The Ford's management are realists. They have no illusions about social contracts. They are cynics about Wilson's chattar of 'useful people'.
The only contracts that intarest them are those that cheap en production costs and turn out more cars. The only 'useful people they know are those who work hard, uncomplainingly. and at full-awest for the profits of Fords.
Fords realise that thare is a deepgoing, paralysing economic crisis and that the haleyon days are over. Throughout the world car production is falling, profits are non-existent and they know the only way to survive is by boosting productiv ity and cutting costs.
The Ford pay doal takes into account the reality of this situation. It is intanded to slash rest wages and impose a bigger work-load on the labour force.
What's more, Fords do not subscribe to Labour's pipe dream A hammer blow, whined the Guardian about the effect of the new Ford puy offer on the social contrick.
According to the Guardian the offer blatantly exceeds the social contract guidelines.."
However, before Ford workers start to make plans for a spending spree they should make a careful study of the new deal. They can rest assured that it is not going to turn Dagenham and Halewood into subburbs of glittering affluence.
The following table shows what TPE DROUCRE!
AFTER THE NURSES and the rad. sographers, the hospital ancillary workers are moving into the front line on the wages field.
At the and of September the unions submitted their joint claim-a caim which they hastily assure everythe wage increases mean to workers in the five grades. The table is based on workers on permanent days.
Shift workers can also expect cuts in their living standards if this deal is accepted, What turks in the background is the gilloping rate of inflation. If inflation goes beyond its present 17 per cent-a commonly admitted figure-the more savage the pay cut.
Grade B workers for example on the alternating day and night shift who are already getting the £3.60 cleaning-up money-which many of them are-can only expect a E5 a QUEE HONO about maintaining present living standards. Thair offer of a threshold, based on a 36 (yes, thirty-six / per cent norm is bruta and to the point.
Their 'economic experts' forecast a shattering 30 per cent rise in prices over the next two years. Ford's intend to cover themselves against that and offer in return one par cent of the basie rate for avery point that the Retail. Price Index climbs above 36 per cant. This means that the workers will anly get back two-thirds of every price rise.
What Fords are proposing now is the bitter taste of things to come. It can only be resisted by the work-force rejecting outright their phoney deal-and that means an all-out struggle HE LO CHIDE!
The working class, like the amployers, must reject the illusory New Jerusalem of the Social Contract and put their own interests first.
week increase. This is just over 10 per cent.
the next year, a not improbable figure, they can experience a cut of Icy of E3.60 will get this plus the tS tise. them to stay where they are in the face against Inflation, But by the time the taxman has had his bite they too can expect to have a cut in living standards.
Learning £4.55 in overtime get a take-home pay of 123 this must be very cheering news.
INADEQUATE its call for a £30 minimum wage is woefully inadequate. nowhere near meeting the needs of ancillary workers and still leaves them in the poverty phetto of the wages table.
Both Lahour and Tory Govern ments have sought to solve the staffing problems of the NHS and tried to keep its costs down by increasing the workload of the labour force.
In some of the better organised hos pitals, like the Brooke in South Lon don, the workers have successfully resisted the management's productivity deals. Now the unions want to fine management for not making ancillary workers work harder, with a demand for a 10% penalty payment where no productivity agreement has been established.
As for equal pay, they show a touching faith in the promises of the Labour Party by simply deferring the matter to February 1975.
IGNORED strike and the murses' long battle over this sumner are ignored. The unions have taken no steps to mobilise their members to fight for even these nodost demands.
they will resist oven the present claim.
It was only the nurses' militancy which wrung more out of the Government than it intended to pive.
have already taken strike action over the London weighting demanding the Tuil amount and no zoning. They understand that this is the way to make the management give in.
If inflation rises to 20 per cent in around 10 per cent in their real wages.
Those grade B workers who have not been gotting the cleaning-up mon This might just about enable (Continued on page 11)
Although the claim includes the welcome demand for a 35-hour week, iceman.
This will come this hospital.
Following resolution WEEKLY supervisor
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ACTION COMMITTEE 36 per cent in two years, bosses