Rail: union unity needed

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WITH the recent acceptance at the Railway Staff Joint Council of a common date for the back-payment of the "award' for flexible rosters, the resistance of ASLEF to variable rostering has' wound down to its bitter conclusion.

The agreement, so far only in principle, allows for the 50p per shift payment to be paid retroactively from January 3rd 1983. Flexible rostering will come in under the terms of a national agreement to be reached in time for the introduction of the new timetable in October.

A close examination of the deal reflects the enormous divisions and confusion that have been created in the union since the enforcement of variable rosters following the TUC sell-out virtually a year ago to the day.

At that time, flexi-rosters were to be introduced following local negotiations. The policy of the ASLEF EC was to 'obstruct the introduction of the rosters and thereby to demonstrate. m some way. to the BRB. that they would not work. In reality this policy placed the entire responsibility for the resistance to flexible rostering at local level.

At many smallei depots, the new rosters were imposed in a climate of fear and since the ASLEF EC were not prepared to offer any tangible support to these depots, variable rosters were speedily introduced.

The other side of the coin was the position that strong depots found themselves in. Having observed ASLEF policy to the letter and öbstructed Steve Good reports on a bitter end to the flexirosters battle. the rosters by disputing interpretations of the guidelines in the McCarthy réport with local management, the stronger depots became • increasingly isolated in the battle.

The result is that now only 40 depots out of arouad 270 on BR, are not working to flexible rostering.

Even the common date for backpayment for variable rosters is a sham. All depots will receive their backdated from January 3rd, but depots that accepted the rosters before that date will receive in addition a 'lump-sum payment' • In other words there are two separate backdated payments, and some depots will only receive one of these payments. They are, of course, the depots who observed the policy of the trade union!

This situation has obviously caused great bitterness. The inadequate and equivocal policy of the EC, providing no national back-up for the depots fighting the new rosters, has resulted in those depots actually being penalised for supporting Trade Uníon policy.

The ASLEI à membership stance. Having created a situation where it was inevitable that resistance to variable rostering would collapse in the face of a hardline, confident local management, and having failed to give a lead in defence of the depots in the frontline they not turn around and blame the membership for this shambles. A membership i*that stuck out weeks industrial action last year under extremely difficult conditions.

ASLEF's EC intend to conclude a national agreement for the rosters in less than 8 weeks. This, under conditions where depots such as King's Cross in line with union policy have amassed up to 40 separate grievances on their interpretation of the. safeguards produced under McCarthy's original report. Any agreement made by the EC in the short time available will inevitably sweep these grievances under the carpet.

Add to that, the Board's stated intention not to pay the backdated to any depot which has not agreed to the introduction of the rosters by October, and you complete the iction by the entertrophic the picture RAS Bront It is clear now that the productivity initiatives of the BRB have not been leading to more investment in: the railway, such as electrification. The Tories have seized on the BRB's attack on railway jobs and conditions as the founda. tion for privatisation. Indeed, tenders have already been made by private capitalists for certain lines. • The defeatism of the ASLEF EC and the mood of defeat they are spreading must be overcome. The recent developments over the Federation between the NUR and ASLEF offer the possibility to do just that. Local ASLEF and NUR branches should seize upon this opportunity to build local branches of the Federation to prepare for the adefence of the railway industry..

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Socialist Organiser, August 18 Page