All language subtitles for Play for Today - The Rank and File (1971) by Jim Allen & Ken Loach FULL FILM DVDrip (480p_25fps_H264-128kbit_AAC).inglés

this was the battleground

here where we lived and worked is where

we fought the enemy

and where those of us remain on a

blacklist continue to fight

a drab town with a population of over a

hundred thousand

where sixty one percent of the houses

are rented

thirty four percent have no inside

toilets

twenty nine percent no bathrooms

an ugly town

one book shop two cinemas

pubs bet shops and a rugby team

a battered landscape

scarred by years of exploitation going

back to the time when cole was king

a company town

dominated by a firm which has been run

by the same family for 142 years

a family whose high model purpose and

paternalistic attitude as evidenced by

the fact that every christmas

it offers to its pensioners a free

bucket call together a contribution to

the television license

up in this part of the country they've

got it sold up

if you don't work with them you might as

well not work at all

there hadn't been a strike here for a

hundred years

and the union enjoyed the protection of

a closed shop

where contributions were automatically

deducted from the workers paid packets

and meetings were as rare as a sunny day

on a wet weekend

then this happened

in the first place it was our lads in

the sheet works they walked down to that

past 11 over some minor discrepancy in

the pay slip

which was something that they'd been

complaining about for weeks

but it just seemed to snowball like

suddenly it burst like a car bundle that

had been left festering

brothers

i might introduce

to bill hagen the official of the union

we're down here to discuss this

discrepancy of 30 shillings a week in

the pay package as far as i'm concerned

mr chairman the discrepancies in the pay

slips is a triviality it's something

which we can sort out quite easily what

i want to know is what is brother hager

doing about our long outstanding claim

for a two and six months an hour

increase

now listen half a clown an hour you must

be bloody joking sure

wait a minute wait wait a minute now let

me speak

now i've been brought down here on one

matter which is the pay slips and now

you're throwing something at me which is

entirely different entirely different

altogether and i can't as a union

representative as a union official i

can't even discuss this with you at this

level i'd like to ask mr reagan what has

he been doing for the last eight months

for this half a crown an hour well what

progress have you made towards getting

this out of the crown and well i would

like to convene a meeting of the shop

stewards properly officially and and not

unofficially and then

if they declare the course of strike

action then we twist the arms of the uh

of the national executives

and make it official

germany convened us to convene the shops

you would meet and they come out

7.70 last november and flipping sent me

two with

this may that's what they've been

messing about with that prize has

already gone on the rent increase of

this year that's right

[Applause]

official of a bloody clown union

you know

you know perfectly well please

what are we arguing over off the crown

for

i've been in this firm now for 11 years

and you know what my basic pay is

13 pound five and eight a week yes

a bloody tram couldn't starve on it

25 pounds a week basic without you at

all

[Music]

and the officials done nothing about it

added time was asked for christmas there

nothing has been done about it how do

you know

[Music]

[Applause]

never mind all the shouting and

bothering brothers

if we're gonna come out let's go out and

let's make a good job of it no more

asking about like we did last time

[Music]

it's getting

you listen to me now

there's only one way and that is the

proper way the way the orderly way the

union way why shouldn't it go officially

through this one

we have tried and tried and tried again

and the jic is totally ineffective it

has come up with no positive results and

now we have to put the union in motion

by getting pressure from the shop floor

this is the only way it can be done

we've lost faith in you completely

[Music]

[Applause]

to the floor myself gentlemen do you

agree that we should all come out on

strike for 25 pounds

[Applause]

in two days all six factories were at a

standstill

and then all the other plants up and

down the country and the wilkinson group

came out in support

it was great

i think we could have done anything

we could have stopped the world but what

do you do when those who are supposed to

be leading this like come out of the way

to defeat it

brother hagin declared an official

apprentice level yet no attempt was made

to prevent stuff calling out the factory

likewise nothing was done about gaining

support from other unions

and so they got bitten angry about us

they began to suspect that he'd only

made it officially knowledge of sabotage

you know you're crossing picket lines

come on back

[Music]

is

[Applause]

the gate yes when he's on there

[Music]

