from David Robinson. Provocation Admitted by Sunley Director. During the Ministry of Labour Court of Inquiry,which is examining fetes disputes at the Barbican, George Avery, 4 Sunley director, admitted tha =~ company had provoked a strike so that it could shut the site and reopen out the militent works committee which had led a number of actions for = proved conditions. Sunley's plans for effecting the strike were outlined 7 John Sunley, the chairman, in a letter to Sir Cecil Mant, controller-gener in the Ministry of Public Building and Works, which was the client. He explained that if, as had been suggested at a meeting with Sir Cecil and Jim Mills, National Federation of Building Trade Operatives president, Sunley sacked eight of the militants’ leaders, it was certain to lose at a disputes commission on the grounds of victimisation, It would then have to take the men back which would give them greater authority than before. The company was therefore announcing changes which could be expected to lead to an unofficial strike om mass-meeting in unauthorised time. If any of these happened the contracts manager "will immediately discharge the whole of the works committee for misconduct" wrote Mr, Sunley. "By doing this we believe we will have a reasonable case at a dispute panel and if we can win, it will not give the new works committee the same strength." More serious action would be taken if this plan failed. In fact it succeeded, A strike was called and the works committee was sacked, followed a few days later by the entire workforce after a regional disputes eommissionhad failed to reach a decision on the dispute. The Ministry of Labour Court of Inquiry has not yet published its report but the chairman, Lord Cameron, said that Sunley "brought about a situation in which the werks committee was induced to commit an offence." On these grounds it might well be difficult to rule that the men should not be reengaged. (Based on a report in the Financial Times. )
Blind Workers in Pay Strike Over 300 workers, mostly women but including some male workers and super= visors, at the Royal Glasgow Workshops for.the Blind staged a half-day tokea strike yesterday in protest against blocking of their pay claim by the management, Special buses were hired to take them to a demonstration outside the City Chamber in George Square. Their claim for 12/- a week, sanctioned by the Prices and Incomes Board in March, has been refused by the West of Scotland Joint Committee for the administration of the workshops. The workers are members of the National League of the Blind, the foremen and supervisors, some sighted, of ASSET, £6 Wage-Cut Causes Strike, About 1,500 , members of the AEU and the ETU employed at the Brush Electrical Engineering Company, Loughborough, began an unofficial strike yes-~ terday over a piece work dispute. A union spokesman said the management suspended a man in the switchgear department for two days because he refused to do work at a price which would cause his wages to fall by at least £6 a week, The stoppage will be continued efter the suspension period if the company continues to be unreasonable..