factories and operations worldGRAEME COOKSON worked in the Seaview plant in New Zealand. He describes what it was like.
The plant 1s situated Petone, a working class district on the north side of Wellington harbour. Built during depression, it is New Zealand's oldest car assembly plant.
wangs strike you on entering the plant: the constant noise and the greyness.
LINE I was put on the trim line with the job of putting on the pedals.
It my line can be taken as an average, the workforce made up of about 70 per cent Maori and Pacific Islanders. Out of the total about 40 per cent were women.
On Mondays and Tuesdays we had compulsory overtime, which meant working 8am to 8pm, with half hour These were the only times that we saw the outside.
To save on lighting the roof was made Hallly During the long, hot summer this turned the line into in greenhouse. Temperatures rose into the eighties, and tempers oseToO the Ford management just saw the workforce as something to be beaten into shape.
The gap between workers and management mous, and deliberately emphasised. The general didn't walk through the plant — he travelled round in a bright yellow electric golf cart.
June 1974 the negotiations were ove union demands were rejected, was and WC slowed production. This was followed by meetings, further rejections and further cuts in production.
By late August it was clear that Ford was out to break the union. few weeks dismissal notices were issued.
On the assembly lines agreed to stop work and reject the dismissals. mass tearing up of the notices. or glass Next morning LOcked our The management hoped that there would against would pened if chance.
The prime minister died at the same ume and so the rord was enor- lock-out manager One back hadn't advanced much but at COWT least the union was still intact.
The union had to be strong and very militant, not just for the sake of wages and better conditions, but because its own CAISICHCe was to exploit al y destroy the union completely.
There was a WC were be press us. which have hapit hadn't been for became second rate negotiations threatened by weakness Tongan workers - Islander community is mass cheap labour reserve for firms like Ford Socialist Challenge 12October 1978 Page5
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INTACT Three weeks later we were