Dustmen face Coventry Counci attack

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Dave AFTER breaking agreements with NUPE and provoking a four week strike, Coventry's Labour Council have now turned their attention to the dustmen. They have taken five of the 21 wagons off the road, implementing this without any agreement with Although so far the coun cil have made no redundancies, making wagon crews up to 5 men instead of 4; this is in operation only until the end of January, when they would expect the Christmas backlog to be cleared.

Then, with natural wastage and so on, it is clear that more work per worker will be expected, for no more Crews Already management have broken agreements by sending out more than seven wagons in a day with 3-man crews on them.

The workers' reply to the taking off of the 5 wagons was to work only to job specifications. In this way they maintain their pay while a tremendous backlog of work piles up.

The work. to rule has made the men realise just how they were running around previously. This usually meant carrying far more than the regulation number of sacks, working though break times, ignoring health and safety rules, and so on, so that they could finish their targets early in the afternoon.

Sleep They were going home fit only to sleep in the chair. Older men at 50 found it difficult to keep up, and some literally dropped dead. As one worker put it, "You feel just like a carthorse"

Managemènt have been quick to attack. Last weekend they went round to some workers houses and managed to get two wagons out to empty bulk bins frem a shopping area. This was in defiance of the overtime ban.

On the Monday, an angry mass meeting fined the offending crews two days wages and strengthened their resolve. Inspectors have been very active in making snap checks on the crews, trying to catch somebody having. a crafty fag or sneaking off to the betting shop.

One gaffer actually spent two whole days going round with one crew sitting in the cab all the time. His comment was: Well, I can't fault the way you're working, but you're not working hard enough':

Money So far there have been no incidents but tension is rising and many workers feel that the Labour council is trying to provoke an all-out strike.

As one worker put it, "They want us out after Christmas, and save some money, like they did with NUPE. They'll hit us and our families, and try to get us crawling back. They'll try to break the union, then throw us to the dogs.

"You expect it from the Tories, but from a Labour council that's supposed to defend the interests of the working class - what can you say?"

The council are trying to bring in their work study team to examine all bin rounds, but so far the workers have resisted this.

The shop stewards' committee has sent out invitations to all councilors to "come out and watch us if they think the service is inefficiently run". But on their past record, the Labour councillors see themselves as managers, and implement the cuts with a certain relish.

Their attitude to the dustmen can be seen in a tannoy system in the depot canteen which rings out after a 15 minute mass meeting, «The time allotted for your meeting is up. You will report to your vehicle immediately. If you do not, you will be taken off the clock"

Big Brother is watching you - and carrying a Labour Party membership card. paltaler MARAN D W9 AT THE end of November management at the Clydebridge steelworks in Cambuslang (near Glasgow) announced yet another batch of 'voluntary redundancies' At their peak the steelworks and the 'associated Clyde Ironworks employed 6,000 workers between them. The Ironworks has already been shut down, and at the moment there are only 670 left at the steetworks.

increase Now management want to lop another 102 off the workforce at Cambuslang (56 production, 35 maintenance, and 11 staff). And further cutbacks are also planned at other BSC plants in Scotland - at Ravenscraig, Glengarnock, and D.L.

• As usual, cutbacks in the workforce are also being used to try to prevent workers from fighting for a decent pay increase.

This year's pay claim, drawn up by the National Joint Council of unions in the industry, including demands for a higher basic rate taking account of the current increase in the cost of living', higher shift premiums, and longer holidays.