The 39 Hour Out Go the Breaks up Goes the Pace Down Go Real Wages

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THE introduction of the 39 hour week in the engineering industry has been the occasion for a series of attacks by the employers on estabIn this article MARY WILKINS takes the example of the situation at British Leyland's Pressed Steel Fisher (PSF) plant at Cowley and shows how management is acting along lines analysed by Karl Marx over 100 years "The great improvements made in machines of every kind have raised their productive power very much. Without any doubt, the shortening of the hours of labour ... gave the impulse to these improvements. The latter, combined with the more intense strain on the workman, have had the effect, that at least as much is produced in the shortened (by two hours or one-sixth) working-day was previously produced during the fonger one."

Factory Inspectors' Report, 1858, quoted in 'Capital', p.416 lished working conditions. WHAT is happening now in PSF and BL in general is typical of the whole economy. The workers are being subjected to increasing exploitation in a bid by management to step up productivity and safeguard profit margins.

The attack on working conditions and pay in BL is not due to Michael Edwardes personally. When he leaves in December, his successor will have to follow the same path.

For with capitalism in a state of crisis, fierce competition for markets and falling rates of profit, the only solution for management is to increase the exploitation of the workforce, to drive down costs and undercut competitors.

In PSF this has meant an attack on wages (which we saw in November with trade union leaders selling out on the annual review despite strike action by the workers and accepting the 3.8%) and changes in working conditions which ensure increased productivity. Thus management win both ways: they pay less for more work.

Gain

This may seem wrong since the workers at BL won a shorter working week with the reduction from 40 to 39 hours. This was a significant gain for the working class in a bid to reduce hours and create more jobs for the increasing numbers of unemployed.

But management have turned this gain into its reverse, demanding that the 39 hour week be financed by shorter breaks and speed up.

On the tracks, the relief breaks have been cut from 15 minutes to 13 minutes, thus saving 4 minutes a day. The rest of the 'loss' is made up by speed up - a 12% increase in track speed. On sections without relief breaks 40 hours work must be done in 39.

This is only a small part of a gencral tightening up on time. There is now no flexibility over the start of the shift.

The line starts at 7.15 on the dot, and if people are not in their place at 7.10 the foreman lines others up to cover their jobs and ensure no time is lost. This also means workers have to get ready for the job in their own time.

Protective clothing; must be put on before the line starts and thus the working day is effectively lengthened.

Breakdowns The effective length of the working day has also been increased by management cutting down on line stoppages resulting from breakdowns, maintenance problems and quality failures.

Whereas two years ago the line only ran at 75% efficiency, and was stopped about 25% of the time to fix breakdowns, etc., it now runs at 98%. Therefore, excluding teabreaks at 9am and 3pm, when the line stops for ten minutes, there is continuous production.

Relief breaks are organised on a rota basis, with one person going round, covering for workers in turn.

Labour has been cut back so much that cover labour is not available, so a worker on the track who feels ill, suffers an accident or even Car production line, 1950s just wants to go to the toilet, has difficulty in getting off the line except during the tea breaks and shortened relief breaks. Shop stewards are also restricted and are unable, or only able with the most difficulty to get covered for trade union business.

All this increases the pressure on the workers and increases the work load too, since no cover labour is being carried. While this affects the lines most, similar cuts and restrictions are being made on other jobs.

The drive for continuous production is demonstrated most dramatically on the new models. In the new paint shop, the job has been physically separated trom lockers by building locker rooms.

No papers, reading material or personal belongings are allowed in the paint shop and workers are only permitted in the locker rooms during breaks.

Thus if anyone can work up a couple of minutes or if the line stops for any reason, no one can read during the stoppage. All attention is concentrated on the job. And this ruling will apply to other new models.

Moreover. industrial engineers - the time and motion people - have tightened up on all jobs. cutting jobs out wherever they can, and allowing no leeway and no negotiation.

Increase

This is accompanied by increasing the line speed Both line speed and manning are subject to agreement and based on 'internationally recognised industrial engineering standards' The level of 100 BSI is taken as the "comfortable working level'. Since the introduction of the 39 hour week, BS! levels have risen to 101.S. even in excess of the industrial engincers level. The Ital tracks, for example. have been working at over 100% efficiency recently.

In addition, the job itselt is being intensified by cuts in allied trades. Inspection, line feeding, time work jobs ete are being incorporated into line work, adding pressure. while at the same time management demand no decrease in quality.

This not only means that the job involves more, but the change excludes certain types of worker from PSF.

In the past, production workers who were injured, disabled or grew ola could transfer to lighter, generally lower paid, time work sweeping. toilet attendant, inspection. etc. Now these jobs have been cut and time workers transferred to the lines.

Health

This will adversel! attect their health and shorten their lives. But it will have the advantage for the conpany of foreing people who beçome ill or ola to leave or take voluntary redundancy. since there is no lighter work to move onto.

The company wants a younger. physically fit workforce. Disabled workers or people over 40 are being pushed out. And this tactic is being repeated throughout the motor industry.

Already this procedure. in addition to other speed ups and increases in productivity has resulted in more accidents.

Under piece work. there were a lot of accidents in PSE. With measure day work the work load was lighter and accident rates went down. Now these are returning to piece work levels.

Further. the cuts in nonproduction jobs have resulted in cuts in maintenance staft which again can lcad to more safety problems. For example. the 'heavy gang' who used to deck overhead wires have been cut back.

But even this super exploited workforce is not sate from attacks, for new machines. already being introduced, will cut out many jobs. The robots brought into PSF will be even more advanced than Longbridge and will greatly cut jobs.

Predictably, these

changes in working conditions have been accompanied by increasingly heavy enforcement of disciplinary measures. Any one who skips out of time or fails to conform to new rules and I'VE GOT A REAL GOOD JOB OVER AT ZENITH. - HESE AN HOUR ANDI 7 HOURS A PAY GET 12 75 AN HOUR. THAT'S 4 25 ADAY $96.25 AWEEK!

EN THE GOVERNMENT TAKES ABOUT 20%, FOR TA 1E WAR Y'NG ME ABOUT$809 EN I PAY FAY INTO S0 XIAL :C. IN CASE DA BOSS L AYS E OFF. AND STATE TA X, MEDWAND R TAN NSON.

TAKE!

IME PAY NooU call it 'Inhe-home productivity: requirement: receives a pink slip and ulti mately suspension and the sack.

Similar moves are being made at foras. here hav been strikes at Halewood and Dagenham over disci pline and sackings.

This recent company off ensive marks a new level o the company's profit drive in response to the deepen ing recession and the need to SOLDER THESE LITTLE •HINGS ALL DAY LONG -50.

DAT COMES TO 41255.80 A DAY. BOY WHAT A SALARY THERE'S A DIFFERENCE OF 6.44 BEGET.BUT DA 3095 SAYS ATS 1 BECAUSE Oi UVER HEA!

UESS THEY CALL IT TAKE H CAUSE THATS THE CNLY PL TITAN AFOR VITO GO WITN TuIs: