in They lost the vote by 27-24. annual claim to November.
the unskilled.
would represent a 66 per cent rise.
and file support for the claim.
this year.
would get the benchit of their claim. The National Committee of the AUEW voled to submit a claim of around 66 percent to the employers in late December. But at the same time, in a major defeat for the left of the union, the NC went on to narrowly endorse the 12 month rule governing pay increases.
The left's defeat cameafter a long campaign by the Broad Left against the 12 month rule which climaxed in a public row with Hugh Scanlon ar the September TOC Congress when he cast his vote against the AUEW delegation. At the National Committee the Broad Left were fighting to prevent his action being endorsed.
Their failure will have an immediate impact on many AUEW members. Last week Scanion was able to press the TUC General Council into opposing British Leyland's corporate package deal. He didn't oppose it because the package anacks union organisation and his meinbers living standards, but because it would have breached the 12 month rule by allowing certain Leyland plants to bring forward their The effects of supporting the 12 month rule will aiso affect the national engineering claim.
On paper the ciaim looks substantial, with demands for increases on the minimum time rare varying from E70 for skilled workers to E55 for With the present skilled rate ser at E42, that The claim also includes demands fora 35 hour week without loss of pay and longer holidays.
But the National Committee's support for the 12 month rule may demobilise the potential rank The implication is that the claim could only be implemented at a local level a full year after factories havesettled for their •Phase 3' Increase domestic agreements end throughout the ycar this means there will be no common date when all engineering workers wing clique which weakened form. skilled workers by But militants will not only have to fight the 12 month rule to pursue the claim. The right nOW COLITIE the leadership of the union has no intention of fighting for the claim even in its present seeking • increases in differentials which will top the 10 per cent norm, they will settle for far less than the 56 per cent increase they have been mandated to fight for.
As far as the right wing is concerned the demand for the 35 hour week is just a ritual they are compelled to go through. A serious fight for the demand would face the massive opposition Socialist Challenge planning meeting now. of the Engineering Employer's Federation and the Government. Jolin Boyd and Hugh Scanion (RIP) are going in the opposite direction. Only a really major campaign to mobilise the rank and file could turn the paper claim of the National Committee into a real basis for the fight to gain a decent standard of living.
The decision of the 20 November national meeting of the Broad Left for a conference of shop stewards and convenors to discuss how to launch a fight for the wage claim could kick off the campaign. But that means demanding that the Broad Left sets the date and organises a spring of this year