Murdoch’s electricians in union sights
NZPA-AP London The dispute over the introduction of new technology into Fleet Street spread yesterday when the national labour federation moved to suspend the one union helping the American publisher, Rupert Murdoch, produce his four newspapers on modern presses.
The Trades Union Congress also called on members of all affiliated unions not to cross picket lines, or undermine the strike by members of Sogat 82 (Society of Graphical and Allied Trades) and the National Graphical Association, who used to print “The Times,” “The Sunday Times,” “The Sun,” and its Sunday sister, “News of the World.” The News International titles now are being produced by the rebel electricians’ union at Mr Murdoch’s high-technology printing presses in Wapping, the docklands area east of central London.
Tony Dubbins, general secretary of the N.G.A., applauded the T.U.C.’s actions.
“They recognise that the approach from Murdoch and News International at present is not one about new technology,
but very much one about union busting,” he said. Brenda Dean, Sogat 82’s general secretary, said she was delighted with the T.U.C’s moves and her union was prepared to face any legal repercussions in its dispute with Mr Murdoch because it was convinced of the “justice of our case.”
The 5000 members of the two production unions went on strike last weekend after negotiations on an agreement for working at the new high-techno-logy plant broke down.
The workers were then promptly fired by Mr Murdoch.
The T.U.C. also appealed to all trade unionists in Britain to boycott the four newspapers, which have a total circulation of 11.5 million copies. The decision to set up a formal inquiry into the actions of the 355,000member electricians’ union was made after the four main newspaper unions, including the engineers and the National Union of Journalists, accused the electricians of colluding with News International.
Members of the journalists’ union have been working at Wapping, in
defiance of their union. , The inquiry could result in the electricians being expelled from Britain’s umbrella labour organisation, T.U.C. officials said. Congress officials met at a noisy session, which was lobbied by more than 300 angry striking production workers. Eric Hammond, the electricians’ leader, lodged a formal complaint with the labour body, saying he had been attacked outside and inside the meeting by striking members of Sogat 82. “I have got a bloody sore leg and it is hardly funny that we have had to endure this sort of intimidation,” he said. Also yesterday Mr Murdoch won the support of the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, in his court battle to ban Sogat 82 members from interfering with the distribution of his newspapers. "I think restrictive practices have dominated Fleet Street for far too long,” she told the House of Commons. “There has been far too great a resistance to technological change, and when the change comes it becomes much sharper than it would otherwise have been.”
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Press, 30 January 1986, Page 8
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485Murdoch’s electricians in union sights Press, 30 January 1986, Page 8
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