Leyland strikers stay out

British Leyland truck and tractor factory shop stewards at Bathgate, west Lothian, have rejected a Union officials advice to end a strike which has involved over 3,000 employees. The strikers, who have been idle since early last week, were told on Friday by Ernest Leslie, A.E.F. Divisional Organizer. that if they returned to their jobs today and ended a ban on overtime, the management would award an interim pay increase of 30s. a week.

However, after a weekend meeting. the factory's joint shop stewards committee stated that they were adhering to an original arrangement to hold a mass meeting of strikers this afternoon. The overtime ban was introduced several weeks ago in support of wage claims, some of which amounted to as much as £10 a week. The present strike started after the management intimated a proposed lay-off of over 1000 employees because the overtime ban had interrupted production.