Jag strikers face sacking threat

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Published by Folrose Ltd for the Workers Socialist League, BM Box 5277, London WC1V 6XX. Printed by Anvil Printers, London Registered as a newspaper with the Post Office. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Workers Socialist League As we go to press a sellout deal has been drawn up which could end the strikes at Browns Lane and Radford Jaguar plants which have been the most solid focus of opposition to BL management's new pay and conditions package.

Despite management threats to sack the strikers, the dispute has remained solid over the last week.

BL pulled back from their threat to sack last Wednesday and extended the deadline to Monday, hoping that the trade union bureaucracy could solve the problem for them.

National Strike • The prospect of a national strike in defence of hundreds who would have to be sacked was obviously something both management and union officials wished to prepare for whether by reducing the numbers on strike or by pressuring a return to work with no concessions given.

Over the weekend,: talks were held involving all the stewads who were prepared or able to turn up to them.

Throughout Saturday and Sunday they listened to Jaguar management repeating the same "offer" as had .. been made previously -an *independent inquiry" into the new grading system.

In the face of management pressure, union officials were eventually able to get acceptance of a statement, the crucial two paragraphs of which read as follows:

"As a result of these discussions and the progress made, the trade unions have agreed to call a meeting on Tuesday April 29 of all the employees in dispute to report back in an endeavour to secure a return to work.

In the light of the above, the company is prepared not to activate dismissal letters for those employees in dispute who do not report for work on Monday/Tuesday April 28/29".

It is not surprising that there is no commitment to a direct recommendation to return, seeing that management has budged not one inch from what was previously offered.

Return That said, it is clear that the case for a return to work will be forcefully argued at Tuesday's mass meeting.

By Monday morning however it was clear that the mass "back to work" movement which officials were predicting had failed to materialise.

Those returning and attempting to go through the mass picket could probably have been counted on the fingers of one hand.

This will help those stewards who oppose the sell-out formula and who will be fighting against a return to work at Tuesday's mass meeting.

The events throughout the dispute both at national and local level have posed centrally the question of leadership.

The statement drawn up over the weekend shows once! more the need for new leaders and new policies for workers throughout BL in the struggle against the Tory-backed offensive.

*As we go to press, paint shop workers in BL's Cowley Body Plant have walked out on strike over management's imposition of the 92-page document on working conditions, which pomonthem of their togging They have not fixed to meet again. A prolonged stoppage would halt Maxi and Princess