END LOW Colman Fastners picket in Manchester CHARLES HOUSE No EN D LOW PAY person operation and via local agreements.
proposals 'already off jobs grade by grade and depot by depot.
propaganda ed about how come and jobs have been lost by the freight workers who refused to move coal during the miners This lays the basis for getting rid of freight guards but they were already under the BR Corporate Plan.
In the rail industry the unions set national policy but the regions, districts, and depots can reach so-called local agreements. "Ihis opens the door TOT national policies to be eroded from the base, for management to divide the workforce and crush the collective strength of the For example within the last few days a letter has been circulating from the area manager at Willesder within his authority. ASLEF driver He makes the case that trains cancelled al C because of the shortage of drivers and therefore it is necessary. for drivers to work their rest days. It is national policy for ASLEF not to work rest days, for a vasely reasons primarily health and safety.
Who wants to put their sevel davs hours a day which is quite common in other grades?
But this manager points out that drivers on WHEN BRITISH RAIL announced this week that they were offering five per cent without productivity strings many railworkers felt a sense of relief that the threat of all out national strike had receded. But the issues remain the same. The five per cent offer is an insult to one of the lowest paid groups of workers in the country and job loss is still on the cards, both within the London Regional Transport authority and in the agreements already come to around one BR management consider that its productivity well down the road to agreement'. While the union negotiators are bound by Annual General Meeting not to discuss productivity the tactical approach of management is to pick southern region do work rest days and its only the union leaders on his patch wno are blocklig lilis He explicitly invites individual ASLEF members to scab on their union by telling them contact him directly — 'after all its £40 a day extra and summer holidays are coming up..?
NUR Guard It is important to note that their initial flush of 'victory over the miners' have climbed down from going all out to take on the next sizeable sector of industrial workers. This reflects the balance of forces in the rail industry as well as society as a whole. There is a proven will to fight against Tory attacks. Given leadership. workers will defend their livelihoods and living stan Caes against onslaught of • government But the leadership o the rail unions are wobbl ing over the place Rúmour has it that Knapp/Buckton will settle for the 5% on offer and allow the productivity deals to be made by the back door The miners strike has shown how one union can't go it alone and neither can depots, branches or districts. The ped plans for railwavs its simply about them in a different way.
The death of Beecham a few days ago is a salutory reminder of the failure of the rail unions to figh governmen during '60s. This failure cost u 100,000 jobs, 2,000 route mile 900 freight depots and 700 stations Whatever else happens, the rail leaders have Cast substantial increase in basic wages which still has to be fought for.
Stop Press: this article was written before the five per cent was accepted.
Nottingham Socialist Action Day Saturday 13 April 'After the strike.. the struggle continues 10am to 6pm Queens Walk Community Centre, The Meadows, Nottingham Social and Disco 7pm till 11pm Saturday April 20 'Lessons of the Miners Snowdown Colliery Welfare Club (New Club)
Ayelsham Kent Workshops include Women's Liberation, Black Liberation, Ireland, the Young Socialists, the Labour Party and the Miner's strike, Internationalism and the Strike.
Registration will take place from 10am. First session starts lam.
Transport: British Rail from Victoria to Ayelsham, Kent Road by the A2 to Dover.
Coaches from London tel 01-254 Q128
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faith in a train driven by seven nays a working
The Third Socialist Action Miners Solidarity Meeting