[The Workers Socialist League is a Trotskyist organisation…]

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The Workers Socialist League is a Trotskyist organisation fighting to construct a principled revolutionary leadership in the working class in Britain and internationally and for the reconstruction of the Trotskyist Fourth International on the basis of the Transitional Programme.

The WSL fights at every step against the existing leaders of the trade unions and the Labour Party-now firmly harnessed to the bourgeois politicians of the Liberal Party in an Against their policies of class collaboration we put forward instead a programme which points to the independent class interests of the working class, its need to organise independently to overthrow capitalism, destroy its repressive state machinery and establish a Only in this way can workers resolve today's problems of tumbling living standards, mass unemployment, slashed social services, racial, Send to WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill,

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SOCLALIST PRESS, Wednesday 7 May, 1978 Part of the huge stockpile of vehicles at Oakley airfield nvenor reinstated nvenor reinsta one year latel of shall A piece of trade union history has been written by Oxford car delivery drivers.

After being sacked for a year (31 May 1977-31 May 1978) their convenor, Brian Preston, returned to work last Monday fully reinstated following an unprecedented settlement.

The settlement terms include full reinstatement as convenor, a year's back pay, his £297 solicitor's bill paid by the management, three weeks paid holiday for the year he was sacked and £25 out of pocket expenses for such things as telephone calls he has had to make in connection with his sacking.

Three week strike The settlement resulted from the three week strike last month of all • 350 Oxford area car transporter The strike had brought Leyland's Cowley Complex to the brink of closure and caused the stockpiling of 30,000 cars on airfields around Oxfordshire.

It ended with the Co vention acting TGWU of Region Secretary Bill Lapworth who intervened at the request of strikers because of the unflinchingly pro-management position maintained by the TGWU local witch-hunter, District Secretary, David Buckle.

Lapworth persuaded the drivers at a mass meeting to return to work and accept arbitration, giving impression that reinstatement would be a near certainty from the arbitration process.

In fact arbitration took place.

Wrangling over the it should take result the possibility of ther TOP form ed in esumption of the strike, and management hastily settled direct with the union.

With 30,000 cars still on the airfields following the strike (the available transporter fleet is only capable of clearing Cowley's 5,000 per week production, and is unable to clear the backlog) the effects on Leyland if a further strike had occurred would have been catastrophic.

In many ways the course of the strike over the past year has been as unique as its conclusion, taking more the form of a battle against David Buckle than a fight against Cartransport management.

Preston W THE C.P. ARE EASY ENOUGH TO HANDLE... JUST LOOK AT THE LAST SPECIAL PAY CONFERENCE!..

BUT DARE YOU CALL STRIKE ACTION? following allegations that he defrauded Cartransport management of a day's pay whilst he was conducting wage negotiations in London.

After a meeting with Buckle, management claimed that Preston had received money from both the company and the TGWU for that day.

In fact the total money he received was less than he would have earned for a normal day's work.

The first strike in his defence, by Cartransport workers, only lasted 10 days in May 1977.

Buckle then obtained the decision to return to work by means of a secret ballot -having at first lost the vote on a show of hands.

When the full branch (which covers workers from all 12 Oxford car delivery companies) met, Buckle successfully headed off calls for strike action.

Instead, the meeting accepted the Company's threat to prosecute Preston, declaring that if the prosecution was unsuccessful, the branch would take action.

Buckle, who is not just a JP but also chairman of the local magistrates, utilised this decision to the full.

No prosecution ever took place; but with amazing regularity a letter suggesting a date for a court hearing would arrive from management (via Buckle) each time the branch met to consider further action in defence of Preston.

Thus on June 16, 1977 (just as a meeting was taking place) management sent a letter saying the following:

Buckle "Although we have so far not taken court proceedings against Mr. Preston we are advised that we have firm grounds to take such action"

On June 28-again as pressure was mounting from the drivers-a further letter:

"I felt I should advise you that as a consequence of the branch decision regarding the dismissal of Mr. Preston we have today commenced legal proceedings against our exemployee"

On July 14:

"I regret to inform you that in fact writ for prosecution has been issued"

And of July 28, as the Cartransport drivers were to meet to discuss further strike action another letter arrived!:

"We have now instituted legal proceedings"

Each of these letters was false. They were simply designed to cash in to the full on the decision of the branch. OK. MIKE-MOP IT UP... LET THEM BRING IT. BACK NEXT TIME!

At the end of September again as the branch was considering action, it was announced that a police investigation would be undertaken by the CID.

During this investigation, two of the managers who sacked Preston were themselves dismissed when a fraud squad investigation was instituted into discrepancies involving £2 million!

Now the possibility of a prosecution by Cartransport had evaporated the argument Buckle used when the branch pressed for action had switched to: "don't take action whilst a police investigation is in progress".

seven months-into supposed fraud involving at most £8.40!

The investigation eventually concluded on April 18, 1978 (presumably it could not go on forever). The result was that "no proceedings would be instituted.

The response of the branch was to call a mass meeting which decided to take indefinite strike action until Preston was reinstated and fully reimbursed.

Buckle turned up at the second mass meeting four days later.

Buckle told the meeting that in his opinion the decision not to prosecute did not necessarily mean that Preston was innocent!

"It could be that they had insufficient evidence to proceed" , said this chairman of Oxford magistrates.

Buckle also told the meeting he could not support the strike because Preston "was not lily-white in the matter"

The meeting, however, flatly rejected his pleading to return to work and voted to continue the action.

These statements, and the previous 12 months history led to Buckle completely losing control of the next mass meeting. This is what led to the intervention of the TGWU Regional officials.

The reinstatement of a sacked convenor is difficult under the best conditions, but to achieve it after a year on the stones is rare indeed The victory is a tribute to the magnificent strength of the transporter drivers who refused to allow the passage of time and the treachery of Buckle to wear down their determination to support Preston.

And in striking a blow in defence of trade unionism in the car transport industry in Oxford they have struck a similar blow against the reactionary witch-hunting officials in the TGWU District Office; which can only strengthen the fight by all trade unionists in Cowley.

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SOCIALIST ST

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Toravo! ALLIKE THIS!!

The "police investiga- tion" actually lasted for