Unions Fight Own Members!

Officials from the TGWU, Amicus and the GMB are backing the Jaguar car company rather than their own members in a pay dispute!

Workers at Halewood in Merseyside, Castle Bromwich in Birmingham and Browns Lane and Whitley in Coventry have been offered a 4% pay rise, balanced against changes in working practices and 'flexibility' - for which read workers bending over backwards to make money for their employers.

This deal was rejected by 2,101 votes (53%) to 1,878 (47%) on Friday, but trade union officials are refusing to accept this verdict.

After meetings on Monday, a spokesman for the T&G said: "The negotiators still felt the company's offer was one they could recommend. So further and more detailed consultations will take place with shop stewards in the plants."

This is yet another betrayal by trade union leadership, and workers must refuse to back down in the fight for decent wages and working conditions. All of us have to organise democratically in our workplaces and neighbourhoods to combat the capitalist class, because elected 'representatives' are never going to do it for us.

Neon Black

Comments

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Nonsense

15.11.2006 18:04

Another drivel post giving reason not to waste time reading Indymedia.

No one goes on strike on a 53:47 vote. At least 55% is needed.

In this case if 112 people out of 4000 changed their mind the mandate would disappear.

The 2101 who voted to strike understood this.

T U Member

M-AJ-O-R-I-T-Y

15.11.2006 19:50

55% OF THE VOTE? WHO SAID?

For years the TU movement thought that it would be sound when a labour government got in but instead it just got shafted.

I just wish my union put as much effort into improving terms and condition as it did into sending me crappy magazines with labour sichophants on the front and applications for insurance and credit cards

Union leaders have forgot their guiding principle that they are elected through a democratic process to represent the wishes of their members. The momen they moved away from this they became as bad as the labour party itself

If the membership decide by majorty decision to strike then that is exactly what the union should support

One member one vote

Still nonsense

16.11.2006 10:50

"The workers, united, will never be defeated"
Anon

"The workers (on strike), split down the middle, will ... What? ... succeed.

Succeed where the united workers merely avoided defeat?

The 2101 who voted to strike understood.

T U Member

55%??? Whatever happened to...

17.11.2006 09:50

55% ??? Whatever happened to the idea of "an injury to one is an injury to all!" The IWW is the only union in Britain that still holds to this concept.

Big Bob Haystack
Homepage: http://www.iww.org.uk

Surprised?

17.11.2006 16:11

The union leaders have good relationships with employers and MPs, they have an interest in protecting their own salaries and their reputations, its in their interests to pursue an amicable relationship with employers, all of this means its no surprise we see the union hierarchy doing their best to get workers to accept this miserly pay rise. Good luck to those at Jaguar who are willing to fight for something more, its just a shame the rest of the workforce arent all behind them.

Neon black do you know where i could get the latest on this story?

cheers

jack london