Paint plant wins 14% pay rise

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THE KEY TO THE CUTS FIGHT Please send me more information about the Worker Socialist League.

Name.

Address SL, 31, London MORE DETAILS nd to: WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR consistently managed to defeat any attempts by its employees to substantially improve their 10t.

This has been changed recently in its Birmingham factory at Tyseley.

-The Birmingham factory employs approximately 60 shop floor workers and 30 staff.

The staff are members of ACTSS, the white collar section of the TGWU and in their separate negotiations have accepted a poor pay rise of 9%.

The shop floor is 100% TGWU membership and have recently settled for pay rises of The booklet which spells out the policies necessary for all-out struggle against the cuts, drawing on practical experience at the EGA and the Oxford Nursery Occupation.

30p plus 10p p&p from the WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill , Dartmouth Park London NW5 1HR. ndon NW5 1HR.

Permoglaze work between £7.20 and £9.50 which is in terms of percentage 13%16%.

This is a significant victory for a'group of workers who have no great past record of industrial militancy.

The original pay claim was 25% and was submitted before Christmas.

Before • the holidays the company replied with an offer of 9% with strings attached. This was promptly turned down at a general meeting of the workers and a vote was taken to commence a work to rule and overtime ban from Wednesday 3 January 1979.

Upon our return to work after the holidays on 2 January the factory was found to be in a disgusting state with flooding from burst pipes and complete lack of heating.

The shop stewards decided to call an immediate general meeting in order to vote on a one day strike in protest at these conditions.

The subsequent vote was unanimous and there was an immediate walk out.

This action absolutely shocked the management as it was the first time that action of this sort had ever occured in any of the factories of the Permoglaze paints group.

It was after this show of strength that negotiations continued and also the work to rule was beginning to bite.

It was at this time that the management made threats of closure. and attempted to intimidate the shop stewards with verbal abuse.

The stewards' response to this was to implement the work to rule all the more strongly and to gather the support of the shop floor by carefully explaining to each worker the importance of carrying on this action.

On Friday January 5, the management made an offer of 13% to 15% but with strings attached.

These included staggering tea breaks so that production would be continuous and painting the work floor when directed by the supervisor.

These conditions were unanimously rejected by the workforce and a vote was taken to continue industrial action until all conditions were dropped.

The shop stewards, upon reporting these results were surprised to find that management immediately agreed to withdraw these offending conditions.

The history and result of this struggle are an example of how if the working class are given a strong and principled lead, they can win disputes and substantially improve their lot.