• Hazel McPherson JUNE this year the NUR's Annual General eeting voted to suspend a national strike er pay and productivity. The whole package as then taken to Lord McCarthy's tribunal. s recommendations, which are listed in this eeks Socialist Challenge, add up to a massive tack on jobs and working conditions. On 13 and 14 October a ecial General Meeting the unión will consider proposals. ilworkers who will be ending a lobby of the eting on the Wednesday I be very cicar about ir demands. We want a s attached. The SGM st reject McCarthy and, tion to defend their industry and get rid of the Tories. September showed the determination of working people to tight this government. The next few months will see a Post Office Engineering strike HEATSE BHRYGUSGEUS water workers strike over the possibility 01 a miners strike and the
KERS
PUBLIC SERVICES productivity reductions in railway jobs.
jobs between now and 1985.
also put forward Tribunal agreed Bedford/St Pancras freight trains to start immediately.
The National Union line for states: operation as such' •To De tortner reviewed oy te RoNt tions, so guards commercial duties' needed.
take over guards jobs.
guards job, as a grade, will disappear.
for single man locomotives Further discussions on ministrative level. THE RAILWAY Staffs National Tribunal (RSNT) report states that the British Rail Board should offer a pay increase of six per cent from September 1982 tied firmly and further massive Fifteen thousand jobs went between 1980-82 and the BRB want a further reduction of 27,000 To sweeten the bitter pill, one days extra holi day from 1983 and an increase in the minimum carnings level of six per cent from April 182 are Guard's jobs will be the first to go. The the Board that the line should be operated without guards thus opening the way for driveronly operation of all suburban passenger trains. It also wants three pilot schemes for driver-only Railwaymen has already agreed to 'a changed role for guards" and accepted that guards are not required to operate the new electric trains. The 313 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) which are already used on many suburban lines have door buttons in the drivers cabs, presently covered over, but ready for use once the Board has achieved the principle that guards are not required to operate these trains The Union is arguing about safety procedures, and "commercial duties", but as the report the NoR is not opposing driver-only McCarthy very skilfully plays up to this. His report suggests that quards are kent on the st Pan cras/Bedford line for a mimimum of six months, But since the object of driver-only operation is to cut jobs, there's little chance that guards will be kept on, especially if the open station concept for busy commuter areas is rejected as the report recommends. Ticket collection will be done at stawill not be "The six months job' is a tactic designed to undercut any immediate opposition to the plan by guards. It also holds out a cherry to platform staf and drivers in the form of extra payments if they The trainman concept which the report recommends for discussion covers over the fact that the Driver jobs are also threatened with the plan productivity is to in clude cuts in passenger services, work "reallocated between depots, cuts in administrative jobs and more cuts in running costs particularly at the ad-