[Leyland management's Browns Lane, led to a mass…]

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Leyland management's Browns Lane, led to a mass revolt last week.

The …new BL gradings changed the situation significantly from that which existed under the previous Jaguar agree. •ment:

For example fitters, finishers and trimmers on Grade 1 under the previous scheme suddenly found themselves reassessed as "track assemblers", and placed on grade 3.

By last Monday when a JSSC meeting recommended a complete overtime ban, non co-operation in all areas and any other sanctions that individual sections saw fit to take, most sections were already implementing the first two and Re-fit had been on strike since the previous Friday.

By Tuesday management tactics showed clearly that they were provoking a confrontation. Different measures were taken in relation to different sections.

The Trim shop were taken off the clock for applying sanctions; and internal transport were on strike because of disciplinary threats against one worker over the application of sanctions.

NION DUES At the same time a dispute at the Jaguar plant in Radford led to a shortage of axles.

All the assembly tracks were lajd off on Tuesday morning due to a combination of axle shortages, the internal transport strike, and the fact that sanctions were beginning to bite. " . Effectively there was a total shutdown-on both day and night shifts.

Only those placed on grade 1 were still working.

A JSSC held on Wednesday decided to call a mass meeting for Friday, at which it would recommend that those still working should stop and that it should be formally recorded that everyone was on strike against the new grading and for a return to the original Jaguar grading structure with the offer to discuss anomalies with the company.

The strike would last until management agreed to meaningful negotiations.

By Friday morning, when a further JSSC was to be held immediately before the mass meeting, union officials had intervened.

It was now recommended that there should be a return to work in order to go through procedure at a works conference to be held on Monday or Tuesday with union officials in attendance.

The TGWU officials had argued that it was necessary to complete procedure, (despite the fact that the grading has been imposed by management and they are therefore free to act without the use of procedurel, give the necessary five days notice, and then there would be no trouble making the strike official.

AUEW official Ken Cure said that he would refuse to come near the plant while the strike continued.

Opponents of the new position argued for the original recommendation and for the strike to be made official straight away.

The vote went roughtly 5436 for the officials' recommendation.

Although delaying tactics and interventions of this kind have held the line for the management since the new five grade structure was forced in, hostility to the grading is not far below the surface in most BL plants.

*As we go to press on Monday we hear that the Browns Lane workers have resumed their action against the grading system.

DO HURRY WITH THAT CHATEAU VILLENEUF. - O'FISHALL WILL BE HERE AT ANY NoW, AND YoU KNOW HOW CHOOSY H WELL I THINK 13% WITH STRINGS SHOULD KEEP THE BUGGERS QUIET, SIR CHARLES.

IS TC ISTC I THINK. 20% NOW! - NO STRINGS WATER workers in the GMWU have voted to throw out a 19.2% pay offer, and to take strike action in two weeks time.

If this stand is followed by NUPE and TGWU workers the strike could mount a major challenge to the Tory "cash limits"' policy in the public sector-and offer further incentive to other public sector workers to join in the struggle to defend living "standards against runaway inflation.

LEAGUE

Public meeting The fight against thie 7.30 p.m.

Thursday 21 February Lyndhurst Hall.

Warden Rd.

London NW5

(Tube: Kentish Town)

WELL?.. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT, O'FISHALL?

ITS A DISGRACE!

YOU LEAVE ME NO OPTION. BUT TO WALK OUT!!

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•CA Ist ESS CORRI E0 SI NO KEENE

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attempts to impose the new grading structure at Jaguar,

sall •YOUR MAN AT THE

Water 'no'