Throw Out Leyland Let" Clauses

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The scramble for "fringe benefits' by those who want to avoid confronting the government and the TUC over basic pay has produced proposals from the managment of British Leyland Cars Division which cut across every existing agreement and (contains "no strike" penalty clauses unprecedented in the car industry in Britain.

A meeting of convenors reppresenting the 100,000 manual workers in the Cars Division. chaired by Derek Robinson, Stalinist convenor of the Longbridge plant who has supported proposals from the start, voted recommend the proposals back to the individual plants.

Leyland convenors Meetings are now taking place and votes taken.

If accepted, the agreement would represent the biggest achievement of Leyland management since the introduction of Measured Day Work, a payment system which has sent Leyland workers tumbling down the wages league.

MINIMAL

These latest, slightly amended proposals offer minimal improvements in sickness and accident pay in return for a penalty clause which would disqualify from all entitlement under the existing lay off agreement any worker who was involved in "unconstitutional" industrial action of more than half a shift or an agregate of more than™ eight hours in any three month period.

Even these proposals subject to a number of strict conditions.

These 'improvements' , say Leyland, can only be afforded under:

"circumstances where work can conținue without interuption" and when:

"all trade union members will co-operate in substantially reducing unauthorised absence and unconstitutional industrial action".

In addition, Leyland require prior guarantees that agreement will be reached on a common review date for all plants (which constitutes the de facto introduction of corporation-wide wage bargaining), plus a procedure to deal with manpower surpluses (which in essence accepts redundancy as and when management require it).

Priat to redundancy. Leyland want the right to deploy workers between plants as required by the "reconstruction" of Leyland cars.

One of the most sinister aspects of the proposals is the role designated to the convenors, who since the beginning of 'participation" have been the most conservative force in the trade union movement within Leyland.

OVERTHROWN

Existing discipline procedures would be overthrown and joint management/convenor committees established to deal with lateness and absenteeism. As the proposed agreement puts it:

"While Committees may vary in size and membership to suit different circumstances in plants, the ideal committee is considered to be one made up of six permanent members - three Senior Shop Stewards, and three management members.

"The Committees would not be empowered to vary the terms/ rules of the main agreement, but would exist as a body with authority to uphold discipline within existing plant procedures, and ensure that the agreement was not being abused. This would be done by review of absence levels, individual records and where necessary ensuring that suitable counselling took place.

DOMINANCE

The aim is to establish the complete dominance of the convenors; heavy penalties for unofficial strikes and disciplinary procedures in their hands.

If such an agreement were concluded it would be the signal for the biggest management offensive yet seen in Leyland on agreement conditions and manning levels.

It is essential therefore that the implications of the proposals are fully explained, on the shop floor and the document decisively rejected. war ent Continued from Front Page:

was substantially defeated, it won a respectable body of support from a Conference which was action by the NECd against any acon by the NEl And his points on the role of leadership were confirmed to the hilt when Glyn Phillips for the NEC got up to oppose a motion instructing the union's Scottish members (threatened with 11,000 sackings) to take part in a one day strike - on the basis that you couldn't instruct members to lose a day's pay!

OVERWHELMING

This position was greeted with derision by militants in the Conference, and the strike motion was passed overwhelmingly - the NEC rallying only a few staunch right wingers to their position.

There is no doubt however, that the NALGO leadership feel they got away from the Conference lightly. They were clearly happy to exchange a paper commitment to an overtime ban (which will be completely ineffective in preventing the cuts) while appearing to be a militant form of action) for preservation of the Social Contract and an avoidance of sustained strike action against the government.

And with statistics now showing that the real wage of. the average worker has fallen by £10 of the Social Contract began, any a week since the implementation means to save the Contract welcome to NALGO leader Drain and his friends on the TUC General Council.

The NALGO Special Conference, coming on top of the week's betrayals indicates the vital importance of a prepared and organised struggle in every union conference this year for an immediate break with the Social Contract, a return to free collective bargaining and policies to defend jobs and living standards.