LAST WEEK'S rejection of a 27 per cent pay cut 'offered' to Timex strikers has helped push TUC President Alan Tuffin into backing a June 19 demonstration called by the strike committee.
The employers proposal resulted from weeks of talks between the multinational company and senior AEEU official Jimmy Airlie (one-time leader of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in).
Interviewed by IT, the company's Norwegian owner said the union considered the offer to be fair!
As well as a pay cut, the deal reduced company contributions to pensions, lowered canteen subsidies, brought down sick pay and extended the qualitying time.
On top of that, the 343 workers locked out were offered their jobs back on condition of a 'skills test". This allowed the company to still sack the workers they didn't want back.
The harsh terms have quite a simple idea behind them. The US-based multinational wants a massive facility to produce goods for sale around the world. They offer the same pay and conditions in Dundee as they'd offer at new factory in the developing Pinned down by angry postal workers at the recent UCW conference, Tuffin called for the TUC and Scottish TUC to mobilise for the June 19 demresolutions Dutto our Stuck into building support. Strikers have also called for a women's demonstration on Friday June 11.
The Timex strike represents the fightback against a new wave of pay cuts which European employers are trying to force on working people as the recession deepens into a full-blown slump If the full weight of the labour movement is brought to bear in the Timex dispute the rights of every worker will be more secure.
• Send donations and restrike, 2 Union St, Dundee DD1 4H8. Phone 0382 22406.
• The women's demonstration starts 7am on Friday June • The mass demonstration starts 6am on Saturday June stopped. The mood of conference was reflected in vote after vote overturning the national officers by big majorities.
There were a number of clear victories for the left, including an immediate claim for a 35 hour gross working week and opposi tion to any attempt to remove the of Parliamentary candidates.
Days of action
There were calls for the TUC to call days of action against unemployment and privatisation, and for a voluntary levy of the membership to prepare for strike action against the privatisation of the Post Office.
The only two major defeats for Post and Telecom workers will unity at last membership's dissatistaction has been the UCW leadership's practice of signing agreements without baroung the member ship. The conference passed a number of resolutions that attempt to tie the leadership's hands in negotiations.
Distrust of the leadership was also reflected in the adoption of a resolution calling for a special conference on the NCU/UCW merger.
The left was organised around a new bulletin, 'Communication Workers Fightback. The modest steps forward in organising the left need to be build upon. The UCW leadership are notorious for surviving rocky conferences and spending the next year selling the membership down the river.