look i know it's frustrating and we can

understand that there's but it's still

no excuse it's all about throwing a

look i didn't mean it that way you can

hold the reigns and while he does all

the bloody rains we're running around

like bloody blind dogs in a butcher's

shop well maybe we should have a garden

at the meeting tomorrow brothers

i have some news for you

wait a minute yeah i've just come back

from london

but i had a meeting with the national

executive committee

on your behalf

now now now please

and they

after very careful consideration have

decided that although they have great

sympathy

what we say

please

they feel that this

is the wrong way to go about things and

that this is not an official strike it's

a non-official strike the strike is

unofficial

[Applause]

now it's no use you getting onto this

[Applause]

eddie marsden south side

i don't have to tell you how i feel

about this lads

because the anger that drove me up here

now that represents your anger

before this day is out

i want some criticism at the platform on

outer strikes being wrong

or not being wrong

but he's been down to london

he promised you an official support

at least listen to him listen to him you

want to know what you're up against

give him a hand

give him a healer

i like you

but i'd like to take eddie up

i know the response has been magnificent

from the floor it's been wonderful and

now you've got this strength why don't

you use it

why don't you let us negotiate for you

[Music]

[Applause]

this is senseless really

all right well with this in view your

next national executive have decided on

a secret ballot

[Applause]

delicious

listen listen you're cutting your own

throat

[Applause]

i'll take some action now

so now you see what we've got to pull up

with lads

the rubbish

you've just sucked to sell out merchants

but what are you going to do now

committee

[Music]

yet all right let's have those stewards

then boys come on billy

[Applause]

is

[Applause]

i think that's good representation boys

but i believe that you want a few more

on it's not top heavy

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

get on the bus can you stay in time

because you're excused

we were discussing ways of means of

getting organized

and getting things down in paper form on

the agenda making the gender house

the lads

within the middle it's all about this

the ballast the lands were waiting for

well i can't see us cracking this one

until first we give it a bit more

thought yeah and if the unions don't

publish the results of the ballots well

what can we do about it

it seems to me as if it's been an

abortive palace anyway because i would

say that if the result was for a return

to work it would have been all over the

echo and the local paper on the

television and everything i would think

that the result of the ballot has been

for the stay out support us and they

haven't been prepared to publish it

well that's the first step

now what about

well there was something you said uh or

was mentioned before eddie about um

for a bullet you know

like a new sheet

that wasn't i

someone raised that before

button yeah propaganda yeah

i'll tell you what eddie i want to be

able to get over the duplicator for you

no my i don't really know my message

she's in the children of mary

you know she's never away from the

church and she's wedding with the polish

police fire the garment

and he used this for these church

bulletins you know for birds managers

deaths and all that

and i think if i twisted arm hard enough

i won't tell her what it's for of course

and i'm sure she'll get it i'm good for

nothing

my wife's mate's got a typewriter i have

a body there

can you type

no there's nothing to it it's like

playing a piano

i'll put it down

so

y'all seem to be the

main spokesman on the pickets yeah what

you want is good big hard-looking

fellows it's not exactly little fella

you want a good big fella just to

explain you give them the instructions

and send them fun they know what to do

stop the men from going through and stop

the wagons from going

this is the main thing stop them from

going and they don't go in they can't

bloody go out either so that's the main

thing stop them from going in and we'll

win but what about this question you

don't have stopping wagons you don't

have the police involved

the police will be involved anyway well

you want a captain of the pickets yeah

what about you les yeah i mean

well that's two points

uh what are these hardship cases you

hear all about some terrible yeah

lads in terrible trouble i know six

fellows thrown out the dicks because

they got no money single legislating and

then about time after 100 years that we

had a war that's the thing a hundred

years nothing's going on this is it now

we're gonna have a good goal

[Music]

