Care needed in BL fight

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The return to work vote a Leyland's Drews plant, which had shut down the whole of Austin Morris car production, creates a difficult situation for Leyland workers.

It had lasted two weeks and was called in opposition to BL's 5% plus 'parity' package put forward in answer to the annual wage Drews Lane struck within hours of the 'offer' being made by management.

Their demand was for genuine plant negotiations, as opposed to the terms of the company offer which required acceptance by all plants before any money could be paid.

Although a strong move in itself, the strike was ill prepared.

No preparation No previous mass meetings had taken place to prepare for it, and no real effort had been made to clearly explain the very complex terms of the offer artmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1 aper at the Post Office.

which were to confuse.

But the strike did bring forward two important developments.

One was that it forced BL management to offer the 5% increase separately from the parity deal - though still only on the basis that it is accepted by all plants.

This separation is important in the fight to break the 5% ceiling in Leyland.

Also important could be the vote at Drews Lane for a second resolution calling for a combine-wide strike on pay.

But convenors such as Arthur Harper must begin to realise that there are particular problems in BL and Vauxhall which require careful preparation and clear programme.

In every confrontation BL management claim to be bankrupt and threaten to close plants down permanently.

The bankruptcy claim has to be met with the demand to open the books and by pointing to the massive profits made in components plants and distribution chains and the