In Wirham, Essex, an area characterised industrially and politically by its lack of militaney, an intense struggle is. being conducted at GEC Semi-Condactors Lnd. which could have important implications A firm which has been "coughr in the takeoser/merger pame", it has gome in the last fise years from the MicroElectronics Division of Marconi Co. Lad. tn Marconi MicroBlectronics Ltd. to Marconi Elliotr Micro-Electronies Ltd. to its present GEC Semi-Conductors Lid. A confidentia! management letter to the unions, dated 15gh March and inest after 110 redundancies, that has fallen into our hands, stated that "the Compuny'3 plon is to maintain a microeleczronics activity af Witham and Gienrother, partiy because market conditions might improve in time, but uho ar an insurunce against the risk that the systems capability of the GEC migh be jeopardised if the semi-conductor business was closed. "In spite of this, the ciosure of the factory was annouiced on July 9th fand atso, later, the closure of the Glenrothes plant!
In a factory where ondy 160 of the 330 workers are orgurised into unions (ABUW, DATA, ASTMS, and a Fund ful in the ETU! the response hay been a very militant one, and is incremsing in militaney as the stmele derelops The development of this militancy set against this hackground of passivity, and all the ensring contraictions, are excellently austrateu in the following interview with Kabin Mallett, Secretary of the Unions Joint Connizter ensede the factory.
-Can you give a history of the dispute?
In March of this year we had a redundancy situation where the Management Cluew out 25% of the staff which amounted to about 440 at the time. From this we had what is termed the "Boy Scout" Agreement which was actually to minimise redundancy for the future-no recruitment, no overtime, ete. We were still hageling abour that, in fact, when on 9th July this closure was thrist upon us. This took us a bit aback because we had just been put into a new group-GEC Electrical Components Ltd. The made a feashility stody to they said), Tound that we couldn Y make a profit, that we were a labilty, and decided to shut un down with the Glesrothes factory. After the proposed diosure we haguled about the need testay in the market. We trod all the Establishment paths-ap to Parliament, M.P.s, National Joint Consultative Council with Jack Scamp on the GEC side and us on ourside. Everything was held off by the Company pending all these approaches which culminated in a joint Management-Union approach oa August Sth to Corfield, Minister for Aero-Space, for Goverment support. This waw'1 forthcoming and ao the Company called us in agiln and wid they had declded to Implement the cosue.
Apin, we've had no attempts to shat the place down yet, no inuing of notiors, no movement of equipment. But whilt we wete arguing about the closure itself, the amphens has swing over the last couple of weeks to a fight to get everybody a job, We all want to work, obviously. and having seen what we've seen, preferubly outside of the GEC. So we have elected an Employment Committee (made up of one representative from each of the four unions, the Personnel Manager, and a man from the DEP), The Compasy climed that although they were closing the place down, that there were plenty of jobs in the arca and poople would be all right. We dido't actually call the Company hars, but we weren't far short of it. Anu so we ser up this committee to vet all the johs the Company "clained" to be in existence, to establish whether the jobs were genuine or. whether they were, in fact, aham offers. -Were these jobs in Withum?
Well, they were all over the place. The Company said that we had to be prepared to travel "one doesn't find johs on a rural basis anymore" -and, in fact, they were coming up with offers of jobs in South Africa and New Zealand!
Anyway, wo've subsequently had the DEP man in. T'es afrsid he got rather a rough ride, to say the least. He cinimed that there were umpteen jobs, here, there and every where. Il appears to us that they have endeavoured to sctape up anything they could find, that no one else would take. And some of the jobs they've come up with just aren't woeth the paper they re written on quite frankly...
Anyway, taiking about these employment prospects, provided it worked out satistactorily, wo were quite prepared to taik about the orderly closure of the factory and the terms on which people would go out the door. We had n Works Conference about two weeks aga where we reached verbal agreement on practically all the points rolating to payments, length of notice, ete., ete. We differed on two basic points. These were firstly the reteation bonus for those who were remaining to run the place down. The Company were sympathetic to the idea, and agreed to it in principle, but wanted to talk about the amount we asked1 weeks per moath of service. We also asked that people sbould he paid an ex gratie payment when they leave, and regardless of whether they work their notice out or nof, to be paid this peyment for the statatory four weeks' notice plus the supplementary notice we negptieted, which can ampubt up lo lourleen weeks" pay moxinter The Company said they dide t see nuuch prospect of agreciop fo that, but that they'd go away and think alour it We had a Works Confereace last week which we thought would sotply be to diseuss these two points, whereupan we'd have an agreemient. The Company, in fact, tabled a completoly fresh document. (They said they'i "tidied up" our March apreemont, but they came back not only sidyine i up but completely rewnting itfi So we told them that this SEVrI HVIRer:PnsrKEdR MEIE N counter straten» ir despenctely nerded go to a local conference.
