Hospital walkout
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-09-17Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 15 →
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on their offer of 10 September 1981. Failing that we call for support from all plants for an all out stoppage of work from 28 September.
"We call on our own union to stop imports of all General Motors components and vehicles from that date. Failing support from other locations we would hold an immediate stewards meeting and a mass meeting to assess the position.' That was the decision, by an overwhelming majority, of a mass meeting on Monday 14 September of the 3,000 TGWU members at Vauxhall, Ellesmere Port.
Stewards denounced Vauxhall's offer - 4% with strings - and told the meeting that the Astra kit-car is being phased in at Ellesmere but also because we want more leisure time.
We think it unfair for millions to be on the dole while we work a 40 hour week. The 39 hour week should be brought in this year and a 35 hour week achieved by 1984/5. • We also want a better deal on holiday pay, pensions, and sick pay.
Basically we want staff status. That is our claim.
The company has offered 4% with strings. For track workers it means about £3.80 per week - or £2 or less after deducations, which is totally ridiculous.
The company say they can't afford to pay us any hour week from November 1 1981, which means finishing 3.15 Friday if (and it's a big if!) we lose all our afternoon tea breaks.
They also want to take away the three minutes clocking on grace.
On guaranteed lay-off days, the company • has offered an extra day if the workers pay their own pension contributions in full while on lay off.
Productivity
They have offered productivity payments but as the company owes us about £230 each for the last productivity scheme, which this stance.
Other strings attached to the company's offer include putting all hourly paid workers under time and motion study.
They also want us to agree to time and motion isssuing times for jobs without us having any say in the matter.
They want to introduce German times without German rates of pay. The German workers' times are faster but they have better equipment, about twice our wages and much longer holidays. Production is being pushed all the time. ST STEPHEN'S Hospital in Fulham Road, London, has been on strike since Friday because the House Governor Howard Lyons, assaulted a porter. Before the porter could start a grievance procedure he was given a first and final warning - "refusing a legitimate management instruction"
Lyons has attempted to write the statement for his witness - the Deputy Head Porter - alleging that the porter waved an afro comb under his nose.
300 members of ancillary and maintenance unions are on strike, and are stopping all but essential supplies. A mass meeting on Monday morning overwhelmingly supported the strike when they heard management was unprepared 1 to budge from the position.
The strike is biting hard that Lyons stated on LBC, interview at the weekend that there might be cause to evacuate the hospital. Workers are picketing 24 hours, and only a few students and student nurses are doing the work of the ancillaries.
Although the Royal College of Nursing has a no-strike rule, one RCN steward walked out rather than do an ancillary's job.
MICK WOODS THE Yorkshire Area NUM has agreed that by June 1982 every branch must have on its branch committee someone under 21. This is an important step forward for youth in the industry and hopefully something other areas will follow. Prior to Yorkshire's decision only Scotland had similar policy.