New Leyland Bid for Corporate

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In this way they have sought to strengthen the hand of management increase the influence of the national officers of the trade unions.

The obstacle to their aspiration has been the shop stewards' movement and this proved difficult to overcome.

The implementation of the Ryder Report brought a new situation. Not only did it recommend corporate bargainingbut it tackled the question of the shop stewards movement.

SOFTENED

Joint Management Participation Committees were set up which softened many of the shop stewards and sucked them closer to management.

On the Combine Committee, Communist Party member and committee chairman Derek Robinson began to advocate a move away from plant bargaining.

The essential groundwork was prepared. All British Leyland now wanted was the right opportunity for a new initiative. Such an opportunity began with the month long toolroom strike in February/March of this year.

The strength of the toolroom strike was the threat it posed to Stage 2 of the Social Contract since its demands could not be settled with wage controls in force.

Its weakness was its demand of parity which must lead inevitably to a corporate structure and nationally negotiated wages.

APPOINTED

To compound this inherent danger to Leyland workers, the sell-out settlement of the strike involved the setting up of a "joint working party" to look at the wages structure throughout Leyland cars.

Leyland had the chance they wanted. They could now develop the reactionary side of the toolroom strike and turn it into a full scale attack on Leyland workers.

The working party was not elected, but appointed by national officers. The qualifications-to be right wing and pro-management.

At its first meeting the management spelled out what they wanted corporate bargaining. This the "tradê union' side rejected, saying they would prepare proposals of their own.

The proposals they drew up were as follows:

"1. Phased programme over two years to achieve bargaining reforms outlined in the Ryder Report.

2. The principle of parity in all grades in British Leyland Cars to be achieved no later than November 1979.

3. Staff conditions to be implemented by November 1978.

4. The introduction of incentive schemes, negotiated and mutually agreed at plant level."

they had been acting openly for management they could not have done better. Taken together these four 'objectives' contain all the main elements of British Leyland management policy.

Point 1 means corporate bargaining.

Point 2 is simply corporate bargaining by another name.

Point 3 is what management have been trying to get accepted for the past year.

Point 4 is speed-up.

It was no surprise therefore that the company representative responded to this opportunity. Their response was to produce a new document taking into account these four 'objectives' PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report Firstly they said they would accept the 'principle' of parity of rates, and pointed out that the clear logic of this was corporate bargaining.

They proposed that rates would equalise over a two year period, but since they had no money to pay for this the exercise would have to be "self-financing"

Parity money would be paid to those on the lower rates in six monthly increments-but only providing productivity critera had been met in the preceeding six months. If not, no money.

Secondly, on the staff conditions objective they were even more blatant, simply attaching to the package the 'fringe benefit' document rejected by an overwhelming vote of Leyland workers in January of this year.

The document was rejected by mass meetings (although recommended by the convenors) because it contained a series of penalty clauses aimed at re-establishing management dictatorship on the shop floor.

Finally on "incentives" the story was the same. Again the scheme was labelled "self-financing".

SPEED UP

The reality of the scheme was even worse. The speed-up involved, coupled with the penalty clauses contained in it, would massively worsen working conditions and reduce manning levels.

Taken together these proposals represent an all out attack on the wages and working conditions of Leyland workers.

It is clear that they emanate not simply from British Leyland management but, through Industry Secretary Eric Varley-from the government itsell.

The working party was split on the proposals. Neither side of the split however, were interested detending the workforce against them.

The split was over variations on the corporate bargaining theme.

RIGHTWARD SWING Alternative proposals were made which would protect the individual interests or personal power base of the various convenors involved.

Management however would have none of it, and on August 4 the working party called a full meeting of convenors to consider the offer.

Amazingly the meeting almost accepted the proposals-a tribute to the rightward swing of the convenors since 'participation' Voting showed a small majority against the document and then a small majority in favour of continuing negotiations on it.

Disaster for Leyland workers almost came with a third motion from the Rover shop stewards 700 TGWU members at Export Packing Services factory near Banbury are now on indefinite strike action for an immediate £15 a week increase. following claim submitted in the wake of the IGHL conference rejection of the Fraser (supported by the Militant Group and International Marxist Group members in Rover).

This motion called for full scale corporate bargainingbut gave it a left face. It called for corporate bargaining and a £15 a week wage claim and a cost of living clause.

The left face had a marked effect and it was defeated by an even smaller margin 95-87.

If the Rover motion had carried, management would taken a giant stride towards objectives.

But the battle the votes. The determined.

That Dennis Healey referred directly to the Leyland proposals in his speech last Thursday-excepting Leyland from the 12-month ruleis a measure of that determination.

PUSHED ASIDE

The collaborators the convenors' committee have served their purpose for the moment and are now to be pushed to one side.

Leyland has announced that they intend to go over the heads of the convenors and attempt to ballot the plants using the support of Scanlon and the bureaucracy of the Confed.

The problem is tance and hostility developing fast.

They could not get a fight.

In plants such as Cowley the response has been developed-an independent wage claim, without strings to regain and defend wages lost in the period of the Social Contract.

*Our next issue will carry an examination of the role of the left groups on the corporate bargaining issue.

CPS :

The next official not for another six feeling on wages : is among the workforce The resolution fr tor immediete strik been have their did not end with that the resisto the deal is pay review is months. But running high ›m the floor action w35 Stewards As we went to press, AUEW shop stewards representing maintenance workers at Heathrow were due to recommend to a mass meeting that strike action should be taken in defence of sacked steward Jack Gatsky if management do not reinstate him by Thursday.

Gatsky was sacked for calling for an inquiry into the safety record of British Airways, after 3 number of Trident aircraft were grounded with cracks in their wings.

Another steward, Ian Morns. has been suspended for defending Gatsky's right to make the statement he did, and for refuting BA Chairman McFazdean's claim that "there is a political campaign to ground the airline."

He clearly also faces the sack if Gatsky is not successfully defended.

Most disturbing, however, is the delay in getting action off the ground in defence of the two stewards.

Gatsky was first suspended nearly two weeks ago and Morris was suspended on 9 August. But instead of taking immediate action. the stewards did not call a mass meeting until Friday 12 August when news of Gatsky's dismissa: was released.

Because union officials were still consulting with managemen: when the meeting was due to sta: the meeting was postponed unti Tuesday 16 August.

Monday's stewards" meeting which decided to recomment strike action has permitted further delay by giving management urt. Thursday to reinstate Gatsky ani by failing to take a position the suspension of Morris.

British Airways are clearly cr to provoke a strike. They have Tridents grounded and are already short of aircraft as the peak season continues. To therefore sack = leading steward under these ccr.ditions is clearly to invite strike action in response.

Whatever McFazdean's motives in taking such provocative actior. the challenge must not unanswered.

Strike action must be implemented straight away and maintaine: until Gatsky is reinstated and the charges against Morris are droppea A return to work should also be made conditional on Britis: Airways paying the shift pa: money negotiated and agreed a few weeks ago, which the governmer: now say cannot be paid till Janua? and must be part of the engineer s 10% annual pay rise! meeting. at once despite the tac: tos: factory is in an solates part o: country. and many wisten ta immediate transport home The meeting also voted Do:

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BANBURY STRIKE IN SIH 12-mOnT; RULE

TOR BANBURYI T BE ITS NIED BY MC