N March 3rd the three-year package deal in engineering was fiercely criticised by the executive council of the Transport and General Workers’ Union. In a surprise decision, it instructed Mr. Les Kealey, the union’s chief engineering negotiator, to keep a close watch on the operation of the agreement and to report back to further meetings of the executive. Mr. Harry Nicholas, acting general secretary, said that the executive was disturbed at “certain aspects” of the settlement, which was reached after hard bargaining between the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Employers’ Federation.
Union officials predicted a rash of
shop-floor unrest as a result of the
package deal, which covers pay,
hours and holidays for the next three
years, “There’s a tremendous amount
of feeling against it in the districts,”
said an executive member.
“We expect to get a series of piece-
meal applications for adjustments in
the absence of proper national nego-
tiated improvements.”
Meanwhile the T.G.W.U. con-
tinues to go from strength to strength. .
Membership increased last year by
52,060 compared with 1963, to an
end-December, 1964, level of
1,464,663. It seems militancy
pays!