TUC march

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SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER ASSEMBLE 12.00 SPEAKERS CORNER, HYDE PARK Edwardes But now - that Edwardes, seizing on their weakness, is demanding still more sackings and closures, they have felt obliged to move token opposition.

Witch-hunt

Edwardes has responded by launching a quite remarkable and unwarranted witch-hunt against some of his most loyal servants, declaring:

"I was glad that 274 shop stewards voted against the plan last week. They are mainly the militants who have dragged my workforce into industrial action and made them miserable in the process."

The message should be made absolutely clear. If Edwardes' current plan is forced through, it will by no means end closures and speed-up in BL.

Edwardes is an asset stripper. His plan will run BL down as a vehicle producer to the point where it can survive in the capitalist market.

To vote for the Edwardes plan today to "save jobs'" is to face redundancies by the thousand for years to come.

Jobs cannot be defended by collaboration with crisis-ridden capitalism.

They can only be defended by a policy of occupying threatened plants, fighting for supporting strike action throughout the labour movement, and blacking work transferred from closed factories.

If there is less work, because of falling demand, it should be shared on full pay under the control of elected trade union committees.

The books of BL, its suppliers, dealers and bankers, along with other car firms must be opened up to elected committees of trade unionists to expose those profiting from the corporation's "crisis"

The figures will show the need to nationalise the motor industry without compensation under workers' management if jobs are to be defended and productive forces utilised.

A fight on these policies in BL could form the centrepiece of the necessary mass action throughout the working class to bring down the Thatcher government and fight for a government responsive to the needs of the working class.