Hawley cons convenors

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by Ann McK inley UCW MEMBERS in British Telecom recently had ballot on this year's wage deal. UCW members in the past have seen claims supposedly amounting to 24% yet at the end of the day have ended up with only 9% plus a lot of strings.

For Telecom grades this Jackson year is no cateption.

The shorter working week claim is to be left on the table as a matter of "continuous discussion and a report to be presented to conference in May 1982"

A 15% pay increase was the claim, and the offer is a 9% increase on scales from 1 July, plus 2% productivity trom last year to be consolldated.

A 10% increase was demanded to close ihe gap between telephonists. and supervisors, but there is no mention of this in the deal.

The deal also includes a one year productivity scheme, amounting to 2% payable in December 1981 and April 1982 if earned; and a 1% productivity payment to cleaners, doorkeepers, liftpersons, postpersons employed by British Telecom if the 2% productivity is earned by main UCW grades.

This was the deal after only three meetings and a few letters. Management stated "that outside industries, particularly in the trading part of the public services were accepting settlements substantially lower than the Retail Price Index" - and they expected UCW members to go along with this.

The Broad Left supports inflation proofing of wages in its programme, and should be popularising and pushing for this in next year's wage claim. In reference to the productivity deal, management stated:

"There is always the possibility that during the year, for some unforseen reason, and contrary to the spirit of this agreement, a union or sections of its members decide to reduce cooperation or even take some form of industrial action. antee of a minimum payment irrespective of results and in any circumstances."

This year alone we've seen in the postal side overtime bans, selective action, walkouts and lockouts over the "improved working methods" productivity scheme.

The new British Telecoms management have said that it is their intention to suggest some form of local productivity scheme for the next financial year commencing April 1, and are obviously worried that some Telecoms members will take action.

At conference this year, UCW General Secretary Tom Jackson went through the motions of having a debate on the shorter working week, and said that the Executive accepted. the policy of a reduction in the working week without loss of pay. «The Executive was determined to try and support TUC policy • 10 increase the number of jobs in the Post Office by reducing the amount of hours worked."

Yet when it came to the Telecoms pay claim Jackson stated:

"if British Telecom are prepared to accept the payment of the 9% plus 2% and a separate productivity scheme then we for our part, and with a good deal of reluctance, will not insist on hours reductions at this slage the claim on the table and expect that meaningful discussions will take place in order that we can report to our conference in May an agreement to be implemented on July 1 next year."

The productivity scheme will mean low staffing and nil recruitment.

The 3-year productivity scheme for international telephonists will result in the closures of switchrooms and exchanges. The UCW Broad Left is holding a rally in Birmingham on 6 September and must show for disillusioned UCW members that there is an alternative to the politics of yesterday - job losses, falling living standards and bad working conditions.

The Executive is already paranoid about the Broad Left. In the union journal's conference report, a speaker who had a Broad Left badge on when his photo was taken had it scribbled out in the photo, and all references to the Broad Left from the Executive in the Deputy Leadership debate have been edited out!

UCW BROAD LEFT

RALLY 2 p.m. Sunday 6 September Digbeth Hall, Birmingham More details about the UCW Broad Left and its journal, Communique, available from: P. Dodd. I Whiley Street, Longsight, Manchrster 13 0WR.

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r-BL wage review Socialist Organiser, Thursday 3 September 1981 Page 14 Hawley cons convenors more output for less wages Peters TGWU convenors from BL Cars, meeting last Friday blocked one attempt to impose a totally unrepresentative negotiating committee on BL workers and opened the door to another.

The convenors were meeting in Birmingham to determine their position on the annual wage review; both the naturé of the claim and how it will be negotiated this year. (The original, grossly unrepresentative National Joint Negotiating Committee [NJNC] was disbanded last year and despite pressure from the plants both management and national officials have delibtion on democratic lines).

Last Friday's meeting Watant blatant attempt by TGWU was confronted with national car industry officer Grenville Hawley to manoeuvre it into a decision which would effectively put all negotiating rights in the hands of the national officials of the eleven unions involved.

Noone would have known from Hawley's report to the meeting that the policy of the TGWU is to fight for a democratic, proportionately representative NJNC.

Noone would have known from his report that this is the policy of every TGWU committee at local and regional level and even the National Committee to 3 September 1981 Page 14 Alex Kitson which he is responsible.

Everything which has been done from the plants and the committees over the past year to achieve that policy was ignored.

Instead Hawiey gave a report based on the meeting of national officials which he had taken upon himself to convene four days earlier over the heads of the convenors.

He reported that the officers' meeting had adopted a six point claim including "substantial increase" and then asked the convenors to endorse his report.

Had it been endorsed it would have established by precedent procedure putting everything in the hands of the national officials with himself as convenor.

A sharp two-hour debate resulted in Hawley's report being rejected and a decision taken to send a delegation to see Alex Kitson as acting General Sécretary apparently to complain about Hawley's actions.

The meeting then went on to endorse the Combine Committee claim of £20 across the board.

But it didn't end there. Hawley then proposed that the meeting demand the resurrertion of the old NJNC on a "once off basis" - a body which has been repeatedly denounced as unrepresentative of IGWU members and which the TGWU has been trying to get rid of for two years.

Hawley informed the convenors that he had already discussed this proposal with management who had reiected it out of hand. They were quite determined that they would only negotiate the review with national officials.

The meeting then voted to accept Hawley's proposprevious GWU policy, and effectively abandoning giving Hawley what was in reality his fall-back position from the start.

Neither the Combine Committee alternatives of a properly reconstructed committee on demo cratic lines was discussed nor was the policy adopted at the Cowley Assembly Plant mass meeting. This had called for either a democratically reconstituted committee or alternatively for the TGWU, as the major union representing the vast majority of production workers to elect its own democratic structure and demand to negotiate directly with BL.

The vote was a serious retreat by the convenors, coming before the wage claim has even got off the ground. They seem to think that BL will continue to reject the resurrection of the old committee and have decided to meet again on 1 MUCH IS made by the press of the £225 million halfyearly loss by BL. But several points of interest in this report highlight the need for opening the books of BL.

The interest payments for six months are £47.1 million, an increase of £2.5 million over last year. That alone would give every employee in BL £15 a week wage increase.

A further £30.3 million went "extraordinary items". , that is, mainly redundancy payments. In by Tony Richardson plants such as on the Metro, fewer lay-offs, and (mostly) the greater exploitation of the workforce through speed-up, greater mobility and flexibility of labour.

Reduction

exchange for this 30% increase in productivity the Leyland workers have received a wage reduction -our wage increase was below the inflation rate.

The one profitable area

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erately dragged their feet in negotiating its reconstruc-

or a temporary committee on equally democratic lines