ROLLS-ROYCE car workers have overtaken their counterparts at Ford and
Nissan to win by far the best pay deal in the industry. Not only does
their 10.33% agreement beat the previous 10.2% won by the other two
groups but they also become the first car workers to win a two-hour
reduction in the working week.
The 4000 manual workers based at Rolls-Royce's main site at Crewe have
become the pace-setters on pay while providing a boost to the
Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions' campaign for a
shorter working week for two million engineering workers.
The car manufacturer, now part of the Vickers group, is understood to
have won productivity concessions to enable weekly production to be
increased from 60 to 64 vehicles. Basic weekly rates go up by between
#15.33 and #21.25 taking the range to #163.70 to #226.94. The company
maintains the deal adds 9.5% to gross earnings.
CSEU general secretary Mr Alex Ferry said the deal to reduce the
working week by one hour to 38 hours from July 1 and a further cut to 37
hours from January 1, was the 29th concluded and that talks were
continuing with a further 49 companies.
The Rolls announcement was followed by a major breakthrough at British
Aerospace, so far the major stumbling block in the unions' campaign on
the working week. BAe offered a 12-month deal to cut the week to 37
hours for 9000 workers in military aviation plants in north Lancashire.
In addition, the company offered to implement a four-day week in 1991.
The new deal, if approved, could end a 14-week strike by 3000 manual
workers at Preston, which has been at the forefront of the campaign. It
could also prevent a threatened strike by 6000 more at factories in
Warton and Samlesbury, and lead to a settlement for another 5500 at
Chester and Kingston upon Thames.
Union leaders are likely to recommend acceptance at a meeting in
Preston tomorrow.
The deal would mean a 38-hour week in all three sites, with a
reduction to 37 hours 12 months after an agreement is implemented. The
working week for both day and night shifts would then be cut to four
days.
Meanwhile, the executive of the Amalgamated Engineering Union will
decide today whether it can sign the recent Ford agreement in the light
of continuing opposition from its craft members.
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