JOHN BROWN LAND BOILERS

The last annual policy conference of the ETU adopted a resolution against all forms of payment-by-result, although the executive opposed the delegates on this question. Although it is not yet clear what terms of reference the ‘special sub-committee’ will have, it is obvious that the ETU leaders are contemptuous of the ability of the rank and file to win parity of wages by their own action.

The demand for parity payments arises because of the inability of the Stalinist leadership of the ETU to secure any real increase in wages from the electrical employers. Whilst the basic rates of other building workers have remained on a paralell with those of the electricians they have been able to negotiate at site level (often without aid from their fulltime officials) a standing bonus which is not tied to piecework. With ever-increasing living costs this site bonus has tended to increase, widening the differential with the sparks. Parity in wages at South Bank would have meant a weekly increase of over £4 for electricians.

Treachery of Executive Council Haxell has learned that by paying lip-service to the demand for parity and making the strike official, the leadership of the strike can be removed from the strike committee and placed in the hands of the executive. On the first day of the court of inquiry there were 20 sites prepared to take strike action. They were restrained from doing so by the intervention of union officials who told them ‘This dispute is in the hands of the executive council, they will tell you when it is necessary to come out. To strike now would only prejudice the court. of inquiry’.

The elected chairman of the South Bank strike committee The workers at John Brown Land Boilers, Clyde‘bank, who waged a nine-week strike campaign against the victimization of their militant convenor, have won a complete victory. The convenor, Jan Clark, was re-instated and resumed work last Monday.

The Strike Committee, backed up by the solidarity of their worekrs, had a wide campaign of factory and yard meetings ‘throughout the Clyde and were given financial support by many establishments.

The Clyde District Committee of The Confederation of Shipbuilding and. Engineering Unions, instead of leading a campaign on the river which undoubtedly would have brought the strike to a successful conclusion much more quickly, referred the matter to the Trade Union chiefs in London.

On their recommendation the workers returned without Clark and negotiations were re-opened on Clark’s re-instatement. At a central conference in York last week-end the employers’ federation caved in. Their decision was undoubtdly influenced by the militancy of the workers who made it clear that they would take further action in the event of Clark not being re-instated. The victory was entirely due to the militant struggle of the workers.

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ON By our Industrial Correspondent FEBRUARY 20; 1960"

because of the new 6 per cent. increase of £115 millions.