From: "dave graham" <davgraham-AT-hotmail.com>
Subject: AUT: Flying Sparks
Date: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 03:47:54 PST


I'm copying this simply because it makes me feel good.

for readers unfamiliar with the UK

Sparks is a slang word for an electrician

the AEEU is the Amalgamated Egineering and Electricians Union - a rump 
of its former self since the decimation of apprenticeships in this 
country. Presently headed by a shithouse and arselicker called bill 
jordan - what a biop I could produce on him !

the Dome referred to is the Millenium Dome - at present behind schedule 
on a former gasworks isolated from the rest of London and the country - 
hence the importance of the construction of a new underground railway - 
the Jubilee Line.

so not unnaturally - placed at a moment of extreme sectional power - the 
workers are taking advantage of the situation to get their own back.

Read it and enjoy !

But above spread the example of what these workers are doing.

ATB

_____________________________________________________________________

Date:         Thu, 26 Nov 1998 07:27:38 -0500
Reply-To: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
From: Tom Patterson <tom-AT-QUEERNET.ORG>
Subject:      bulletin from inspiring strikers in London UK
To: LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA

Dear Comrades,

Below is up to the minute information from the Jubilee rank and file 
strikers who have shown us all a magnificent way of organising a 
powerful union. Details from their own first two bulletins below tells 
their story in their words.

Contact phone and snail-mail addresses are below for messages of 
support, and donation details. I will e-mail bank account details 
tonight to everyone who gets this e-mailing. They do not have e-mail 
facilities yet, but everyday I am on the picket line and talk to the 
stewards helping out a little - and will pass on any e-mail messages 
till they get on line themselves.

In Solidarity, Steve Myers.

FLYING SPARKS!
Bulletin of Jubilee ‘AEEU’ Strikers

Info from bulletins No.1 + 2 , Monday and Wednesday, 23rd + 25th 
November  1998

Monday 23rd November
“KINGS CROSS - NEVER AGAIN!” say 700 JLE Sparks striking for safety

We, 700 electricians on the Jubilee Line Extension are still on strike 
from last week over safety and then victimisation. We cannot afford to 
compromise. Xmas trees have been ordered for picket lines - just in 
case!
       
The Safety AEEU Rep. at London Bridge Station discovered there was no 
fire alarm protection. 100 workers were not informed of the evacuation. 
The Safety Rep told the workers and they refused to work until the 
fire-alarms were fixed. Employers, Drake & Scull’s response was to sack 
the Rep and 11 other ‘too vocal’ workers from the site. After a series 
of mass meetings, 500 plus electricians at London Bridge, Waterloo and 
Westminster sites came out on indefinite strike  - until the Jubilee 12 
are re-instated and safety guaranteed. We have set up permanent picket 
lines at the three underground sites.

Then a further 100 Waverley electricians and then another 100 from the 
Wood Group joined the strike - making it 800 in all.

The mass media have launched a witch-hunt against us, blaming us for 
sabotage of electrical wiring - when it was impossible for those blamed 
to ever get near such cables. In fact it was in the interests of Drake & 
Scull to cut the wiring as they get heavily penalised if they are behind 
schedule - and so they  benefit twice in pointing a finger at us flying 
sparks.       

The AEEU union repudiated the action wanted us all back to work. We 
refused point blank. This is why maximum support across the unions, the 
labour movement and the public must be mobilised behind us rank and file 
strikers.

Bulletin 2, Wednesday 25th November

BOSSES REJECT COMPROMISE
They have declared war against our rank & file power! 650 striking 
electricians and 75 plumbers stay solid as solidarity grows

We strikers came out over a week ago when the bosses tried to isolate 
selected rank and file union members from the biggest Jubilee Line 
Extension (JLE) site at London Bridge.

What began as a dispute over safety fire-alarms, and then over 
Victimisation of the Jubilee 12, has now become an all out attack on our 
powerful rank & file sparks organisation.

