THOUSANDS of demonstrators from all over Britain travelled to Dundee
in support of the 340 sacked Timex workers yesterday, in a show of
strength which even surprised union officials.
About 1000 demonstrated at the factory gates shortly before 8am when
newly-hired workers were taken in busses to work under police escort.
There were three arrests, and police said later that reports would be
submitted to the regional procurator-fiscal. A spokesman for the Tayside
force said the majority of the demonstrators were noisy but well
behaved.
By lunchtime about 6000 men, women, and children marched past the
plant to a rally organised by the STUC at Camperdown Park, within
earshot of the premises.
Speakers included Mr William Derby, leader of Tayside Regional
Council, Mr John McLean, of the SNP trade union group, Glasgow Maryhill
MP Maria Fyfe, Scottish NUM president George Bolton, representing the
STUC, and the vice-convener of shop stewards at Timex, Mr William
Lesslie.
He earned the loudest applause when he said Timex would have to sit
down with the union (the AEEU) to negotiate a settlement and honour
agreements.
The workers were sacked in February after a 20-day strike, and the
dispute is now in its 11th week.
Mr Lesslie said that it had to be understood that the union had never
broken any agreement with the company, and he welcomed the opportunity
to appear before the House of Commons Employment Select Committee at the
end of the month, where details of how the union had assisted the
company over the past 10 years would be given.
Mrs Fyfe praised the women of Timex, stating that they had a right to
fight and a right to work, with a decent pay. ''You are not going to be
done out of it by others who ought to know better, who have earned your
rightful scorn and anger for going through those gates, taking your
jobs,'' she said.
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