few problems over the treatment of its black workers in South Africa. But a dispute in one of its Nottingham factories would suggest that it does not treat its black workers here much better.
The dispute has arisen in the Plastics section of British Celanese, Spondon, where black workers are in a large majority. Working conditions here are very bad, mainly due to the fumes from the Bipel line. But under the leadership" of the senior steward, a white leading hand inspector, dirt money was stopped for process workers -although fitters, who work on the jobs concerned for a matter of minutes, still retain this money, There is also a special bonus scheme in this department. Other departments have group bonus schemes that can bring up to 22p more an hour, but in the Plistios section, the bons. is worked out individusily and carries a maximum of 12p an hour, Although it is called a productivity bonus, the key criterion is "cor operation with the foreman. This means that" white workers are on a high bonus, black medical notes stating that they cannot continue to work under these conditions.
In this situation, the black workers decided to fight, A few weeks ago, four black shop stewards were elected, including Ajit Singh, a mem ber of the Black Workers Action Committee, As a first step, Ajit Singh won the right for the men to wash before they clocked off. A factory inspector was also brought in, and Courtauld's were told to instal safety measures, including proper ventilation, at a cost of E9,000. Pressure was abo brought on the T&G convenor, Crowther, and the district official, Reg Harris, to get something done. Dissatisfaction reached such a pitch that leaflets attacking the role of Reg Harris were given out at the T&G conference, signed by two of the stewards, Ajit Singh and Larry Williams.
Shortly after this, three white workers began to circulate a petition after a meeting with the convenor and the district official, It called for the removal of Williams and Singh as 'members of a Black Power organisation and racists, and was circulated during working hours while members of management looked on. Four workers were even taken to the managemont Adams, was selected for training as a setter. When, last month, a vacancy for u further setter arose, the ETU members refused to train Adans any longer. ETU members are reported to have said that there were too many coloured machine setters in the machine shop? (there was one).
The management claim that they are innocent victims of an inter-union dispute. Yet they immediately sided with the setters, offering Adams a post as an unskilled operator. This was when the black night shift walked out. When they returned to work two weeks ago. management suspended Adams altogether, and this resulted in the night shift coming out on strike again, joined this time by the day shift. Some Asian workers, living in fear of intimidation following the Intest racist attacks by the Government, are crossing the picket line. They do so in shame. On the other hand, the majority of the white workers in the factory are crossing the line without any regrets. urged on by white shop stewards, Some of these are in the AUEW, which has made the strike official, The racist alliance has borne its fruits. Even elementary union solidarity is violated by the white workers.
This reveals the bankruptcy of official union policy on racism in the unions. The AUEW, like most unions, is officially opposed to racism, but in practice turns a blind eye to it among its own ranks.
All members of the AUEW and the EPTU must now demand that their fellow members at STC support the present struggle, and that any steward who continues to cross the picket line should have his credentials unity of the working class, But it is time to got up and say now in this country this unity is far from real, that as far as black workers are concerned they are at the bottom of the pile. I support black political organisations as a way of building genuine working class unity. When I won the demands for washing and ventilation, they were won for both black and while workers,"
Management has pulled every trick in the book, Attempts have been made to set Pakistanis against Indians, and West Indians against Asiass, Back workers applying for jobs have been asked for their passports we want tu know if you're legal", An overtime ban was called after management ralled on an agreement with Singh to give advance notice of overtime.
It is clearly only a matter of time before there Is a head-on clash between the workers and management. As Bennie Bunsce, of the National INTEREST RATES Committee for Trade Unions Against Kacism (set up from the Birmingham conference), points out: "What we are secing in British Celanese is a real challenge to racism in industry. We could see another victory as important as that at Mansfield Hosiery Mills. Alenkins STC shop stewards Roy Stennett (leftl and Abel Lewis at press conference last week. removed. All workers should declare their opposition to racism by attending a mass picket of the plant or taking other sulufarily actions, and workers in other SIC plants should immediately set an example along these lines. The black workers of STC should not be left in the position where all they can do is to strike against a rucist management in an effort to force it to discipline equally racist workers. Dave Bailey industrial unrest in any industry in which be