Swan Hunter shipbuilders announced last week its intention to make 1,152 workers redundant at its Tyneside yard. In an area where unemployment is already hovering around 10 per cent, threaten to have severe repercussions for the whole population of Tyneside.
usual the national press have been only to eager to blame the workers.
the sackings GEOFF BELL reports on a job crisis for which as The current attacks on the workers at Swan Hurtler boldA in December when outfitters ar the yards reluse To cho an overtime ban. The owners of Swan Hunter, the nationalised Shupbuilding, then that would transter from the yard seven arders for ships destined for A ferocious witch-hent was launched against the outfitters. who were claiming parity with boilermakers. SCENSIC foliowing month the reasonableness of the outfitters' claim was recognised when they won = 15.40 a woek fair wages award.
the boilermakers then felt they had to maintain their differential, aud it was because their overtime ban allegedly led 10 confirmation of the loss of the Polish orders that Swan Hunter has insisted on redundancies.
In many shipyards the craft mentality of boilermakers is often deeply resented by other podasion their insistence oll has undoubtedly given Swan Hurler management tbe excuse to treaten redundancies. But HUNDREI outfitters and boilermakers are way of increasing their wages is that both seclions of warkers have suflered more than average losses of carnings in the period of the Social Contracr SOLUTION The comparison can be made with the nearby ship repair yard boilermakers and the outfitters have parity, but they also enjoy considerably bigher wages than