Holiday Pay Strike

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No way forward against on the Liaison Committee vicious government attacks on Defence of Trade Unions.

Workers at F.H. Biddles of Nuneaton are on strike following management refusal to sign a regrading agreement which had been verbally accepted by management and unions.

At present the actual cash involved is slight-approximately £35 a year-but feeling on the shop for Only WSL speakers pointed out that the purpose of these moves by the Communist Party was precisely to head off the growing resistance to Stage Two of wage controls, and the necessity if teachers were to find a way forward against wage cuts for them to support the March 27th Conference called by the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement.

The Socialist Teachers Alliance itself has already dwindled in numbers from its first conference. Further fiascos like that staged last weekend will most likely polish it off altogether. floor is high, Regrading will change the minimum time rate which only altects holiday pay (minimum time rate plus one-third). Normal weekly wage is based on the domestic base rate, negotiated at plant level, plus a bonus.

The works manager agreed to regrading in January and three weeks negotiation was followed by a shop floor meeting which accepted the deal.

Management fixed the date of signing then began to backtrack.

First the works director was "not available" to sign. Then he was found to be on holiday in Spain. When he arrived back a new signing date was fixed-12 noon on March 4th.

When the works director refused to sign and asked for more time a mass meeting was held on Monday which voted to strike and meet again on Friday March. lith.

The drivers at Biddles negotiate separately but have come out in At the mass meeting their steward called for support when they went into struggle.

Despite the fact that all the lorries are "heavy goods vehicles" all the drivers are classed …as unskilled and the basic rate is $28 a week.

The mass meeting voted support for future struggles by the drivers.

On Tuesday morning (March 8) the stewards were called in by the works director who said that as he had not been involved in the negotiations the whole thing must be gone through again. "I've got to be careful. This is going to cost me money in the future" he said.

At the mass meeting of March Ilth, stewards reported that no headway had been made and the meeting voted unanimously to continue the strike, elect a strike committee and not meet unti the following Friday.

One of the strikers told Socialist Press:

"In my opinion this strike is the result of frustration which has buit up over low wages throughout the period of wage control.

It's only the second strike in the plant's 35 year history. Three years ago we were on national average wages, now were about £15 below.

The highest paid production worker is on £58 basic"

"We've had a really good response from delivery drivers. With an average of 15 lorries a day only two in the whole week have crossed our picket line"

Messages of support and donations to:

Biddles Strike Committee, c/o 496, Kingswood Road, Grove Farm Estate, Nuneaton. mittee chairman, Alderman Kemble thrust back a leaflet proferred to him about education cuts with the comment "Use it for scrap paper in the schools, you'll need it"

CAMPAIGN FOR DEMOCRACY IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT Public Meetings NUNEATON Monday 21st March at 8pm Bull Hotel, Market Place National Ad-hoc Committee speaker BIRMINGHAM Thursday March 22nd at 7.30pm.

Labour Club, Bristol Street Speakers, in a personal capacity Alan Thornett, BLMC Shop Steward Mick Rice, AUEW Chairman, Lucas BW3 JSSC LETTERS We welcome readers. Letters should be kept as and sent to:

Socialist Press, Park Hill, London letters from for publication brief as possible 31, Dartmouth NW5 1HR.

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1977