agreeing to more "procedure"
COOLING-OFF So reads a Communist Party leafler picketing roca. distribured at Fords. Dasenham, Jast SENTE ITE Thursday. Yet even as pickets were reading hese militant words, leading CP members, Dan Connor, and Sid Harroway (respectIvely convenor and deputy-convenor of the body plant) were actually voting for an agreement not only falling short of the claim of 80 per cent pay lot time laid-off. but also putting workers jobs at risk hy Partofthis "procedure' would beto agree to take no action for one clear shift where workers are suspended and for two shift: where they are sacked The ain is 1o management institutionalisea cooling-off period. This ia mecling, Mick Firmar (AUEW shop steward in the assembly What we'rereally after is 12 weeks work and 50 weeks pay. The su per cool Cal is only a compromise. Its aim is to prevent disputes as a way of splitting the sockforce The joint shop seewards committer voted almost unanimous support for the strike. This reflects the roal unity that's grown up between different shifts and even diferent "This is the first time in nine years chat I've seen such solidarity. After two weeks of struggie we're in no mood to givein. The agreement thar's heen cooked up between OCRE takes no step forward on the layoff claim, huve got more at stake than they have 'Of pourse all officiais shouli be elected, but they must also be responsible to those arganising the strugele—in this case to the shop steward's committees.' The company are artempting to use the clash between the vote of the majority of the Dagenham Panel and the decision of the assembly plant workers as evidence of its real significance is that shop lobr the tradeunion bureaucracy means that the union oficials are baving difticuty in keeping cootrol of the raak and file, This is bat also for the furure.
The line of the Communis: Party is to effectively coumerpose a struggle on the waRes Question aTound 1hl September negotiarions) to that of layoffs. But as