IN A WEEK which saw Ford UK management declare over 2,000 job losses, and more redundancies at Vauxhall, a seminar was held in Liverpool on the 'New Management Techniques which are being introduced in the motor industry all over the world.
The seminar was organised by the Transnationals Information Exchange (TIE), who are have held similar meetings throughout Europe.
Shop stewards from the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere 300 Club Port assisted with the organisation of the day.
Car workers from Spain, Ger many, Britain attended and research workers from Japan, Korea and Britain were also there, with the British workers coming from Ford, Vauxhall, Rover, Rolls Royce and some component Canada There were highly knowledgable introductions on the new management techniques in canada, were the ar empts to change over to the new systems of operation have For just 65 a month - less than the price of a pint of beer -- -..(inwords) (infigures) ..... (month) not been as successful as else"Team leaders' and other measures have not been introduced in any of the 'Big Three' car factories, but only in a 'joint venture' plant, SUMA, which has been heavily re searched 'Greenfield' workers in this away from management and There was also discussion introduced by a japanese and a British researcher metnods usea by japanese apitalism to organise its sup! control of the component com panies.
There were lively workshops, particularly on how the opposition to the new techniques was Presenty u ganised and looking at how to proceed.
One of the Canadian or ganisers presented three alternatives that car workers faced: accepting without fighting: negotiate the best deal; or op pose all the new management techniques.
All three options had their upporters in the meeting but nost favour negotiation. How ever, outright opposition is still taking place in Canada and in some factories in Britain.
Techniques
TIE should be congratulated for organising these oppor tunities to discuss the situation and how to proceed, and for providing such a wealth of information on the techniques being employed in the rest of the world.
The latest round of cutbacks in Ford companies in Britain of new management techniques 1 has not gone away, and there is 1 a growing need for more dis cussion and action to combat them.
he Transport and General Vorkers Union (TGWU) National Automotive Committee has organised a national seminar for Senior stewards in the motor industry, on New Management Techniques on February 27th in Birmingham.
This arises out of a resolution organised by any union on this subject and is a major step forbeen in the forefront of isolating 1 Back sands vie the wore ....
practices plant by plant, almost always leading to defeat. This breaking that isolation.
TGWU calls car seminar