The British Leyland car complex at Cowley, Oxford, is again being used as a testing ground for Ryder's secret programme to step up the exploitation of the workforce.
BLMC now wants to chop 1,100 manual and sou stant Jobs at the two mam Cowley factories by Christmas this year. What makes this the most severe attack on jobs and working conditions ever seen at Cowley is that this slashing of the workforce will not be accompanied by a cutback in production but by an ovcrall increase in producuon. In the shade The cuts in labour are to come enway tom a specamg up or work, on a scale that puts past attacks in the shade.
that this can all be achieved with voluntary redundancies formerly seen by nany workers as a painless way of woung controntanon nas ocentess than enthusiastic.
Instead. the Assemblv Plant Stew ands have overwhelmingly adopted a policy of defending agreed manning levels throughout the factory. In order to enforce this they have voted only to labour pool or from the dele as replacements for workers who take voluntary redundancy or are transfered from their departments in breach of the manning START! asteements. n act workers will reruse to do more work with less labour.
Pressure
Attempting to head off mounting pressure from the stewards that the company open its books, BLMC is proposing to reveal its "budget' to the senior stewards to prove the need for job cuts and speed-ups. The stewards are deeply sceptical about this proposal. They rememoe only too wel unar bast demands for precise items of information needed to resist the firm's attacks have been met with stonewalling obstinacy.
The stewards have therefore voted that the open une books committee an elected sub-committee of the stewards - should be present at the meeting where the information is to be given. It will then meet to assess it critically and publish a report to the membership First steps Again we are seeing what Labour's policies mean in relation to jobs and At Cowley the workers are taking the first steps in fighting these attacks. Next week Red Weekly will publish a fuller article on this issue and will draw out the lessons for other workers none simular situauons.
- by Cowley IMGThe E500 October Fund Drive got off to a good start with £83 from London teachers, £36.91 from IMG Health Workers, £5.50 from West Lonis already on. Last week workers occupying Norton Villiers Triumph in Wolverhampton and representations workers threatened with the sack picketed the Labour Party Conference. At Balfour Darwin in Sheffield and Sumlock Anita in London workers have occupied to defend their jobs. The lobby on 26 November can provide a central focus for these struggles.
Over the last couple of weeks support for the lobby has been building up. The London building workers joint sites committee has called for a full mobilisation, and over 400 men at the Taylor Woodia. have voted unanimous support. With the threat of 300,000 unemployed in the construction industry by this time next year, UCATT's Midland Regional Council is backing the lobby, as is the Transport & General Workers' Union No.1 region.
In the North West, Liverpool Trades Council - which is organising its own conference against unemployment this Sunday - and the No.29 A district of the Confed So we ask every eration of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions have pledged support. Amongst the Trades Councils who will be mobilising are Birmingham, Leeds, Warley, Sheffield and Brent.
cil has called a meeting for 23 October where it will urge support for the lobby. eering shop stewards quarterly has already backed the lobby and called for a campaign against unemployment.
ernment in implementing wide-ranging cuts and the 16 limit has until now muted resistance to mass unemployment, which will top 1½ million by the end of the year. Wilson scored major tactical victories around the Common Market