Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/7466
Posted on 23 June 2009 at 0:00 GMT
Socialist Party newsletter no 19, June 24th
ALL OUT FOR 'TOTAL' SHUTDOWN
SOLIDARITY WITH SACKED LINDSEY WORKERS
DEFEND TRADE UNIONISM & NAECI AGREEMENT
This newsletter is supported by Keith Gibson LOR strike cttee, Trevor Grewar Hull Amicus/Unite branch chair, John McEwan LOR strike cttee, & Steve Jones LOR steward. (all in personal capacities)
Download this leaflet as a word file
Hundreds of Lindsey contract workers walked out on unofficial and 'illegal' strike action on Thursday 11th June to stop 51 redundancies being imposed without consultation or the opportunity to transfer to another contractor.
Since then, Total have refused to negotiate unless there is a return to work, yet have insisted that the 51 redundancies would go ahead anyway.
Faced with this ultimatum, a mass meeting on Tuesday 16th June voted to appeal for solidarity action from engineering construction workers across the country.
Since Total's 'mass dismissal by press release' of 647 strikers, walk-outs have spread like wildfire, affecting over 20 power station and petro-chemical sites.
This show of support has forced the GMB and Unite trade unions, who both repudiated the unofficial strike action, to now publicly support their dismissed members at a mass rally outside LOR on Tuesday 23rd June (see below).
"ALL OUT TOGETHER,
WE'LL ALL GO BACK TOGETHER"
Total have declared war on trade unionism and the NAECI national agreement. This dispute is no longer just about 51 sacked workers, its about the future of our industry.
The employers want to break the solidarity of construction workers and smash effective trade unionism so that they can get rid of the national agreement to bring in cheap labour and drive down wages to boost their profits.
We won't let them. We must stand united together to defeat these greedy bosses. They say they won't talk unless we return to work - that's what they said in February, but we forced them to.
They say we should have an official ballot - but the ECIA (employers association) are organising to make the ballot illegal! They say we could apply for our jobs back - we won't let them pick and choose.
As Phil said "We all came out together, and we'll all go back together."
23 SITES HAVE TAKEN SOLIDARITY ACTION
Fiddlers Ferry
Aberthaw
BOC Scunthorpe
South Hook
Drax
Ferrybridge
Eggborough
BP Saltend
Conoco
Staythorpe
West Burton
Ratcliffe
Cottam
Didcot
Stanlow
Wilton
Hinkley
Sellafield
BP Dimlington
Isle of Grain
Coryton
Longannet
Cockenzie
'TOTAL' DEFIANCE
In a symbolic act of defiance, sacked construction workers burned their dismissal letters outside Lindsey Oil Refinery (LOR) on Monday 22 June.
This sent a clear message to the bosses of Total (LOR owners) that mass sackings, in effect a lock-out, will not intimidate hundreds of strikers back to work. As GMB steward Phil Whitehurst said "Let them show us how many want to go back in there crawling on their bellies with their begging bowls."
Unite steward Kenny Ward asked "Would Total do the same in France? Absolutely not, because there would be tankers turned over on their sides..... because the French (workers) wouldn't put up with it....But our government will. Our government will be subservient to companies like this. But we won't!"
We need to be more like the French workers. We are making a stand against unemployment and cheap labour, against the anti-trade union laws and against big corporations like Total trying to make us pay for their capitalist economic crisis. Support us in this fight.
"A solution we will have. A sell-out we won't."
Lindsey workers got a huge boost yesterday (Tues 23 June) as around 2,000 strikers and supporters marched and rallied outside Total's oil refinery.
The pressure of the walk-outs spreading around the country (Sellafield, Longannet power station and Coryton oil refinery have joined over 20 sites taking action) has forced both the GMB and Unite unions to now officially support the dismissed 647 workers.
Union flags decorated the march giving a real feel of trade union power.
At the rally GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny pledged "A solution we will have. A sell-out we won't.
"And there will be no solution without all the dismissed workers being re-instated and the 51 sackings being rescinded."
Then he pledged £100,000 for a hardship fund which Unite will have to match. Even Tommy Hardacre publicly pledged support.
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union brought solidarity greetings after marching with the FBU banner. He said "The government have bailed out the bankers. Where's the bail-out for the workers, to protect our jobs and conditions?"
Total's mass dismissals have back-fired on them.
They have clearly been rocked by the spreading strikes and support for the Lindsey workers. Having insisted that there would be no negotiations until a return to work, they are now "actively encouraging" the contractors to seek talks.
Workers are hopeful of a breakthrough but prepared for the long haul if that's what it takes.
HOPE FOR THE BEST, BUT PREPARE FOR A LONG HAUL
Socialist Party suggestions for taking strike forward:
- Continue to send pickets out to spread strike nation-wide
- Call for boycott of, and organise blockades of, Total petrol stations
- Organise 24 hour picketing of Total/LOR
- Appeal to tanker drivers and train drivers not to cross
- Contact French trade unions at Total in France for support
- Call on GMB & UNITE to organise national march on Parliament and/or mass demonstration at Total UK HQ in Watford.
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