The Bad Life « Goodyear

Printed and Published by Peoples Democracy, 88 Ladybrook Park, Belfast.

Come to Goodyear "Average earnings £30" say the notices in the dole in Belfast. The fact that Goodyear has to recruit from Belfast, already 120 workers travel by train each day, shows clearly enough that the people of Craigavon have learnt very much harsher facts by their own experience in Goodyear. Goodyear have denied any intention to close (how many have done so before them) but in their denial have admitted that all is not well at the factory when they say "we have opened well over 100 factories throughout the world, all of which have had start-up problems and while at Craigavon these problem have been with us a bit longer, they are not insoluble".

wage structure Here we analyse some of these problems in depth:

low wages and the complex system of supposedly scientific assessment of jobs and productivity are a main reason for discontent in Goodyear. What is the wage structure, how does it work? Workers are divided into 6 codes, 1 at the lowest level, 6 at the highest. All workers receive shift allowances averaging £2. 9.0. a week. Most production line men are in codes 4 and 5, they are among the 70% of the workforce who receive bonus Payments based on productivity. A code 4 worker, who gets a productivity bonus at the lowest level (100% productivity), will earn £20. 8. 0. for a 40 hour week. A code 5 worker rated at the highest level (110% productivity) will receive £22. 18. 6.

Approximately 250 workers at this level receive other allowances for bad conditions. The 100 workers in the curing departments earn an extra £2 a week for excessive heat, and a further 13/- a week if they stay in these departments over a period. The 150 workers in the notoriously dirty Banbury department receive £2. 8.9. a week extra in washing and abnormal working condition allowances.

The lowest paid workers are in Grade 1, they include janitors and Sweepers. They earn a basic wage of £15. 13. 0., plus shift allowances making an average of £18. 1. 0.

The present wage agreement is due to expire at the end of July next year. The Unions have already submitted demands to the management, and have requested a reply by Christmas. For the first time the unions are tackling the basic problem about the Goodyear wage structure. The low basic wage. They are asking for a substantial across the board increase in basic rates, before discussing other matters. Indeed there are signs that in this year's negotiations the unto happen? The problem of the low basic wage has stemmed from the first deal signed by the unions before the factory operfed. This was frankly a bad agreement. It ensured for the management a low starting point for basic wages. In shop and 1,500 due-paying members.

issues. Allowances for bad conhave been an integral part of the first agreement. The company could afford to give away these marginal concessions so long as the basic wages remained low and the repressive aspects of the productivity scheme were untampered with.

A derisory increase of 6d. per hour was won (even that increase on the basic rate was worth more than all the other concessions put together).

bad conditions of discontent in the factory. Working conditions in some departments are another. A wurker describes the Banbury rooms thus:- ''Banbury's are machines in which rubber is compounded from resins and chemicals. There are two rooms where this is done hidden away at the back of the factory.

are black, the heat intense and the als are the carbon black and pigments (a fine white powder like flour) these are constantly used | and fly all over the place. Workers work naked except for overalls provided by the firm." Another worker talking about this section THIS ARTICLE IS BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH GOODYEAR WORKERS. WE WOULD WELCOME ANY CORRESPONDENCE ON THE ARTICLE OR ON CRAIGAVON IN GENERAL. ANYONE WISHING TO JOIN P.D. IN LURGAN OR OBTAIN EXTRA COPIES OF THIS PAPER CONTACT: MISS MARY CAMPBELL, 190 EDWARD STREET, LURGAN says "if you call coal-mining a dirty job then this is dirty". Few in Craigavon are aware that coalminers work in Goodyear, except that they work with-chemicals not coal. The company denies that there is a health hazard (see this ions will for the first time present a serious challenge to management.

Why has it taken 3 years for this return the unions obtained a closed In subsequent negotiations the unions have concentrated on marginal ditions were won - but these should Negotiations last year totally failed to deal with the basic wage issue.

Financial problems are one cause The air is thick with dust, the walls ventilation bad. The worst chemicconvenor.

week's Lurgan Mail for award of £1,000 against Goodyear in a dermatitis case).

Below the Banbury's (underground is an area where the rubber from the Banbury's is milled "this is the worst place in the factory, a Dante's Inferno where the rubber comes down at a temperature of 300° and-again the air is thick with dust and ventilation poor."

The curing departments for radiiator hose and fan belts are little better: ''The men have to take lengths of extruded rubber and fit them onto moulds, again at a temperature around 300°. Often men get minor burns on the body and arms while turning to get more raw lengths for processing".

Shop-stewards and militant workers have had serious difficulties in dealing with the problems of a new factory on this scale. Many did not have experience of large-scale industrial concerns before. Many of the workers were unemployed or very badly paid before they came to Goodyear and thus initially found the factory an improvement. The high labour turnover (itself a symptom of discontent) inhibits effective organisation.

The American Management is highly sophisticated, shop stewards whose only education is experience find themselves bogged down in the sheer complexity of the agreements, At every level they have to argue with well-educated plausible man-~ agerial staff. They cannot contest procedural rules because they are laid down in the Union management agreements. Often those who do challenge the management are offer ed supervisory posts.

Many shop stewards have begun to understand what is wrong, but meanwhile frustrated rank and file workers complain because the shop stewards find it difficult to achieve results. A look at the grievance procedure will show how management and union officials from outside the factory have helped to tie the hands of the shop steward.

his supervisor. If he gets no satisant meet the departmental head. If no satisfaction is obtained the shop steward, the complainant, and the departmental head meet the divisional manager. If no Satisfaction is obtained after all that the shop steward writes out a grievance form and the circus is hardly begun. The shop steward hands the grievance form to the head shop steward or (continued overleaf)

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restrictive rules If a man has a complaint he goes tc

faction he goes to his shop steward, the shop steward and the complain-