Talbot trial of strength

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Workers at Chrysler UK's Ryton plant have now been joined by those at the Bagington and Stoke plants in a strike for a 20% pay rise.

The strike has followed 90% plus votes at Ryton and Stoke, and shop stewards report the membership still strong in the face of a management determined to hold out.

24 hour pickets are in operation. at Stoke and Ryton and successful pickets have been mounted at the Gosford Green rail-head (where components are shipped to Linwood) and the Long Lawford transport depot.

Unfortunately the important blacking of Chrysler cars from the continent has not yet been carried out at the docks-despite the fact that the Ryton strike committee, composed of the convenors, has been charged with this task for over two weeks!

This important as Alpine is also France wr ire p present ur der ( would be c impa particularly the Chrysler produced in oduction is at pacity and it atively easy for NION DUES Chrysler to cover the Alpines from there.

The lack of leadership from the convenors is also illustrated by their backing down to threats from management over the picket at Ryton and their policy of rejecting pickets from non Chrysler plants.

When the strike started the picket was established inside the gates-total control of the plant passed into the hands of the workers, forcing management to continue its work either at home or in local hotels. :

A handful of senior management stayed inside the plant for essential maintenance purposes. We understand they were not comfortable there.

After a week management attempted to serve high court writs on the pickets who refused them-they were read out over the gate.

The convenors, however, were not prepared to fight it out and last Tuesday held a meeting which decided to take the picket outside the gates.

This paved the way for management to assert their 'right' to access and on Friday of last week management and clerical staff turned up at the gates and demanded • entry:

Eventually police succeeded in escorting 40 senior management through the picket.

Management will now attempt to widen the crack and as we go to press the convenors have called for extra pickets when management and clerical staff turn up for work on Monday.

ASTMS has given assurances that its members would respect the picket line.

The strikes at Ryton, Stoke and Bagington are extremely important for four reasons.

Firstly they show the willingess of workers to take action in defence of living standards despite the efforts of management and the local press to whip up fears around the 'threat to viability' which the strike poses.

The strike also marks the high point of the reassertion of their power by Ryton workers following the defeats and redundancies of the last few years.

Thirdly the strike is an important test of strength with Chrysler UK's new owners Peugot-Citroen who bought ..SO WHAT THE HELL CAN WE SAY TO TAKE THE STEAM OUT OF THE PAY DEBATE? DON'T BE STUPID, THEYRE YES, I THOUGHT THAT AT JUST A BUNCH OF WILD FIRST, BUT JUST TAKE EXTREMIST WRECKERS! A LOOK AT THIS, MOSS.!. CHRIST TAGWU BDC, KNOWS!

ALATION SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS Chrysler International's European holdings and last week changed the company's name to Talbot.

Both sides are trying each other out and a defeat would open the way for more management offensives.

Fourthly the strikes, if successful, would be an important stimulus to other workers to take militant action in defence of living standards.

The company has offered 5% and an incentive-bonus which they are proposing be based on weekly rather than quarterly production figures. This allows for stoppages do ruin workers' chances of the bonus -more easily.

Workers at all three plants which bargain independently must be ready to oppose any attempt by the convenors to settle for less than the 20%.

The will is there. It must be sustained and developed if Peugot/Citroen is to be beaten.

And the company's phony 'bankruptcy' figures must be challenged through the election of trade union committees to . demand full access to the firm's books.

(WELL I SUPPOSE I ALWAYS L WAS A BIT OF AN "EXTREMIST!"

level and at most plants the company say: "While joint arrangements at either plant or central levels are not being maintained, management members will take appropriate action to complete the exercise."

In other words they say they are going to force the scheme through unilaterally. They hope to do this in August.

In response to this in Cowley TGWU Senior Stewards have called a meeting for the Tuesday after the two weeks works shutdown. •They have invited other combine Senior Stewards who want to fight the company's dictatorial measures.

In the Cowley Body Plant the TGWU stewards, representing about 5,000 members immediately passed a resolution which included: '3. Recommend to members a complete withdrawal of labour if the company attempts to impose their Grade Structure."

Already in Cowley a number of stoppages, overtime bans and work to rules have taken place and there is no doubt that these will build up after the shutdown.

MIGHT AS WELL SEE IF THE I'LL BUY ONE OF STAR HAS A LINE WE CAN USE THESE FOR A LAUGH!

BISHOP cUTS ... LISTEN TO THIS -DONT BE GOADED INTO A GENERAL STRIKE": "DON'T FALL FOR TORY PROVOCATIONS"

—JUST WHAT WE NEED!

NEWSLINE

15ch Jere PRAQ IN FULL COLOUR Lunt 1) to ensure that this year the pay of the scientists is linked directly to the pay of the administration grades of the general civil service. 2) to ensure that the technologists get in their pay settlement something "extra" on top of the average they have been offered.

Civil Service pay is decided by comparison with private This year the Civil Service Department has departed from its usual custom of offering more than the average in order to allow for the fact that they could not get accurate income estimates for the architects, and quantity surveyors who are in partnerships.

But in an attempt to split the union, the Department has given the scientists their full claim.

The national executive committee of IPCS accepted thisthus weakening the struggle of the technologists.

The NEC have urged the work to rule to continue throughout the membership but are now restricting the selective strike action to the technology grades.

IPCS has proved in the last three weeks that it has immense industrial muscle.

It must use this muscle to win the technologists' pay claim.

THIS IS NO HELP. IT'S BUT THE NEWSLINI GOT THE SAME OLD LINE AS A REALLY GOOD A GLE! OUR EXECUTIVE, STAN!

BISHOP MEHOLA CUTS. IRAQ IN COMRADÉS.!. DON'T BE PROVOKED - INFLATION IS A TRAP-A PROVOCATION - A BAIT→ DON'T FALL FOR IT!

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SOCIALIST

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