BL grading sell-out

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As the strike against ITV companies was stepped up this week the management threatened to lock out remaining technicians.

Three major branches of NATTKE, the biggest union in TV, struck from Monday A massive betrayal has been perpetrated against the BL car workers who have been preparing to fight against the iniquitous new five grade wage structure shortly to be forcibly imposed by management.

The betrayal came from the F&GP of the Confed, who have intervened in support of the management ultimatum-due to be executed in the next few weeks.

Last Friday the Confed won support for their treacherous exercise from the trade union side of the Leyland Cars National Joint Negotiating Committee.

The vote was 9-11 in favour of the Confederation-after 3 members of the committee who could have been expected to vote against the new grading structure had left the meeting.

The Confederation argued that they had made a big advance in the form of an appeals procedure which can be used after the new grading has gone in, The appeals committee is to be comprised of equal numbers of management and trade unions.

This of course gives management a substantial built-in majority, since the skilled sections' convenors consistently vote with management against the vast majority of production workers.

It is unlikely that workers will fall for this ploy.

The new grading is highly contentious, It means, for example, production workers seing down-graded from grade one to grade three.

There is hardly a section of workers prepared to accept the grade into which they are to be forced.

But workers are placed in a very difficult position.

Nearly all British Leyland plants are currently responding to the call from the Confed for one day strikes and overtime ban in support of the wage claim.

On the 3 and 4 September they are being asked to step this up to two days in addition to the overtime ban.

But now it is clear that only a few days before that they will be faced with the need to strike against the Confed on the grading structure.

Straightjacket

Nevertheless the grading plan —a straightjacket that threatens to restrict for all time the pay levels that can be won by each section-must be resisted by BL workers.

In developing their independent struggles on this issue, carworkers can lay the basis for winning the major pay increases contained in the Confed pay claim, and for pressing home their own demands in BL's annual pay review this November.