LAST MONTH the overwhelming majority of Ford's 54,000 shopfloor workers voted for strike action from Tuesday 5 January. They were incensed at a 7.4 per cent wage offer and the promise of a 39 hour week from January 1983 tied to a tough set of 'efficiency' demands.
Last week, the same workers divided on what was essentially the same offer. So what has really changed in the last four weeks?
One thing: the attitude of the national trade union leadership towards a strike in Fords, which would have inevitably led to a clash with the Tories on pay and picketing.
First, right winger chief engineering favour in proposals the company had made at ACAS - the government conciliation service - just before Xmas. Yet senior stewards had already rejected these.
Then, left winger negotiator for the transport union, told the press that it was not Ford's package of efficiency measures which had been rejected, but the price was still not right.
said this. Apparently a single phone call trom Paul Roots of Ford management was enough for Todd to summon the full negotiating committee by telegram and recommend that the strike be called off.
17 on the deal: full time officials on one side and most of the elected convenors on the orner.
has shown itself to be totally unwilling to lead a fight against the bosses and their Tory pro.
TeCTorS.
union leadership and backing is seen as vital winning struggles, a united workforce at Ford has been divided by these bureaucrats to the benefits of the company.
plants has been weak in the face of attacks on jobs and conditions since 1979, was unable to defeat this sabotage.
Struggles over the elimination of demarcation, total mobility of labour, new technology and work practices and the elimination local agreements are inevitable as Ford implements the efficiency clauses.
Bringing these struggles together will require a shop stewards' leadership which plays a conscious political role; explaining the links between Ford, the against jobs and the union busting of the Tories; explaining the need for policies to fight their attacks.
shopfloor unity can sabotage of the union leadership challenged.
This same need cries out from events in Leyland, Laurence Scott and Staffa and the continuing struggle over democracy and socialist policies in the Labour Party. It is essential if the bosses and the Tories are to be taken on and defeated.
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Socialist Challenge VACK Whyman, the union negotiator found Rod Todd, head His members were on holiday when he The full negotiating committee split 27 to As at Leyland, the trade union leadership Ana in a situation wnere nationa The stewards' leadership, which in many That will be the battle throughout 1982.
employers' socialist In this way be rebuilt and the recent challenge .....
Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50, 14 January 1982 'WE GAVE them a 100 per cent mandate for strike action and they faces' That was how shop steward Jimmy Atkinson summed up the sell-out of the f20 down Ford workers' throats by their national union leadership last week.
There was an equally bitter ¿calllul.
Ford Diallls Swansea followed Halewood voting seven to one for immediate strike action and Dassile a vulc ur lu coll fidence in Ron Todd.
Bridgend, Belfast and Dagenham 'knock-down' plants also re jected the deal cooked up bv lodo and the compant which contained all the efficiency clauses allu more money than the one relectea weeks previously. Assault The efficiency clauses amount to a frontal assault on all the gains in working practices Collutions job demarcation to the atternoon tea-break won by Ford workers over the years They give une compadv arree nana l how new technology is inthe day when company acculais will and repair onciale automated lines while both skilled and production workers lose their jobs They make the individual operator responsible for quality will potential to hundreds of inspectors' jobs. They prepare the day for wnen no worker has his or job and total mobility is the norm.
flung it back in our Halewood body plant 35 hours claim rammed ciently splitting Ford workers for the strike to be called off.
Nowhere was this more vividly demonstrated than the 21,000 strong Dagenham estate back of the neck with an iron bar and hospitalised, others pelted Wild cans and nuts and bolts There was less violence the body piano wusch did but greater confusion vote to reject. The nightshift hac already walked out large numbers on Tuesday. But the dayshift mass meeting the stewards recommendation was to reject and strike Monday' Consequently, many who wanted to strike immediately well those who wanted to accept the deal voted against the recommendation!
The chief architect of this chaos and confusion and misdirected anger was Kor Todd, chief Ford union negotiator.
Idea he cobbled Ford management undermined the unity the Ford workers demonstrated the near unanimous strike votes before Xmas.
Now the fear is that Todd and the union officials will police the new agreement and force ILS conditions on the stewards' leaderships the plants.
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