Forwarded message: > From <@UBVM.CC.BUFFALO.EDU:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Mon Oct 9 02:27 PDT 1995 > Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 10:21:00 BST-1 > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: Gregory Coyne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Dock Strike In Liverpool - Urgent Support needed > X-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: Multiple recipients of list LABOR-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text > Content-Length: 3710 > > Please circulate this message widely. > > Over 400 dock workers have been dismissed by the Mersey Dock and Harbour > Company and associated companies. These men were amongst the last port > workers in Britain to maintain trade union recognition at their place of > work. Virtually every other port in the country has been de recognised > and activists have been bought off, intimidated or victimised. > > It is now apparent that the Mersey Dock and Harbour Company intends to do > the same in Liverpool. The struggle started over the dismisal of men from > a related company and has escalated into a battle against dreaded casual > labour systems. > > In ports like Liverpool the style of casual labour employment where > employees were hired and fired on the whim of foremen, where union > organisers were always overlooked, where wages were paid by the foremen > to the hired men in local pubs and where kickbacks to the foremen were > universally expected, was widespread. The system spread to many other > port related industries like transport, and continued in Liverpool until > relatively recently. There is widespread resentment and fear about its > return. > > The dock workers took srtike action immediately after the sacking of > colleagues who refused to work without overtime payments. The Company > responded by sacking the whole workforce. In Britain, such immediate > strike action, particularly when no secret ballot has taken place to > endorse the action, is illegal. If the dock workers union, the TGWU, are > seen to support the men then the union is held liable to pay substantial > damages until it desists from such support. > > The men are now caught in a trap. They cannot return to work since they > are dismissed and the company is setting about the hiring of new workers. > If they are not in work they cannot complete the complicated legal > procedure that has to be undergone to make a strike legal in Britain > today. It is therefore likely that they cannot receive any material aid > from their union since the union would then itself be broken by the > financial penalties that the courts would impose. > > They are therefore mounting a struggle themselves and they need lots of > support. > > In particular they need you > > 1. To affect the trading in the port of Liverpool in any way that you can. > > 2. To raise support and cash. Speakers will travel to address meetings in > Britain and cheques should be made payable to Jimmy Davis, Secretary to > the Port Shop Stewards Committee, CO TGWU, Transport House, Islington, > Liverpool. Tel: 0151 207 3388 Fax: 0151 298 1044 > > 3. To raise the case with politicians, particulalry European Union > politicians since the Mersey Dock and Harbour Company is set to receive > major European cash as a result of Merseyside having Objective 1 status. > > 4. To pass on information to the dockers about any activities of the > Mersey Dock and Harbour Company that you know of. > > 5. To give examples of campaign activities against a company that could > be undertaken, particularly activities that will undermine the financial > viability of the company but which are not in themselves legal. > > Such campaigns have not been too common in Britain and there is little > experience in the leadership of unions about running a war of attrition, > other than through the use of strike action. So examples from other > countries could be really helpful in allowing us to overcome the legal > minefield that ensnares trade union activity in Britain. Any ideas would > be welcome on how to go about a campaign and examples and contacts would > be helpful. > > You can contact the dockers on the address in point 1 above. Or if it is > easier I will pass on email messages to them as and when I can. > > Thanks in advance. > > Regards Greg > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
