from Gladys Ryan: Gladys Ryan" <gladys at icon.co.za> (031) 208 2546 / 083 965 9738
Urgent appeal****Urgent Appeal**** urgent appeal***
Comrades and Friends,
We have been asked to write to you on behalf of the striking workers at Engen.
This is an appeal to all of you to support the workers striking at the Engen refinery in Wentworth.
WHAT'S HAPPENED
Since the afternoon of Monday, 21 May, 2001, contract workers employed for the annual shutdown at the refinery have been locked out by Engen Management. In the run up to the shutdown, worker representatives formulated an agreement with management in an effort to prevent industrial action. Management has not met the conditions of the agreement - and in particular has not ensured parity in hourly rates paid to workers.
On Tuesday morning, two organisers were arrested in a public place, for no apparent reason. Later that morning, several organisers were arrested while laying a charge of assault!! . The reason for the arrest was that they had workers' badges, handed over for safekeeping, in their possession. This, it seems, is a contravention of the National Keypoints act!! It has emerged since then that the badges, supposedly evidence in an ongoing criminal prosecution, have been returned to Engen. It would seem that Engen has a private police force at its beck and call! Several of those arrested have been assaulted and at least one requires urgent medical attention.
One person was shot by the police last night.
We call on all friends and comrades to take action against a company that has consistently treated workers - and an entire community - as if they do not matter.
HOW CAN YOU ASSIST?
1. By joining the workers at a mass meeting at the Austerville Community Centre at 8am on Friday(perhaps later as workers
will be meeting at the Ogle road grounds then marching up) Your support during the entire day will be welcome. 2. Passing this email on to as many people as you know 3. Telling others about this 4. Boycotting ENGEN products and service stations!!! 5. Putting pressure on people in influential positions to intervene in the crisis 6. Writing to newspapers condemning ENGEN
For any information, you can call the organisers (some names are Mr McBride, Gary, Des, Sue, Alvin). Tel: 461 2757 (031)
We know we can count on you.
Gladys and Allan ( on behalf of the organisers) Gladys Ryan Communicating Simply 107 Cordia, 27 Galway Road Mayville, 4091 Tel (031) 208 2546 Cell: 083 965 9738 -- Peter van Heusden <pvh at egenetics.com> NOTE: I do not speak for my employer, Electric Genetics "Criticism has torn up the imaginary flowers from the chain not so that man shall wear the unadorned, bleak chain but so that he will shake off the chain and pluck the living flower." - Karl Marx, 1844 k*256^2+2083 OpenPGP: 1024D/0517502B : DE5B 6EAA 28AC 57F7 58EF 9295 6A26 6A92 0517 502B