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From Militant, No. 280, 21 November 1975, p. 7.
Transcribed by Iain Dalton.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
Dear Comrade
Such is the surplus of available labour the employing class are returning to their old habits, especially where the Trade Unions are weak or the labour force is poorly organised. In Gilbeys’ bottling factory in Harlow, one clear example was shown. The Customs and Excise men went through the lockers of the women workers.
In the locker of one well-established long-serving worker they found a bottle of sherry. The woman concerned had brought it in so that her workmates could have a birthday drink. The bottle was still wrapped as it came from the Off-licence.
The woman was pulled into the office and went through an hour and a half grilling. Where did it come from? Who had a drink from it? Did she know who had a drink in the factory? Did she know anyone who pinched a drink from the warehouse? And so on, until the woman was in such a state she couldn’t work and had to go home early.
Many of you might say if you were treated in such a way, “two fingers to your tin pot job,” or “get the union rep. in to return the favour to the management.” But now the situation is, walking out means no job to go to, and in the past the women workers have been little inspired to build a strong union organisation in the factory. All section of the class must make sure the organisations that have been built up to protect the interests of the working class are brought out of moth-balls and made to work in our interests.
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Yours Fraternally |
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Last updated: 11 February 2017