Stewards less than determined Ford bosses prepare to reject parity

Workers Press no. 49, 4 December 1969 · scan page 5

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between now and January 18. Last Friday's meeting of Ford's Joint National vealed just how much.

mented the Transport and General Workers' (T&GWU) VERY FEW weeks arr now left before Ford wor] to challenge the compar in a struggle for parity of e the Midlands car plants Much has still to be done Negotiating Committee re- 'You instanced a selected number of rates of pay, mainly in the Midlands; and then "The main thing,' com- you thought it was not unreasonable to suggest that the Ryton plant of Rootes at Coventry ought to be the Moss Evans on leaving the appropriate comparison for meeting, 'is that the com- talking about parity.

'You also submitted a pany has recognized that we number of figures to suggest that the productivity per man was better in Ford than in our What a victory! The unions competitors; and you conmade their claim on Septem- cluded by asking us to examine realistically your aspirations for parity?

Mr Evans also believes to provide employees who contribute to our success with as secure and rewarding employment as possible, consistent with the limitations of the business we are in—and we are in, of course, one of the most fiercely competitive businesses there is.

'We believe that there should be no difference between us on that objective.

'You made much of the fact that we are more efficient than our British competitors.

'We agree with that; we are proud of it and we intend to stay that way.' This is the authentic voice of the ruling class.

It rules, it is proud that it rules and it intends to go on ruling!

No reformist trade union leaders-'left' or right-are going to fight Ford to a finish; in fact, they are not even going to open hostilities.

Only a politically prepared force, linking the fight for a decent wage at Ford to the struggle for the nationalization of the company under the control of its workers and prepared to go all the way is going to do this job.

We invite all those who seriously want to carry forward this struggle to engage in the most thorough discussion of all these questions.

It is only in the columns of the Workers Press that such a discussion is going to be carried on.