Representing the Union. Part three

har in tie to dead PROGRAMME Three of 'Representing the

Union', the BBC-I series to educate shop stewards in productivity systems, dealt with the task of 'selling' a productivity agreement to the rank and file.

Using the Alcan Works at Rogerston, South Wales, which employs 3,000 workers, sequences were shown in which shop stewards put the new agreement across on the shop floor and at a mass meeting to the workers.

At no time in the film were the shop stewards shown as representing the workers' views to the management.

Instead, their job was shown as being specifically centred around the need to take the management's proposals to the members and to fight for them against all opposition.

Ray Rowlands, Transport & General Workers' Union branch secretary, and negotiator for the deal, explained the worry he had because, in some cases, the shop stewards did not stand up to the men:

If you get the shop steward, for instance, who is not as strong as other shop stewards, and you get a militant on the floor, perhaps with a power of argument and a little bit of a bullying method, get a popular line built up round him, the shop stewards will perhaps weaken and instead of standing his ground and arguing out the value of the agreement will say, "Fair enough, if this is how you feel, well, get to the general meeting and throw it out." And take the least line of resistance, and it doesn't do any of us any good.' 'ADVANTAGES' Scenes showed stewards emphasizing the 'advantages'-extra money and holidays--and the point was made by example that the rank and file would have great difficulty in opposing these schemes if the shop stewards stood unanimously on the management's proposals.

Some scenes portrayed from the mass meeting were, to say the least, of a decidedly odd character.

After the main management proposals of reduction in manning, increased flexibility and loss of tea breaks were read out, very little discussion followed on the question of how reduced manning was to be carried out, which would surely have been the main concern of any workers facing this situation.

'TIDYING UP'

Also, Rowlands' remarks that the 'manning has been reduced, and that's a good thing' and 'some departments are not making a profit that we would like to see made' went entirely unchallenged from the floor.

Other arguments from Rowlands were also indistinguishable from the arguments used by managements in this sort of situation:

'All we're doing is tidying up the factory a little bit and stopping the tea parties ... half of you don't bother with it, anyway'-to excuse the loss of tea breaks-and:

'After the previous changes you didn't work any harder,' to encourage the acceptance of the new changes.

The taking of the vote was then shown, which turned out to be in favour of the new agreement.

This programme was the second of the series to deal with "communications, which basically rests on the theory that conflicts between workers and employers can be dissolved by a correct choice of words.

Under this theory, the sack becomes less of a contention if it is called 'redundancy.

Management stooges are more acceptable to workers if they are called 'workers' representatives', closures and mass sackings become more bearable if they are called 'rationalization and reorganization' and top-speed working times become less arduous and less likely to cause dispute if they are called 'standard times' for the job.

'NEW LANGUAGE' A major feature of shop steward training-a feature now being made much of by unions, managements and governmentis teaching shop stewards to use this 'new language of communications'.

So far, the central theme written relev Price: 3d.

the programme has been that workers have no alternative but to ensure that capitalism works, and they can best do this by supporting at all times the employers' plans.

In fact, while it is true that in a firm where workers refuse to increase productivity, bankruptcy may occur and the worker may end up on the dole, it is also just as true that where the schemes are accepted, increased profits will mean that managements will soon be able to , afford new, advanced machinery and computers, in this case, also, workers will find themselves out of a job.

Details of what is possible in this direction were shown in the film before the union programme, which discussed some aspects of the latest numerical control and computor control machines.

Unemployment or speed-up and unemployment; these are the only alternatives put forward by capitalism.

But the rapidly rising anger of the working class against this confidence trickery and class collaboration reflects a turning by the working class to the real alternative, to the expropriation of the entire capitalist class and the end of production for profit for ever.

The development of the Socialist Labour League. is the building of the revolutionary party to lead the working class in this task.