A Unipart worker writes

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The show, which was completely supported by the convenors of the Unipart division was designed to cover up the harsh reality of the Spares Division.

Unipart Division, Cowley will have lost upwards of 500 jobs out of a total 1,100 by March 1982 through "natural wastage" and voluntary redundancies. Another Unipart plant at Eynsham, Oxfordshire, has been closed down and the plant at Cardiff is to close in March 1982 with the loss of 211. jobs.

This is the result of British Leyland:s drive for competitiveness which involves higher levels of production in large plants.

A new computerised system for lifting and moving parts about means that one person can do work that used to need 12 - which is part of the company's technology Productivity was up over last year by approximately 6u to 70 percent. But the company is not satisfied.

Workers are coming to feel that it is unbearable, given the hostile attitude of management. Although some of the supervisors are reasonable themselves, they have been told by higher management to drive the workers to get more production out of them. There has been a big change in the last four years in the balance of power on the shop floor.

The trade unions used to be in a stronger negotiating position and could call the tune . on lots of things like movement of labour. Management are now in a position to dictate and Usually they get what they want, given the recession and mass unemployment. If you take industrial action over a pay claim to meet the cost of living the company will send you a letter saying that if you don't return to work by a certain date they will take it that you have terminated your employment.

The Senior Stewards have become like partners with management in disciplining the workers and fully co-operating with the company.

This is because they agree on the need for productivity and belt tightening to keep British Leyland afloat and are prepared to trade off jobs for bonuses.

This takes place under an incentive scheme that is so complicated that neither management nor senior stewards could tell the work force in advance what the workers would get: it has to be worked out by computer for all the plants in the Unipart division.

As a Unipart worker I find it is a complete waste of time calling in the senior stewards - : you could well finish up worse off!

The trade union officials will not defend workers' job security, wages and conditions unless they are pushed into a corner by the whole of the workBetter link The workers need better rank and file link between all the different plants to stop British Leyland from playing one off against the other.

We need solidarity between different grades and for the Leyland Action Committee to fight for workers' basic rights.

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Fighting for union democracy of CPSA Organiser, Thursday March