[Two determined strikes against management attempts to impose…]
Socialist Press1978 1978-02-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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Two determined strikes against management attempts to impose speed-up have halted two of the three major car producers in Merseyside.
At British Leyland's Speke Hall plant-where the Tri anumpn ık/ ana boales Io the Dolomite are producedproduction has been at a standstill since mass meeting vote for indefinit strike action on November last year.
Obstacle
The strike started when management refused to honour the agreement on manning levels that ensures changes are subject to prior agreement by shop stewards, and lays down a procedure for arriving at temporary arrangements in dispute.
The agreement stands as an obstacle to Leyland's all-out drive for increased exploitation on the shop floor, and the attack on it is part of a sustained management offensive on working conditions throughout the corporation.
The strike in defence of the agreement is the first-ever major stoppage in the new No. 2 plant at Spekeand the last big strike at the No. 1 factory was 8 years ago.
Now as a result of prolonged lay-offs followed by the 12-week strike, production has been at a halt since last August.
Management and the press are doing their best to exploit this, and using the failure of the Speke stewards committee to hold a mass meeting since November 1 as a lever to weaken the strike.
Friday's Liverpool Echo carried an appeal from management for the latest "peace plan" to be put to a mass meeting.
Manoeuvre
This concern for democracy' by the employer is a fraud.
• If they were really interested in a return to work, all the management needs to do is agree to honour the existing agreement on manning.
Anything else is no more than a manoeuvre to split the workforce and break the strength of the union in the plant.
Hourly quota
Meanwhile at Ford's Halewood plant the strike by 1,000 press-shop workers against the imposition of an hourly quota system continues.
Last Tuesday they voted at a mass meeting not to meet again for a fortnight unless new peace proposal emerged. NO The Birds Eye picket
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JOINI STEWARD COMMITEE SITE 2 OFFICIA VCT