Thought this was worthy of circulation!
Dave
Arms moved by road after rail boycott
Kevin Maguire
Saturday January 11, 2003
The Guardian
Defence chiefs cancelled an ammunition train due to run yesterday after
drivers refused to move it in a political protest over the government's
threat to attack Iraq.
The disputed load was quietly transported in the middle of this week
between the Glasgow area and Glen Douglas Nato weapons store on the west
coast of Scotland.
The train had been rescheduled to yesterday after two drivers based in
Motherwell boycotted it on Tuesday.
Ministry of Defence officials instead shifted the munitions by road, saying
they had thought the train had faced technical problems.
The two drivers have been described as "conscientious objectors" by a
supporter, and it is understood that a total of 15 drivers are threatening
some form of anti-war action.
England Welsh and Scottish Railway, the privatised freight operator, said:
"The train was cancelled by the customer on Wednesday."
The company denies that any driver has declined to carry military loads,
but rail industry sources confirmed that leaders of the Aslef drivers'
union had been urged to end the unofficial action earlier this week. Allen
Johnson, the chief operating officer of EWS, and Rachel Bennett, its human
resources director, are believed to have claimed the boycott was unlawful
and that support for the drivers by Aslef would have left the union open to
court action.
Anti-war campaigners predict widespread civil disobedience if British
forces attack Iraq. A House of Commons motion tabled by the Labour MP John
McDonnell and signed by three colleagues "applauds the courageous and
principled action" of the Motherwell drivers, saying it is every citizen's
right to refuse to take part in the war effort.
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