TERRY CULLEN. ANDY BROWN and TONY HOMER, three of the victimised stewards. Now being witch-hunted by the Tory press. and right-wing red-baiting senior steward Reg Parsons cleared a significant hurdle at Cowley last week in their fight to break the back of the shop stewards organisation as a fighting force.
Last Friday a mass day-shift workers in the North Works direct production areas voted overwhelmingly to return to work. leaving defence of four victimised shop stewards in the treacherous hands of tne local umon bureaucracy. fact that the four concerned were stewards on the night-shift and were prevented from explaining their point of view to the meeting demonstrates the collaboration between union officials and management in bringing about the final result.
Collusion More evidence of this collusion has now been revealed: the Finance and General Purposes Committee of No. Regional Committee of Transport & General Workers Union has decided to set 'enquiry" into all aspects of recent affairs-and in the meantime, Parsons has been given go arrange replacements for the four No wonder the press is gloating. What was at stake was an elementary trade union principle: the right of the shop floor to hold meetings as and when necessary. union four' simply addressed such a meeting on the sacking of Brother Hussain-a sacking that had not been fought by the local union bureaucrats although the official initially responsible in the case had agreed that it was unfair dismissal.
REG PARSONS - red-baiting T&GWU senior steward at Cowley.
Management have been looking for an opportunity to attack the strong stewards organisation at the plant. With orders for the Princess piling up, the bosses are seeking to take advantage of the Ryder plan to management well over list price.
meeting of Sacked ment' sheets shows just what trade union case up is vital, endless up example had to be made.
ahead to which, despite port, land's rationalisation plans.
The so-called Dismissal tice, it ran, attention of the Company, promoting duction. to cial.
meeung the previous WIdE ment result has been a black market for the Princess, with customers paying Management want a 50 per cent increase in production on the Princess. With no money available for a major capital investment programme, they are therefore trying to screw a 25 per cent productivity increase.
But at Cowley there's a procedure to deal with such changes in production levels. The Industrial Engineering (IE) agreement lays down that any proposed changes to man assignare subject to negocase of Bro. Hussain Leyland-and the fired. bureaucracy -think of this "cumbersome' procedure. When he asked for a meeting to discuss his sheet he was sacked. When the four addressed a work meeting on the they were jumped on. Speeddiscussions individual cases unprofitable. An August Leyland issued a Clock Notice to North Works employees. Its aim: to hammer the militant shop stewards organisation "participation' schemes proposed in the Ryder ReLa mighty barrier to LeyThe purpose of this Clock No•LO bring to the minority that, in future, those employees who organise unofficial meetings in the Plant without the support of the Senior Trade Union. representative(s) and will be proceeded against in the Discipline Procedure with a view to their dismissal for disruption within Plant and thereby causing lost proBy the time this notice appeared. management had already contacted local union officials. As early as 20 August, C.M. Barrett, Industrial Relations Manager, sent a letter Buckle, Transport and General Workers Union District OffiThe letter complained about convening of an 'unofficial" day to us cuss the "Hussain case', and asked Buckle to telephone Barrett to arrange the earliest possible meeting A copy of this letter was also sent "confidentially' to Reg Parsons.
It doesn't take much to imagine the reply was. The managecalled in the four stewards along with Parsons and Buckle in a chy sons and Buckle then called a mass meeting involving sections not directly concerned with the case.
But the double-barrelled shot-gun provided by the company and loadBuckle and Parsons backAfter a two hour debate in which the stewards put their case against the officials betrayal, the meeting voted 230 to 189 to support the stewards. Broadside That afternoon, Parsons told a 20-strong delegation from the Princess track that 'the mass meeting gave a mandate for whatever action each group decided. And later that afternoon Buckle told the four stewards that any action taken will be constitutional as far as the mass meeting is concerned' But by the weekend Buckle and Parsons had decided that the memory of the mass meeting was wearing thin. They opened up a broadside in the local press. Buckle called for a return to normal working in Oxford Mail. On Tuesday August, Parsons published a leaflet addressed Urgent Report to TGWU members - Cowley Assembly Plant'.
