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The following article arose out of a discussion between members of Lancaster Socialist Woman Group and the Brannans strikers during a pichet.
In times when employers find it hard to keep their profit. levels up, they try to economise by widespread redundancies of their workers. Traditional economists and politicians might expect that as a result of high unemployment, workers will be more afraid of losing their jobs and more afraid to go on strike. Employers think they can get away with more, disregard Union rights and do just as they please. It comes as rather a surprise to them if, as in the present time, the militancy and determination of workers increases when their rights as individuals and Trade Unionists are attacked. It is something the ruling class doesn't expect.
In a rather remote part of England, Cleator Moor in Cumberland, in a small thermometer factory, Brannans Ltd., Just this has been happening Because there are not many employers in this small town, they have been used to getting their own way, which includes allowing extremely bad conditions of work to exist. About ten years ago the workers at Brannans, most of whom are women, got unionised into the AEUW in order to get some control over these conditions. They are now involved in a struggle which means life or death for the Union and it is necessary to see what the workers there have to challenge in order to see why this fight is so important.
MERCURY POISONING The manufacture of thermometers obviously involves some workers coming into close contact with mercury. But until recently these people had no protective clothing in their work so that the mereury would frequently run over their hands. This continued until one of the bosses got mereury poisoning; he couldn't write, he lost his teeth, his hair fell out and he was aitogether a nervous wreck. In the meantime two workers have died from this illness, Since then, overalls and rubber gloves have been issued, but the glass cuts the rubber so the danger still exists. In addition there is the danger of mercury absorption; above a certain temperature mercury evaporates and can therefore be absorbed. The main symptom is a skin rash which several workers have suffered. It is criminal that such conditions still exist (there were 39 new cases of industrial Illness reported in June 1971, most caused by metal poisoning - DEP Gazette, August 1971). At Brannans the Union has recently taken up the cases of the affected workers, and it is the only way in which such conditions can be fought. It is likely to win, and then what will it cost Mr. Brannan in money, time and reputation? It is much easier for him to try to smash the Union.
The present crisis began in March this year when Mr. Brannan proposed workers. Some of these people were quite new, one was the son of a foreman, another a shop steward who hadn't even informed the member. ship! It was obviously favouritism by the management for its own ends and the Union warned Brannan that workers in the factory would object. But a few months later he went ahead with the scheme. Immediately the offers of promotion had been accepted by the individuals concerned, the Union discussed the matter again with Brannan and asked for proposals to resolve the problem. By 2nd June no proposals had been recelved, but a letter of intent was issued; so on ard June the workers refused to go into work. Brannan refused to discuss further with the Union, and even rejected an approach by the DEP Conciliation Officer. In view of the threat the Union posed and his disregard for the Union, this refusal is not very surprising. STATE SUPPORT FOR BOSSES Having thus taken up his position in direct opposition to the interests of the workers in his factory, Brannan then used every means available to him to strengthen it, which are many for someone with his connections and influence: 1. He immediately began to advertise for new staff he found about 70, 20 blacklegs, and new clerical and administrative staff of all levels, none of them of course in the Union. 2. He sent letters to the people on strike saying that their employment would be considered terminated if they did not retum to work by the 21st June. He offered his support to those who would retum to work and dissociate themselves from the Union. About 26 members returned to work, taken through the picket by staff and Brannan's cars. 3. He contacted Social Security to say that the factory was working normally and there was no strike on. The strikers could not then claim social security. When some of the male workers with families were driven through lack of money to seek employment at another factory, Zeals, Brannan told Zeals that these men were on strike and therefore could not be employed 4. The police were called for non-existent "troubles"; they now usher the scabs and blacklegs in their cars out into the main road traffic, holding up the traffie on the main road to do so. They say they are unbiassed! 5. Brannan has got his side of the story published in the local news papers but nothing has appeared from the strikers. What an advantage it is to have influence. 6. When the picketers had successfully prevented Union wagons entering the factory. Brannan was able to find employers in other firms to do his delivering. He used the facilities of the garage opposite his factory in fact, any facilities of local firms where the workers did not prevent this happening As an employer in a society which is organised for the benefit of employers, Brannan was able to call on the support of different members of the ruling class and those parts of the State system such as the police and social security, all of which work in favour of the ruling class.
WOMEN LEAD 24-HOUR PICKETS So the workers have been having a particularly hard job fighting against such an employer as Brannan, but during the seventeen weeks (at the time of writing) of their strike, their determination and militancy. mostly led and organised by women, is a tremendous example to Trade Unionists. They have had at least five strike meetings during this time, but their organisation is mainly centred around the picket. They began by picketing during the day: then when they realised that wagons who were tured away during the day were returning at night, the picket was extended to operate all 24 hours of the day. Of course, management can always find scab firms to deliver goods when a Union driver refuses, so the strikers" work had to be extended to blacking goods at their place of production. A man who worked in the stores had a list of firms who Brannan dealt with, so each firm was systematically followed up and where possible goods were prevented from going to Brannans. The effect of this is encouraging to the picketers as fewer wagons arrive. In going round firms that deal with Brannans, the strikers have met other women like themselves who are militant and interested in Trade Unionism.
