Unions announce plans to defeat Murdoch

Press, 29 January 1986, Page 10

Unions announce plans to defeat Murdoch

NZPA-Reuter London A group of trade unions has announced plans to try to prevent the publisher, Rupert Murdoch, from printing his four British newspapers using modern technology boycotted by Fleet Street’s printers. Ten unions in the transport and printing industries said yesterday that they would ask all trade unionists to support the printers. The request was specifically aimed at transport workers who delivered Mr Murdoch’s papers, they said. The powerful print unions, long opposed to labour-saving technical innovations in the industry, went on strike on Friday over Mr Murdoch’s demand for a no-strike deal at his new computerised press plant at Wapping, in east London.

Since the strike began, Mr Murdoch has managed to print his papers with the help of members of

the electricians’ union, E.E.T.P.U., prompting other newspaper workers to call for their expulsion from the Trades Union Congress which groups almost all main British unions.

The two main print unions, the National Graphical Association and the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades, were to put their case to a specially convened T.U.C. general council meeting today.

Mr Murdoch’s News International group owns Britain's top-selling daily, “The Sun,” as well as “The Times,” and two Sunday newspapers, “The Sunday Times” and the “News Of The World.”

Although his success in printing the papers at Wapping has been partially undermined by poor distribution, it is the first time national papers have been printed outside the traditional newspaper centre of Fleet Street without the print unions.

The dispute threatens to be the most divisive labour action since a year-long miners’ strike ended in March last year.

In defiance of the National Union of Journalists, journalists working at all four newspapers have voted in favour of transferring to Wapping.

News International won a court order yesterday banning Sogat from interfering with the distribution of its newspapers. Sogat has instructed its members working for newspaper wholesalers not to handle Mr Murdoch’s papers. If Sogat ignores the injunction it could be charged with contempt of court, and, like the miners’ Union, face losing its assets.

Today’s T.U.C. meeting was to decide whether there was a case against the electricians. Power to suspend the E.E.T.P.U. rests with the T.U.C’s congress, which does not meet until September.