there

well it's um one of them forms that the

rank and file committee dished out i am

at the present time unemployed due to a

dispute of my place of work i am

therefore and unable to send my usual

payments however as soon as this

future's settled i shall resume my

payments i make arrangements with you to

clear my arrays that might be

outstanding

now i had one of them final warnings

notices that you know

p or parels kind of stay i know do you

think that'll do the trick it should do

the thing when it's explaining up there

doesn't it yeah

you can't get put out of a stone you

know you you wrote us out when we was on

the lump and uh when was on the trying

to get rid of these lump man so

you have to give you some support you

did everything you could probably the

first thing that the grocer he's did

when he formed his governments effect is

in businessmen from outside industry to

his super cabinets you know

he's in the attitude

and they've got the audacity to tell us

that we shouldn't organize ourselves

what they want is dorsal sheep

to be herded into the pen

led by a few handpicked judas goats

like tuc leaders and trade union leaders

and diago wilson to this world and

nevada castle and all the phony

they've sent me here but i mean i

basically i'm a gardening correspondent

i don't know anything about strikes you

take me here to follow up this strike of

yours and i don't know anything about it

somebody told me your repository

all right boys can you settle down there

brothers and sisters

i'd come late

and all that support

uh

i must thank the boys who've laid on

this two tonight you all know them the

prickies peter's over there

and his mates

but he never only laid on this place

delayed on the committee rooms and paid

for the place over here that launched

your rank-and-file committee a week ago

and they've also organized

their collections among other building

workers

[Applause]

he's also brought along tonight

one of his members to sing a few titties

so it's only left for me to tell he's a

drink

[Music]

[Music]

me

[Music]

[Applause]

is

[Music]

well it's like a sort of manure you know

did you hear the awful things they say

princess margaret and they have joined

the iran

[Music]

they're gone

[Music]

anyway billy

freedom of the press

class

you're going to believe oh [ __ ] i keep

it long bloody key

oh no wonder

you're neither too late can't it wait

till in the morning

whoever

i wouldn't know

i'm not very interested in them sudden

letters

that's that what's keeping you awake

it's gonna be done anyway

uh

you've changed your mind since you've

come out from the pub haven't you

luck love go on upstairs and i'll

thought my luck was in and you made a

fuss with me

oh no you say that you're not off asleep

then

and you sit up tight and well

i think i'll make myself a nice cup of

tea you want one

who's that

[Music]

don't make a noise you wake the kids

[Music]

johnny

is that you

johnny

are you sure yeah

you stay there oh

[Music]

all right boys the next thing on the

agenda

is the lobby

it's been suggested when we're in london

that's

we should go down to see the

lobby the labor ministers

constituency members

get around to the

hannity

uh social security we can stuff that

right

but we're out of town lobbying mps in

london right

the way is clear here for the union to

do a deal behind our backs look the

strike from beginning to end is one of

politics we must send the delegation

down to the houses of parliament we've

got to lobby the mp

there's no need to leave the front

at home bear we can send a delegation of

maybe two three or four members and we

can still leave people at home but what

would you remain small

the thing is if you don't pin them down

if you don't nail them it's not a

difference it's all about going down on

spec

that's so possibly see somebody who'll

give you a cup of tea and say all right

lads

i've earned it go back over and

something good countries

have a cup of tea okay boys very good

and they'll send you back and what will

you get nothing

that's if we accept that that's a big

mouth shot because it's exactly what

friends are it's politics and they don't

want to know

what politics do you want to do

to make a name for himself

they don't make names by fighting about

strikes

of course they do this is going to be

amazing

this is developed into a big issue this

never mind the blood spirit

shouldn't handle glass

that's worked more than all the people

speaking the house of apartments for us

couldn't this come about don't you think

there's a remote possibility not a child

i know about it

political battles were never fought

taking t on the telescope house of

commons

right now you know labour mps labour mps

i've always had one job

and that job is never to offer support

to any striker they will never you go

down to see them right they'll take if

they see you

send telegrams

get there to see if they see you they'll

offer sympathy they might make a few

speeches in parliament about the

hardship the women are going through

yeah but what will they do to mobilize

support for us what will they do to

organize what will they do to help us

with funds what will they do to help us

with the strike winner strike nothing

and that's been the role of labour mp

throughout history

when he gets a westminster and he could

never get back on us the first thing you

learn in politics is that there's no

such thing as a bear hearing you've got

to pressurize it hello buckingham palace

i mean

being organized in the union

yeah being a destroyer thank god

hey birds

yeah

well we haven't heard anything about it

no no no no comments are made that's

what we found has what's involved

yeah well i can bring you back can i

yeah we'll just give us your number

okay fair enough i'll bring you back

later down

well that's it lads

forget about your lullaby

and the management have offered three

pound and the unions accepted it love it

it's better than the kick in the ass

isn't it look that depends on the deal

let's be rational but that that meat

mended hours ago why have they kept it

secret

there's only one reason they must be

waiting for us to get out of town and

then they're going to spring it on the

lads will they put that to a meeting to

the

not like i don't think so he'd probably

line up a couple of times shop stewards

pull it to them daily he'll have it on

the leaflets

democratically and give it back to us

next month let's get out and get those

posters and get on the phone

and find out what strokes he's pulling

now

listen what exactly did the report have

to say he told me enough to know that

it's not a straight deal that they've

been offered three pounds and there's a

lot of strings attached to it what was

sassy are guessing about let's get the

posters out and get our own bloody

meeting organized

in about 10 minutes

[Music]

