Betrayed – by the TGWU

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say, you can help. Become a supporter of the Socialist Organiser Alliance.groups are established in most lärge Socialist Organiser is not just a We fight to organise workers struggle for a new leadership labour movement.

If you agree with what we have to towns.

To 'Get Organised" in the fight, for more information, write at once us at 28 Middle Lane, London N8.

"' die -n tiaala vedis Name ..

Address sinde didi kaeses. paper. in the in'the niser is not just a paper. plant on Monday morning and Monday night shift.

pany propaganda. At the same time, on Monday morning, Bob Fryer met tne transport drivers. They voted solidly to strike from the end of the five days' notice, and to call upon the plant to follow them. (Their decision was not, as some newspapers claimed, conditional on the support of the plant).

Later that day Buckle told the Oxford Mail that he hoped to arrange a mass meeting of the plant for A statement by the All Trades Unions Alliance that snorite fli Trades i nurse disaber ensued the fol r-miile dartone in a statement Krinals Holinan an theve moreer sol only an attack 81:017% The ellark .... an iàr shop slewards shes roger.

Le.! wal. del thr scart of on asterge lo • politire! dirtalership mer Mi workers in trade unies cae luestion prayerte without artier beg use «ard: 490 in shoP airwards. "....... masement (an rant witkous thee right in rampsign for •». pallin and la adrocast lhoa? ..A-1 polites Ihroudh pamphlete. leat.

These ase bant righre erast mrantle tosreler 1: 1902 PARTY IN THE MARX CENTENARY Name Address' Trade Unian Age • Date seni BUY NEWS LINE EVERY DAY timised in 1974 they were caught. The drivers stayed out for a month despite the refusal of the plant to support them.

Meanwhile, management were stung by the subcommittee statement and reacted angrily. They intimidated Bob Fryer, demanding to know the names of the sub-committee who, they said, had distributed an "unauthorised" leaflet.

lan Forster (Director Southern Operations) issued a leaflet throughout the complex "replying" to the sub-committee. His approach was to distort the case still further, since it was difficult to introduce a witch-hunt -compensation. This means a united struggle by the working. class against the Tories and the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and its replacement by a socialist planned economy."

*This could not have been an innocent blunder by the WRP. Gerry. Healy knows exactly the results of such a leaflet.

In "Victimisation at Cowley", ", the WRP account of the 1974 strike, Healy attacks the IMG for exactly the same thing - putting leaflets into the plant at the time of confrontation with management. • This remarkable page .(p.53) from "Victimisation at Cowley" makes the point very well.

'This kind of intervention was extremely dangerous. It confused the workers on strike, it subverted the role of the trade union movement and it gave the company its ideal opportunity. Here at last was a real group of 'extremists issuing. their inflammatory communications' in order to wreck the company!

The way British Leyland used the IMG is most revealing. The method is illustrated in this letter from the production manager of the Cowley South works, W.B. Kennedy.

Kennedy wrote to the strikers:

"The present dispute at OT has been the subject of without pay.

Later : Buckle began attacking not only the decision of the transport drivers to strike, but also the sub-committee statement, saying it was unauthorised unauthorised leaflets recently, on behalf of an extremist organisation.

"Such groups aim to wreck British industry. They will oppose any measures designed to promote harmony. That is why they have always wanted to tear up the Industrial Engineering Agreement and get back to the Dutch Auction system of bargaining.

"The Company does not intend to allow extremists to run the plant."

Observe how Kennedy jumps from the singular to the plural.

In the first paragraph we have: 'an extremist organisation' (the IMG) 'wrecking' British industry. But in the second paragraph we have: 'Such groups aim to wreck British industry: The WRP, Alan Thornett, the senior stewards, have been roped in and been found guilty of the provocations carried out by the IMG."

It even explains exactly the same technique used, by management again last week - taking a political leafletand skilfully turning the smear onto the trade union publication.

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Socialist Organiser no. 110 November 25 1982 Page THIS Branch condemns the actions of Oxford District Secretary David Buckle in the recent victimisation of Alan Thornett at the BL Cowley Assembly Plant on the following 1) Failing, as the official handling the case, publicly to 2) Denouncing the shop stewards committee leatlet,

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It had a very strong impact and cleared away the confusion created by Com-

Thursday of that week, All-out strike now to reinstate Bro Thornett

I WOULD LIKE TO Ins IME WORKERS JUIN REVOLUTIONARY