Curbs leave electricians free to print papers

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 11

Curbs leave electricians free to print papers

NZPA-AP London Britain’s electricians’ union, threatened with suspension from the Trades Union Congress for manning high-techno-logy printing presses, bowed yesterday to restrictions demanded by the T.U.C. The move headed off a threatened split in the 9.8 million-member Trades Union Congress, but left electricians free to continue producing Rupert Murdoch’s four British newspapers at new computerised plants. “We were not frightened (but) we did not want to be outside the trade union movement,” said Eric Hammond, head of the 394,000-member Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

Members of the union have printed Mr Murdoch’s publications since

he switched production on January 25 from Fleet Street to computerised plants at Wapping, in the city’s East End, and in Glasgow.

He sacked his 5000 employees who belong to Fleet Street’s two main production unions, which have long preserved antiquated printing methods and high manning levels.

Under the T.U.C. directive the electricians’ union promised not to make a single-union agreement with Mr Murdoch and to “inform” its members at the two plants that they were doing the jobs of the sacked workers, contrary to T.U.C. rules. The T.U.C. did not tell the electricians to quit at Mr Murdoch’s plants because, Mr Hammond said, he would refuse and would sue the federation on the ground that it was urging a sympathy strike — illegal under British

Officials seized yesterday the £l7 million ($44.2 million) assets of the main production union, Sogat 82, for defying a court order to stop trying to disrupt distribution of Mr Murdoch’s newspapers. “The Times,” the four-million-circulation tabloid, "The Sun,” and two sister Sunday newspapers account for 25 per cent of national newspaper production.

Mr Murdoch obtained the original order against Sogat 82 on January 27 and has taken out similar suits against the other production union, the National Graphical Association.

A judge ruled on Tuesday that Sogat 82 was guilty of contempt of court, ordered its assets seized, imposed a £25,000 ($65,000) fine and threatened more fines.