they have sumply been to stop the plint from being die mantled from the factory-have heen intensified and now we stop not only anything that's going out but anything that's golng in, too. The Royal Mail's not coming in, the Compeny minibuses are not coming in, British Rail won't (though that was subseguently smutgled in through the back gates by the Company). We are new picketing all the at the present time.
What abour widening the struggle, contacts with othe nions, and contuets with Glenrothes!
Well, Glenrotbes are following the dispute along the same lines as we are, although they are emphausing the high we are in contact with them, they are, in fact, about two weeks behind us, still follow ing the Establishment paths.
stration in Witham which involved members from other ford, and there was a delegation from as far afield as Coventry.
have a day tember. Ths will take the form of a mass rally in London. with national speakers.
ARAmE GEE extend the struggle beyond the gates of GEC. Witham? What you re sayin Very definitely. We've made the point several times, that widely scattered so there is difficulty in petting action between the plants. In fact, the DATA members from sile hus come to the aid of a GEC site being closed. So up over the mexi period.
scale, we are in lact sending off a letter tonigbt to Jack in Blackpool, asking for more national action and the Lions tram other factorles in the ares on the march. They Councilfto reimburse wages lost throuch nicket duriesi Company's mail, and nearly all the lories are turning back through contact with the TGWE -That does huve implications, though, if the management decide to take the na chinery out of the factory.
ir we get wind of them tryg to move the stuff out of the factory-we don't belleve they wil. vet-then we'lt start the gates with cars, chaining the gates together with padlocks, and this sort of thing. -Has there been any suggestion of an occupation of the fuctory?
It's been thaught of. In fact, the occapation of the factory is the management coming in and foing what they te we can carry on working: There are not concrete plans yet lg occupy the lactory chough it is a consideration.
- What relationship do you see between Witham and the national situation Woll, of course. It's not only happening at GEC any way. 1 nean, you'se gor BAC, which is curtiog back drastically. And they re not the orly people goinp out inte the streets, of course. with the "home deck" idea that's come up. t'eg simple excus for off loadine poonle Wheneas in the past. and partieularly when we wore plat uf the Marconi company, the Company bad a parernal reapect for its obligations to its employees. Now you've gor people cocing in, leke GEC, they're choppate out peanle. They re quite free to do it.
RAPI TER we Wilk waseawidancies tokae poace througbout the coo refused to do, so in fact we tabled the "failure to agree" to In view of the tightening attitude of the Company, the picker duties which we had heen undertaking -up until now colbe in, and in faet, we turned back a gos loery last Friday.
gates, not just the main one, and that's just about the state unemployment rate in Scotland as an added point. Though As fat as other establishments go, we have had a demonfirms, particularly DATA people from Marconi in ChelmsIn respect of DATA, we had a National Combine mecting four weeks ago in London for the southern half of Britain, and GEC, AEI and EE companies together have decided to of protest, provitionally fixed for the 15th Sep ASMN RESDAC OO OLTOOEE ASTORRIR and the y also put out a call a while back foe national action then, is that there is a real need to while we stand divided plant by plant, GEC will piek them off. They are in fact picking quite a few off, although we are Chelmsford coming on the march was the first time another popularion, but although ic?e a bit lite in the day, we hope that it will bulld keeps the wage rates.
We are abso in touch with other unions. On the national Jones, Doughty, Hugh Scanion and Clive Jenkins at the TUC blacking of intports of foreign materiah. On the local side. we hive the Trades Counicit, Theough which we bad delegaare, of course, supporting us fancially through the Trades the town.
Moreover, we are in touch with the UPW te black the Well, first. the section responsible for dismantling the plant for shipping will poutt-blank refuse to rouch it, And anyway. people too.
gerting really stroppy: we re thinking in toros of barricading SS ENE SaTE TITTE TELETET wrild be to keep the manageatent out, What we'd rather see supposed to be daing-boing out and getting orders- so that le'sa large reflection of the attitade of the Gavernment
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was a loed of ruhhish and to get it off the table. Tlus they OUT