Bl:the Union Committees

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JNC: The Leyland Cars mittee is [in theory, at least] the highest negotiating body in BL. It is made up of seven full-time union officials, plus 31 convenors from the plants.

There has long been much dissatisfaction with its make-up. It is remote from the shop floor and highly bureaucratic, and also seriously underrepresents the majority manual union, the T&G, which has often been outvoted by craft unions representing much smaller numbers of workers.

CONVENORS' CONFERENCE: The convenors and senior stewards from the plants. They usually meet after the JNC, to ratify its decisions. As there is a considerable overlap between the two bodies, they usually agree.

The structure is compl etely undemocratic. Every union from each piant is entitled to send only one JOHN HARRIS representative - regardless of the size of their membership.

Thus a craft convenor representing a tiny handful of workers has the same say as a TGWU convenor representing thousands. And because there are more craft unions, they are in a position to dominate votes at the convenors' conference.

TGWU militants have long been pressing for their union to fight for a new democratic structure based on proportional representation.

[In practice, both the JNC and the convenors' conference have frequently been by-passed in negotiations, as Edwardes has gone straight to General Secretaries and TUC representatives to stitch up deals in recent years.] COMBINE COMMITTEE:

This is an unofficial body, made up of convenors and delegated stewards from most major plants.

Neither the company nor any of the unions recognise it, although the T&G looks favourably' on its existence. For the last three years the JNC has adopted the Combine Committee's recommendations for the pay claim, but after that never refers to it during negotiations.

Its existence is somewhat sporadic (although recently it has been meeting monthly] and the methad for electing 'delegates" varies considerably from plant to plant.

GRENVILLE HAWLEY:

National officer of the T&G automotive trade group. He is also chairperson of the JNC. An unelected right-winger, who was installed as a result of the amalgamation of the National Union of Vehicle Builders with the T&G in the early '70s.

KEN CURE: Hawley's opposite number at the AUEW - their 'chief negotiator' at BL. Very JACK ADAMS: Convenor of Longbridge, the biggest plant. Also chair. person of the Combine Committee, and leading figure at the Convenors Conference. Communist Party member.