Ford: engineers dispute: EPIU cross picket lines
Labour Briefing1990sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
The strike by 850 skilled workers at Ford's UK plants — electricians at every plant and maintenence workers at Halewood and Basildon should be supported by the whole labour movement.
The strike has closed down the Halewood complex, the Bridgend engine plant and consequently the assembly plant at Genk in Belgium. Yet it is getting little publicity.
The 10.2% offer was accepted by the majority of the production workers but rejected by the electricians by over two to one. For them the deal eroded the differentials of the skilled sections and brought in degrees of flexibility which involves, for example, electricians working on the tracks when they don't have electrical work to do.
There is now an all-out strike by the skilled sections — both electricians and mechanical maintenence. Eric Hammond and the EEPTU has supported the action both because skilled differentials are involved and also to increase the credibility of his union in the plant.
A massive scabbing operation has been organised against this strike. Jack Adams, the CPGB national officer of the TGWU has written to every individual member of the union at Fords telling them to cross the picket line and keep production going.
Crossing
The EPIU, to their great shame, have not only supported the deal but are crossing the picket lines with the full support of their leadership who are arguing that it is right to do so since the EEPTU is outside of the TUC! They are even recruiting members of the EEPTU who are prepared to defy the strike and go into work.
Although the strikes are sectional they are legitimate strikes against harsh management conditions being imposed on the sections concerned.
The EPIU have created a situation which will weaken them and strengthen the hand of Hammond in a factory where he had lost the majority of his membership.