Soclust Cowley: Way for Chrysler Workers Principled Lead Defeats Right Wing

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Chrysler Stoke convenors Simpson (AUEW) and Morris (T&GWU)

Only 19 months after bein management and removed fron -cracy during a national witch member of the Workers Soci Chairman of the 4,000 strong + British Leyland Cowley Assemb His election tira heave bottle the right wing, who; in the 19 -months after setting up the "branch as the instrument t their -…' dominations haverated struggier aftett struggle in the! plant to pre-. yent the exercise of shop! floor * power. Indeed, since they, were installed in the leadership, they have handed almost every hard-won agreement over to the management.

This defeat of the right-wing is also a complete vindication of the long struggle carried out by the Workers Socialist League, with at times only a handful of supporters, for principle and programme in the plant in defence of agreements, and in particular in opposition to speed-up and to the Ryder Report, along with its fraudulent "worker-participation" scheme. It was this struggle alone that laid the basis for mobilising broad layers of support in recent months against management attacks, without which the rightwing could not have been beaten.

RECORD

It is in this sense, based on this record of struggle, that the Cowley election results point the road forward to workers throughout the car industry, and in particular at Chryslers, where trade union leaders and convenors, having collaborated with worker participation' for the past six months, now offer not a single policy in defence of jobs beyond the treacherous demand to "renegotiate" the redundancies.

Varley was quick to snap up this suggestion and turn it into a manoeuvre offering the Linwood plant scraps from the table and. attempting to drive a wedge between Linwood and Coventry. Morris and other convenors knew they were opening the door to this when they addressed the mass meetings. Their refusal to confront the Labour government now places the future of Chrysler workers in great danger.

Faced with the world crisis of the capitalist, system, which sharply affects the motor industry internationally, the workers in every plant face the choice: accept the argument that the company must be 'viable' or start from a fight for the political and organisational independence of the working class and the right of every worker to a job. g victimised by British Leyland 1 office by the T&GWU bureau-hunt, Alan Thornett, a leading ialist League, has been elected 3 5/293 T&GWU branch in the ly Plant.The verking class is strong. If the trade union, leaders .and* , Chrysler convenors called foi+ Accupation Ki the Chrysie! blants It* Mass supporting action in the response trom workers would beloverwhelming POSSIBLE The widespread support for a Trotskyist leadership in Cowley, arising out of a struggle in defence of jobs and conditions shows that it is possible to lead workers against management attack.

The details of the Cowley branch voting are therefore important. At the meeting, the biggest since the founding meeting (paid by management) 19 months ago, 77 out of 142 voted for Thornett and 64 for the other nominee, Tom White. White, a leading member of the Workers Revolutionary Party, described as a 'moderate' in the national press, secured the entire block vote organised, in a determined effort to beat Thornett, by the plant convenor, extreme right wing witch-hunter Reg Parsons.

The rout of the right wing continued in the election for branch secretary, in which current secretary Jim Barson (whose collaboration with the T&GWU bureaucracy played a key role in their break-up of the powerful 5/55 Branch 19 months ago) was British Leyland's Cowley Assembly Plant defeated 81 votes to 54. Frank Cori, a steward from subassembly with a record of opposition to Parsons was elected in his place.

These results, together with the militant majority elected onto the branch committee, now challenge the right wing stranglehold over the T&GWU in the town. Five of the six Assembly Plant seats on the important T&GWU District Automotive Committee (which represents the 5 BL plants in Oxford) are now held by militants, reducing the right wing majority to two.

And contrary to the absurd claims of the local and national press that the results were affected by closure of part of the South Works during the afternoon (when the branch meeting was outside working hours, these election results are an accurate reflection of the sharp swing to the left in the factory, which emerged also in the election for çonvenor two weeks earlier. In the works ballot (held on the factory floor during working hours), Bob Fryer (regarded in the plant as a Trotskyist) came close to defeating Parsons, winning nearly 1,000 votes, while Parsons? support slumped from 1,800 at the last election to 1,200.

-MANIPULATION Indeed Parsons' position was only held in that ballot by a combination of management tactics and bureaucratic manipulation - as a result of which the Marina assembly tracks (predominantly pro-Parsons) was given far longer periods for voting than the North Works (predominantly pro-Fryer).

The massive vote for Fryer in the North Works, which had been the main target for management attacks in the recent period, forced the T&GWU bureaucracy to hold back the elections for deputy convenors, fearing a defeat of the right wingers.

Fryer's vote was the result of the sustained fight by the WSL and other principled shop stewards for leadership in opposition to speed-up. This took on mass support around the demand to force Leyland'to open the books.

demand, which began on the shop stewards committee with the establishment of an open the books committee, was placed at the very heart of the struggle against the management offensive when the drive for speed-up began.

Such a fight stood in stark contrast to the collaboration of the convenors (who swung in complete support of Ryder) and resulted in a mass abstention from the ballot to elect Ryder committee delegates.

This principled lead, STC strengthening the growing moo of resistance against compan attacks, forced the right wing int deeper isolation.

The rejection of Ryder by th majority of workers emerged mos clearly in the North Works wher a mass meeting, following a perio of disputes and occupation against speed-up, voted down recommendation from th convenors for Join management-union, (Ryder commiter. Investigat * conditions ron the Princess track The meeting voted instead for th Lopen the books committee investigate managemen allegations of "shoddy, work" an "skivers paradise".

SIT-IN These important development culminated shortly before th convenors election in a sit-in opposition to lay-offs with th demand for work sharing on fu pay. After two days the battle wa won with full pay conceded b the company and the work havin been shared out by the worker themselves.

This action had begun at mass meeting at which th convenors obtained a total of on vote from the 700 worker present for their resolutio accepting management term They argued that resistance w "impossible".

Such events confirm the powe of the method and demands o Trotsky's Transitiona Programme and demonstrate th powerful connection between th all-round programme, aimed t mobilise the working class in th struggle to end capitalism an establish socialism, and the dail fight to organise workers defence of jobs and condition: These struggles show how a extremely high level of politica consciousness can develop unde such conditions.

Chrysler too, though in negative way, shows the crucia importance of the continuou continued on back page, col 4 Why the right wing all voted WRP .. Page 7 Was Shakespeare in IS?

Threat

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2288) spoken support from leading figures in the church for a "purifying" military coup. The major factor delaying an attempt at a coup is the military's fear of the organised strength of the workers. The Peronist union leaders, however, prostitute that strength through their constant compromises with the corrupt, right-wing regime.

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- detence of jobs," backed by the full strength of the trade unioni movement there is no doubt that

COMMITTEE The fight by the WSI for this