Roller Bearing Workers Fight for Trade Union Rights

The workers of Roller Bearing in Cratloe, Co. Clare have been on strike since March 21st. During the course of the strike the Company have attempted to break the picket line by getting the Gardai to remove the strikers from the gate and by encouraging Company scabs to assault the striking workers. The company, which is American owned is managed by Sam Gizzi and it has been open since April 1973. It produces roller bearings for the export market.

The following interview with one of the militants in the struggle was obtained by . the Limerick Branch of the R.M.G. Question: What is the background to the present dispute.

MILITANT: Basically the strike is about getting between the Estate and Limerick we could catch a bus if we knocked off at 12.

We didn’t see anything unreasonable about our request for management to change the evening shift hcurs to fall’in line with the Shannon factories. It is because of this and the need to defend our rights that we are for a union. QUESTION: Did the Company try to victimise the workers who were trying to organise a union. MILITANT: Yes. As I said before the firm was dead against having a union and they’sacked a couple of the workers who wouldn't accept the company’s right to treat us like cattle. QUESTION: Are all the workers on strike? MILITANT: No. Some of the workers are scabbing, but those who want a union are out on strike.

QUESTION: You mentioned before the interview that some of the picketers were beaten up by scabs. Could you tell me about that incident? MILITANT: Two of the lads were on picket duty the strike? very friendly and helpful.

is the strike an official one. back us up fully. QUESTION: Is there much sympathy with MILITANT: Since the attack on the picketers by the thugs we distributed a simple leaflet explaining what is happening at Roller Bearings. -We have found that Limerick workers are very sympathetic when they hear that management is encouraging scabs to attack us. Workers in the post office, engineers, the Clothing Factory and in some of the local garages are collecting money for us. Also the local farmers are sympathetic and they have been QUESTION: What union are you members of, and MILITANT: We are in the I.T.G.W.U. No the strike is not official and we are receiving no strike pay. Bashford, the ITGWU man, keeps informing us that he will make the strike official but all we get are promises. We would like the Union to QUESTION: How do you see future developments? with workers in struggle, but this has tended to be very limited. It is an obvious necessity for DSS & RFC to bridge the many chasms of the T.U. movement in order to extend and strengthen solidarity and build a strong rank and file movement.

Many workers do not immediately relate to other striking workers. Not understanding and realising the internal dynamic of many strikes, they are slow to react to forms of agitation directed at them, in search of solidarity A very apparent and immediate approach can be made to this milieu of trade union militants. Highly aware of the growing rate of inflation and the ensuing impoverishment of the working class, the question of the rising level of prices has been uppermost in many working class homes. The demand for “‘A sliding scale of wages with a National Minimum Wage” accepted by the last conference of the Committee is an indication of this awareness, The committee must pursue this interest with vigour and immediately initiate a “Prices _ Campaign”; a campaign to demand and end to the present soaring rate of prices. The decision of the political parties of the ruling class, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to make ‘prices’ the centre of their local election campaigns in June 1974

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