Bus crews fight Docks retreat

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proposals' from the union on rather than di each port put forward for most of the 6 May 10 was called off in 8th apreed. addition to the NDLS. The ed dockers in

LONDON bus crews staged a one hour strike during last Monday morning's rush hour (May 10), in protest at London Transport plans to cut bus services by 15 per cent.

The strike, called by the London Bus Committee (made up of delegates from all LT's 64 bus garages), was widely supported. Further such strikes will be called without warning between now and the end of July from back page when the cuts made.

The disruption of the bus services lasted for considerably longer than the strike hour itself, since it takes at least two hours to get all buses out of the garage and back on the road.

Some bus crews are always rostered to work both morning and afternoon rush hours, and are therefore paid for the time between even though they are not actually working then. Management docked these workers five hours' wages, payıng them for seven instead of the normal 12 hours. Two garages stayed out all day in protest at this.

But this penalty couid also lead to reluctance to support further one hour The committee has no plans at the moment to call for stronger action than the one-hour strikes, which though disruptive are far too limited to stand a chance of getting the cuts withdrawn. However, engineers at some garages have refused to cooperate with a minor package of cuts and alterations to the services brought in by management on April 24.

Backed away

The engineers have prevented management from transferring routes and buses from one garage to another, and have refused to work on new buses of a different type transferred into the garage.

At the moment management has backed away from any disciplinary action against the engineers wherever the engineers have been strong.

The July cuts include a large amount of reallocation of routes between garages, the introduction of new buses to be operated by one person instead of two, and the outright closing down of .17 routes. The engineers' action could prove a major block to these cuts if it takes place widely across all garages.

ANDREW ROSSING INTERNATIONAL

THE INDEFINITE national THE INDEFINITE national docks strike set to begin on docks strike set to begin on May 10 was called off in

return for a rather vague agreement by the government to 'discuss' with the union taking one of the 80 or so unregistered ports in Britain into the National Dock Labour Scheme.

These 80 unregistered ports employ 6,000 unregistered dockers, while there are 18,000 registered dockers in the NDLS ports.

Ihe docks and • waterways committee of the T&G decided on Wednesday 5th to recommend calling off

the strike, and the lay dele- ie strike, and the lay delegate meeting on Saturday 8th agreed.

John Connolly, national docks secretary of the T&G, said that the Falklands war had influenced the decision: "We would not want a strike that might damage our policy in the Falklands" He would rather let Thatcher's war damage the fight of British dockworkers to protect their jobs!

All the government has agreed to do is listen to the union's proposals.

The government ( alls for "specific and deta iled

proposals' from the union on each port put forward for addition to the NDLS. The

employers will naturally present the case against. The government will be judge and jury.

This union strategy of taking the unregistered ports one at a time has two things wrong with it, therefore.

Even if it could succeed, it would take years. But there is no chance of convincing the bosses' own government by reason and argument to do what both the government and the port employers will fight bitterly Kigass - still strong after six weeks

rather than do - take all or most of the 6000 unregistered dockers into the NDLS.

It would be easier to convince Thatcher to hang herself.

So this policy is a blind alley. A substantial minority of dockers at the lay delegate meeting on May 8 knew it and voted against calling off the strike. Many more dockers will learn it when they come up against the stonewalling of the government and the employers. And that will probably be very soon.

JOHN iffiliate to the El Salvador Solidarity Campaign, 29 Islington Park Street, London N1 THE AUEW Executive is now backing a move from Rowntree shop stewards to call on the TUC to convene a conference of all shop stewards and officials from the Rowntree empire, to be JOHN HARRIS

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PARA DOERACION MAGIONAL