By a Ford worker ON FRIDAY 16 November the Ford Motor Company will reply to the 1979 wage claim 59,000 workers. While the claim itself is a good one, both its preparation, and the recent events around lay-offs at Dagenham, show that the officials and convenors have little intention of seriously fighting for it. Furthermore they seem intent on implementing the Tory anti-union policies for them — by preventing effective picketing.
preparing, discussion on the shop floor and in the union branches has been blocked or dismissed. has Coventry conference of Ford shop stewards this year.
On 26 October, when the claim was submitted, the convenor of Ford Langley was instructed by official Ron Todd to keep the union leaflet outlining the claim under lock and key till 11.30am. Union members were deliberately kept in the dark till after both management and the press had been informed!
the of the officials struggle for 80 per cent lay-off pay by Assembly Plant workers at which speaks louder Lucill million leaflets.
Picket On 25 October catering supervisory staff at Dagenham picketed the estate for one day in pursuit of a wage demand. The picket was respected by Toleman Transport drivers who shift the finished cars out of the Assembly. plant car park. Next day they were informed by their own management that they would not be paid for the day as ine picket was Merchant employees and not workers. The Toleman drivers struck demanding picketing guarantees.
The Assembly Plant was clogged with finished cars and Ford with the prospect of a was lactu lay-off on 80 per cent pay. Instead they tried to round up volunteers in the Assembly plant to do Toleman's work. When the stewards put a stop to this both shifts were laid off without pay on Wednesday 31 October.
In response a mass meeting of. 'B' shift voted to picket the whole estate.
That, in a phrase, is when the shit hit Next morning Communist Party member and convenor of the Body Plant, Dan Connors, was out telling pickets to let trucks through to his plant. They didn't.
stewards in the Engine Plant were accepting lay-off manual 441l all been national Ford's Bayswater House atrocious on the of the Tory Dagen- picketing rights! than a for them. of Gardner Ford soon RON TODD stewards from which you work than anything On Friday senior cent lay-off of 2,000 one third of the As the final straw it was argued 'that the pickets were grist to the mill against So the officials plant: decided to do the Tories' dirty work national official who has been browbeating In fact the restrictions they want to place on picketing at Dagenham only picket the plant or compound go further the Tories proposing and would make picketing The question of 80 per pay was a picket of last year's pay negotiations. This year's offer comes next Friday discussed at the NJNC meeting.
But the pickets remained By the end of the Friday night shift the Body Foundry and Engine assembly areas were laid off.
So on Monday 5 November the Assembly Plant stewards browbeaten for four and a half hours by Ron Todd. Warning He warned that the union would find it difficult to defend them against victimisation picketing continued. The stewards finally caved in and a mass meeting on Wednesday morning had little option return to work. Ron Todd told them that the NJNC would not even pursue their claim for lay-off pay.
This Friday these same people will be receiving the company's reply on our wage claim. It may well be time officials and convenors appear 'militant'. What rank and file militants in the Ford Workers Group ('The Combine') fear is that a couple of weeks before Xmas the officials will come back with a recommenda reject the offer and take Ion 10 immediate strike action full well it would be rejected.
Instead in a massive leafleting campaign we are arguing for the use tactics work to rule overtime ban, token one day strikes il 01C1 the offer is derisory prospect of all out action in the Nev Year. Our slogan is 'Don't decide mobility of labour, an end to demarcation lines and a good deal more. Also tied into the offer is a bonus scheme which 15,000 jobs disappearing in the next 12 management are confident that their victory in the week ballot has prepared the ground retaining pushing through another They on wages and staffing attempt But indications are that they may well nave miscaicu Longbridge shop sere. dovershop sevards the rejected follow suit and the membership time are increasingly angry with the Coventry. never ending threats of closure does not get The Leyland Cars Committee Combine Committee HOSL preparing opposition to Edwardes.
It is easier to fight on wages that on redundancies, but a Combine wide fight on wages prepare the way opposition to other aspects of Lucculllso. management's attacks. ling · 80 PAL before Yuletide!' There's a sting in the tail of this sorry tale.
Plant returned to work on Wednesday November having previously rejected an offer which would have given them £100 every time they crossed any WELC Fraua //S 11140% 1118: 1979 WAciE: C1.41M DON'T SETTLE BEFORE XMAS but to DON'T DECIDE BEFORE YULETIDE 10BBS THE TALES FRIDAY 16 SOVEMHER 9 15am HAMI picket at Dagenham other than those the called by • nanonal drivers won f180 each for the time they were on strike! Principles pay.
Draftex women win dates ranks.
ithat inev WOMEN at the Draftex factory in Coventry have won their long strike aimed at average beaten off the by management to reduce their average pay by as much as £15 per month.
are other workers and students in! The successes of the Draftex The solidarity SOWI by the city was quite remarkable.
It is the first victory lor some for the unions Furthermore the Draftex women now see it as tner Joc to reshape their local IGWU branch. Like many others it has , often at Strike had meetings rarely, only half a day's notice making attendance difficult. They want to see the branch playing a role in organising, and fighting for the interests of, its members holding regular, well publicised Fruehauf in Oldham are now in TASS With elections comfor TEne