[LAST week the LAC organised a public meeting…]
Socialist Organiser1982 1982-02-11Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 9 →
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LAST week the LAC organised a public meeting in Leyland, with a speaker from the BL Cars Assembly Plant at Cowlèy. And the LAC has also been producing leaflets to try to build links between the Leyland Vehicles struggle and the Cars All this costs money! Please send donations to help. Address: LAC, c/o 194 Dawlish Road, Birmingham 29. Cheques payable to Leyland Action Committee. wanted.
On June 27, 1977, the JWP met in the plush Allesley Hotel in Coventry to consider Lowry's proposals: - November steview date 2. Establishment of a graded unitorm corporate vace structure estaoshe‹ by job evaluation.
3. Parity payments to equalise rates oncé the lumber of new grades ind the differentials had reen established. [A five¡rade structure had already ween discussed|.
4. Lowry outlined how he Tould see a bonus scheme.
Needless to say, these iroposals were accepted by he working party.
They left out the still upposedly contentious This vote was an important milestone which Edwardes inherited when he was appointed BL chairman by Eric Varley the following month - on the recommendation of the NEB. with the full support of Scanlon and Urwin.
The 'participation' atmosphere ensured that Edwardes came to BL with massive backing from the trade union leaders inside and outside the corpor ation.
At a convenors' conference - with plant directors invited - at Kenilworth in February 1978. he received a standing ovation led by Derek Robinson and the CP. The following week he announced his first closure — the Speke Assembly Plant. of existing rates into the five grades and make them stick.
Most would be hotly contested. since the commitment to the toolmakers land to BL philosophy) involved moving production workers, who in many plants were at the top of the pay scale, down to grade Ill.
Even before the package was balloted. secret meetings of a new body -the Joint Job Evaluation Committee JJECI - had taken place to tackle the problem. They met behind closed doors, ticking oft question sheets and feeding the results into a computer.
The print-out (19 benchmark jobs .- would Division. erland convenor Mick Coyne
Scan page 10
Socialist Organiser, Thursday I1 February 1982 Page 10 JOHN O'MAHONY concludes his discussion of Michael Foot's 'Observer' polemic against the Labour Left, arguing that the real dividing line is not the Left's alleged disrespect for democrar but the extra-parliamentary struggle now again: the Tory government.