On Monday we proposed to the bosses that we would compromise, and if 
they needed 12 transfers then it could be done on a voluntary basis - 
and we would all be back at work on Tuesday. But they rejected this 
point- blank, demonstrating even more clearly to us all that their 
tactic was the first salvo in a US-style union-busting onslaught. 
Bechtel, a  US company took over general JLE site management 3 months 
ago, and are responsible for hiring sub contractors like Drake & Scull 
(our employers). Bechtel have stood firm behind Scull - and we believe 
they are behind all this.

The bosses refusal to compromise is in fact a declaration of war against 
some of the best organised workers in the country - but it is clearly 
aimed at attacking the working and safety conditions of all the workers 
on the JLE - because they need to rush through the project in time for 
that stupid Dome.

So corners need to be cut and safety automatically goes out of the 
window.

BACKGROUND TO THIS ATTACK

Sparks first came in numbers onto the JLE project in February 1996. 
Inside 6 months the first shop-steward was elected with over 50 Sparks 
in the union. But we did something unique (and something all other 
building workers should note): besides paying the union AEEU subs of 
£1.35p, per week we sparks, by ourselves, set up our own rank & file 
hardship fund of £2.00p per week!!!

The reason for this was that as there’s no sick pay in our contract we 
needed to do it ourselves - and by god we did it, and it worked 
brilliant.

We simply call our rank & file body, ‘The Shop’. The AEEU full-timers 
hated what we did, but we’ve grown from strength to strength, and this 
financial independence and self collection of funds is important, 
because today we do many of the activities that unions were originally 
built to do. The Shop supports our members in hardship; we finance our 
own rank & file struggles with great success against management attacks; 
we give money to other causes.

Just recently £1,000 to Wigan striking Sparks - we held weekly 
collections on the sites. Also recently we gave £300 to the rank & file 
Rail Strike Support Group (defending sacked RMT Rep. Steve Hedley), who 
ironically have just returned the honour themselves with a hefty 
donation to our strike fund.
Great camaraderie, eh!

By April 1997 there were 200 sparks on the job. A 5-strong Committee of 
stewards was elected and we held monthly meetings. Three days later 
eleven Sparks were sacked, including all of the 5 elected Shop 
Committee. Immediate unofficial (and very illegal!) 100% walkout 
resulted. As with today, the AEEU repudiated the action, and Drake & 
Scull sacked all 200 of us. We picketed
Out every site for a week - and then total victory! All were reinstated!

Since then our rank and file body has had a number of defensive disputes 
and been very successful, to the point of radically improving our safety 
and general working conditions. We wish other workers on the JLE and 
elsewhere would copy-cat our example - as it would strengthen workers 
everywhere and the trade union and labour movement in general - and we 
would give full support
to their actions!

THE PRESENT ATTACK!

It is in this context that the present dispute takes place. It may even 
be the reason why this particular Bechtel company were selected to run 
the JLE  project, considering their anti-union busting experience!? They 
have been getting quite heavy-handed against all JLE workers on numerous 
minor issues over the last several weeks - and now - we have this 
situation.
       

We do not believe this is an attack on the AEEU officials. The General 
Secretary of the AEEU seems to prefer talking to managers than to those 
who pay his wages - us lot. This attack against the rank & file Shop at 
London Bridge, the biggest of the London sites, is the first salvo 
against the whole of The Shop spread over 15 sites in inner-London.

WHAT HAS TO BE DONE!

We electricians and plumbers are proudly sticking together. We welcome 
all those workers and others who want to join our picket-lines and 
rubbish totally all the crap lies in the press and all the ‘red-scare’ 
stories spread by the lie-machines. We recognise the need to link up 
with other disputes and to get the support from the whole trade union 
and labour movement. Also - we would like to thank all those unions, 
groups and individuals who have supported us so far. Thank you all - let 
us together turn this important struggle into another victory for us - 
and for us all.

Join the Jubilee Picket Lines
The Jubilee strikers have picket lines at the three tube stations: 
Waterloo, London Bridge and Westminster every morning from 7am. We are 
appealing to all supporters: join our picket lines!

Pass resolutions of support; get people down to the picket lines; rush 
urgent donations to: ‘AEEU Strike Fund’ - 249 Thorold Road, Ilford, 
Essex, IG1 4HE.

Flying Sparks! bulletin  by Jubilee ‘AEEU’ Strikers      0976 762 040




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