Victory fol BL bosses

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through cooperation with their Staff Inspection programme -part of a campaiga across the Civil Service to cut staffing levels.

Succese in this dispute now depends on winning other unions on the site to take action that will force management to back down. Donations/messages to: CPSA British Library (London) branch, c/o Room 265, Science Reference Library, 25 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London WC2. Did management try to take advantage of you in that periodi For example, by claiming that you owed your jobs to them anc should therefore give something in return, like higher produc tivity?

Full on the spot report of TGWU conference next week. HAVING BEEN tricked back to work by an elaborate sell-out in the midst of their four week strike in April, Cowley Assembly Plant workers remained firm but never regained the momentum of the struggle in defence of their six and nine minutes per shift 'washing up time' As both management and union officials had hoped, the continuity of the fight was broken. But not without problems for the compted wai porte of do p repeated floor opinion and eventually moved to isolate the Assembly Plant on the issue before moving in for the kill.

The crunch came last week in the aftermath of the reluctant acceptance by nearby. Body Plant workers of increased bonus payments in exchange for their washing-up time.

*An Assembly Plant stewards' meeting, on June 30, called to discuss a management leaflet offering an average bonus of £25, only narrowly carried by 39-36 a resolution for a mass meeting to be held with a recommendation for strike action in the event of any company attempt to impose the speedup.

The management next day promptly issued a wildly distorted statement, playing up the split vote, and claiming that by this tight margin the stewards had "called a strike' over the heads of the membership without hearing the 'latest' offer.

As local officiàl David Buckle threatened to sue the company for libel, management reconvened the Plant Level Committee and formally presented their revised offer.

The convenors at once agreed to call a stewards' meeting for Monday - and a fleet of company cars delivered letters to stewards over the weekend.

But the feeling against the company had strengthened, and eventually the vote for rejection and to recommend strike action was carried by 79 to 3.

Management however had gauged that the time was right to force the pace, and at 1.30 on Monday announced that the deal would be implemented at once.

As angry workers on the Rover and Ambassador tracks walked off the job, a hasty mass meeting was convened for 3pm without any preparation by the trade union side. The recommendation for strike action was lost by a 3-1 margin.

Though this is a definite victory for BL, it has cost them £60 million in lost production, and throughout the dispute they have failed to crack the shop stewards' committee.

That must be the positive aspect carried forward in the disputes to come. What was the difference between 1981 and now? Why was there a sit-in, a very long one, then, but no such action this time around? factory or office complex.

mandate. People have said they want to be unemployed. Before the Election I was sure she would have lost. I can't