for engineers Confederation minimum skilled rate of E30.
To the Federation, the unions backtracks on the original claim.
The claim was withdrawn before the begotiations got underway. persuaded the ALEW November National Committer support the 12 month tule thereby ensuring that WE DO TO COME DaLL OL implementation of any agreeThe original claim demanded a 35 hour woek withmut loss of THE possibility of a fight to win a national pay claim disappeared week. of Shipbuilding and Unions climbed down on the original claim for a delight of the Engineering - led by John Boyd and Hugh Scanion of the AUEW — re-set the target at t60. As JOHN GRAHAM reports, this is the last in a series of largely pay. The Confed reduced that to a claim to be implemented Scanion only over a 5 year period. then John Bosd has written in ta the ALEW Journal abour the PARCHIME EDUCED there mentioning the 35 hour week.
LIOVEMEI Comminee unanimously called for a recall National Committee special chop stewards quarter.
lies in all districts inmediately The after the consider Despite several meetings with the Enginecring Employers produce district shop stewards meetings were held.
Confed comployers, reduced the from E70 to a E6D minusom time rate. In returo for this abject capitulation, Since agined ics original offer of 2.5 EST for silled workers. This for skilled workers. ditching of the claim was later endorsed by botb the EngineerNational ing Union's ALEW mittee and the Confed.
The most daneerous aspeci and of the emplovers' offer is that it теріу action Employers which failed to any agreement, officials mel the and without conclaim the EEF further This time rate increases ment's 10 Com each negotiate locally negotiated Increases above the minimum mUst no! push above the Govern- lot of talk Whether or not lie Englueering Per linsit.
in the AUEW Union leaders openly endorse this, the fact thar they are prepared to accept such small increases in the minimum rate will set a norm of similarly low sellements in local negolinwich forces workersh 12-month company and plant wage increases at different times. any chailenge to the 10 per cent limit will be 10050 and Ta more Case defeated by the employers and the Government.
Unfortunacely the Broad Left, tie traditional opposition in the AUEW to John Boyd and the right wing clique, has done nothing to oppose this backtracking operation. Despite a in Broudsheet - th Broad Left's hi monthly pape and at the about fighting for this claim.
State. mobilise the rank and file asembership behind this claim.
The Broad Left has carefully confined its opposition to the rishi wine in the exitors ol the ALEW offices and bot-air National Commicree. With Bob Wright's presidential clection coming up in March, they have been making site that they do not rock the appleHOPELESS TACTICS Such tactics are hopciess. They make it casy for the right wing to patch up shoddy pay deals with the which makes no advances towards the 35 hour week, and sil leaves the low gaid unprotected by a decent carbonal minimum time
REPORTS abound that Tony Benn is preparing a real ing the tankers and taking the SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 16 February 1978 page 5