By an ASLEF Southern Region activist THE 75 percent majority in the ASLEF underground ballot was obviously a shock to the LUL 27 July. and BR managers.
LUL thought it had turned the drivers in to strikebreakers with salaries well above other manual grades and a cosy arrangement with officlats for ASLEF, which organises two-thirds of drivers.
But a 2.7 per cent pay rise ers would get... Is an insult whatever it is ing for a no vote so it could argue its own drivers are isolated. Isolated?
An all-out underground and BR drivers strike will bring the county to a halt on the rate of pay.
BR hurriedly arranged press of drivers earning more talks tor 24 Juty woen they were expected to mar- £11,227. ginally improve their last chance offer — a productivmy bonus or betwoon woul ing and E200. Talks revealed that the vast majority of driv- this can be increased to nothing. €20,000 or even £23,000 at ASLEF's loint LUL-BR mass meeting on 25 July dis. stuck at £13,000 a year. But at the end of the day, It is the cussed progress. Socialist Outlook supporters joined £11,227 that pensions, holiday and sick pay are based that workers must not accept bonuses that do not affect It would have been good to be on strike with the RMT Despite all the talk in the fighting for a decent pay increase for all grades. 230,000 a year, the basic is Many are pald as little as £120 a week, but the level of By working every rest day anger is high amongst drivand every other Sunday, and ers, who are the first to be Including shift allowances blamed in case of an acciand high milage payments, dent and subject to more and more monitoring and harassment from petty-minded management more concerned about their corporate image than public safety or Negotiations for a decent basic salary have been going on and off for several years. The only figure to result was £13,500 plus £1,000 for 100 per cent attendance. For this, BR wanted massive productivity gains, which would eliminate all overtime and other allowances.
There is a tendency in ASLEF to go down that road, velopments inside the Repubwhere the only argument is - Furthermore; General Secretary Lew Adams suggests that drivers should become a professional grade, with ASLEF as a professional body, arranging transfers from one company to another - more in the manner of the BMA or the Law Society than a union.
These mistaken ideas must be fought against, but the priority today is to win the strike: it alone can stop IRA have declared a cease-