yeah

all right you all right yeah go on

come on johnny up okay

you're all right down there oh jesus

christ he's coming behind everything

what the hell are you doing up there the

bloody thing keeps blowing away i feel

like they bleed nudge back and

made on the offer yeah

i'll have to let you go in a minute all

right i'm coming in a minute hang on

just hold your horses i'm going hold

your horses i'm gone

these are the facts as we see them lads

we

not sure

here's the career followed over there

hey

keep it knocking all right

maybe a good job with this eddie makes

good reading we never invented a sellout

who's this nobody partner no no eddie

there's nobody like that this is mr

oakley oh national officer hello eddie

robert

i've been looking at your pamphlet yeah

it's lovely well worked out is it i mean

it's a bit skimpy

yeah with all the details there trying

to show you how through factions ah come

on eddie

i mean you know as well as i do you can

make a pamphlet like this look like

anything you need to

it's either through it's a lie

yes but i mean it doesn't take any

account of the employer's offer against

the complex background in this case

i mean you can't get that in a pamphlet

like this

i mean i wouldn't know i've been dealing

with employers for years now i'm like

that's right eddie's had them tied up

for years oh

the employers are welsh well look

there's the lads we've got a must

meeting on now brother there's a chance

to do your job i'm offering you the

platform

well i've spoken to stewards already

they've accepted hi some of the stewards

you have but the stewards here and the

ranking fires here

and i'm offering

brother i'll beat the platform you know

the brother opry cannot address that

meeting

certainly he can't

look let's be less constitutional the

more democratic that's what he's getting

paid for

[Music]

thank you

good morning brothers

look we're sorry

when we were boys

at the start

we have two national officers here one

national officer robbie and all the

other boy

brother

[Music]

and brother hagin

now we've

invited we've invited them along to the

platform

because we have heard

at nine o'clock nine o'clock last night

when we were perfectly going to london

we heard via a newspaper reporter

that the employers had offered an

interim bonus of three pounds but it's

not even a straightforward offer it's

got all kinds of clauses in it

one is a punctuality one

so that any illusion

that was three pounds straight on top of

your 13 pound that's completely false

[Music]

we've got nothing to hide that's why

we've invited

your committee i've invited brother alby

the national officer to come and explain

to you his justification for the

agreement

so i'm asking you now boys give him as

further hearing

as you did me

all right brothers

we just don't want

it ready now

i know you men are known to beat around

the bush so i'll keep this thing very

short and just limit it to three points

now the first thing is i'm joel

i'm the national industrial officer

[Music]

now secondly

i consider that this agreement which

i've negotiated on your behalf is

[Applause]

very strongly to grab it with both hands

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

now

you've made your point you've made your

protest and you've hit him where it

hurts most now all i'm asking you to do

is to allow me to allow me on your

behalf to go back and

make further negotiations with the

employers

[Applause]

i can't do that i can't i can't do that

unless you accept

[Applause]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

executive on the three quid

all right

lads

we put a straight vote

those in favor

of the three pound offer those in favor

show the hands falls in favor boys

i hope that the press are here and take

note of that he'll be here

those against the three-pound brothers

[Music]

but this meeting today was in no way

representative the working

representative of the working force

you failed to get it put on the basic

right this is what we want to know this

is something which can be gone into a

future date but this is not the way to

go about it

[Music]

are you worried about reports in the

press about communist infiltration

in the strike

[Music]

