BLMC stewards say men reject new proposals

Shop stewards at British Leyland Motor Corporation's Longbridge car plant claimed last night that 10,000 production workers at the plant had rejected "once and for all " company proposals to replace piecework by a flat day rate.

The statement was made after a meeting attended by 400 shop stewards It was reported at the meeting that during the past week workers in the main assembly shops had voted overwhelmingly to retain their traditional piecework system.

A British Leyland spokesman commented: "We are surprised at the outcome of the meeting as we understood that the vote was in relation to management's latest offer, not whether negotiations should be continued. We feel that many of our employees will be equally surprised by the outcome of the meeting, as negotiations on a changed system of payment are as yet incomplete."