GOAD-STYLE CASE AT CHRYSLER COVENTRY PLANT COURT CHALLENGE TO CLOSED SHOP

A NEW James Goad crisis for the engineers' union ye when a Coventry cal obtained legal backing for to break the closed shop Chrysler car combine.

Birmingham Industrial Tribunal ruled that Joseph Langston, a body welder at Chrysler's Ryton: plant, Coventry, has every right to refuse membership of the union if he so desires.

The tribunal made this order under (1) of the Industrial Relations Act.

And Langston said after the hearing that if this ruling is not accepted by Chrysler workers, he will take the matter to the National Industrial Relations Court in London.

This could happen very quickly, since Langston (59) intends to report to the Ryton Gas overtime ban may spread Workers leave the early shift at Europe's THE WORK-to-rule and ban on overtime campaign launched by south London gasworkers against the Tory government's pay laws yesterday could soon spread throughout the country.

This warning to the Tories came from leaders of the 600 men at the East Greenwich plant, the largest gasproducing works Europe.

Over 200 men at the Croydon plant, south London's other main works, were supporting the Greenwich action.

The East Greenwich men are also involved in another major battle against the threat of 200 loomed sterday worker his bid in biggest gar BY PHILI! redundancies in the spring. Last year the South East Gas Board sacked 200 men at the plant.

Gasworkers have re acted angrily to the letter sent by Edward Heath to the unions and the Gas Council on December 15 arrogantly informing them that there was no point in carrying pay negotia tions to the point of an offer while the pay laws were in operation.

'There is a 100-percent resentment Heath's letter in here:

spokesman for the Greenwich shop stewards' committee told FROM DAVID MAUDE IN BIRMINGHAM personnel office to tell them of the decision at about 10 a.m. today.

Currently he is suspended on full pay because fellow workers refuse to work with him. The NIRC returns from its Christmas recess early in the New Year and if, as seems certain, the Ryton shop floor remains adamant, then a hearing could be arranged in a very short time.

By this time a further application could also be on the way from Sudbury CAV worker James Goad, who may attempt to attend his local AUEW branch meeting on January 5.

Langston, a wartime shop steward in engineers' union, told the tribunal that did not object to unions as such-just their "bombastic, dictatorial attitudes'.

Compulsion to join was not in the rule book of any union, he claimed. "If they would drop the closed shop policy I would be prepared to look on it with reasonable respect.' TADE day. 'They are resentful at the Tory government's Intervention — especially when they still want to talk to redundancies: "s about He said their campaign to ban overtime and work-to-rule would show how much work each man did at the plant and the number of men who could be employed if there was a reduction in hours worked. 'This ac tion has en pushed added. V le've not got a history of militancy. executive state their position in writing on 'the operation of the closed shop in the offices, shops and work places of this our he months before turning it in because he was *is that the trade union is to achieve better enter into the field of politics then they've failed their members. If they get into compulsion by bombastic, dictatorial methods, I But if Heath can settle us it shows what It's coming Now this move of will spread throu the country I think.' In the stew opinion, Britain 'heading towards corporate state' Heath's letter 'was thing to go by. • A national conference of Britain's 46,000 gasworkers has been called by the General and Municipal Workers' Union for January 8 to plan action against the pay laws. Meanwhile, the union has broken off discussions about redundancies with the various gas boards.

Earlier h Robert E. settling the union were: • That he his old job. country'.

unyou ours hout ird's was •If anyBe told the tribunal chairman Chapman that his terms for dispute between himself and the be allowed to • That his case is taken through committee, negotiating procedure. • That the Ryton convenors and the AUEW Langston who joined the General and Municipal Workers' Union following the defeat of the General Strike, transferred to the engineers' union in 1940 He held a shop stewards' card for 12 opposed to the closed shop.

'My basic proposition,' he told the tribunal, working conditions and better wages. If they claim the right not to be member of a trade union.' The welder's first application to the Industrial Tribunal was submitted on July 26. This named Chrysler (UK), all its management executives and every single trade unionist in the factory.

It was returned on the grounds that he had no grounds for complaint against the company itself and that it would be imposible to serve writs on all 3,000 Ryton On August 24 he submitted another application, but this talled to specity the union Lang. ston was complaining against and he was asked to amend it.

Mr Chapman, a barrister, told Langston that it had been on his advice that he had been asked to amend the application, rather than put in a fresh one. 'We were trying to get you to put yourself within our scope,' Mr Chapman said.

None of the union men named in the amended application appeared at yesterday's hearing. These were Jim Conway, AUEW general secretary, Ken Walton, the works convenor, and George Park, former convenor and now leader of the ruling Labour group on Coventry City Council.

The two-and-a-half-hour hearing was conducted at the tribunal office in the Phoenix Assurance Building in the city centre.

Following the judgement, Langston told reporters that he was 'very much obliged' to the tribunal. 'It was not possible to decide a definite course of action. It all depends on the action taken by the people at work,' he added.