Islington branch of NALGO during the past couple of weeks.
On 1 November, the branch in North London approached the union's centralised Strike Operations Committee. wanted official support for strike action which had been approved overwhelmingly by a ballot of the membership.
Unhappy with this request for endorsement, the *Strike Operations Committee' another ballot had to place. When a second ballot produced the same result, the request for an immediate strike was again turned down.
This time branch members were OR TO wait December.
But when sineton workers lobbied the NALGO headquarters last Thursday yet a further twist was added.
The lobbyists-who taking unofficial strike action WIC told that before their strike date came up, the employers would come up with an acceptable offer.
Just what this offer will be and why it will be acceptable to workers explained.
Attention now focuses on a conference of al: committees due to be held next Monday. The demand for a rapid extension of strike action seems appropriate.
Socialist Challenge 23 November 1978 page 4 close in six months.
transferred to other parts of BL said take We've been told that the plant is not viable -the Marathon lorry we produce We've been told that the plant has made a £l½ million loss so far this year - although BL plan to spend £31 million on a new assembly hall for trucks and lorries in Lancashire.
HIDDEN We've been told that we are to offered redundancy payments altnougn even us tional on accepting the 5 cent offer and a 10 per cent productivity deal We've been told all this, but we have no way of knowing strike how much is being hidden from us.
One thing we do know is that unemployment is a growing problem in Southall. At 5.3 per ANDY LILLIE, an Engineering Union member at AEC, delves into the latest crisis for Leyland workers.
cent of the workforce it's the although worst in outer London.
DISAPPEAR
So if we do get the sack jobs will not be easy to find. We also know that thousand jobs AEC over the past six years.
What adds to this crisis is that most of us who work on the shop floor are largely in the dark about what the union and its plant leaderrhip are up to.
Substantial For instance in September, condi- when BL announced its future per plans, union nounced they had an alterna tive plan. They even handed this plan to BL at a meeting in RUMOURS It is rumoured that this plan I could save AEC -shopfloor cnecking because we haven't plan!
INACTION meeting of the closure accepting definite.
we have seen offer. disappear possible.
ALTERNATIVE AEC officials anthe workers.
plant is in trouble.
BL in but the has way these LULLOULS seen the jobs immediately Whatever it says, at a mass Friday all discussion centred on the terms almost that closure was The only resolution was a call work on the stewards to ascertain the ment • conen or management s company's Because of such inaction. cent fight-back to save the jobs will not be easy. But a fight-back is string HICKEY.
It can start by demanding that all available information held by the It management is handed over to men per One thing we can be sure of - it is not the fault of those of us who work at AEC that the Added to that, we need to link up with other workers at other plants up and Wiet down the country to hammer meeting. out a workers alternative to Leyland's crisis.
In the meantime the fight for AEC start by promising management that not one piece THE DECISION by the Drews Lane plant of Leyland to return without single concession from BL managewill strengthen the stand firm on its pay offer of 5 producurit attached, writes PAT The mass meeting on Friday voter sirto Touro reeds ning. shop stewards' recommendation to continue the strike.
was Malcolm Jack, Communist Party and distriet committee delegate who put the return to work resolution.
This allowed the compans time to negotiate, and said He JUStO! should reconsidered on 1 December BL the plant unt alternalve work I. guaranteed.
AnG the workforce to ensure that such a promise is carried out.
Jack argued for unity with other BL plants and played on the isolation of Drews Lane to win the vote His efforts won him praise from the editorial columns of the ultra-right Birmingham Mail as 'the latest shop floor hero to stand out against the pressure of militants and call for moderation.
he grews sane sake wa mishandled from the begin.
decision was pushed through the mass meeting with no real effort membership what the decision explain would mean.
*BL workers at Cowley will be called back to work by the production COLLA Drews Lane resumes. The Cowley workers voted at a mass meeting earlier this month to strike for their pay claim once normal production resumes.
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CAR WORKERS at British Leyland's AEC plant in Southall, Middlesex, have been told their factory is to Lorry assembly and engine plant production will be