THE FIGHT FOR UNION RECOGNITION AT KODAK

The long battle for union recognition at Kodak enters a new phase in just under a fortnight's time.

After months of delay, the TUC organization committee is to hold an audit of member unions at the photographic giant's big Harrow and Hemel Hempstead plants.

The first obiect of the audit is to establish the negotiating strength of the five unions involved. But secondly, activists hope it will help end the claims of two non-TUC 'unions' to represent a significant number of Kodak workers.

The Union of Kodak Workers and its white-collar counterpart, the Kodak Senior Staff Association, have registered under the Industrial Relations Both emerged early this year when it became clear that the 'Workers' Representative Committee' the only organizations previously recognized by Kodak-would not be eligible for registration. Kon Roberta, AČTT Kodak organizar (excond trom rhat), with lottow workers on a recent vich to line l:ocidl lacl council flat in Pinner, Middlesex, as the UKW's first office is said to have been arranged by Kodak lawyers.

Certainly the UKW's expensively-printed rules cast some doubt on the claim in a covering letter that it is 'an organization... independent of any management influences'. nuuds guessed it, the branch committee.

But to get the UKW off the ground, Kodak had, ironically enough, to give equal recruitment facilities to the TUC unions.

Besides the ACTT, these were the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs, the Amalgamated Union BUY A BOOK FOR XMAS WRINTS OF Leon Tratsky LEON TROTSHY (1938-3)

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co-operation with the Industrial Relations Act was concerned. They began urging the organization committee to fight the registration of the UKW and KSSA under the anti-union Backed out And following the TUC's own about-turn on appearances at court in May, even some shop stewards began talking in torme of narconal annliratione como ul persunar appuranuus to the National Industrial Relations Court to secure recognition.

In October terms for a membership audit in the company were agreed between the TUC organization committee and Kodak.

At the start the UKW went along. But at the last minute, History of Russian Revolution —special gift pack of three volumes £1.70 includes postage it backed out with objections about the terms of reference.

Kodak called the audit off.

Last Friday, at a meeting at TUC headquarters in London, the company agreed to go back to the terms agreed in October and the audit was fixed for the first week in January.

The Kodak • workers' most effective sanction is a black operated at the Hemel Hempstead factory on a machine producing film for Kodak's new prestige miniature camera, which has already been advertized on television.

Until the firm negotiates a rate for the job with a recognized union, the workers say, they will not operate the machine. And if Kodak continues stonewalling the film will never go on the market.

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