TRAIN DRIVERS back at work under the surrender terms of the TUC know that the battle is far from over. Even if union leaders were to accept every single British Rail Board is out to get, the Board still wouldn't be satisfied.
In fact, management's demand for higher productivity, lower wages and satisfied. Maybe the Board fewer can never nas startea to enorce nexible rosters thanks to its and Dullyllg and by playing on cowardice the But it will soon have fresh demands. The blackmailer always returns for more. productivity plan the At British Leyland, we learned this lesson through bitter xperience When Michael Edwardes unveil ed his first corporate plan to save ine company, ne and the closure od thres and the closure thret plants would 'put BL on the road to recovery'. . The alternative? The closure of The second corporate plan needs 10,000 redundancies. Three years and 36,000 jobs later, the company announced yet another round of closures and redundancies.
Sackings weren't the only measures taken. The company's main aim was a nd, an all-out attack w the shop All existing working agreements were thrown out. Longbridge convenor Derek Robinson was sacked. Other convenors were threatened with dismissal. British Leyland, before it was axed.
Shop stewards were victims of similar threats.
When the came older workers were forced out. Frequently they left their jobs under the guise of British Rail worked redundancy.
can learn from this. Blackmail needs to be resisted from the start. The disgraceful role of Sid Weighell and the can best be fought by fight against the Boards plans Management doesn't have a blank cheque to do as it pleases! ex-deputy convenor, Rover The implementation of the productivity plans wil require the cooperation ol the drivers. There will be room for resistance even at this stage. If this round is made easy, the next round will demand more. And it will be harder to resist A rearguard action now is the best way to keep the troops in good order : next battles. And it's vital if the accounts the leaders who retray are going to be settl-
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stewards?" organisation.