that's fine

right right

uh now can i ask you if any of the

members of the communist party are

active in this strike no no

everybody who turns up to the meetings

everybody works for the company

they're all workers of that company and

you're not about outside infiltration if

they haven't mentioned outside

infiltration why say

companies politics even if they are

prepared to help us why shouldn't they

have your cbi employees don't they have

you seen any evidence of outside

infiltration no we've not so don't you

feel that left-wing militants are trying

to wreck british industry by their

strike actions

for a fair week's work is anybody here a

member of the communist party no no no

workers want more

members if you were a member of the

communist party would you admit it to me

on television i would admit

all right

absolutely

there's a cat school going on in here hi

hi

hi hi

now last night with the dogs enough but

they don't

you know they change each day sometimes

they go up to the park if the weather's

all right they don't bother coming down

here

you get to go down here in case you're

getting nervous yeah yeah well i think

i'm p eddie

there's something else i'd like you to

see if you just come this way

okay let's see again

jesus wept what's he doing

she's been on strike a fortnight no cash

thrown out of her dick there i'm the kid

how long have you been here well she's

coming at nine o'clock tonight she was

crying her bloody eyes out she's from

geordie land

where's the husband she's not married

okay then

what about the welfare and sally army or

social security somebody like that for

you yeah

i'm in agreement with you but that kid

she's frightening casey take the baby

off her

she won't take no notice if you tell her

they won't she thinks to take the kid

off she won't go

she didn't stay there a minute longer

i must look after

[Applause]

[Music]

oh

[Music]

i wouldn't take too long over that still

values well i appreciate that but of

course you understand there's some very

important documents here i must get rid

of these

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

there's no chance of you getting

hardship money you know it's time

hardships

[Music]

but you just can't do it to them

[Music]

hey

huh

[Music]

it hasn't been used since 1926 you must

have had it on the back

oh it's amazing

let's set it up

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

oh

[Music]

[Music]

is

is

hello john

do you

i mean where have you come from

i thought it was house you could do

something packing up and

the chance

just don't give the best off in your

mouth i will

just step back

come up

[Music]

you've got a bad luck i've got the kids

well we have mom today to one pay

he's in jail isn't he

[Music]

well isn't it you never got arrested

i was at you kept clear to them look

they got the tabs on at all it could

have been birds

could have been billy it could be myself

just think of a lot of it you and all

the other buggers you got us into this

mess

i hope when it's all over that you stay

clear of us never want to see you again

you want to get back to russia where you

come from where you belong

you and your communist ideas looks like

you've been reading a paper journal like

the rest

i've known les for what

11 years

i've worked i've only met you the last

couple of days

but les has is normally what left in 12

years

you've got some kind of a hold over him

now now the firm had to hold on him he's

not even the same husband he used to be

there's 8 000 men have changed here

the 8 000 feel like less but the eight

hours eight thousands not in jail like

less

same thousand words yearners who are

fighting for the rights

no look it's no picnic

i know what it's all about my wife i'm

going to consider the kid now you've got

no father now

he'd only be there to say it so he'd be

out on vail

no fun no job no not no money no none

do you want a bit of a hand sir [ __ ]

gear

could we get a taxi to take you in the

kids round

no

i'll get the most i'm asking no one for

nothing well look i'm thinking i've

never asked you yet for anything and i'm

buggered if i ask you well i could take

your case off you couldn't like

that's going to be heavy oh curious

come

on no leave me i just don't want to see

you anymore yeah but i must have the

thai flies with you and i must have that

bloody typewriter

just leave me and my kids and get out of

my life

hello like john i'll show off now i

won't take the time out tonight

would it be asking you too much to ask

to give her the key

and i'll come together to get the paper

we need that i don't know what i've done

with this i think he's got us i mean we

must as much as we miss you although you

can only take with us two fingers

we've got a scout round now for someone

that can do what he was doing

well do that do that because he's done

it long enough and he'll have nothing

more to do with you when he comes out

he's gonna start learning to be a father

again you took that away from him with

your rotten typewriter

this is only learning now that he's got

to fight

he wasn't interested in unions or

anything till you came on the scene

you've turned his head he's moody and

he's got no time for nobody with you

your wife might like that kind of thing

but we don't

it can go on for a long time yes they

don't give in that easy

that's the test

if they can lose the profits or if we

can tighten our belt more

that's why we got to stick together

[Music]

this is the outside

the interference

[Music]

[Applause]

[Applause]

bye

get up

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

yeah

thanks very much

[Music]

a lot of skin flu back there whoa what a

bloody ding dong that was

showed those scabbard is a thing or two

drop us off anywhere lads what street

will do

[Music]

what department do you fellas work in

i'll turn right here

who are we going to

[Music]

oh

oh

[Music]

