-LOULE LU0ШL0009 001 SE ced a programme for massive redundancies in the British Aircraft Corporation.
Out of a workforce of 14,000 engaged 2.410 have already been served with redundancy notices to take effect in May.
and the Government plans a total of 7,000 redundancies by 1978.
This pruning", as it was described by the Bristol Evening Post, will affect nearly 1,200 workers at filton (almost 20 per cent of the workforce), over 800 at Weybridge, nearly 300 at Hurn and over a hund hundred at Fairford. All categories of workers will be affected.
Soon after the Government announced its plan, dacrs or te sagonal aerospace Liaison Committee, a body made up of delegates from most of the unions with members in the industry, held a meeting to decide on a campaign to fight redundancies, But so tar this campain has con sisted merely of protest activities ets. symbolic occupations. and a lobby of Parliament to pressure the Governwent to reverse Is Dans.
A leaflet issued by the NALC advertising simultaneous mass meetings at all plants spoke of the need to reject all redundancies until such time (sic) as the Government sets up the National Aircraft Corporation. Such a line can only lead the workers at BAC and Rolls-Royce (who will also inevitably be affected) up the blind alley of defcat already marked out by Chrysler and British Leyland.
Nevertheless, the present campaign has revealed the immense enthusiasm ana compauvity orine rank-ano-tic workers over the issue of jobs. The industry has a tradition of strong organisation and militancy, the latest example being a dispute among electricians and CHANGE OF ADDRESS As of Saturday 13 March, all departments of Red Weekly will be situated at: 97 Caledonian Road, London N.1. The telephones, however, will remain the same:
Editorial-01-837 6954 Distribution-01-837 9987 toolroom workers at Bristol lingines DivIsIon (Rolls-Royce) over restoration of a grading aerenual a demand which actualy unreatens me to umin ated struggles into the main fight for gramme to that of the NALC leaders, including such demands as • No to any redundancies, compulsory Or VolunTary. • No natural wastage pickOUR Wing to be replaced: • For work-sharing with no loss of pay hour week:
The problem is how to draw such isol- • For a ban on all overtime - raise basic rates to cover any loss of pay;
jobs. This will require an alternative pro- • For the NALC to call a conference of La plan of action for nationalisation all those leav- ing all jobs.
BAC workers on the march through London to lobby Parliament on 2 March Avonmouth.
CSL workers?
immediate introduction of a 35all shop stewards which can map out of the industry and its conversion to If we had lost, other managements would have attacked their workers. Indeed the dispute may have been looked at with interest by a far larger area than • What impact do you think the suc cess of the strike has had on the mass of I believe the men have got far more con fidence in themselves, and that they have learnt many lessons — the most import ant of which is that their only real strength is on the shop floor. I have been agreeably surprised at the amount of political self-education that has occurred because of this strike. • You have played a very active role in the campaigns against the cuts in health and education locally. Why do ment carry out the same tests on us. It will be interesting to compare the two sets of results On a broader outlook, health, educa tion, railways, buses etc. concern us all, and all members of the labour movement should do all they can to maintain and improve these essential services. The broad labour movement should take an active part in such bodies as the local committees against the cuts in health and education.
in bristor tne south-west Regiona Council of the TUC has organised an allday public meeting against the cuts on 27 March in the Royal Infirmary. trade union organisations in the region are being circulated about it. This indic ates that the SWTUC, at least, is not aligning itself with that unholy trinity of the Government, the TUC and the
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CONCORDE TAKES A