Edwardes uses the 'audit'

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the Assembly Plant a overtime ban in defence i CLASS FIGHTER FREE THE BRADFORD 12 RESULTS of "plant audits" in BL's two main factories at Cowley have now been announced. Management arc calling for a cut of 4.2% in manning levels in the Assembly Plant and 10.7% in the Body Plant across the road.

In 4.2% cutback means 160 jobs face the axe on top of a prolonged series of manning cuts already imposed. The Body Plant cutback means 400 jobs - 200 of them among time workers. Skilled workers too are under attack - with demands for amaigamations between trades. The AUEW has already held a mass meeting and begun an overtime ban in defence of their members jobs.

Where did the "plant audit" come from? Have management got the right to impose the results of it?

The audit came out of last November's wage review. It was one of the things negotiated by national officers and General Secretaries during those negotiations late on the Saturday night which led to the sellto pickets on Tuesday with the outcome. A further mass picket has also been planned.

There are reports of some of EDP's cystomers suffering • delays completed jobs.

Blacking is obviously going to have an impact and I urge all readers to track down any company using EDP products.

By John Cunningham (Dinnington NUM) THE struggle against closure in the mining industry is still going on despite the victory of February 1981.

In Yorkshire, the NUM has given notice to the Coal Board that they expect some news of the Orgreave. Drift development very shortly. Orgreave Drift is a planned replacement for the old Orgreaye mine which closed in 1981. But the Board have so far come forward with no concrete proposals.

Industrial action is being contemplated unless the Board delivers the goods very shortly.

In Kent the threat of the NCB to partially close Snowdon colliery has met with a firm response from the Kent area, who have called all-out strikes from June 19.

What is necessary now is for the NEC to throw the full weight of the NUM nationally behind the Kent men.

London Workers Socialist League classes on basic Marxism. Next class: The Transitional Programme. Friday June 11, 7.30pm. For venue write to PO Box 135, London N1 ODD.

WORKERS' march against Racism: FROM Brick Lane through Brixton to TUC conference in. Brighton.

September 4 to 8. Sponsors include: Jayaben Desai, Anwar Ditta, Nasira Begum, Tony Benn, Ted Knight, Ken Livingstone, Paul Boateng.

Details 01-274 3951.

out of the strike. Management were given the right to "audit" each plant and produce findings. Once those findings were implemented that plant would no longer be restricted to a bonus ceiling of £22.50, but could go up to £30 (which is great for Cowley workers since they have never got even near to £22.50!)

• What was not said in that deal was that the findings could be imposed without negotiations and in defiance of all existing agreements. but that is what management are now claiming.

A plant audit industrial engineer now goes into a department and makes a brief "assessment" of the effort, probably only looking at one operator. On the basis of that he may overturn all the agreed manning and IE sheets which may exist.

Secret His "study" is not subject to the industrial engineering agreement, which provides for shop steward involvement, trade union access to the observation sheets and calculations, and negotiations over disputed factors.

Now all the timings and calculations remain secret; all the stewards and the operator see is the findings - how many jobs have to go (on top of this the company in most cases is refusing to carry out the Movement of Labour Agreement).

Such a procedure has never been agreed by the unions: but only firm action to fight back will halt this management steamroller.

Stewards' meetings must be called in both Assembly and Body plants, to agree a policy to defend existing agreements on manning levels and the movement of labour.

And BL workers, who have suffered heavily as a result of top-level betrayals by their union officials and negotiators, must turn seriously to the struggle for a new, accountable and principled leadership to defend their interests against management attack, The Leyland Action Committee, which leafleted both Cowley plants this week explaining the scope and meaning of the 'plant audit' offers a rallying point for such a struggle.

Contact: LAC, c/o 194, Dawlish Road, Birmingham POLISH SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN bulletin:

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----- pull-quotes -----

-ignt pit closures.

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