hangs over 3,000 workers.
The overwhelming desire of the meeting was to get back to work. When engineers convenor Michael Everett pul a motion lo the meeting which suggested a fight by any means against redundancies, he was shouled down by a large number of strikers. Everett was forced to postpone any stand on the closure until another mass meeting.
the il week lont sinke bevan when management arbitrarily tried to introduce new mannink level and track speeds allei 1e workforce had returned from a six week lay-off. But the press hysteria crealed against "lazy "workers" and hints of bandshake' if the closure went smoothly meant that the Speke workers have conceded on these original issues. When they return to the production track they will discover that many four person leams are being cut to three and DNEV UITI DEIDULEREDSUAO This setback lies squarely at the feet of the shop stewards' committee who, since the strike began, called only mass Consequentlv the maioritv of the workers were kept in the dark over the negotiations with BRACICI LEW II TOUC EULEE AECM aIR TV to tell the workers what was going or Similarly only stewards were involved in picketing the factory. Although the threat of closure only became public on 1 January many stewards knew long befoce Christmas that tho shut dowe was the intended fate of the Speke No 2 plant. Peter Doherty, a former deputy convenor commented last week, knew for company's Intention to close down. We should have been on Ene ottensve ll was not until 15 February that the Transpon and Genera Workers (mion mad the strike official. It was six days after this that Diani quecor C H Skinner a Jetter to Sneke's employees. It stated, 'We are forced to propose the closure of the No 2 factory and transfer the TR7 assembly to elsemiere". Skinner's reasoning was that the plant had too many assembly tracks, that the TR7 cost too much to make and that plans for a 2 plus 2 V8 engine bad been scrapped.
Between the sending of this letter and the ImASS TICCEE 0n24 геотЕУ Тле да Borked overtime to smear the workforce, Headlines MEICONCE LOE WOEKEUS militants* could pick up £10,000 in redun18DcY BOTULCE TLATELI promised "a very substantial ex-gratia payment from the company in addition to the statutory reduodancy payment'.
For many workers, isolated at home and knowing only what the media tells them, this is an offer chey find hard to refuse. And the compeny has inserted a final sentence in its statement which aims to divide those who want to fight and those who want to take the money. This package', insists Leyland 'can mean ver lubstantial payments to those who we have to declare reundant, We cun package if the transfer of the moder is done soothly and we will be talking at once with the union to try and achieve this".
The response from the stewards' leadership to these carrot and stick tactics has been useless Lac EmyCRu Dave momi Wcom shopstewards commitlee at the nearby Garston bottle company until that closed down. Ever since Leyland issued redundancy hotices he has said nothing about how the workers were going golden to delend jobs. His opposite mumber in the AUEW, Michael Everett said "We are trying to hostilities which poople in those areas frown upon".
CONTROL meeting.
Among those 'spheres of influence" is the Leyland combine shop stewards conubiftee and tatt how P on Miese dei dike o have shown very quickly thei "bostililies : meeting of crocutive held 3 days atter the closures were annonced agreed to organise a weekly while vioo-chairperson Eddie MeGarry said no work would be accepted at the Canley plan uniess tae Speke workers agree, In other words they will sit around and wait until there are no "everone worker leit st tramler of the TR7 to Coveatry The Labour MPs have paralysod. Left MP Eddie Loyden, In whose constituency Speke lies, said "We inlend to meet the Leyland management and seck from them the evidence they have about the correctoess of Tis Lecision, At tue moment we aic far fron convinced that the closure of Speke will solve LE IU S PIODECEE Loyden then be happy OFFICE only DileT 1 the combine levy Speke and then accept the been equally Suppose it did. Would wich the closure?
-CIBOLLT However only ShOWrOOMs. Employment Office
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On, am't wawry adad THiT, Clansyi It 11 just 9* benul m the Hacks! or ae last sodre/ meeting of 2000 workers at Leyland's threatened Speke factory voted last Friday to return to work. MARK TURNBULL reports from Merseyside on the meeting and shadow of the dole queue which now