Vote "no' to Leyland Pay Fraud

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BRITAIN 6 issues 12 issues 24 issues Using the Tory policy of a secret ballot held throughout British Leyland, the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions leadership is trying to railroad through the company's corporate bargaining deal.

They managed to obtain a decision of senior stewards to recommend acceptance of the deal at a rigged meeting in London on 18 October.

Yet throughout Leyland the TGWU-which represents the vast majority of semi-skilled and unskilled workers-was forced to take a stand against the deal.

EXCEPTION

Sole exception was Rovers, where Communist Party and 'Militant' group leaderships declared in favour of corporate But the TGWU convenors would not fight the deal on principle.

They argued only that they didn't want corporate bargaining "at the present time" or that they wanted a different scheme.

This weakness enabled Moss Evans to gain a decision of the TGWU senior stewards that they would discuss corporate bargaining in 1979 on three "conditions"

Evans took this to the company, who then made a "new" offerand submitted it in ballot form to Leyland workers.

SAME AS BEFORE

This plan is basically the same those rejected before.

The only change is that negotiations would take place at plant level until November 1979, when corporate-level bargaining would be introduced.

Additionally all plants were offered a 10% pay increase for November 1977-0r if the 12 month rule did not allow 10%, they would get it when their reviews arose.

The Confed leadership then called a senior stewards meeting. Moss Evans and the TGWU leadership accepted this, even though they knew that although TGWU senior stewards represented the majority of members they are in €1.00 €2.00 €4.00 REST O THE 6 issues 12 issues 24 issues take OU Please send NAME ..

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Corialict Prore 31 Martmonth Dork HAl!| Moss Evans the minority at such meetings because representation is one senior steward for each union in each plant.

This means for example that the TGWU Senior Steward in the Cowley Body Plant, representing 1,000 members, has one vote-as has the electricians senior steward in another Cowley plant representing a mere three workers!

RIGGED

The rigged decision of this meeting has since been used on the ballot form and in the press as part of further pressure onthe workforce.

• Ballots are designed to make workers feel that they are individuals and not part of the working class, seeing their strength as an organisational force.

TGWU convenors that in many parts of Leyland had said they were against the deal played right into the hands of this plan by not holding mass meetings or producing explanatory literature.

Even in the Cowley Body Plant where the one mass meeting that we know of took place, the leadership refused to take a vote to decide policy on a plant basis.

IN FAVOUR Instead they even argued in favour of the ballot taking place, despite the fact that the meeting was solidly against the deal.

The only literature produced in the Cowley Assembly Plant was a special edition of the 5/293 Branch News containing a detailed attack £1.50 £3.00 £6.00 the company's plans.

The decision of the Conference of the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement to distribute leaflets throughout Leyland was therefore a big step forward for that organisation.

The CDLM leaflet aimed at the cey point of the deal, the lact that he vast majority of workers do not know what is involved.

There is no doubt from the response to the Cowley Body Plant TGWU mass meeting that if meetings had taken place all over Leyland then the deal would have been overwhelmingly rejected.

But even if the deal is forced in, this will not in any way be the end of conflict. Already strikes are taking place in Leyland against speed-up, the very kernel of the And at Longbridge, inspectors are involved in a grading strike which is in direct conflict with the grading structure in the deal.

The deal itself must be rejected and, as the CDLM leaflet says. individual plants must instead put in claims to regain and defend their living standards. win acceptance of an "incentive" scheme which would increase the work of coal face workers by anything up to 60%.

And throughout every industry the end of the rigid pay restraint of Phase 2 has seen the peddled by trade union officials who are dedicated first and foremost to preserving the profitability of the employer-at the expense of the long term interests and conditions of their own members.

ERODED

Meanwhile in the social services manning levels are being continually eroded by "natural wastage" and management refusals to fill vacant posts with the full knowledge and tacit acquiescence of union officials.

Every indication confirms that the slightest show of weakness or concession by workers' leaders in the face of such attacks simply provokes a fresh management onslaught.

The only way to fight the present offensive is to confront every attack on manning levels as and where it takes place by all-out strike action. Workers have no interest in boosting. the profits of private employers or state-run industries at the expense of jobs and working conditions.

All 'incentive" schemes must be rejected and instead full catching-up wage claims submitted, with provision to protect against inflation through a sliding scale of wages clause.

Employers claiming that their

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