Metal Box launches speed-up drive

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Chapple--working closely with Callaghan supporting for those warkers and a corresponding victory for trade union bureaucrats-most notably Roy Sanderson, EETPU National Officer.

The betrayal started three months ago when an electrician at the factorythe second largest in Winsford-was suspended by management over a minor issue.

Escalation

His fellow electricians immediately stopped work. From that point the escalation was rapid.

Management reaction was to impose 11 conditions of work which had not been in force prior to the dispute. With a line-up of EETPU officials and employers against them the electricians began to retreat and accepted many of these conditions.

But management refused point blank to compromise on the full I1 conditions, and sent home the rest of the factory, including TGWU. and AUEW members.

An indication of the next stage of the betrayal is given by the following statement by an AUEW official:

"We stress that we are wholeheartedly in support of the electricians. They have done everything humanly possible to bring the dispute to an end"

After seven weeks of layoff and bureaucratic footdragging by both factory and full-time union leaderships (although it must be said EETPU officials moved quickly in their betrayal) management stepped in again, and sacked all 15 electricians.

They announced that they would provide what they call "an alternative electrical service"-i.e. a scab workforce.

"Peace package"

It is widely supected that this attack could not have been carried out without the full support of Roy Sanderson, who was called in on the case.

A company spokesman said the electricians have been • sacked because they have not taken notice of a "peace package' agreed between employers and EETPU officials, the essence of which was "return to work and negotiate"

But on the day of the final sell-out electricians at 20 Metal Box factories throughout the country stopped work for a day, clearly realising that Winsford workers are being used as the anvil on which the company would hammer out its policy of speed ир and greater exploitation of the whole workforce.

AUEW officials at Winsford are expecting to be confronted by 24 similar precedent-setting conditions on their return to work and TGWU leaders expect no less than 60 new points to be demanded of them by the company.

ırrock, Report speed up and sacking But after seven weeks the dole, a mass meeting TGWU members agreed the company's return work call.

However a strong and determined EETPU picket on the gates may make the outcome less certain.

And as Winsford EETPU member Richard. Donleavy told Socialist Press:

"I shall be fighting for all EETPU members to come out in support of the Metal Box electricians. The betrayals of the lead ership must be challenged."