Nube Threatens to Call More Strikes

from a special correspondent The National Union of Bank Employees will call more strikes next month if the clearing banks do not promise by February 3rd to establish national negotiating machinery for bank workers. There would be a three-day stoppage by NUBE members at Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol and Chesterfield and the union would then ask London members to decide by ballot whether they would strike at a later date. These decisicns were taken by the union's executive on Monday, January 15. The unicn then made formal notification of its intention to Mr, Ray Gunter, Minister of Labour. He will be meeting representatives of the NUBE, the Central Council of Bank Staffs Associations and nine of the 11 clearing banks, The other two clearing banks, Midland and Coutts, will not take part in the talks because they are opposed in principle to even discussing the establishment of national negotiating machinery, The union is trying to put maximum pressure on these two banks to chanre their attitude but it is also angry with the other nine banks for going back on a pledge to hold a meeting to discuss the establishment of national machinery. The NUBE considers that the banks are hiding behind a decision taken by the staff associations to denland-: overtime pay on Saturday. The NUBB's general secretary said after the union executive's meetinre that he did not care whether or not the staff associations were included in the national negotiating machinery. The union leadership is under considerabe pressure from militant members to take decisive action which will lead to some progress in their long-standing wage claim,