Bl Secret "no Strike" Plan

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Robinson... more victimisations planned secret legally binding no strike agreement between BL and the major unions is in an advanced state of discussion.

The agreement-which would finally remove all vestiges of control by BL workers over their own demands and negotiations-has been discussed in complete secrecy by the Executive of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions.

It stems from the attack by the Tories on the unions but shows union officials implicated up to their necks in the most vicious attack yet carried out on The 'no strike' clause as yet applies only to strikes called by the Confed or any strikes called against federations and associations of employers'.

Legally binding

But it also seeks legally binding agreement that all disputes would be referred for decision to a BL Council made up of top management of BL and Leyland Vehicles and full time officials of the Confed. The BL Council "shall have the responsibility and authority to ensure that procedural arrangements are agreed and maintained"

The background to the attack is the dissolving of the previous BL National Joint Negotiating Committee which ceased to exist on August 1 in line with the document signed by Moss Evans for the TGWU in April to sell out the Midlands strikes.

The document, drawn up between BL and the Confed executive, has been named The Relationship Agreement'.

That relationship is as follows: a Joint Negotiating Committee (the BL Council) entirely composed of national officials appointed by the Confed; the stamping out of the Combine Committee by both the company and the unions and for a legally entorceable 'no strike' clause.

The document says:

"The employing Companies will provide appropriate facilities for representation and negotiations. The employing Companies will not provide any facilities for unconstitutional trade unionism...

"The unions shall take active steps wherever necessary to maintain constitutiona trade unionism among employees and to prevent unconstitutional trade unionism from damaging the employing Companies...

"The parties acknowledge their unique responsibilities for securing the survival and the success of the United Kingdom's only remaining major autoNOL motive manufacturer ...

"The BL Council shall become responsible for the BL Procedure Agreement for hourly paid employees of 29 March 1976; questions arising under section 6 (Interpretation and Application) of that Agreement shall be referred to the Council for resolution...

"The BL Council shall have the responsibility and authority to ensure that procedural arrangements are agreed and maintained in the employing Companies...

"Employees covered by 6.2 and 6.3 shall not take part in strikes or other forms of industrial action in support of any claim or dispute between any or all of the unions and federations and associations of employers.

«Since the Agreement has been freely and voluntarily entered into by the parties on behalf of the BL. employing Companies and on behalf of the employees it shall be mutually binding in honour and in law and shall therefore expressly form part of the contracts of employment of those employees who are covered by its scope....

"Any question of interpretaBL have cracked down on the Combine Comi mittee -a • committee of senior stewards which has been meeting in working hours for the past 25 years.

The Chairman, Jack Adams, and Mick Clark, the treasurer, have been given a final warning after attending a meeting of the Combine on August 15.

All those who attended were shall AT THE GENERAL STRIKE tion of this Agreement that cannot be determined within the procedures adopted by the employing Companies shall be reférred to the BL Council for resolution...

"The unions' members shall normally be the President of the CSEU, the General Secretary of the CSEU and national officials, to be appointed by the CSEU.

"Additionally, one national official of any union not normally represented may attend a meeting of special importance at the request of his national executive committee or other comporable body."

The document is not yet signed. It has been discussed in secret by the Confed executive at two meetings in the past three months and a further meeting was being held this Wednesday (August 27).

Officials were obviously planning to reach agreement without informing the workforce.

The agreement would cover the TGWU, AUEW, TASS, ACTSS, APEX, EETPU, GMWU, UCATT and the Boilermakers, Metalworkers, Patternmakers, Furniture, Sheet Metal Workers and Metal Mechanics unions. warned by the company not to attend again.

• Adams and Clark were singled out for special treatment because management claimed they had already received a final warning' when Derek Robinson was sacked last November.

Now management have said that a further meeting of the Combine Committee will lead to their automatic sacking.

O'FISHALL ARRIVES ! 0000 BUREAU 41 Д000 TUC OUR MAGNIFICENT TRADE •.BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO WALK UP-ALL THE PORTERS & LIFT MPERATORS ARE.:.ER.. "TEMPORARILY INAVAILABLE" (CHRIST, GIEREK LIFT WAS RIGHT -IT IS ANARCHY!

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SOCIALIST SSE FIGHT