Austin Rover strike that it would be smothered at birth by the national officials of the various Since the rejection of the offer - 10% over 2 years, with strings - there have been repeated hurdles placed in front of Having held the vote solidly in tavour of strike action at two rounds of TGWU National Officer Grenville Hawley announced to the next meeting of the Joint Negotiating Commit- tee "Well, now we have a problem!" He went so far at that meeting to offer the company that he would recommend ac ceptance if they simply brought forward 2% of next year's increase - this year and 3% next! (The sell-out of the Socialist Viewpoint, No. 2, November 1984. Page 9
A battle now would create conditions to change the situation with new militants
oming forward. A victory would chang the balance of forces in favour of th unions; a defeat would create some pro blems: but worst of all for morale of the militants would be no fight at all. AUSTIN ROVER solid strike at Jaguar has taken place on an almsot identical formula, with workers being fobbed off with a £l.20 increase from money they would have had next year anyway.)
The JNC called a delegate Conference to take the final decision. For many militants that seemed to signal the end of the strike - since the delegate conference is weighted 3-1 in favour of the 10,000 minority who voted against the strike at mass meetings, and against the 15,000 majority who voted in favour. (A isproportionate number of delegates ome from small plants or skilled section: who have opposed the strike.)
To everyone's surprise, however, the delegates on this occasion respected the majority vote and decided to proceed with
the strike.
But Grenville Hawley did not want to leave it at that. He wanted round of mass meetings. known that to take a third vote on the same issue would have brought a rejection strike action - since the workforce would lose any confidence that their leaders were prepared to fight the case.
Fortunately Hawley was defeated, and the conference voted 75-50 not only to proceed with the strike, but not to have any further mass meetings until after an acceptable offer is on the table.
This was an important breakthrough for Austin Rover workers. Always in the past there have been continual mass meetings — again and again, until one vote was lost, and management took advantage.
But the company were not willing to lose such opportunities this time. They began an immediate, orchestrated campaign to challenge the legality of mass votes, and at the same time to seek to discredit the votes that were taken.
This tactic had been used effectively by employers in the second of the two recent dock strikes with the mass thundering that there had been "confusion" at the Tilbury mass meeting, claiming workers had not understood the resolution.
The same blatant interterence into democratic procedures took Austin Rover, with management laborating outrageously with press TO fabricate "news" that discredit the vote.
In the Cowley Assembly Plant, the mass meeting vote was a clear 3-2 majority to strike. Nobody claimed otherwise. management immmediately sent foremen along the tracks — to urge workers to strike against the mass meeting decision, and call for a secret ballot! Contrary to the usual threats strikers. management offered to anyone who took strike action their norma. wages! Several small groups stopped work as a result of this pressure, and were met by convenors.
Management then called for a mass meeting giving the impression it had been called by the unions. dred workers turned up: but when they found it was addressed by manager, they bombarded the platiorm with stones and other missiles.
At the same time reporters were invited on to the plant - in another breach with custom. They were encouraged to interview workers who were against the strike decision. But their reports were subse quently edited to exclude any quotes from workers who supported the strike. coverage in the Oxford Mail was tailored to give the impression that a majonty were calling for a secret ballot. tions occurred at Longbridge.
Oxford NUJ has since lodged a bitter protest to the Oxford Mail manufacturing of "news" in this way.
Since then, management propaganda has regularly claimed that the of Austin Rover workers are against the strike.
But the action has remained strong in Cowley and Longbridge -which control all production of finished cars and employ 20,000 of the 28,000 Austin Rover workers. Elsewhere there has been a return to work, despite the majority mandate for strike action. ception has been the skilled sections at
Cowley, who voted against the strike but are now out.
An indication of the strength of the strike in Cowley and Longbridge has been the vote by electricians to defy their Executive instruction, and remain on strike.
yet another He must have of meeting media and shape in col- the local might to sack pay Several hun- the plant lawfully timidate the unions their full-time officials. The their cases were adjourned for 3 days. Similar distor- Then came the surprise aganst Austin Rover against the "Althoap this threw Although "majority" ruling, the two plants OI • "loophole" in the law, held without ballots A significant ex. "unofficial". ing dragged into the courts!
The decision of Austin Rover management to go to the High Court for an injunction under the Tebbit legislation requiring a ballot before an official strike can be
called was an attempt to in- most especially
The High Court granted the injunction, and ordered all the strikers back to work by 6.00 that same night. Only the EETPU responded. They and the AUEW had been the only leaders to attend the court, and
Court ruling - declaring that since both unions had made it clear that the strike was not official, the legislation
Austin Rover management off their stride, and avoided the issue for a few more days, the implications are very dangerous. To accept such a
Tas suggested in the following day's Morning Star — to seek to exploit it to follow
Othe anti-union laws, would amount simply to an aceptance of
since it would accept that strikes must now would have to be • This would mean that the union leders would be called upon to denounce every strike in order toavoid be-
Austin Rover are now seeking High Court action for "contempt" aganst the other unions. It is crucial that these Socialist Viewpoint, No. 2, November 1984. Page 10
unions - centrally the TGWU - refuse
Othe AÚEW and EETPU disowning their members. They were right not to attend the Court, and they
declare the strike oflicia.. and confront the law.
Such a decision would not only be in the best interests of Austin Rover workers and the trade union movement as a whole: it would also widen the much-needed second front against the government which can help the miners win a victory aganst the NCB and Thatcher's laws.
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