days before the Christmas holiday. But despite this careful manoeuvre on the part of the ruling class, measures to prepare a mass working class response are already under way in a number of areas. In the coming weeks every effort must be made to Birmingham Full-time trade union district secretaries and organisers, together with the convenors of major factories in the area, have been asked by UCATT regional secretary Ken Barlow to attend a meeting on Wednesday 2 January to discuss action in support of the Shrewshury workers. There will also be a meeting of all the city's building site shop stewards on Monday 7 January, and the idea of an all-city shop stewards conference is also being mooted.
Bristol A meeting of the Trades Council on Thursday 20 December decided to call for a demonstration and supporting strike action on Monday 7 January It also voted to support the already established defence committee and to send delegates along to its meetings:
Edinburgh A specially convened meeting of the building trade Joint Shop Stewards Committer on Thursday 20 December decided to call for immediate strike action on the three best organised sites in the city: Myton's Commonwealth Pool, Myton's University, and Laing's St James Centre. All three were our sulid on the Friday, and together with delegations from eight other sites they took part in a 200 strong protest lobby of the Scottish Office. The Joint Shop Stewards Committee has also decided to hold a meeting of all stewards on Monday 7 January to discuss further industrial action, and a motion was passed recalling the Trades Council Executive to discuss the issue, Telegruns were sent from the meeting to the Liverpool Trades Council asking for a recall meeting of the September conference, and to UCATT and the TUC demanding that they call a General Strike in defence of the Shrewsbury workers.
A meeting of building trade unionists on Saturday moming. 29 December, decided to call for a joint meeting of the Trades: Council Executive the Charter Defens Committee and UCATT shop stewards to organise industrial action on the case. This meeting took place on the Sarurday afternoon, but all that has so far been decided is to hold a meeting of all shop stewards and to organise a mass tally on Saturday 12 January The Inte A joint committee uniting representatives of the Confederation of Shipbuikling and Eng Ineering Unions, the T&GWU and UCATT has called for a one-day stoppage throughout Merseyside against both the imprisonment of the three and the imposition of a three-day week. This will be accompanied by a mass demonstration concluding with a rally in the city centre, although the exact date for this has yet to be fixed.
A mecting of Liverpool Trades Council on Thursday 20 December voted to support any industrial action in detence of the Shrewsbury workers, as well as agreeing to hold an immediate protest demonstration on 20 December, which was attended by about 200 people. The Trades Council has also agreed in principle to a recall meeting of the national Shrewsbury conference it organised in September, although the details of this have yet to be fixed.
A mecting of all Merseyside shop stewards to dicuss further action has been caled by the Trades Council for the evening of thursday 3 January. Already some sites have voted for strke action, notably the corporation workers on the Dovecol urban renewal sites, who struck on Thursday 20 December and declared their intention to remain on strike after the holiday.
London Several hundred people braved pouring rain on Friday 21 December to demonstrate in support of the Shrewsbury workers outside the Millbank Tower, where TUC leaders were engaged in talks with Heath and the employers on the energy crisis.
Last Friday, 28 December, a mecting of the recently established all-London Shrewshury Defence Committee passed the following motion: In line with the call bythe London Trades Council for a stoppage on 15 January around the question of the three day week, Phase 3, Inflation, etc., bearing in mind the jailing of the Shrewsbury 3 on the question of picketing. this meeting proposes that this day be the starting point for strike action escalating te general strike proportions, and turther calls on the twe building trade unions and the TUC to endorse this action."
This motion will be discussed at site meetings this week, and there Will also be a public meeting on Friday 4 Jamary, at 7.30 in Shoreditch Town Hall It is hoped that Lawrence Daly will he among the speakers. 3 January at 2.30p.m.
Brompton Road. Manchester 14.
North Wales The Barking and Dagenham Delence Committee has also swung into action, producing a bulletin on the case for distribution this week It has also called for u picket of the TEC headquarters at Congress House on Thursday Site meetings will be held throughout the city on Wednesday 2 January, the day building workers return after the holiday. and an appeal is going out to all other trad: unionists in the Greater Manchester wren to join a demonstration on 7 January. It is hoped that the latter will be accompanied by stoppages in at least the building industry Building workers from Manchester will also be lobbying a meeting of lie UCATT Executive on & January, while another deputation will visit the T& GWU headquarters in London to demand full support and national achon for the fight to free the three.
The vicious sentences have also added a new urgency to the call for a conference on the Shrewsbury case and the conspiracy laws. sponsored by the Manchester Co-ordinating Committee of Trade Unionists. This will be held in the Doweing Street Co-op Hall on Saturday 19 January, Delegates credentials can be obtained from Mr. Stan Brazil, 6F More than a dozen sites and factories were Closed down on Thursday 20 December when thousands of engineering, transport and building workers launched a united protest PAY I would like more information about the IMG I would like to subscribe to Red Weeklo (special introductory rate: 50p for 12 issues) Send to: 182 Pentonville Road, London, N.1. strike in response lo a call by the Delenice Committee, and plans are being made to continue a campaign of industrial action after the holiday period Nottingham A broad defence committee established at a meeting Iwo days after the sentences were announced has called a demonstration through the city tor Monday? January, It is hoped that this will be sponsored by an extended meeting of the Trades Council (including shop stewards, trade union officinis, etc.) which hus been called for 2 January to discuss the general crisis. Meanwhile the defence costnittee has already begun to mobilise for the demonstration with a picket in the city centre last Saturday. This week it plans to latlet the major factories and pits in the area. Oxford Militants will be leafleting the major factories and building sites on the case in the coming week, bur no major decision on co-ordinated action is expected before 18 January, when an extended Trades Council meeting on the general crisis will discuss the sentences and will hear a speaker from the national Shrewsbury Defence Committee.
Sheffield A lcatlet calling for national action and advertising a meeting on 8 January will be distributed round all the building sites and major factories this week. The leaflet has so far been signed by 11 sile stewards and two site convenors, as well as by Peter Tait of the NUM Executive, Gwyn Reed of Doncaster NUM Dennis Skinner MP, and the convenor of the British Steel Corporation works at River Don, where the shop stewards committee recently sent C240 to the national detence fund.
----- pull-quotes -----
draw these together into an effective, co-ordinated campaign of national industrial action. Liverpool