GUARDS depot in South Wales have been on strike for a week. They walked out when train crews were sent home for refusing to start training on 'driver only' freight trains. ingham freight depot and at Kings Cross, and Cambridge Passenger depots. British Rail is imposing these depots without going through the machinery of negotiation and with no national agreement with Sir Robert Reid, BR'S chairman, said that guards being taken freight trains to pay for the £250 million losses during miners' This kind of lie over the next few weeks BR try to impose DOO.
Cuts 38,000 jobs have been lost in the industry since 1980. Reid's that railworkers under the impression that they have a job for life sug zests that i won't be long before the 'no compulsory redundancy' agreement goes the same way as the closed shop, putting guards on the dole quene.
The NUR has had an AGM policy ductivity for two years, consistent camAND DRIVERS at Margam freight Railworkers were also sent bome at ImmHitchin, "driver only operation' (DOO) of trains at paign has been mounted in the CHILL workers of the need to take ment. By contrast there has been an effective campaign around the political fund ballot with over thousand activists going to special union schools and resources put into large HOLES of propaganda.
Activists have consistently called for this campaign to de linded with she or a defend jobs, campaign against productivity built using simlar mellous.
The vacuum in leadership has left workers under attack in the workshops, the depots and vulnerable to management and areas which were directly involved in refusing move coal, such as Immingham Margam, workers stood firm against driver only operation. But Kings Cross, Hitchin and Cambridge NUR shop stewards have • called тог шс uon negotiate DOO because they are not confident that a fight to defend jobs is really on the agenda.
Without any sign of a serious fight against low pay productivity workers begin to see DOO For the "Inevitable. drivers this means repeating the mistakes on conng for DOO on London their terms. The Kings Cross ASLEF branch which built a magnificent campaign in defence of miners jobs has asked to change Rail Federation policy include acceptance of DOO with improved terms for drivers and job protection clauses for redundant guards.
Kings Cross ASLEF are arguing that a campaign for more off during shifts, and a four day week, LICE up footplate jobs for guards displaced rail O CI workers. This is hardly likely when the industr contracts daily, and it fails to take on the fight against productivity. With deafening silence from the rail union leaderships it is not surprising that guards demoralised drivers slipping back into grade sectionalism.
ASLEF leadership is not making clear is that drivers too wil lose jobs.
Drivers drivers signed guards Kings The drivers instrucfor the lead, respontime Both joint action.
What NUR railworkers that cannot prettify productivity. Driver only operation is not a cosmetic change — a simple redistribution throughout the inZONS dustry.
It is about smashing the grade guard traditionally the most militant grade the NUR, dividing the base of the Rail Hederation. and further setting back the building of one united rail The union leaderships should be explaining that the extra money being offered to drivers, signalmen, supervisors is a carrot on the end the stick used by management divide NUR Instead ASLEF agreed to DOO in princi ple, and is just waiting for the NUR to concede on DOO before it negotiates a separate agreement.
Meanwhile, whatever happens at Kings the struggle at Immingham and Margam will affect the Knapp's role is CUI rently to line up the NUR under the of 'unity" 1n uncritical sup clearly strategic test case see far the rail unions are prepared to go in defending jobs.
The truth is that even the most basic campaign safety customer care is not being organised by the union.
Guards should insist that the EC of their grades immediately reconvene the guards and shan s figh back metonally and from the base geards strude be in eser. depor init NEC members prescue!. not just those directly af. fected, to explain the tack and put the District солвсі on DOD zad olier z of productivity taking place Links mast be workshop staff whos are also threatesed. call put for nations ductivity and for of all jobs
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VICTORY THE