FBU members fight cuts in manning
Socialist Press1978 1978-05-03Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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Address Send . £1.10 . £2.20 . £5.50 £10.00 Amidst a growing mood of militancy, firemen in many regions of the FBU are pressing for further industrial action in order to defend their working conditions.
With increasing bitterness, they are realising that the scandalous deal which the FBU executive hailed as a "victory" after nine weeks of solid strike action is in fact an open invitation to management to launch a blatant attack on working conditions and reduce the effectiveness of a vital emergency service.
Action is most imminent in the London region (which voted unanimously against the deal and for continuing the strike in January) where these attacks are already well under way.
The most dangerous threat is to manning levels, which management are proposing to reduce drastically in order to pay for the agreed reduction in working hours (from a 48 hour week to a 42 hour week).
Increase
Coupled with this, they have more plans to increase the workload of a reduced number of workers, which include a scheme for making firemen do various tasks in between calls-such as cleaning out the station-and a proposed change in rota arrangement.
If any one of these proposals are implemented, it will mean that firemen are actually worse off after nine weeks of strike action. their leaders attempting any partial acceptance or compromise solution.
Generalised drive
These attacks are part of a generalised drive towards speed-up and rationalisation, which attempts to maintain the profitability of capitalism by increasing the rate of exploitation of workers and this drive makes no distinc: tion between the production of motor cars and the maintenance of an emergency service.
Firemen must realise that the only reason why management are in a position to launch these attacks is because of the scandalous betrayals of their own leadership in selling out the strike.
The fight must be resumed with a new, revolutionary leadership, the only leadership that can utilise the strength and solidarity shown during the nine-week strike.
The proposals must be totally rejected by decisive industrial action, and this 1 - 110.1% victor i.= - =5s. 1150.