Ford: make up for lost time!
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-10-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 14 →
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Ford led the fight against the 5 per cent in 1978 AFTER suffering severely last year, in the Us car industry's worst-ever slump, the international Ford corporation is now making profits again.
Unlike Vauxhall, the loss-making British subsidiary of General Motors, Ford Britain also turns in tidy profits.
Ford workers are therefore in a stronger position than the other car firms. And the last three years have reflected that fact.
In 1978 Ford workers led the fight against Denns Healey's and Jim Callaghan's disastrous 5% pay limit. After a nine-week strike they were shepherded back to work by the officials with a deal only marginally different from what they had rejected two weeks before - but it was way over The deal was 9.75% on the basic and various supplementary payments including a £4 'attendance allowance' In 19/9 the Ford bosses wanted to avoid a strike. They quickly increased their offer to 21.5% - £15 for the basic 'B grade' workers -and that was accepted.
Last year, too, the wage review went through without a fight - thanks to the union leaders. Ford's final offer was 9.5%. Mass meetings rejected it - and the union leaders did nothing except wait around then go back to mass meetings with the same offer. With the help of some lay-offs provoked by t bosses, the offer was accepted second time round.
This year the Ford workers face a management intent on achieving "Japanese" speed-up and manning cuts in the factories. They will not come close to the claim - for £20 across the board and a 35 hour week -without a fight.
Ford workers have the advantage over other car firms of a full national shop stewards' conference to decide their claim. But the negotiations are still mainly in the hands of full-time officials.
If those officials have their way, then the Vauxhall and BL workers' pay battles will come and go with Ford still at the negotiating table. But these divisions cannot be afforded at a time when the Tories and the bosses are gearing up for major cuts in real wages all across industry
Scan page 15
Socialist Organiser, Thursday 1 October 1981 Page .tr.a.... ....
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MAKE MIA FORD PAY ARESEN