Fight on 39 hr week
Socialist Organiser1980sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
THERE was a patchy response to BL's imposition of cuts in relief allowance in both the main Cowley plants last Monday. Management moved suddenly last Friday afternoon, having told the Convenors and officials when the dispute procedure was exhausted, that they would give five days' notice of imposition.
They gave what was effectively two hours.
A letter was handed to every worker on Friday afternoon informing them that the relief times would be cut by four minutes from 50 to 46 minutes and the track speeded up by 1½% (future work study would be based on 101½ BSI).
In the Assembly Plant shop stewards implemented the policy adopted by mass meetings early in January when management first tried to implement the cuts, which they say are to fund the 39 hour week. This policy involves clocking off fifteen minutes early at the end of each shift.
The response was only partial and it will be necessary to stiffen the action if it is to be successful.
In the Body Plant where there has been a series of strikes recently, production stopped when the cuts were forced in, under conditions where there was no prepared response by the leadership.
The Rover Ambassador track stopped for the first four hours, demanding common action throughout the plant. Action also took place in the paint shop and on the Ital and Acclaim track.
Eventually a mass meeting was called, which voted to impose an overtime ban and a policy of non-cooperation against the company's move.
A resolution for an all-out strike was opposed by the convenor and defeated by a 5-1 majority. The night shift struck for three hours but eventually adopted the same policy as the day shift.