ment mass meetings last week. Despite these attacks, both strike action.
The Oxford Mail on 31 October had a full page company advertisement opposing the SUrIKC. On Thursday morning workers attending the mass meeting had their pay docked.
Despite all this, the day shift voted back the call. offensive against the pay strike called at mood of many assembly plant workers began the stepped up their attacks by encouraging small groups of workers who opposed the strike to disrupt production. In some areas management stopped the tracks.
Immediately after the mass meeting management actec extremely ressively towards TGWU convenor. According to one shop steward I spoke to thev held him 'under siege' in the union ollice.
At 1lam they tried to arrange an anti-strike mass meeting, but informed on ly certains sections. This meeting had to be abandoned after five minutes angry workers jeerea bombarded management with missiles.
The company also took the unprecedented step of inviting the media on to tne snop Hour to li terview small groups of anti-strike workers. evening the Oxford Mail had a headline claiming ' "Rigging". Fury of Car Men' , although Radio Oxford listeners heard one WOrKCL explain that the very presence of reporters the factory the management orchestrated of production showed what was going Nevertheless, local and national media focussed overwhelmingly Ull the 'anti-strike revolt' All this had an effec on the night shift. Anti-strike day shift workers organised with WCIC placards to put pressure on the meeting, which voted The result was declared before the error was spotted. The meeting was then recalled to take a recount. This was the last straw for most workers, and at the end of the day only 49 per cent at Browns Lane voted AUSTIN ROVER to reject the strike cal Howeve there clear majority the assembly plant for a strike angry mood towards management.
in the body plant where workers were nol subjected to these tactics workers voted for the These workers the need for militant action in the face of management bully boy TaCICS. SUBT will useful lesson when the company use the courts to try to stop the strike. for the strike.
Nevertheless, , the overall majority in une buret plants remains 63 per cent, Lne WOrKIOICC united the decision.
----- pull-quotes -----
Workers at the Austin Rover Cowley assembly plant have been subjected to an enormous manage-
ing closed them down on 5 November. day before the mass meeting called to endorse the
Cowley plants are at a standstill as effective picket- Management's offensive against the militant