[Music]

to all glass workers on strike

bring this number at any time and i will

arrange a meeting general secretary

trade union congress and there's a

number here

what do you say

a lot of good things to us

it's worth a try you know

see you see the magic words

probably might help us to get a fair

check of the whip look i told you

they're all tied with one brush maybe so

we don't lose anything by hitting the

ring i don't think so another thing that

the strike's going down you know some of

them are drifting back less is in their

neck it's always in there getting

stitched up things are going worse you

know already you'll still get low health

and let's from the tuc yeah but they've

made it they've made a move in the right

direction by putting this yeah i think

so but you want a bit of it so far it

was that number

bruised his ribs and a few lacerations

on his face and body not too much harder

hello hello

is that the tuc

well i'm one of the glass workers on

site and i've just been reading your

advert in the

i'm sorry look

yeah okay

hello

is that the generals

hello hello

[Music]

[Music]

what's my heart

[Music]

enemies

[Music]

well before we discuss anything lads i

think it's fair to read the telegram

from the cec so that everything will be

understood in the discussion

you know what it's wrong confirming our

telephone conversation today i give you

undertaking the following assumption of

work arrangements will be put in hand

immediately for you and strike committee

representatives

to meet here tuc headquarters to thrash

out all differences and difficulties

that have arisen with the view of

ensuring this kind of situation will

never again stop statements made

yesterday at the tuc general purpose

committee hope everybody concerned will

give every assistance

in getting a resumption

that's the

telegram well the way i see that is that

we've got no choice you know at least

we've got nothing to lose by going and

talking to the guy

look i'm not against talking to anybody

but i'm definitely against going captain

hand to the tuc all we've got here is a

message that they will convene a meeting

once we get the men back to work that's

all

yeah but i don't see it that way i mean

we're not going down to talk to just to

anybody on another union this is the

trade union congress thousands of

parliament that represents all unions

and i don't think they get us

i mean they're too big for that i think

you can't see the wood from the threes

if you read that telegram but get you

back to work

ensuring that this will never happen

again

that telegram was the very first steps

to put the general municipal back in the

saddle with the authority over the men

how can you get

any kind of support

after general secretary of the cuc that

will embarrass his sidekick to pay them

on pot

teddy you're talking like a defeatist

listen eddie's right the cuc the role of

the team is his broker for the

government's any government labor or

conservative

they're there to break strikes they're

there to go to what they call

negotiating industry to reach

satisfactory agreements that won't

that won't knock their positions right

yeah but let's get this clear i've got

implicit failure in the tuc right

never mind

that they're not having smoothies and i

firmly believe that wording in that

telegram

this sort of thing won't happen again i

i'm taking that i don't know about you

but i'm taking that as meaning that the

bloody

executive of the general municipal

workers won't be able to [ __ ] us up

again like they have this time they

won't have the bloody firm collecting

the subscriptions that the unions use

and things like this that's how i see it

well my can i ask you one question

if there's nothing

that comes out of this that there's

nothing sign that we know we're going to

get before we go to work if we go to

work only on the promises

and we lead in this energy that's just

been accumulated after a hundred years

except for 1926. what should we do then

oh you've had this

the best trend that we've got here and

after a hundred nod years we've got our

strength here solidly out on strike i

believe that those are the men that can

win the struggle could win it much

quicker only if we can get help from

other workers

i do regard if we go to the tuc that

that will be the first

step

to defeat this committee if we accept

the things

if we don't go down to see the tuc

they'll go back

and we could lose anyway we lose the

leadership we lose a lot to you a green

bird now i said yes this

as frank says and agrees with me as well

that we lead the men back but we tell

them then why we're leading them back

and we go down to the tuc

but we may even come back and pull them

out again if it's not to our

satisfaction that's what i think and

another thing that well i don't suppose

any we've overlooked it it's all around

us

the women and the kids are suffering

and

all through the ages this is how all

strikes have been grown this is how the

bosses look at it starve their bastards

and it's getting to that stage you know

but you can't stop at half time in a

struggle like this this is precisely

what you're saying bill

my ads bloody killing i wish you can

make some sort of a decision okay we'll

make one seven weeks ago this strike

started

five weeks ago we met with one thing in

common and one thing only 25 pound for a

40-hour week that's scene now we were

thrown up as the leadership we only had

that one thing in common and we found

that it changed from just that struggle

for that until we were taken on all

comers

now we have a responsibility to rank and

file

we cannot share that responsibility we

are the leadership take and we're

immature and out of our death and all

that

but we are the only leadership they've

got

now the resolution you haven't put

forward to you tonight

i was against this

the first time that this committee has

been at loggerheads

but at the same time

i the rest of the committee will abide

by whatever you say and how you vote

that this meeting of the rank and file

accepts the terms laid down by the tuc

and agrees to the strike committee's

recommendation

for an immediate return to work

after which members of the committee

will attend a special meet in a congress

house convened by the trade union

congress

that brothers is the resolution

[Applause]

