NEW ATTACK ON BL STEWARDS MOVEMENT
Socialist Press1980sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
British Leyland management have launched what is effectively a new strategy to break up and neutralise the shop stewards movement in their plants.
These proposals involve the establishment of a National Joint Negotiating Committee comprising of 23 members—one national officer from each of the eleven unions in BL and 12 others appointed by the executives of the various unions, most of which will be full time officials.
The document includes a new discipline procedure which gives BL the right of summary dismissal for what they choose to define as "gross industrial misconduct".
But politically the most damaging aspect of the document is that it becomes a part of BL workers' contract of employment—a move which effectively means that it is legally binding.
Since it contains a new disputes procedure, this is also tantamount to a no strike clause since if a worker went on unofficial strike or otherwise broke the disputes procedure that worker would be in breach of his or her contract of employment.
Whilst the document is presented as a "Discussion Document" submitted by management it was in fact the subject of a secret meeting between BL and the national officers of the major unions early in March.
Almost certainly there had been discussions earlier than that.
Ken Cure, right wing Executive Councilman of the AUEW responsible for BL met AUEW convenors last Thursday to discuss the document.
Denied involvement
He refused to take a vote on it, saying he simply "wanted to get the flavour of the meeting" which is another way of saying that he will decide what the meeting thought.
He admitted that there had been some amendments as a result of trade union involvement but denied trade union involvement in its drafting.
He said that BL had requested that the document be published as a joint document, but they had refused. But the management approach suggests that there had been enough trade union involvement and agreement to make it a viable proposition.
When Automotive national officer Grenville Hawley met the TGWU convenors, however, there was a vote, and the document was unanimously rejected after pressure from the convenors.
The meeting reaffirmed its existing policy of a JNC comprised of elected delegates from the plants on the basis of one delegate per 1,000 workers.
This is a policy which arose after mass meetings condemned the existing undemocratic JNC structure following the sell-out of last year's wage review.
A meeting of the BL Shop Stewards Combine Committee held last Saturday joined the TGWU convenors in totally rejecting the document.
This does not mean that Edwardes will back off. If there is tacit behind-the-scenes agreement with the national officers he will exploit it to the full.
BL workers could soon be faced with the imposition of the document by BL or a recommendation for its acceptance by national officials—or both.