After the Wage Fre Ze - Wage Cuts ?

from a special correspondent On Wednesday, January 19, the management of the Brush Electrical Engineer~ ing Works at Loughborough, a subsidiary of Hawker Siddley, issued a memorandum to the men in tie Switchgear Shop, asking them to co-operate in an effort to maintain the firm's prosperity by accepting a cut in piecework rates ranging from 26% to 30%, This would mean in some cases a cut in wages of about £7 a week, This piece of gentle persuasion is the latest development in a struggle which has been simmering for the past 43 months, In November the management called a meeting of the men in the Shop, without any reference to the unions, and explained that the firm found itself in some difficulties in that it was unable to compete successfully with rival firms, and had to ask the workers in this particular Shop to co-operate in an effort to reduce production costs, They asked the men to form a committee to meet them and discuss the situation, After some discussion among themselves the men decided that they were not prepared to form such a committee, A week later four men were informed that they were to be transferred to another Division. One of the men decided to question his transfer, but the management refused to hace any discussion about it, even through the Shop Steward. The man was told that if he did not accept the transfer he would be made redundant that day, In the afternoon he was fired and given ten minutes to leave the premises, A meeting was called by the Shop Stewards and the Switchgear Department went on strike, The man was re-instated the following day. A week before Christmas the management summoned the Section Leaders for discussion, The Section Leaders refused, but reported the feeling of the men that the books should be opened, so that they could see for themselves the details of orders and profits, A Shop Steward, under instruction from the management, then went round the Department asking each man individually if he was prepared to take part in a committee to meet the management, Out of over 60 men, only two were willing, Early in the New Year a Shop Steward and one man from each Section went to the management. They demanded that, if the management had anything they wished to discuss with the men, this should be written into a memorandum which sould be available on the Shop floor, When this was published a week ago, the extent of the 'co-operation' was revealed for the first time - "the reduction of piecework prices .... in order to achieve the savings which are required by the management .... capable of yielding good bonus earnings." WHAT KIND OF A BONUS IS A WAGE CUT OF &7 A WEEK ?