Steelworkers, carworkers walk out against bosses' offensive Fighting back

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Paper of the Socialist Organiser Alliance No.126' April 7 1983 25p Claimants and strikers Paper of the Socialist Organiser Alliance No.126' April 7 1983 25p Claimants and strikers 10p IN, THE biggest wave of spontaneous, initially unofficial, industrial action covering a number of basic industries since the Tories took power in 1979, car workers at Ford and BL, steelworkers in South Yorkshire, and dockers at Tilbury are fighting back against the Thatcher/Edwardes/MacGregor attacks which have decimated "enough is enough'. Ten days ago union leader Bill Sirs that he had the 5,000 Assembly Plant workers no intention of spreading the voted almost unanimously to strike beyond South Yorkshire, atrilro and tadav they unted over- MARIAG madn "the tis or the ice erg o' anger" those industries.

The strikes come hard on the heels of the water workers' strike which forced significant concessions from the government - and only a few weeks after the South Wales miners' strike, which was rapidly spreading to other coalfields when it was stopped by the retreat of the left leadership of Arthur Scargill in face of the right wing in the They represent the beginnings of a powerful fightback against policies which have already destroyed 90,000 jobs in BL and over 100,000 in steel, with MacGregor preparing to move to the NCB to do the same job there.

After Japan These strikes make the first few months of 1983 a significant period in the struggles of the working class against the Tory government, particularly since they follow the remarkable record of struggle which the working class has established, despite the betrayals of its leaders, throughout the Thatcher period - the 1980 steel strike, the 1981 BL strike, the 1982 ASLEF strike and NHS action.

The 5000-strong Ford Halewood, strike is in its fifth week as we go to press. Although nominally over the victimisation of an assembly worker for alleged 'vandalism', the conflict is plainly part of the introduction of hard-line management on the BL model, designed to prepare the ground to push through Ford's so-called 'After Japan' (AJ plan. If successfül, AJ will eventually abolish thousands of jobs in the Ford plants.

Halewood It is likely that the Halewood strike will be over on Thursday 7th, since after meeting TGWU official Ron Todd the stewards are recommending for acceptance a very weak compromise of binding arbitration, while the worker involved remains sacked. But Ford workers are likely to be quickly back in confrontation, since sweeping changes are required by the AJ plan just eight days after the return to work.

The BL strike at the Cowley Assembly Plant is now in its second week, and although it arose as a reaction against the introduction of bell-to-bell running (or the abolition of the three minute hand-washing time at the end of each shift), it is in reality backlash against increasingly harsh management, which has successfully forced through very much more far-reaching changes with the help of the top union leadership.

The issue is not insignificant in itself: personnel director Geoff Armstrong says it would be worth 100 cars a week. But it is not as big as the virtual abolition of important single condition in a senioritv (possibly the most big factory), or the victimisations of militants and attacks on shop stewards which have been successfully carried through.

On this issue workers have said suke, anu touay mey vowu vive whelmingly to reject a 'formula' which was actually worse than the original terms.

BL management is in a very difficult position. They now have four important models at a standstill, including the new Maestro, launched only a few weeks ago. Their harsh tactics are now on the line. The strike remains strong, and the usual sacking threats are difficult.

The issues are similar in the steel industry, where the strike has spread rapidly through South Yorkshire. It began at the Templeworth and Aldwarke plants in Rotherham, when two workers refused to accept redundancy, and spread quickly to all eight plants in the area, with pickets on the gates at Stocksbridge, just to the Despite statements by steel moves were veing maue by te strikers on Tuesday to contact other plants, particularly Scunthorpe and Teesside.

Redundancies

The strike has come after BSC's massive redundancy programme reached South Yorkshire; one of the most militant areas. 1700 redundancies are called for, and a strong action committee has been set up in opposition.

But, as in BL, the reaction of the workers is determined more by the general situation in the industry - the hard-line management introduced by MacGregor since he moved from BL.

In this year's pay round BSC has refused national negotiations, and is insisting on local deals, which must be tied to job losses No serious resistance to this ha come from the ISTC or any of th 13 other unions. They have in structed their members not to negotiate locally and taken matter to ACAS.

These strikes, and other ac tions in other sections of work ers, are plainly the tip of an ice berg of resentment and resistance to the relentless attacks of the Tory government (and the Labou government before it).

These spontaneous actions the strength of which is said ir each case to "surprise employer: and union leaders alike", , demor strate once again what has bee demonstrated numerous time! since Thatcher came to power -that despite mass unemploymen deliberately created to intimidate it, the working class is prepared to take on and able to defeat the Tory government - if it can begir to resolve the crisis of leadership it faces at every level within the labour movement.

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Organiser no.126

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By Alan TO SELL SAYS JOHN HARRIS

"ich- STEEL WORKERS POWER