Ilford has agreed to the gradual establishment of 100% — pier = its process workerse In return, the NUGMW is to get employees fe) : a a individual statements "unreservedly agreeing” to abide by union ru pal agreements reached by the union and the company. The NUGMW is the only wmion concerned and over 2,000 of the 2,500 workers © covered by the agreement are already members of it. All new Ilford process workers will have to join the NUGMW but existing employees will be advised by the management to join, not compelled At a press conference on October 28th in London both representatives of the management and the union said that the aim of the agreement "was to avoid both unofficial strikes and threats of unofficial strikes," The proposals have so far been agreed in principle by both sides. Now the union is busy on the job of getting individual employees at the firms four plants, in Ilford, Basildon, Brentwood and Mobberley, Chesire, to sign the "good behaviour" notices, The London district secretary of the NUGMW, Mr. L. G. Wright, said at the press conference that Ilford employees had already been consulted and he anticipated they would be persuaded to sign. He thought the agreement could well act as an example to other companies, "A greater degree of self-control is needed and members must be taught to honour agreements," he added. The statement which the workers are being asked to sign makes it clear that, should any undertaking be broken by individual members, Ilford can terminate the agreement, Thus, if there is an unofficial strike and the union fails to discipline its members it could lose its right to 100% organisation.
ould the NUGMW decide to expel any of its members, the management agrees not to withold "unreasonably" its assent to the explusion and the person concerned would get the sack, If anyone is expelled from the union without the margement's agreement, they will not get the sack. The agreement boils down to the process workers giving up their right to strike unless their union instructs them to do so. It seems to a lot of people that a very dangerous precedent has been established which, in the present atmosphere of violent press attacks against trade unionism, aided and abetted by Labour leaders, could rationalise joint union-management action against "troublemakers", i.e., militant trade unionists, It is to be hoped that members of the NUGMW resist this policy and prevent its spread,