we're not going back home without

promises ready after seven weeks

all right brothers this meeting is

democratic come and say your peace

[Applause]

i am all against going back on promises

[Applause]

i vote that we kick this resolution into

touch they belong

and i move that we send this committee

to london

to get something in writing

and then

we might go back when we've got

something on paper

and i've been on detention work

until that's done

all right

[Applause]

you can't think of everything at once

just watch my monitor

yesterday

i know

it's engaged

i'll warn you but if you get caught

don't drag us into it you know no we've

got enough on our place already

tickets please

that's all i'd say put it under the door

keep it underneath

oh

[Music]

it was the top plus of the tuc our chief

in fact you name it they were all there

i was surprised how smoothly it went

i mean let's face it we were all a bit

cagey

but i'm going to take mount off to the

big fella

he lowered the temperature a bit and got

things moving

he's a gentleman that bloke

he leaned over backwards and i must say

that without him i don't think there'd

have been an agreement

as it was we ended up with a document

signed by himself

us the general secretary of the general

and municipal workers

and this stated that there'd be no

victimization

as far as we were concerned that was it

i think even eddie was satisfied

we went back on understanding that there

would be no victimization and in terms

of pound shields and pence we got the

three quid with the promise of more to

follow

they will have to be hundred i'll never

forget that first day back

we knew as soon as we went in that'd be

trouble

you could smell it a mile off

the leaders of course they were singled

out from the rest of us

eddie in particular

not satisfied with keeping him separated

from everyone

they even have the formal and production

manager stood by his girls

no one was allowed to even approach him

and everywhere he went they went

all that was missing was a number on his

back

[Music]

