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strike at faslane base on Friday

daily record (Scotish tabloid) | 07.04.2002 13:11 | Peace not War

PROTEST STRIKE AT CLYDE BASES Apr 6 2002

Fury at MoD sell-off

ANGRY workers at the Faslane and Coulport naval bases are to strike in protest at plans to privatise their jobs.

Yesterday, union chiefs announced a one-day stoppage will be staged on Friday after getting "overwhelming backing" for industrial action.

The strike was to be scheduled for Tuesday but was put back out of respect for the Queen Mum, whose funeral is on that day.

The strike protest follows a Ministry of Defence announcement last month that 3000 workers across the UK would be transferred to the private sector under a £300million cost-saving plan.

Around 750 defence jobs will be axed as a result.

The Clyde bases of Faslane and Coulport will bear the brunt, with the loss of 500 workers.

Support work would be transferred to private contractors Babcocks who also own Rosyth, in Fife.

Speaking at Faslane yesterday, TGWU national organiser Jack Dromey accused Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon of going back on his word to workers.

Dromey said: "There is a sense of bitter betrayal on the Clyde.

"Mrs Thatcher said she would never privatise naval support. In 1995, Labour in opposition branded privatisation insane and pledged no privatisation.

"In 1999, George Robertson praised the Clyde as a model of co-operation, efficiency and effectiveness and, in 2000, Geoff Hoon promised to honour the no-privatisation agreement.

"The Secretary of State has now dishonoured his promise to the Clyde."

Dromey said Friday's stoppage - which could be the first in a series - would not endanger the bases' operational effectiveness or safety of nuclear submarines.

The defence unions plan to hold mass meetings in Portsmouth and Devonport next week, as well as meeting Hoon next Wednesday.

Confirmation of the action came after four meetings yesterday at Coulport and Faslane involving all affected workers. They range from cleaners to scientists.

SNP Defence spokesman Colin Campbell MSP backed the strike decision.

He said: "It is a clear indication of the strength of feeling about Labour privatisation plans."

If the issue is not resolved, it looks set to feature strongly at the Scottish TUC annual gathering in Perth, which starts on April 15.

daily record (Scotish tabloid)
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Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

less military is a good thing

07.04.2002 13:53

Perhaps the government should sack everybody involved in this vile industry.

we should have no sympathy for workers that service and maintain britains delivery system for weapons of mass destruction. solidarity with the strikers is not an option.

--
concerned citizen of britania

cob

Pacifism is reactionary

07.04.2002 19:54

First of all, the military employs about half a million people. I can't believe how callous you are are taking their livelihoods away.

I don't know what upbringing you've had, but a lot of people take any job they can get - the military in particular has a disproportionately high number of people from ethnic minority and poor backgrounds.

The only way we're ever going to acheive meaningful social change is by getting the military on our side.

Do you think camping near Faslane and smoking joints all day is going to smash the military-industrial complex?

The only people who can drastically change that industry are the workers within it. Capitalism and war can never be separated. We can't have peace until we overthrow capitalism. Come the revolution, they're going to be making weapons for us/themselves (the workers), y'know...

red'n'black

Q&A

07.04.2002 23:13

1) First of all, the military employs about half a million people. I can't believe how callous you are are taking their livelihoods away.

1a) whose livelehoods are been taken away, or should I ask what lives would be taken away by the weapons made.

2) I don't know what upbringing you've had, but a lot of people take any job they can get - the military in particular has a disproportionately high number of people from ethnic minority and poor backgrounds.
2a) So working for the nazis would be a good thing (the only jobs available in germany at the time) , lets educate the ethnic minorities and create a new ethos

3) The only way we're ever going to acheive meaningful social change is by getting the military on our side.
3a) the only way we will get a meaningful change is to abandon the idea that bullying people into submission is the right way.

4) Do you think camping near Faslane and smoking joints all day is going to smash the military-industrial complex?
4a) I dont camo there, but i have heard reports from hiroshima of people smoking (and i'm not talking drugs)

5) The only people who can drastically change that industry are the workers within it. Capitalism and war can never be separated. We can't have peace until we overthrow capitalism. Come the revolution, they're going to be making weapons for us/themselves (the workers), y'know...

5a) This is a SWP type answer, let people live and enjoy life, those that seek power or weapons are wrong....

Thanks,

eriblr

Response

08.04.2002 15:14

"'5) The only people who can drastically change that industry are the workers within it. Capitalism and war can never be separated. We can't have peace until we overthrow capitalism. Come the revolution, they're going to be making weapons for us/themselves (the workers), y'know... '

5a) This is a SWP type answer, let people live and enjoy life, those that seek power or weapons are wrong.... "

Fuck you I'm not in the SWP. If you hadn't guessed by my name, I am an anarchist.

Do you think the Berlin wall was knocked down by candle-light vigils?

And why don't you go to an Indonesian sweatshop and tell the workers to "enjoy life", or got to Colombia and tell be being massacred by right-wing paramilitaries that if they take up arms to defend themselves they are "wrong".

If our movement grows stronger and becomes a mass-movement, the State will stop at nothing to destroy us. We will never have peace until we have put an end to the system of domination of one person over another and one class over another. The State will not sit by and let this happen...