Michelin workers beat speed-up VICTORY

Scan page 16

AUGUST FUND > GroupGlasgow Edinburgh Rochdale Mancheste Stockport Wirral Liverpool Hyndburn Stoke Huddersk D-20 SteTEiI Foul I IC% ET:E:

LOTE!

konterzham Oxford Basinzstoke Cardiff d.h London Hackney Haringes Hounskow Isingion S.E.London East London Southwark, L. OtnersWORKERS at Michelin's Stoke plant have won a massive victory over management. After four weeks on strike, the workers crushed management's attempt to introduce speed-up and four-shift working, which would have destroyed workers' social lives and contrary to management claims, would have resulted in a reduction in earnings.

On Monday 8 August, at a Monthly target July Per cer 155% 25% 28% 100% 1057 100% 30% 1257 2507 50% 132% 49% 208% 150% 200% 140% mass meeting at Stoke Town Hall, striking workers cheered and clapped as their full time official announced that the proposals had been unconditionally withdrawn by management, and that they had capitulated on all points in dispute.

As a sign of their strength and TOO Target by October 31 39.61 62.50 67.50 71.89 new-icrund confidence, the workers also voted to give full support to any other group of workers on the plant threatened with the introduction of new working conditions.

Workers at the plant were under no illusions as to why they had won. They confidently stated that the victory was due to their determination rather than the contribution of their full time union official.

Indeed many workers, before the mass meeting, came up to Socialist Organiser supporters having read an SO leaflet which warned of the danger of a sell-out, to say how much they agreed with its content.

Such expectations were founded on the performance of the union bureaucrats during the period of the strike. It took them three weeks to make the strike official, thus depriving strikers material out of tl house.

into the plant and tyres e huge distribution ware.

Clock

When picketing did begin, it did not take long for the workers to realise the usefulness of mass pickets and within a couple of days, between 40 and 50 pickets were stationed on most gates, picketing round the clock.

In the last week of the strike, support for the workers flooded in. Telexes were sent from Michelin workers in Holland and in France, pledging their support.

Letters of support also came from local Labour Parties. This support did not go unnoticed by workers at the plant, who after their jubilant mass meeting thanked Socialist Organiser supporters for their support on the picket line.

As one worker pointed out as he left the meeting, "Now that we are on top, we've got to keep pressure on for the rest of our pay and conditions negotiations."

Blow