Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 13:05:52 -0600 (CST)
From: Dennis Grammenos <dgrammen-AT-prairienet.org>
Subject: M-I: In Britain Communist newsworkers strike


Does anybody know of this?  What is going on?


Solidarity,
Dennis Grammenos


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 10:38:07 -0700 (MST)
From: dayne <Dayne.R.Goodwin-AT-M.CC.UTAH.EDU>
To: sldrty-l-AT-igc.org
Subject: Communist newsworkers strike (fwd)

See below an article for the Industrial Worker.  One of those involved is a
former trade union colleague and currently sports reporter for the paper.  
have spoken to a few CPB members and they completely fail to see the irony of
this!

Kevin Brandstatter
IWW


Journalists a the London based Morning Star went on unofficial strike on 4
February after their editor, John Haylett was suspended by the newspapers
management committee on 24 January, without any reason.

The newspaper is controlled by the communist party run Peoples Press Printing
Society.  Representatives of PPPS met the 12 journalists but refused to reverse
or justify their decision.  

Managers of the paper have threatened members of the National Union of
Journalists that if they took unofficial strike action they were likely to be
sacked and the union sued as the union would be pursuing illegal strike action.
 The workers themselves were advised not to strike by their own union.

The Deputy Editor, Paul Corry and a small number of other staff decided to scab
on their colleagues and tried (to no avail) to bring out an edition of the
Morning Star, which has for many years campaigned for workers rights.

Sources close to the Morning Star have alleged that the fiasco is part of a
power struggle going on within the Communist Party of Britain and within the
PPPS.  The General Secretary of the CPB, Mike Hicks has been instrumental in
deposing John Haylett, who is seen as too independent, of failing to tow the
party line and not giving enough prominence to CPB pronouncements.  A worker at
the Morning Star said "This is supposed to be a workers paper.  We wouldn't
stand for this treatment anywhere else so we won't stand for it here".

The management of the Morning Star refused to make any public comment.



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