Why the lay-offs? OPEN BL's BOOKS!

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SHORTER "HE British Leyland last week announced lay offs and programme cuts in some of their plants.

In Oxford, the main area affected, Princess and Marina and MG tracks are to be laid off for one month beginning February 25, and the Maxi for two weeks from 25 rebruary with two more weeks at a later date.

This will total almost 8,000 workers laid off.

When the Maxi and Princess workers return they face programme cuts from 18½ per hour down to 6 and 15 an hour down to 12 respectively.

Both models will then be produced on the same track running at 18 per hour.

In addition, some 2,500 workers are to be laid off at Rover and 1500 engine shop workers at Longbridge. Both models at Canley, the TR7 and the Dolomite are to be laid off.

Full pay

This will probably total around 15-20,000 workers. They will receive full pay for the first week and after that the national guaranteed week payment, which is £73 for a grade 3 production worker.

This decision appears te have been dictated, at least in its timing, by the rejection of the 5% pay offer by a substantial majonty of 41,422 against 28,623 in a postal ballot.

(The 129 spoilt papers were a fitting testimony to the bankruptcy of Roy Fraser's call 6,000 BL craftsmen to spoil their ballot papers and call for craft negotiations).

There is no doubt that the acute crisis which BL has faced for a number of years has worsened sharply in recent months.

The world-wide market for cars is shrinking. Almost every manufacturer faces problems. In BL this is compounded by its small size, its lack of investment over the last ten years and it$ ageing model range.

But BL has deliberately exaggerated the crisis in order to create the atmosphere to deter workers from walking out when the ballot result was known.

Stampede

Edwardes also hopes to stampede union leaders-who see the viability of BL as their responsibility -into accepting the pay package.

Thus the media initially splashed figures of 50-60,000 lay-offs-"for months rather than weeks"-though the layoffs were never likely to be more than a fraction of this. Edwardes has now claimed that bus de sie sincanty mper no attempt to refute them at the time the claims were made.

No facts The major feature of the layoff announcements in the plants was the complete absence of any factual information to back up BL's claims that lay-offs were necessary because of "fálling sales".

Plant directors refused to give any information on stocks.

The press claimed 100,000 cars in stock. But no breakdown was given as to the nature of this stock or where it was held.

It is clear that BL's 2,000 distributors are heavily stocked. But in Cowley, where the bulk of the lay-offs are planned, there is little evidence of factory held unsold stock-usually the sign of serious overproduction.

BL are either hiding the information or hiding the unsold cars.

The planned build programme cuts on the Maxi some effect. and Princess after the lay-off are a similar conundrum. No figures have been given to substantiate even in management terms the necessity for major cutbacks of this order:

There are four reasons other impact. than sales figures why the layoffs suit management at this time.

*The ballot result: The time Still victimised-Robinson off announcement was' rushed into print the minute Edwardes saw the ballot figures.

• Even local plant directors had no idea what was going on for 48 hours afterwards.:

*The Robinson victimisation: BL knew that the issue still hung in the balance and that shop stewards campaign Longbridge support of Robinson was having Imminent collapse Although the lay offs hardly affect Longbridge they hope that the spectre of the imminent collapse of BL will have, an In addition a strike this week would disqualify lay off pay for many of those about to be laid off on full pay-something the officials are acutely aware of.

*The steel strike must affect whilst all these factors are involved there is insufficient information to hand to make a definite assessment as to the dominant factors.

What it does show is how urgent is the call for the opening of the books of BL and for all information to be made available to workers and the trade unions.

Whatever the real motives of the company, the media have had their effect at least on the leadership-the Leyland Cars Joint Negotiating Committee.

They met management/last Friday-3½ months after the November 1 annual wage review date. And once again they avoided even after the ballot, calling immediate strike action in sapport of the claim.

They gave the management a further two weeks to make a new offer.

After the two weeks have elapsed the trade union side of the JNC will meet to decide what action to take against the company.

Now the JNC has taken this decision, the whole combine must be mobilised to ensure that a strike decision is taken when this two week period expires.

The JNC already has authority from the convenors to act. -Stewards committees and mass meetings of members must demand that the hesitation stops and strike action commences immediately after the two week period.

As we go to press, we learn that the West Birmingham AUEW District Committee has finally decided to call a strike in' defence of Derek Robinson-but only after putting it to a mass meeting at Longbridge.

Deliberate delays by the AUEW EC and the District Committee have already given the management and the media two weeks to whip up an anti-strike mood in the workforce.

Yet the AUEW enquiry placed a clear responsibility upon the DC to act in Robinson's • defence by immediately issuing an unequivocal instruction for strike action. In shirking this responsibility and offering the company still more scope for anti-union propaganda they have now further endangered trade unionism in BL.

masaram caves in The facade of resistance to Tory cuts erected by Camden's left' Labour council has dramatically crumbled.

The Labour Group meeting last Monday saw a retreat on every front. The £75 per week NÚPE wage claim was rejected, and in a reversal of policy, the Group voted to increase counci! rents.

It had been rumoured that the council would offer a pay deal that would absorb most or all of this year's nationa! settlement into the existing "Camden supplement" (£17.50 on top of last yearis national settlement) won in struggle last winter.

But under pressure from a 100 strong NUPE lobby, councillors decided to award the 13% national settlement in addition to the "Camden supplement"

They made it clear however that the whole of the Clegg "comparability" award will be deducted from the supplement this April!

The climbdown over rents was a spectacular about-turn: the mere^ rumour that the council might be surcharged by the District Auditor if it failed to put up rents was enough to press through a f1 rise.

By the next full council meeting therefore Camden Labourites will have struck a blow at council workers' living standards, raised rents for the first time in three years änd implemented a 35% • rate increase. So much for the 'fight' against the Tory cuts!

fraud ends

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