Cowley workers defy crackdown
Socialist Organiser1980sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
WORKERS in the BL Cowley Assembly Plant have won an important victory. Recently, as part of a full-scale management offensive within the plant, BL sent letters to workers involved in strike action which threatened that any further strike action for any reason would result in instant dismissal.
Management claim that there have been 43 strikes in the plant since May 1 and announced that they would be prepared to take any drastic action necessary to stop further strikes taking place.
Although the figure of 43 strikes exaggerates the situation, since many of them were of very short duration, the strikes which have taken place have been in response to the ruthless management which has been installed over the past year.
Using the authority which Edwardes has reaped through repeated sell-outs by the top trade union leaders, and the agreements full of penalty clauses, which have been forced in with their collaboration, BL have introduced a system of management based on sheer intimidation and fear.
The trade union structure within the plant has been seriously undermined, shop stewards' facilities almost abolished, protective agreements, particularly seniority agreements, systematically broken down.
Hundreds of jobs have been abolished, and the remaining workforce has been substantially speeded-up, with workers constantly intimidated and abused.
The resulting strikes have been unable to halt this process. The recent threatening letters were therefore both a response to these strikes and an attempt to go all the way, establish total management control and effectively end the power of the trade union movement for a considerable period.
Last week, mass meetings made it clear that they would fully back anyone victimised under the letters.
Another serious issue was also brought before the mass meeting — the disciplinary action being taken against Andy Brown, one of the TGWU deputy convenors and secretary of one of the major TGWU branches.
Although the day shift meeting took no vote, the night shift where most of the letters have been issued, voted unanimously to back anyone victimised under the terms of the letters.
The following night a group of workers struck, demanding the withdrawal of the letters. Management promptly said that this constituted a further unconstitutional stoppage, and therefore the threat contained in the letters would be activated.
Ten workers were instructed to report onto the day shift on the morning of the 11th to be disciplined.
It soon became clear that management were not proceeding with sackings, but instead said that they intended issuing the ten men with a further letter saying that next time they would definitely be sacked.
The reason for their shift was obvious. They had assessed the mood of the workers and had rightly concluded that the sackings would have created a massive backlash from the workforce which has been just under the surface for some time.
It is an important victory for the plant under present conditions and shows that even the most hard-line management, created by Edwardes, can be pushed back if it meets a united response.