workers. It was only last year that ICL sold massive computers to South Africa specifically administration of the pass laws. The threatened closure at ICL is the South plant extend of new technology. for history of ICL alasted lowof cheap labour.
At price of the failure of British workers. including those within ICL, to really support the campaign against the sale ment. of computers to the apartheid regime.
Africa is clearly eager to own manufacturing Fairey's industry, particularly in the key areas ICL was an obvious firm to approach because of of help make South Africa attractive to investors by bolstering the pass law system, guaranteeing a steady supply By ume or le campaign against the sale of computers, South African trade unionists came to speak to li workers and warned us thai Resistance Resistance to • Ine closure spreading across the company, with the call for a national overtime ban already being implemented on several sites. Delegates from Dukinfield are touring the other sites to extend the action, with the aim of forcing a rapid retraction of the closure announce.
The fight at Dukinfield will be aided by the decision of workers at plant blockport to resist I00 redundancie‹ announced by their management. There have been a staggering number redundancies declared Manchester engineering firms -in the last month. This has pushed the Manchester Confed to call a stewards' meeting in December.
building that meeting Dukinfield workers can not only win support for their struggle but spread their determination to fight redundancies to the whole district.