Dangers in climb-down

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THE PHONE NEVER STOPPED RINGING... EVERY. BLASTED SECTION HAD SOME AXE TO GRIND!

A serious blow has been dealt at the trade union organisation within British Leyland.

John Power, AUEW convenor of the Spare Parts Division in Cowley has resigned all trade union positions in the plant after being suspended for five weeks following allegations that he overdrew expenses for meetings of the National Joint Negotiating Committee.

Power's resignation opens the door to wholesale attacks on wages and working conditions in the Service Division which are in most respects in advance of conditions in other BL plants.

Leyland are currently conducting a massive attack under the guise of "equalisation" of rates and conditions WE MUST KEEP THE BASTARDO QUIET BY SO WILT'S OUR CURRENT A FEW MILITANT C0000es as they force in the corporate bargaining scheme set up by a fraudulent ballot last November.

Power's base of support within the Spares Division was based not on his present role as a witch-hunting right winger but on his earlier role as architect of the superior conditions in the plant during his days as a left wing militant.

This was why even while Power has been centrally involved in assisting the TGWU bureaucracy to victimise the Cowley 9 shop stewards and remove them from office, he has felt obliged on the National Joint Negotiating Council to obstruct Leyland's offensive against conditions in his own plant.

Despite his invaluable BUT IF THEY TAXE YOU SERIOUSLY -IT COULD LEAD TO A REAL FIGHT ON WAGES! 2, REJECT PHASE 4 BY ALL MEANS, BUT FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE USE YOUR RHETORIC TO STAMP OUT ANY ACTION ON WAGES. assistance to the TGWU right wing he thus became a target for management attack.

His resignation betrayed the widespread support he enjoyed amongst the one thousand workers in the plant who would certainly have taken strike action to secure his reinstatement if he had called on them to do so.

Such was the support that disputes continued in the plant last week even after Power's resignation, with workers challenging the terms of the settlement as it had appeared in the local press.

The Oxford Mail's version of the agreement was that he was being reinstated, following a week's suspension without pay and he would not be recognised in any trade union capacity "for some time to come"

STRIKE bELL DO ANYTHIVE NECESSARY TO DEFEAT PHASE 4.. BUT WELL HAVE NO KAMIKAZE CONFRONTATIONS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR!!

To'n OFFICIAL FAIR WAGES NOW REMEMBER, YEARS AGO... THERE WAS NO ORDERLY RESPONSIBLE CONTROL...... ANY BASTARD THOUGHT I HAD THE RIGHT TO STRIKE FOR A WAGE INCREASE...

Workers claimed that they had been given the impression when they returned to work that it was for six months only.

Power's public statement was that he had resigned "in order to avoid a dispute in which his members would loose money"

In fact he capitulated to the AUEW officials who instructed him to resign.

This attitude of the AUEW coupled with the election to the Presidency of Duffywho dealt with the case and was praised by Power for the way he did it-should confirm the worst fears of workers and increase their resolve to insist that a date is fixed on which John Power will be recognised again by BL management.

HOSPITAL

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SOCIALIST PRESS

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LINE ON PAUSE 4, CLIVE? SPEECHES AGAINST SUT