Tass Equal Pay Sellout

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TASS's claim to lead the fight on equal pay for women received another dent last week with the settlement at Metal Closures, West Bromwich, makers of bottle tops.

Women clerical workers who were looking for a £4 a week increase, back-dated to December 29th 1975 voted unanimously for strike action on July 2nd. They postponed the action to July 6th to allow last minute negotiations to take place.

The local divisional officer, however, convinced himself that a successful strike was impossible because of the apparent hostility of some male workers.

DELAY

On Tuesday July 6th he asked for a further 24 hours delay, and in this period negotiated an improved offer of £2.20 back-dated to February 16th 1976.

He then recommended that this offer be accepted, saying that strike action would probably "split the workforce" , and end in defeat.

His recommendation was thrown out by 19 votes to 11. He then declared that 19 to 11 was not a sufficiently convincing majority and asked if those against the strike would abide by the majority, virtually inciting them to say 'No' He was then able to use this as evidence of a "split" and persuade the women who had voted for strike action to abstain in a second vote!

SHABBY

This whole shabby episode allowed a handful of backward male workers with the backing of the officials to sabotage the equal pay fight by the majority.

It shows very well how the willingness to struggle for their rights is not lacking in working women:

It is the trade union leadership which finds excuses to sabotage this fight on the basis of splits and indecisiveness that it, itself, creates but blames on the union membership.

It is necessary that the local TASS women's committee takes up this case and investigates the role of the officials, in this and other recent disputes in the Birmingham area.

SUPERVISE

Representatives of the committee should be delegated to the activities of officials n future supervise disputes over equal pay and sex discrimination. Gerry Casey, Chairman of Oxford and District Trades Council OXFORD Following the disaffiliation of Oxford Trades Council, the TUC bureaucracy, jointly with the Stalinists and local rightwingers in Oxford are to «reconstitute" the Council on Wednesday 14th July.

Before they start they are doing everything they can to completely shackle the democratic rights of delegates to the new Council.

ristly the meeting will be a "packed" meeting because virtually "ANT RS SOCIALIST ixford Trades Council fights the cuts.

& DISTRICT Rules).

To make doubly sure of this the supporters of the Stalinists have moved a resolution saying:

"A delegate refusing to accept the president's ruling as final shall, on a point of order by any delegate present, be suspended from participation in the meeting"

ONLY ANSWER NUR President Da' Bowman hit the headlines c Monday with another blast + hot air.

After accepting each round cuts as they have been handed o by the Labour government, he to the NUR conference at Paignic that it may be necessary to "clo: the bloody lot" if the gover. ment tries to implement its Gree Paper proposals to cut a furth+ 4,000 miles from the remainir 11,000 miles of rail network.

The reason for the militar rhetoric is likely to become clea later in the week when eigh motions come up calling for return to free collective bargair ing.

Bowman may well rule these ou of order in the same way that pa: was ruled out of order at thi NUM conference the week before.

If this is so he needs some lef talk to set the scene.

* roy: 30 02 00

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