BL workers face new sell-out
Socialist Press1979 1979-12-12Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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Another major betrayal is in store for BL workersthis time on wages.
Last Friday the Leyland Cars National Joint Negotiating Committee again failed to reject management's insulting offer on the annual pay review.
The offer, due to be paid on November 1, gives 5% to the vast majority of BL workers and 10% to the skilled workers in Grade 1.
Agreements
In return for this the deal demands the surrender of every significant protective agreement won by BL workers over many years-lay-off entitlement, mutuality, and seniority agree ments.
This offer is in reply to the claim by the BL unions for £24 per week across the board and a cost of living clause.
At last Friday's meeting, BL management made it absolutely clear that they would not alter or improve the monetary offer.
They even refused categorically to apply an across-the-board principle-something which had been insisted on by the convenors' conferen= which had endorsed the origina Robinson claim.
Faced with this, the obvious step was to reconvene the convenors' conference, to consider what action should be taken.
But nothing was further from the minds of the National Officials who dominate the committee.
They sored down i mis mored by Bob Frya 50e Da Costy Aseath Plar: zar for a boresar setas, DE Lenrentre They then decided to leave aside the 5% offer and negotiate on the 85 pages of strings and penalty clauses attached to it!
This move can only be seen as tantamount to acceptance of the 5%.
Two more meetings are fixed for this week to "negotiate" on these clauses.
The meeting was dominated by the aftermath of the Robinson victimisation.
• Robinson who was a senior member of the LCJNC was excluded from the meetingbui not (as might be expected) by management but by Ken Cure, Executive Councilman of the AUEW.
According to the Morning Star Cure instructed Robinson not to attend and appointed Arthur Harper from the Dreas Lane plant to take his sai Harper took the prints! view that he mond s0I Date iat position or = wined conTeDOI.
Racion b set massed teto go abeat and Hootie Rocion, in a = I: 0 bravado. has been sadimE OfT I: the National Inion of Students conference, predicting all out strike action at Longbridge and throughout BL if he is not reinstated.
While such a speech might drum up recruits for the Communist Party in the i NUS, nothing could be more likely to infuriate Longbridge workers and antagonise serious militants in BL prepared to wage the necessary fight for Robinson's reinstatement.