On September 30, 550 workers at Appledore Shipbuilders in North Devon were made redundant by the receivers called in by the company. The workers have been occupying their yard in a fight to prevent the closure and the loss of their jobs. The previous day 700 workers and local villagers had barricaded the gates and blocked the main entrance with a digger to stop the receivers coming in. A GMB press statement issued on October 1 said that the shop stewards' committee had been allowed to remain in "effective control" of the yard, and that the union was working with the receivers to find new bidders for the company.
If no buyer is found, hundreds of related contract jobs as well as the jobs at the yard would be lost.
Even if one is found, the workers would face a struggle to keep their pensions - the company under-funded its pension scheme.
32 apprentices also face the loss of their apprenticeships if they have to sign on.
Readers should get the backing of their unions and local Socialist Alliance for the campaign.
• Send donations and messages of support to: Union Offices, Appledore Ship Builders, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 1LX, 07800 545844.
• Make cheques payable to "Appledore Shipbuilders Welfare Club". Email messages to: [email protected]
• The workers have their own website: work-in.blogspot.com back of the loss of the safe Labour seat of Brent East to the LibDems who capitalised on their opposition to a war not backed by the UN, even though this opposition faded away as soon as war started.
Blair has made it clear that he will not shift from his programme of privatisation and support for the USA's war drive. So we all need to maintain mass mobilisations and pressure at every level to make him pay the price for going to war on false pretexts. Of course the obvious replacement, Gordon Brown, would have a similar programme, even if he might have to be more cautious in carrying it out.
The war is continuing in Iraq. Occupation troops are killing scores of innocent civilians, in a manner reminiscent of the Israeli army's killing of Palestinians. The invasion and occupation is a war crime, and the financial cost of war is an obscenity. According to by Bertrand Russell into the USA's war crimes in Vietnam 30 years ago, would be a place to hear witnesses and the consider the facts of the crimes being carried out under Bush & Blair's orders
In an act of deliberate spite to the majority in Britain, Blair has invited Bush for a state visit to Britain from 19 to 21 November. This is the cementing of an alliance for the un-ending war and a "2Ist Century colonialism" which we must break-up.
Bush's visit to Britain must be in our diaries now and plans prepared for the majority across Britain to let it be known in the streets of every city that Bush is not welcomed by us and should be kicked-out! For further information: Stop the War Coalition [email protected] http://www.stopwar.org.uk Phone: 020 7053 2153/4/5/6
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October 2003 Crisis of Blairism/Editorial