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Socialist Challenge 18 March 1982 page 2 PO Box 50, Challenge, Board's demand that the drivers give up their eight hour day.
The determination of une drivers was israted when nearly 200 of them packed into Lne tribunal after a march to the hearing. Ine negoulanons were reminiscent of Polish Solidarity, as drivers clapped and cheered Ray Buckton, the leader of the drivers' union ASLEF, to the Board and the NUR ane snowed leaders.
The protesting drivers brought petition tens of thousands signatures protesting the attempted introduction of flexible rostering. These had been collected in one week.
The problem NUR is clear. It has accepted the flexible rostering in ine leeln O1 bitter opposition from the ranks.
March a new set of 200 guarus. this Merseyside, went on strike against flexible rostering. They pointed out that the lICW proposals involve a cut in earnings of between £10 and £15 In the face of this, the submission of the NUR to the tribunal insisted 'under no circumstances should your decision interfere For undermine the agreement which the NUR has successfully negotiated staff They know that the drivers SuCcessfully resist the Rail own backing of Inel management plans to cut wages, destroy jobs and unsocial Increase will be fatally undermined.
The NUR has launched a major publicity effort to convince its members against all the facts — that nexible rostering micals all improvement condiHONS But the frenzy against the drivers the NUR submission itself contradicted this claim 'The NUR represents all staff it said, 'and we could not accept any deci sion the tribunal which gives preferential treatment to one section of staff' Now either the new rosters have "brought wider range of choice and sociability' or a rejection of them is "preferential' to the drivers. The NUR can't have it both ways.
The drivers are fighting for ever vole. HELCICSLS The Rail Board's submission to the Tribunal indicated that flexible rostering is only one small part of a wholesale assault on jobs and living standards and working conditions of railworkers which ASLEF's submission has proved are the whes in Europe already The task all ranworkers to orepare 1o action ASLEF after the McCarthy Tribunal reports. *£75m is needed to pay for provoked by Rail's management this ¡onies InsISt be clawed back cuts.
Somehow this doesn't quite government's 20 February sovare witt millionnaire Lorent: The John decided to call in city act Lorean.
Fi City ac collarsene so te re-organise write £70m worth of public : a knock down price Nor does it quite match the STaTuS American millionnaire Willi Stern now living in Britain who more • money unar anyont else To e £118,690,524 £600 for every railworker in Britain ' is a jaguar 12 house, ano senos nis children sonoon chaunel eo registration Cortina currently applying to have the onerous status bankrupt removed -ing paid back his creditors the 500. 1 get through wit the help of God Almiaht he explained sym. pathetic but incredulous judge business : standards the , strike has done Britisr hall a power ot good The more you owe the better you're doing, it in their righ it seems But thei mind transpor like business?
sion.
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Guards and platform staff lobby NUR headquarters Lorean at