Writs for repossession against 310 workers occupying the Massey Ferguson tractor plant in Banner Lane, Coventry, More than 4,000 production workers at Massey's three Coventry plants have been on unomical smike for over unree weeks in pursuit of a 'substantial pay increase. On 13 May they took over the Banner Lane plant and have used it as a base from which to picket local hotels, where some of the 1800 staff who have been excluded from the building have attempted to scab on the strike.
The writs have been issued under the same order that three weeks ago allowed 750 police, some armed with riot shields, scurry across the campus at nearby Warwick University to evict a student occupation. Writs were also used last month to smash the six week occupation against redundancies at Crosfield Electronics in North London. The workers at Massey's have till this Friday 6 June-when the summonses are due to be heard in London-to decide on Both the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers and the Transport This time it's the bosses who are locked out-and Massey-Ferguson production manager ivor Clarke, on left to do anything to support the strike. Now George Butler, Coventry organiser of the AUEW, has joined in the red-baiting campaign against the strikers, attack ing the International Socialists and MANDEL PAMPHLET OUT AGAIN The Mandel pamphlet Class Consciousfor some time, has now been republished New Park has republished Trotsky's Social Democracy and the Wars of Intervention in mussia ~Fo-zt sometime called Between Black and Whitel, 128 (Spain). pages, price E1. Very attractively prod uced with photographs mads and e VERY CHEAP MARXIST CLASSICS CISCOUnTO UPONTURES claiming the strike has drifted out of Not suprisingly the stewards committee has decided not to speak to the press about the strike, but neither have they campaigned in the local labour movement for support. Nor have Massey's other factories in Britain, at Kilmarnock, Manchester and Liverpool, all of which are working normally, been contacted.
The employers are desperate to smast this strike and the occupation of the largest tractor plant in Europe. It is the first occupation of a motor plant in Britain in pursuit of a wage claim and, if successful, could easily trigger off a chain reaction in the crisis-hit car THOUSEV The stewards were due to meet as we went to press. A call to the Coventry labour movement for songarity would meet a ready response in this situation.
The strikers are broke and no money has been coming in-barring a too donation from some staff workers- as an appeal fund has not been launched.
An officially backed support committee could quickly win widespread backing for the strike amongst workers in the area, overcome the scabbing or the official leadership of the unions, and, if necessary, stay the hand of the courts and police in implementing an eviction order. As one militant told Red Weekly, We need to build links with other workers in the area.
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