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Battle lines drawn up at GM Bedford Luton

30th July 1987, Page 7
30th July 1987
Page 7
Page 7, 30th July 1987 — Battle lines drawn up at GM Bedford Luton
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

• General Motors is poised for a confrontation with the Transport and General Workers Union when production resumes at the Bedford van plant in Luton after the workforce's threeweek summer break.

The dispute centres around GM's plans for changes in working practices and conditions at the plant. These are due to be implemented on 17 August, but the union warns that it will instruct its 456 members at the plant to refuse to work under them.

GM says it will go ahead anyway, because a majority of the workers represented by the other three unions at Luton have voted in favour of the changes.

Mick Murphy, the TGWU's national automotive officer, describes General Motor's decision to go ahead with the new practices on 17 August as "extremely provocative." "General Motors said the joint venture between GM and Isuzu wouldn't go through unless the new Japanese working practices were accepted by the unions by 22 July," says Murphy. "Now events have shown that they did not mean what they said."

Murphy says he has asked GM for a meeting to clarify the implications of the changes in work practices, but the company has refused to meet him. He plans to visit the Bedford plant some time after 17 August to explain to TGWU members why he refused to accept the changes.

If the company imposes the new conditions then we would have to ballot our members at other GM plants for support," says Murphy.


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