workers, and equality with staff on sick pay. The last round of talks were met with widespread stoppages the Dagenham body plant, which disrupted produc tion all week, and a militant lobby by women sewing machinists furious at the company's 16 years refusal to grant them the same pay grading as other skilled production workers.
But while everyone is agreed the offer is rubbish, the antics of some union officials and convenors in trying to overturn the decision of a national shop • stewards Colle cice pay offer. With only a few days left to the end of the annual wages and conditions contract, the company has failed to meet the unions' claim for 14 per cent for all grades or even to respond to demands for shorter working time, a special payment for line offer will be voted on is not inspiring Colacile.
Dagenham In past years, whether ihey employ 200 or 4000 workers, all Ford plants have had a single vote at national level in deciding acceptance or rejection of an offer. The stowards agreed that from now on mass meetings in the plants would decide by majority vote which way the vote of the total workforce of a plant would be cast, and these would then be added up nationally.
On 2 November an 1ltempered meeting of the National Joint MOTO Negotiating Committee trade union side deteated the first attempt to overonly at the price of a recall meeting stewards to decide on the This will be weighed against larger plants and, with officials the electricians pushing for secret ballots other unions panicking in the face of the use vai Tore likehhood is that the old yoting system will be reinstated 'compromise' Militant action now by those sections and plants prepared to fight is the only way to win the claim and prevent a stitch-up on the voting system. Already several plants are committed to a mass lobby of the final negotiations.
If the company does Ford not meet our claim now, the national trade side must come back to the plant with a recommenda for immediate tional strike action.
ONE OF OUR CARS HAS BEEN BOOKED FOR SPEEDING.
ANO IT'S STILL ON THE TRACKS...
FRAUD CARS HARRINGTON OUT!
NO NAZIS IN OUR COLLEGES!
ACTIVISTS 'Women in the Miners' Strike' London Poly, Next week: Treland All London supporters to attenc Holloway Road site, 8.30 am.
Upper St, London NI 2XP. First London Socialist Action student forum:
Kent Miners' Wife and Steph Grant. Cit Wednesday 14 November. 2.0 All London Supporters to attend.
and the Struggle for Socialism', Martin Collins, London School of Economics, Wednesday 21 November. 2.00 pm. Every Friday, picket the racist Harrington, PNL Want to advertise meetings or events in the activists diary? Write to Activists Diary, 328
SOciAlist threatens
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ANGER IS GROWING among Ford's 41,500 shop floor workers at the company's derisory 5 per cent