Their pickets are really effective they show the scabs and blacklegs exactly what they think of them by challenging them in their lunchbreaks and making it difficult for them to enter and leave the factory for work. A big crowd meets the scabs outside the factory every day with banners and slogans of solidarity. Despite the blackout on publicity that Mr. Brannan had made sure of for the strikers, they have received a lot of support from local workers and townspeople. Firstly, the local paper mill and another firm, Cellafield, supported them immediately as soon as the dispute broke out, workers from these places joined the picket whenever they could. In addition many of the local people and some of the local councillors support them. They recently organised a mass public meeting on 15th September; a lot of local Trade Unionists came and were addressed by the Trade Union official and the local M.P. The M.P. offered to mediate in the dispute and this proposal was accepted by the meeting. But the offer was refused by Mr. Brannan. In this way the strikers received almost their first publicity: a seemingly reasonable means to ending the dispute was agreed to by the strikers and rejected by the management. This was reported in the local newspaper and gained support and publicity for the workers.
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In addition to reaching out to Trade Unionists who could take industrial action to help them, the Brannans workers have contacted other workers who have been involved in struggles over Trade Union principles. At the Blackpool Trade Union Congress, delegates from Brannans met people from Storeys factory in Lancaster where a convenor was sacked for following Trade Union procedure over a demarcation dispute. Storeys strikers went to Cleator Moor picket and Brannans strikers came to meetings of Storeys strikers, thus making direct contacts and establishing concrete solidarity between the two groups of workers. Brannans strikers also welcomed members of Lancaster Socialist Woman Group who went to join their picket for a day and who were able to offer some means of publicity and gains of support from other members of their organisation. "ALL BACK OR NONE"
The Brannans workers have made their case clear: "all back or none" is what they say. Many of the workers now employed in Brannans factory are non-Union people. If the strike is lost, Trade Unionism in Brannans is almost certainly smashed or very severely weakened; people employed there will have no effective way of controlling their conditions. But the Brannans strikers do not want to win in order to get their jobs back, since a) they would hate to retur to work with the scabs, and b) they would not accept less than a 100% return to work and Brannan has already said he will not accept everyone back on any terms. So the fight Where unemployment is high, employers are ready to take advantage of lack of organisation among women workers to get away with bad conditions, as in this Yorkshice mill how is to force Brannans to close down, and all their organisation and work is directed to this end.
While the position of women at work is usually disadvantageous to them, Le. they form a "reserve" labour force that can be drawn in and out of employment as required, and consequently their rates of pay and conditions ete, are poor, the example of Brannans women shows that in some respects it can be an advantage. Faced with an employer who even cheats them of their rights to claim social security, because they are not totally dependent on their working incomes, the pressure on them to give up the fight is less. The Brannans dispute shows once again that women can not only be unionised, but can give a lead in fighting for working class rights. If Brannans closed down, this would represent a victory for workers in Cleator Moor, for other employers will not dare to challenge the right to organise. Where a family income is totally dependent on a man's wage, it is very hard for him to fight to close down his firm. The women at Cleator Moor can achieve what is necessary -as a local councillor said, "We have to clear this man out of the area and replace him with a more reasonable employer." Brannans strike is a step towards the day when workers, men and women, will clear out all the employers and build a society organised for people Instead of profit.
Nina Thomas TEXT OF THE BRANNAN STRIKERS' APPEAL LEAFLET Workers at Brannan Ltd., Cleator Moor, Cumberland, the majority of whom are women, have been on strike for 14 weeks over a dispute caused by management... On Thursday 3rd June, AUEW members withdrew their labour at the factory after management had selected certain workers to go on monthly staff conditions while continuing to work with the tools of the trade alongside other workers doing the same work who had not received the same consideration. Management have refused to discuss with Union representatives the position of workers who are put on staff. They have also ignored letters from our Union Official requesting meetings, to try to end this dispute. We are all of the opinion that this dispute is ultimately an attempt to end union negotiating rights in Brannans, and it took a long time to get the union established in this factory.... About eighteen months ago some of our members were diagnosed with mercury poisoning and the Factory Inspectorate gave Brannans three months to bring the factory up to a set standard of safety. The Union are fighting these cases. Both management and strikers recognise that without an active union these sorts of things will continue to exist. We are determined to force the management to capitulate. We picket the factory from morning until night thus prevent ing about 99% of the vehicles entering the factory, otherwise only blacklegs" and "scab labour" get in. in addition, we have contacted the Unions of firms that deliver to and from Brannans in order to get goods blacked. Strikers have been prevented from claiming social security, unless they declare themselves unemployed, by management's telling social security that production in the factory is normal. Therefore, our only source of income is strike pay. The press have refused to publicise our case, only that of Mr. Brannan. ... The strike has been long and there is no sign of an end to it. So we desperately need people to know what's going on, to help with publicising it, and offering their solidarity with us. Please send messages of moral and financial support to: Sister Muriel Hillon, Shop Steward, 34 Greystone Place, Cleator Moor, Cumberland
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REOPENS HERE PLEASE T
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to put certain selected workers on monthly staff conditions while they would still be working with the tools of the trade, alongside their fellow