Speke: bosses take no chances
Socialist Press1978 1978-05-24Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 11 →
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The majority of the workforce at Leyland's doomed Triumph plant at Speke, Merseyside were laid off on full pay last week-though total closure of the plant is not due until May 26.
Clearly management wanted to take no chances of workers' smouldering hostility to the cynical bureaucratic sell-out of their jobs kindling into the flame of an occupation at the point of closure.
Conspiracy
Officials of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions and Leyland Combine stewards' leaders had conspired to ensure that no direction was given to militant Speke workers who openly demonstrated their willingness to 1AN AT THE TOP fight the closure.
While Leyland management obviously appreciated such efforts they also took their own precautions against shop floor resistance, arguing that an early lay-off would give the 3,500 workers a chance "to find work"!
30 per job In an area where Lib-Lab policies of speed-up and sackings, combined with the collaboration. of union officials, has brought a 13% unemployment rate-with 30 workers chasing each vacancy -this amounts to no more than a cruel joke.
The political fight to oust the reactionary union leaders that have paved the way for the Speke sell-out and to construct a Trotskyist leadership in the unions must now be stepped up.
IT'S PERFECTLY SIMPLE, O'FISHALL OLD BOYGET YOUR MEMBERS BACK TO WORK OR I WE'LL SHUT DOWN FOREVER!
IF I WERE IN JOE WADES SHOES, WHAT WOULD I DO?