This is the shame of the labour movement.
Four Grunwick strikers—Jayaben Desai, Yasu Patel, Johnnie Patel and Vipin Magdani—have gone on hunger strike outside the TUC headquarters at Congress House. They are doing so 'to focus attention upon the lack of positive action by the TUC and the Unions providing essential services to the company'.
The trade union leaders have responded with threats and blackmail.
The Executive of the strikers' union, APEX, met last Saturday.
Afterwards strikers were told that anyone who went on hunger strike would be suspended from the union for four weeks pending a meeting of the Union's General Purposes Committee which would then consider further action.
They were further told that if any more mass pickets were organised, or a mass lobby of the TUC on 21 December, the strike committee would be abolished and a new one established.
When the strikers turned up to Congress House at 11.15 on Monday morning to go ahead with the hunger strike, they found that there was no end to the bully-boy techniques of the trade union leaders.
They were immediately whisked off by APEX officials Len Gristley and Tudor Thomas to the office of Norman Willis, Deputy General Secretary of the TUC.
For four and a half hours these bullies tried to prevent the hunger strike taking place. At 1pm they were joined by APEX General Secretary, Roy Grantham. Len Murray also attended the meeting for some time to add his weight to the proceedings.
NO GOODS
Not once did any of these gentlemen even hold out vague promises that Wednesday's General Council would come up with the goods.
Grantham summed up their attitude best when he threatened: 'If you go ahead with the hunger strike, then the strike's finished tomorrow'.
The rank and file strike leaders continue to show great bravery and resilience in the face of such treachery from the trade union bureaucrats.
Jayaben Desai told me as she took up her position outside Congress House:
'We want to put the finger on those who are responsible for the failure of our strike to win.
'We do not expect the General Council to come forward with any action. For four months they have failed to implement even the weak resolution passed at the TUC Congress. If they come up with nothing then we will be making a direct appeal to the rank and file'.
More than ever the rank and file support for the Grunwick strikers needs to be organised. In response to the sabotage from the TUC and the APEX leaders regional labour movement conferences like the one being organised by the South-East region of the TUC must be turned into the first step to a national solidarity conference.
A network of local support committees coordinated nationally, committed to building mass action is the best answer to the inaction of Len Murray, Roy Grantham and Co.
It would also put us on the road to building a movement than [sic] can kick out these class collaborators and replacing them with leaders prepared to fight.