Ellesmere Port workers Talbot strikers fight penalty clauses

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Picketing at Ellesmere Port during an earlier dispute SO WE AT THE TUC HAVE NEVER SHRUNK FROM CHANGE AND DIFFERENCES OF OPINION -HAVE WE BROTHER The strike to regain living standards at Vauxhall's, Ellesmere Pori plant comes at a time when the company is suffering from a series of teething troubles over the 1980 model of the Chevette, which came into production after the summer vacation four weeks ago.

When the first cars came down tha tracks new parts were missing and workers had been told to get on with working now operations without the necessary training period, using strange parts that needed complex sub-assembly in many cases.

Bedevilled

Needless to say the track was stopping and starting throughout the shift and ended up stopping altogether for a sizeable part of the shift.

Since then the car seems to have been bedevilled by cockups, engineering snags and incompetent suppliers who have sent whole crates full. of smashed headlamps resulting in a farcical production schedule.

To compound this state of affairs there appears to be a shortage of certain vital compo. nents-possibly caused by the Confed. strikes.

There has been a predictable buildup of half-built derelicts shoved into the car-park, for an indefinite period, awaiting parts.

Against this background the claim for a 25% flatrate increase-a notable improvement on lasi year's vague and woolly "substantial increase"a cost of living clause; a "shorter" working week; time and a third for holidays and a half day (sic) at Christmas; was submitted with much militant bluster from the convenors.

BRAT

ETRE The company's final offer of an increase of an average 132% plus time and a third for holidays adds up to a supposed 17% average increase.

The strings attached to it, however, amount to an unprecedented attack on conditions and rights.

The company have demanded:

(i) An increase in productivity to be accepted as desirable and necessary;

(ii) Bell-to-bell working, with no unofficial breaks;

(ili) Greater flexibility and easier transfer of workers to cover for shortages of labour, absenteeism etc.;

and (iv) the right of management to deploy workers to scab on sections that are in unofficial dispute.

This final clause is only an extension of the present state of affairs.

The TGWU shop steward constitution actually has a clause stating that any sections can be "manned-up" , where an instruction to return • to normal working, given by the senior stewards committee, is ignored!

Although it is doubtful whether this has ever been done in practice, the clause is there to be used and undoubtedly gives the rightwing dominated senior stewards committee and convenor an enormous potential for intimidating and browbeating sections back into line.

The clause, therefore, merely seeks to strengthen and make explicit the already existing policy of the right-wing stewards committee, and give the management the power to twist the stewards arms into implementing it in practice.

But the strike was not a principled response to this on the part of the convenors-rather it was forced on them by the determined strike by a handful of setters with are up in arms over being downgraded.

As their action brought the threat of lay-offs for the whole of the 8,500 hourly paid, a mass meeting of AUEW members voted on the recommendation of their convenor John Turnbull to reject the offer and take strike action. The recommendation to strike was carried almost unanimously. by the 5,500 membership.

The TGWU convenor, John Farrel, however, went to the management and said that TGWU members wanted lay-off pay until the present agreement expired in a couple of weeks time.

Management turned round with their usual contempt and refused the slightest concession to the TGWU.

Meanwhile the AUEW has had problems with their skilled members who, enraged at having. been witch-hunted by Turnbull last year during their fight to restore differentials, have scabbed on this year's action by unskilled members in a bloodyminded retaliation bid to even the score.

Despite these difficult conditions, Vauxhall workers have voted for action which places them, alongside Talbot (Chrysler) workers at the forefront of the pay struggles in the car industry.

A successful struggle in Vauxhall would set the pace for Fords and spur on BL carworkers. The Ellesmere Port strike must be fully supported with official blacking action and stoppages at Vauxhall's other plants. Friday showed once again their determination to continue their fight for increased wages.

Talbot management have been sending out personal letters to each striker giving the impression that money is on the table if oniy the convenors would negotiate:

But at the meeting the convenors spelt out the facts of management's fraudulent offer.

"They keep talking about f5 extra through an incentive scheme. But they won't tell us what the schemes includes!

"They won't tell us what we'll have to do to get the f5, and we suspect we'll have to give up a lot.

ACTT leader Alan Sapper: as we go to press, the signs are that the Independent television employers are digging in for a further prolongation of the pay battle that has blacked : out screens, as they press for job-slashing new technology and speed-up. incentive schemes, we'll be discussing how the people who do the work will get the benefit from increased productivity.

"ff their incentive scheme is worth £5 to us, how much is it worth to the people we nego. tiate with?' i Visits The meeting heard a report of successful visits to a wide range of factories in order to raise financial support.

convenor Dave Edwards drew out the fact that the Talbot strikes are taking place at the same time as those in other firms.

"This strike is about paying the bills. We're not staying out for pride or principle. We're staying out so we can afford to pay those bills."

The meeting of 1,500 gave an overwhelming vote of support to the convenors' recommendation to continue the strike, with only about 50 votes against.

The strike at the nearby Ryton plant also continues, despite attempts through ACAS to find the basis for a deal.

Confed

Talbot strikers must take steps to link up with other workers in struggle-such as the Vauxhall workers at Ellesmere Port-and call on the national Confed leadership to call all-out strike action on the Confed claim and forge a united fight to defend living standards.

There must also be a determined effort to close the ports to Talbot cars coming in from The rank and file have shown their willingness to fight a ruthless management. The strike leaders must build on this strength.

Chalmers ...PRIVATE MEDICAL SCHEMES ALBERT AND BERNARD... ..THEN DEFENDED BY FRANK'S LADS..

BAKERS UCATT CASA.