It has to be read to be believed. Too much *It is becoming increasingly difficult for me as your elected Senior Steward to continue in this very responsible job, particularly against a background of corrupt agitators who are financed by outside political forces to bring Leyland to its knees for political reasons. I just cannot carry on against such pressure on my own. It is too much for any one man ....
But not apparently for Parsons in collaboration with the local union bureaucracy and Leyland management. The leaflet ended. with "plan of action for beating "these kind of people that represent anarand disruption in order principles of workers Management also did their bit sending intimidatory letters to stewards, and intimidating the workers the Maxi division. The objective of conspiracy was the mass meeting on Friday 3 September.
The workers in the Princess division were solid behind their stewards despite this campaign. AUEW also gave their limited supporL, any TGWU member in dispute as a result of supporting ards. And when it neid an emer Hussain Members of the 5/293 branch of the Transport and General Workers Union are circulating a report concerning the sacking of Brother Hussain -case was taken up by the four witch-hunted shop stewards. The report, endorsed at a branch meeting, lakes tne torn or a repsy a letter Workers Union. informing Bro that there was nothing he could do to protect his job.
The report points out that Bro. Hussain had a completely clean record when he was transferred under the Movement of Labour Agreement (MOL) to the North Works where he worked on front seats - one of most difficult In referring to this period in your letter, you say that Bro.
trouble"
"seriously considered" days suspension, but never carried it out We are astounded that you can accept tha never carried out can become part of SUspenSIOn "seriously member's record leading to his dismissal..
report also challenges Bro Hussain WaS another section he would show an improvement in worl standards. from Section 4 to request, under the MOL. Management had no part of it, yet you say it was an act of discipline and state it as part of his socallee recore to -In Section 3 Hussain was again pur on e iob denerally considered a democracy. ember, feeding the press, second refusing to do the job of the stewthe case of Bro.
bOOKS -Company's case area. ne worker wilosE David Buckle, DISTrIC superintendent Transport General Hussain dent sacked him jobs, on Section The oranch Hussain wasH soUn and that the company giving him three but branch was Buckle's 1976 was sick vanucky transterred that "Bro Hussain was transrenred Section 3 at his own Bro. HussaIn bad one. and Committee threw its weight behind four and distributed a State ment to Members.
But the hysteria had done its job. At Friday's mass meeting a return to work was agreed. Parsons Buckle had rigged it so that only day-shift workers were involve and the night-shift workers would have to wait a full three days fo their mass meeting.
As a result trade union democ racy and a fighting shop steward organisation have suffered a serious setback at Cowley.
*When the case came up.... with th production manager the entire compan case was taken from the foreman's note remember there was still not mark on Bro. Hussain's record card. Th was ted by th senior steward. Bro. Parsons, who agree that Bro. Hussain be given two days sus and transferred to an indirec Bro. Hussain eventually arrived on th Maxi track in a job no-one wanted. Whils still in the training period he asked th steward to request a meeting with t to discuss his worrie . Amazingly the superinten A meeting was then fixed with Hussain his steward, Parsons, and the Productio Manager. But Hussain was sick and unab to attend, and after his steward had bee sent home, 'a meeting was held betwee Bro. Parsons and the Production Manage Mr Sudworth, at which Bro. Hussain dismissal was endorsed...
interviewed the releva people, then went to see Bro.
at that time the union official respor sible for the plant. After an hour he agre that something was wrong and decided make written application to the manag ment for a conference to be convened o the basis of untair dismissar ..
satisfied with this meeting Unfortunately, next day Bro. Thompso an• never a retumned retiring. Buckle took over, refused to de with the Branch officers, and listened or to Parsons. No conference was asked fo Instead Buckle met Industrial Relatior Manager Barrett along with Parsons ar Buckle asked Sudworth for the manag ment to give the facts of the case Br Hussain was not asked for the tacts. AT management had stated their case yo adjourned and then went back in and m
THE SLATES and bricks which rained down from the roof of Hull prison HED NICER reform is that once people are giver the hope of living like human beings they tend to treat it as a right and even
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A SPECIAL REPORT INTO THE REASONS BEHIND THE WITCH-HUNT OF THE 'UNION FOUR' AT COWLEY.
gency meeting on Thursday 2 Sept- Joint Shop