Tate & Lyle: occupation the only way

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A mass meeting of the membership-mainly GMWU-at Liverpool's Tate and Lyle factory voted unanimously on 4 February not to occupy the plant at present.

Local GMWU official Tony Humphries successfully stalled the implementation of a previously decided resolution to take action against the company, such as occupation of the refinery.

Talks with Tories

The day before in London, GMWU general • secretary Basnett and TGWU leader Moss Evans had met with Lord Jellicoe and agreed: an extension of the notices until April 3; the handing over of the company's abortive alternative plans for the refinery; and to continue the talks with the Tory government to reverse their policy, in line with the EEC, of making Europe self-sufficient in sugar-beet supplies (as opposed to the_cane-sugar raw materials from the West Indies currently used at the Liverpool refinery).

The aim of the unions is to get Walker, the Agriculture Minister, to alter the government quotas in favour of cane sugar refineries.

The initial decision to begin the plan of action appears to have been merely a manoeuvre on the part of the stewards in response to the diverting of ships carrying the cane-sugar from the Liverpool docks.

The company subsequently made noises to the effect that the ships would be, when available, dispatched with cane sugar, at some unspecified date.

Basnett and Evans clearly used this flimsy "promise" as an excuse to call off the possible occupation indefinitely. Basnett's flunky in the area, Humphries carried out this assignment very professionally.

He told workers that no sit-in or occupation had so fat succeeded-deliberately ignoring the partial success at Gardners in Manchester only two months ago-and that direct action would "alienate public opinion".

Sell-out deal

And of course he added that direct action could always be used "should the talks and lobbying fail."

Basnett's plan is clear: to stall any action, wait for the members' current militancy to turn into demoralisation and then negotiate a sell out deal with marginally increased redundancy money.

As at Dunlops, two years ago, the initial enthusiasm of the membership at the first mass meetings will be de-fused and dissipated as they are directed away from occupation by the full-time officials and their apparently servile hangers-on and errand boys at convenor level.

Instead, they will be presented with a mock "campaign" of lobbying and stunts. This is already, taking, Shape as the "action committee" prepares for a jolly day of "action" next week.

Meanwhile, at the Huskisson dock down the road, there is a further strong possibility of job loss at the sugar-handling terminal.

The jobs of sugar cane plantation workers in the West Indies will also be under threat as the Thatcher government switches to increasing homegrown sugar beet, in line with EEC policy.

The closure of the refinery cannot but affect the Merseyside confectionary and food industry, which it supplies, as transportation costs increase.

An alternative, workers programme must be along the following lines.

of the refinery.

*Union blacking of all Tate and Lyle goods, nationally.

• *A district/regional levy of the GMWU membership to be carried out by the local official Humphries, (against the opposition of the executive if necessary).

*Demand to see the Tate and Lyle books to ascertain the reality or otherwise of the supposed "losses" and in the case of bankruptcy, for the purpose of taking the firm over under workers' management, as part of the struggle for a planned economy. • *Fight for a policy of work-sharing on full pay, based on a sliding scale of hours. The same policy must apply to all other workers affected by the Thatcher government's switch to homegrown sugar beet production: in particular solidarity with West Indian plantation workers.

*For a joint occupation committee with other workers coming into struggle against Thatcher: the Vauxhall workers and Seamen-as a step towards a Merseyside Council of Action:

Tate and Lyle are one of the most generous contributors to Tory Party funds.

Only the fight to bring down the Tories and bring to power a workers' government committed to establish a socialist planned economy can meet the requirements of Tate and Lyle workers.

MERSEYSIDE FACTORY CLOSURES-HOW TO FIGHT THEM A WSL pamphlet which draws on the experiences of Dunlops, BL Speke and Meccano.

Price 30p including postage from WSL, BM Box 5277, London WC1N 3XX

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