well we couldn't swallow this so we went

back to the tuc

when i went back to work they sent me to

a school now i'd been on a job for seven

years pleasing a story

he sent me to school and put me on a job

seven pound less

i think the same thing has happened to

john i'm sticking labels on bottles with

women for less money

to jenny

now i believe that

trying to promote some kind of action

and bringing this about so that we

possibly might cease work and then other

actions will follow

and we've come here today to ask you

what are you going to do about us

well i'm very sorry to hear this

for the dollars they've been on

victimization and they've flung

everything at us by the kitchen sink we

wouldn't have gone back otherwise a tuc

can't intervene at all all we can do is

to advise look we don't want bother

we've been out seven weeks

we could have called a meeting this

morning and had those lads out again we

took them back we've come down here on

our own expenses for you to do something

to stop it blowing up we don't want

bother that's what we want you to do to

do something don't tell us you're here

to advise we want you to do something

use your power as the head of the tuc i

work from you goes an awful long way but

are you prepared to do this

you promised you would you know you did

intervene you know you intervened to

break the strike

you intervened and got us down here to a

meeting where this document was signed

and you signed it along with us and the

general secretary of the union i'll read

it out here and acquaint you with what

it says

paragraph a

all the parties concerned agreed

that there would be no victimization of

any individual or any group of

individuals and as every endeavor would

be made to remove present tension in the

company now i've told you that this

exists

it's been substantiated or will be by

the lads around the table and i want to

know what you're going to do to

eliminate this tension

and help us get back in the spirit of

the agreement that you signed

i signed that

well as chairman of the meeting no good

faith i merely acted as online's broker

you know to bring

both parties together i've got in touch

with your union

invited them to come to the meeting

where is he what is the general

secretary

i'll do music in general she'll be here

no shouldn't he if i may remind you

we're asking for help before a bloody

thing blows up now don't try to tell me

my job as well as you know you're

telling me your job i'm asking you what

are you gonna do

i'm doing the best that i possibly can

excuse me

yeah i saw you shh oh

oh i see

well i've got your lads here now at the

moment

do you want that

yeah well we should have been there when

it started all right i've given you your

message

well i don't suppose that you

no

all right well thanks very much for

ringing

i'm sorry lad but it's off

that's also

that was your general secretary on the

phone advising you to go back to your

jobs

advising us over the phone it should be

here because

the strike is over there's no point in

pursuing it any further but as far as

where

there's

listen it's very difficult for us to

believe that a top man in the tuc had no

knowledge that that phone call was going

to come and that he wouldn't be here

what you've done here

has destroyed the whole faith of 8 000

men and this must be surely watched

from other workers doctors car workers

and so on

well i knew what was happening here

because that's what your bureaucracy

does

to get control of the struggle and

needed to defeat it's always the barrier

between the worker and the boss i don't

know but he won't do it no more because

you won't kill me you won't fool all the

trade union movement all the time to

trade you to move that becoming the

world of people like you

because your bloody traces your tories

masquerading as socialists and leaders

of the trade union movement

there's 8 000 men back there

sent us down to see you because they had

faith in the tuc

and when this comes out every bloody

trade unionist will want to know what

you're doing i want to ask you one last

question

we've proved here that this

victimization you've agreed

now we know that it's going to blow up

further

because

your pal has just been on the phone once

the status quo and the control over the

workers now when we go back and monitors

is sacked what are you going to do about

us

well that's a very hypothetical question

don't keep ramming the union down my

throat your union don't keep ramming

them down my throat i want my man to

represent me it doesn't matter what you

believe in it doesn't matter what you

believe in look the negotiating rights

in this firm are taken up by the gmw

okay forget it

forget it mate

bugger the lobby

this was the spark that set it off

eric wanted the duncan file committee to

represent him in his dispute with the

form

the management of course refused point

blank

and they'd only recognize the old union

when this fellow insisted he was

suspended indefinitely

then the balloon really went up

we held a meeting outside the factory

and voted for a three-day token strike

we wanted the right for the rank and

file committee to represent the men on

the shop floor

in my opinion they provoked the three

days like in order to deal with us the

hardcore

within hours of the vote being taken we

all received letters

saying unless we went back we'd be

sacked

those who did go back we need to give

them yellow card

he had to show this before he would let

in

but if you didn't have that card then

you weren't on you weren't allowed in

your bloody one finish

you're finished

come on

a black list which included the names of

fellows like myself billy frankie and

gianni and the rest

or under no circumstances would ever be

employed again by the fair

or any other firm locally if it comes to

that

also the white list

this was for the likes of old charlie

and others who were being given the

chance to mend their ways

[Music]

you've been with the firm 43 years i

think yes you know entire next month a

long time

well look charlie i'm awfully sorry

about this but in line with company

policy

i can offer you re-employment but not

reinstatement you know how do you even

buy that what do you mean by that like

well it boils down to this

that we can set you on but it'll be as a

new starter

and that means you lose all your pension

rights and so on after 43 years

i'm afraid so yes

it's just kept me policy and uh i'm

bound by it

so it means that you do lose your

pension rights and so on you understand

that if we start you again

well

we would go on strike wouldn't you i had

to follow the boys didn't i i said i

didn't go out you don't call me black

lake or something like that

i just followed them out like a silly

old fool it was

yeah so you take the advice that company

letter you wouldn't have been in this

position now would you no sir

i suppose you regret it yes

well i'm telling you sorry charlie

there's nothing else i can do act not

for you a job here but it's a new

starter and it isn't reinstatement

i'll have to take it because i can't get

a job anywhere now my age can i

no well then we'll leave it at that then

and i'll see you while you'll be in

another fam

next shift right okay thank you sir

the industrial relations bill has been

introduced

uh to help curb the activity on the shop

floor

now this bill

is designed to prevent any worker

going through the kind of struggle that

we went through

once it had been one move they would

have says

your agreements have been signed to

sacrifice

undertakings have been given that there

will be no

rank and file action

if we had to come out then

myself the committee would have ended up

inside because we couldn't have paid any

fines

i think that we're already threatening

the same

ground as the german worker did on the

hitler on

mussolini's italy

i mean this is the first step

surely to god we've seen

the future eternity of rankin and

finalism

that blind malignancy will get us

nowhere

the only question

is one of political leadership

and the foundation of the funding of a

party

that will lead the workers to power

i mean the croy of a kitty

the hungry kitty that means much more to

me

than all the

laws

and all the prisons in creation

i go along with trotsky

the life is beautiful

that the future generation

cleanses

of all the oppression

violence and evil and enjoy to the full

you