Chrysler Jobs

Scan page 9

Corporation announced they could not keep the plants in Britain open.

The Labour government refused Chrysler's offer of their British plants for free and instead poured £62 million into the shareholders pockets.

Sell up Chrysler used up the handIt and then announced they ere selling out to Peugeot/ troen.

Once again the government refused to take the plants to protect jobs.

Michael Edwardes made it clear that if Chrysler was incorporated into British Leyland, he would close the ex-Chrysler plants.

The deal Citroen went with Peugeot/ through despite the lack of serious jobs.

Experience since the takeover indicates that more job losses will occur-unless something is done to fight them.

The immediate threat to jobs in Chrysler has come from the cessation of production at the factory in Iran where kits in Britain are assembled.

Some 1,200 workers at Coventry's Stoke Power train plant have been laid off indefinitely with the threat of redundancy hanging over them.

Chrysler management have so far refused to give a clear undertaking on the future of these jobs.

Last week the negotiating committee at the Stoke plant drew up a three-point plan which consisted of no compulsory redundancies (via work-sharing), an immediate statefrom 37 to 33.

On top of this the future of the Iran contract is not certain even if production re-starts las has been reported as we go to press).

When Peugeot/Citroen took over Chrysler's British plants they refused to guarantee the contract, using the cryptic formulation that "the people of Iran will decide which car they want"

The French company have always wanted to get their own model into Iran. Do they still have such plans?

Workers at Chrysler need a clear programme to defend their interests. The convenors, despite strong words, have nothing to offer. Their insistence on strike action in the event of compulsory redundancies goes alongside a positive enthusiasm for selling jobs through voluntary redundancy.

One of their major negotiaNo redundancies The real solution to Chrysler workers lies in no redundancies -whether voluntary or compulsory-work-sharing on tuli pay and the election of open the books committees which would look into the plans of Peugeot/ Citroen.

The centrepiece of this policy must be the fight for occupation of the plants.

The existing leadership have consistently, over a long period, shown themselves incapable of putting forward such a policy.

When the negotiating committee decided to recommend strike action, they reported this to management before seeking the support of the shop stewards-let alone the rank and file!

A new leadership must be built in the process of : the struggle tó defend jobs.