[Workers at Gardners, the Eccles (Manchester) diesel engine…]

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Workers at Gardners, the Eccles (Manchester) diesel engine company have occupied the plant against redundancies.

The takeover took place following a mass meeting last Friday. Talks between union and management on the threat made to make 590 of the 2430 workforce . redundant had broken down when management insisted on the right to decide for themselves who should be sacked and who should stay. The occupation at Gardners is central to the fight against unemployment in the North West.

Myers, a nearby mail order firm announced 1600 redundancies only a few weeks ago and just up the road, Chloride, the battery manufacturers, are mittee was meeting Chloride stewards earlier this week to discuss joint action.

The Gardners occupation committee has yet to work out its programme of demands; but one they must obviously consider is for the opening of the books of Gardners itself, which is spending £17 million on new technology, and of the parent company Hawker Siddeley, as well as the vehicle manufacturers like Scammels, ERF and Foden that use Gardners for 90% of their bus engines.

The extent of the profits made by Gardners' suppliers, bankers and consumers must be exposed.

The social need for the bus engines is shown by the fact that Lancashire United Trans port already has lines of broken down buses awaiting new Edwardes has offered BL wage review.

6.1% (about £2.50 in the pocket) with inflation averaging 20% over the past year cannot be seen in any other way.

On top of this Edwardes has offered to raise the maximum bonus figure from £15 : to sleight of hand is that most of the big plants, like Longbridge and Cowley have never reached the starting point for bonus, let alone the maximum!

A 50% increase on zero is zero. This is not likely to change because when they do get consistent production management announce lay-offs.

BL workers had 5% last year and 5% the year before. 6.1% would make it 16.1% over 3 years-less than the rate of inflation in one year!

Wage settlements in Britain have been averaging 22% over the last year-leaving BL wages further and further behind. exist and introduced cutbacks, short time and voluntary redundancy (VR).

As soon as the 5% was bulldozed through, most of the short-time was called off, and some plants, like Cowley, increased production to its previous levels and switched to recruiting labour even before the VR programme had been completed.

Edwardes has pulled the same stunt this time. No sooner did negotiations begin than he announced short time, cut backs and more VR. Again, (with the exception of some models, like the SD1) there was no overstocking; the move was tactical.

After laying off the Ital they have now reintroduced full time working because of an outcry by distributors that they simply could not get any to sell.

But the fact is that BL workers have considerable bargaining power if they decide to use it, and not just with the Metro.

Far from not wanting cars, the generally low stocks put management in a difficult position to face a strike. The blackmail should be called. Every time management says "if BL workers-since it is worth money to some plants (mainly small plants) and not to others.

But at senior stewards meetings, which often decide things in BL, small plants have the same vote as the big plants.

The TGWU convenor of Longbridge for example with over 13,000 members has one vote-and a craft convenor from a small plant with possibly a few dozen members also has one vote.

This is why it has been so important to press for a democratic structure in BL.

A fully representative delegate conference for example, reflecting the shop floor workers and with the power to take decisions in BL would change the situation in BL.

But this is completely opposed by the national officers who control everything in BL at the present time.

Therefore BL workers must demand that action is taken on wages this year. They must say no sell out. Edwardes' offer should be taken to mass meetings in every plant. Let the members decide what should be done about it.

The national officials have got their pay rise; they are on. over £200 per week. Edwardes is on £55,000 a year. Those who have to try and live on BL rates of pay should decide what is to be done!

Lister nds It is clear that NUJ members in future must demand clear solidarity and an end to such 'bargains'.

The strike was not however totally unsuccessful. The employers are now committed to increase the differential in line with living costs for the next three years before there is another review.

Moreover when the employers refused an adeyuate no victimisation deal the members stayed out for another three days before one was agreed, showing that the lessons of the Nottingham Evening Post had been learned.

The political lesson-the crying need for a principled leadership throughout the print unions, must now be learned.

WELL, BENN MAY BE AN EXTREMIST - BUT EVERY /CLOUD HAS ITS ERMINE LINING!

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workers a 14% wage cut as a settlement on this year's

£22.50, a 50% increase. The problem with this little