Putting the screws: Tebbit and the bosses' offensive (continued)

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Amongst the reason These hard-line methods given for maintaining of management are being this position was Thorn- extended ett's attendance at a picket manufacturing industry line outside a non-BL plant and beyond in what has during the works holidays. become known as the ments in order to work with officials and hold workers to agreements that were to management's benefit. Now anything goes. Sick relief agreements are cut. Slip relief agreements are cut. Processes are rationalised and jobs are contracted out at even cheaper rates.

Top managers patrol the tracks intimidating stewards and pressing workers to do more work. The pressure comes from the top and managers and supervisors who are not prepared to be ruthless are sacked on the spot.

Having established a corporate bargaining structure, BL are out to destroy the shop stewards movement in the individual plants. Full-time facilities for senior shop stewards which have been the basis of organisation in the car plants are being systematically ended by management.

Senior shop stewards are being sent back onto their jobs i.e. "released as and when required" . The reality of this is management control. They will release a steward when it suits them and block it when it doesn't.

BL intend to destroy any effective shop stewards movement whatsoever.

Every cut in manning levels and relief personnel makes it more difficult for stewards to get released for trade union work. In some plants, management have gone into. procedure for a direct reduction in the number of stewards.

Constant threat

Victimisation of shop stewards is now the order of the day. Derek Robinson and the Longbridge 8 were only the forerunners of today's conditions where stewards are under constant threat.

Alan Thornett, an elected deputy convenor at the LiL STOP THE CUTS TEBBIT BILL Cowley Assembly Plant, who has remained unrecognised by BL for the past 8 years, was again refused recognition at a National Conference last month. "Edwardes syndrome"

'The strings on ine currthroughout ent Ford offer come straight from BL. They want complete mobility of labour, the ending of all local agreements and flexibility such as production workers doing their own sweeping. The productivity proposals are to be monitored by a BL-style joint committee. Even the sell out seems to be going along BL lines with acceptance of the deal being recommended by a BL-style body dominated by national officers and full-time officials.

Guinea pigs

Yet how can such a state of affairs prevail when the working class is so strong? How can the workers be used as guinea pigs when their strength was shown so clearly in the mass pickets and the militancy of the 3-day strike?

To ask the question is to answer it. As the economic crisis of capitalism deepens the trade union leaders who reject a perspective of fighting to end capitalism and establish a socialist society become ever more craven in their capitulation to it.

In case anyone thinks that is jargon, they should look very closely at the editorial of the December issue of the AUEW Journal. And when they read it they should remember that Johnny Boyd is not a freak. Not only is he General Secretary of the second largest union in Britain, but when it comes to a sellout of a major dispute there is not much to choose between him and the rest.

He makes the following points:

"I trust our 1¼ million members will bear with me when I utilise this last 1981 editorial to comment on the recent Bu crisis, 1 which I played a not unimportant role in preventing it being a national catastrophe. He goes on to openiy nraise Edwardes:

"This company was bankrupt, finished, until Michael Edwardes, having been appointed by Tony Benn to the NEB, was thereafter transferred by Eric Varley to BL to try to, save it.

"It thus became a nationalised industry, with board appointed on behalf of the Nation to be stewards of our first publicly owned group car plants"

He goes on:

"I strongly urged Sir Michael Edwardes to be more repentant and pragmatically gracious regarding the offensive letter his Board issued over his signature, but he wasn't; nevertheless, having regard to all the circumstances and the resoluteness of the Government not to interfere by feeding in more money for wages -their intention being to let the Company be dismantled if need be — I decided on balance to recommend the workers to accept, which I did - clearly and unequivocally.

•Whatever happens in BL [Cars] makes national and international news. Many powerful people and institutions, both here and abroad, would like to see it fail.

•Sir Michael Edwardes and his board don't.. The organised British Working Classes can't afford to let BL [Cars) fail.

• Thus the new opportunities which the agreement gives to have Shop Stewards fully participate in strategic planning, together with a new procedure agreement, must be fully exploited now, and a new relationship forged between the stewards of the Nation's assets (the Board and the Trade Union Stewards, under the guidance and control of their union executives.

"If for any ideological reason, individual representatives from either do not wish to participate, then they must be cast aside.

This great experiment in atty cannot be allowed to be retarded by anyone, whatever their position."

Does any more need to be said? It is a complete capitulation to everything from the viability of BL to the victimisation of his own shop stewards. Boyd is fully behind Edwardes who is leading the assault on the trade union movement in Britain.

It is no wonder that the TUC is doing nothing to stop Tebbit. They have not called a conference until March and appear to favour a policy of supporting any union which becomes a victim of Tebbit after his bill becomes law.

The case for the development of revolutionary leaders in the trade unions -who will stand by the interests of the trade union members they represent -could not be made more strongly.

It is not an easy task but it must be tackled now and urgently. It involves developing an alternative leadership, not just of principled people, but people who know where they are going and have a programme adequate to meet the needs of the working class under such conditions.

Conferences

It also involves a fight for democracy in the unions. Proper elections on a principled basis. The right of rank and file militants to be heard on the committees which at present are domirated by the right wing, the fake lefts and those who refuse to confront either capitalism or the Tory government.

Important steps in the fight for such a leadership will be taken at both the conference of BL workers called by the Leyland Action Committee in Digbeth on January 23rd and the conference on Trade Union Democracy called by Socialist Organiser and London Labour Briefing

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Socialist Organiser no. 67 Junuary 7, 1982 Page 10

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