Game set and match to Lindsey workers as bosses hoist white flag
by Ken Ferguson
Amidst the wall to wall coverage of the Wimbledon tennis tournament constructional
engineering workers at the Lindsey oil refinery clocked up a smashing
victory over union busting bosses.
In a comprehensive victory, they have won jobs for the 61 workers whose
original sacking sparked the dispute and guarantees of no victimisation
for the strikers not just at Lindsey but across the UK.
Make no mistake, this is a stunning victory for organised labour and
solidarity in the teeth of bosses intimidation.
Faced with demands to reapply for their own jobs they queued up to burn
the threatening letters from the bosses in a communal bonfire which symbolised
their burning determination to throw back the bosses attack.
Not only have the Lindsey workers comprehensively defeated the oil giant
Total but they have swept aside all the supposed anti union legal shackles
banning solidarity action with sites from Fife to Lincolnshire downing
tools in support of the Lindsey strikers.
This action once again spotlights the basic truth that , faced with bosses
threats, united action can win and roll back the employers offensive.
Amidst media hype about workers taking wage cuts to support the bosses
the construction workers have shown—just like those at Prisme, Visteon,
Waterford Glass and Linamar—that the bosses are not invincible.
Amidst the Brown/Cameron shadow boxing on spending cuts one thing is
clear—a major assault is on the way against wages, jobs, services and
pensions in order to pay the bankers’ bills.
From Lindsey to the occupied schools of Glasgow people are fighting back.
Whoever is in Downing Street many thousands more are likely to be drawn
into similar action in the months ahead.