Coventry strikers don't want MDW Sack threat by Jaguar boss

PRESS JAGUAR founder Sir William Lyons stepped into the ten-week pieceworkers' strike at the company's Radford, Cove = at the company's Radford, Coventry, plant with a threat that 3,000 could lose their jobs if it goes on.

The threat-which screamed from local newspaper headlines as union officials met shop stewards yesterday morningcame in a personal statement from Lyons warning that repeated acceptance of wage claims could price the company out of the market.

Losses sustained through strikes against a company refusing concede pay demands could be 'tragically serious', said.

'But they do not saddle a comDan with a permanenu in costs, whereas a wage demand, if given, results in a price increase of the product which i there to stay and heralds dangers for the future' If Jaguar lost out in competiion in export markets, he said he factory must cut back pro. duction by whatever amount it lost. This could mean 3.000 of the 9,000 workers Jaguar employs in Coventry losing their jobs.

SaVO strove throughout his years as head of the firm against conceding wage increases which would increase costs, and his threat was clearly designed to panic shop stewards accepting Measured-Day Work (MDW) proposals.

The strike followed the 1,800 assembly pieceworkers' rejection of a pay offer which would replace pieceworking with a flat rate svstem. OUTS month agreement MDW would be negotiated.

Last Tuesday's mass meeting turned down strike Com• mittee's recommendation of the £44 flat rate with a lump sum to those earning more. The company has since raised this compensation to £105, but has turned down strike committee demands £45 flat rate coupled with another after six months.

Amalgamated Engineering Workers' official Andy Boyle and the vehicle builders' Fred Palmer claim the agreement to take part in discussions was not a commitment to MDW.

But past experience has showi t Vauxhall's and Chrysler that once the management has gained an agreement to discuss MDW, ley interpret it in whicheve rav they choose Through training courses for shows, lectures, ›osters, worker-management dis. cussion groups and the judicious se of the local press, manag ent can create divisions amon the workers involved.

Jaguar workers are fully aware this pressure being applied at Longbridge, Birmingham another section of the Leyland combine-where preparations are in hand for the production of the new ADO 67 model.

Talks on ending piecework began there a year ago, wher management began refusing piece POCKET LIBRARY Why a Labour Government?

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Lyons stepped

PA pulls out plugs to UPI work increases. After a threatened strike on a piecework price was called off on August 18, management attempted to split workers from their shop-floor leaders by 'taking soundings' on the issue.

One production commented:

'Some workers seem to think that Measured-Day Work is inevitable. This is really a "con trick" on the part of the management to get us to think that way.

'In nine cases out of ten this idea has been implanted in workers heads so that they start thinking "what can we get out of it?"

- think we should solidly oppose Measured-Day Work and oppose any discussions at this stage. They don't call it Measured Day Work, but that is what they mean. I think the strike committee started off on the right note in demanding piecework increases, but more and more the question of discussions A series which aDDeared now available as a pamphlet in the Socialist Labour League Pocket Library. 'WHY A LABOUR GOVERNMENT? A Reply to some centrist critics.' Price 5p Other titles in this series include: The Case for a General Election The Ulster Dossier The Social Security which includes the All Unions Alliance Draft M anifesto and the Charter of Basic week after a series meetings between unions and Govan management over the issue of the men still working in, 12t three divisions of the fouryard ex-Upper Clyde Shipbuilders.

Strongest resistance to the deal had come from the 1,400 boilermakers who were insisting that their 77 members in the 'work-in' should be employed , by the company when it goes into operation on September 1l.

But now boilermakers' officials seem ready to accept the latest management proposal for phased employment of rein reard to Measured-Day, Work mas come into negouduons. narentinti.

For British-Leyland, the extension of MDW throughout their combine is the only solution in the face of cut-throat competiThe company desperately needs to divorce the earnings of the worker from the level of output and destroy the power of the shop steward, in preparation for speea-up, the cutting or manning scales and the slashing of earnings.

Jaguar workers must oppose any concessions to the introduction of MDW.

In an era of rampant inflation, mass unemployment, and legally enforceable agreements between management and unions, only the removal of the Tory government, and the forcing into power of a Labour government pledged to nationalize the motor industry under workers' control, can secure the right to work and defend living standards. 12M7 Ià 2 4 LE сот.

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