[The full treachery of the Labour government's deal…]

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The full treachery of the Labour government's deal with the Chrysler Corporation emerges more dearly with every day.

In a matter of weeks, if the plan is allowed to proceed, the first of the 8,000 workers to be made redundant will be signed on at labour exchanges, while tax payers' money to the tune of £202,000 for each redundancy is to be paid to the Chrysler management.

JUDGED

Every trade union official and Labour MP must be judged on their attitude to this deal, which flows directly from the Wilson government's determination to preserve British capitalism and bolster the profits of the bankers rather than adopt any kind of socialist solution to the crisis.

Indeed, while the market value of Chrysler is so low that chief executive John Riccardo even offered the government £35 million to take it off his hands, Wilson chose to spend 5 times as much bribing the employer to stay on and help the generalised drive to step up exploitation in the motor industry.

THREAT

The streamlined Chrysler designed to act as a constant threat to British Leyland workers, and each firm will be played against the other in the battle to impose speed-up.

The case for the complete nationalisation without compensation of Chrysler, as part of the nationalisation of the whole motor and components industry, is a glaring one - and an investigation by trade union committees into the books of the multi-national would prove beyond doubt how profits extracted from the British operations have been exported and the figures cooked to show a loss Vat nnt nno uninn nfficial convenor, or 'left' MP has even sought to challenge the spurious basis of the deal.

Every 'left' 1 MP, in line with their refusal ever to fight Wilson, backed the plan in Parliament. And not a word of leadership has come forward at plant level to develop the fight against redundancies.

Instead, last week, the Coventry convenors came forward with the reactionary proposal for 'negotiating' redundancies and for short time working, which of course have been eagerly grasped at by management. They can afford to negotiate such details.

INFLUENCE

Management know only too well that without the influence of of the officials and convenors they would face a tough time imposing the terms of the deal -closing the plant in Maidstone, slashing the Ryton workforce by 60%, Stoke by almost 30% and Linwood by 3,000. The Financial Times (29.12.75) points out their reliance on the officials: "If the terms continue not to be negotiable, then factory occupations cannot be excluded, though full-time union officials are likely to damp down any calls for it"

RISK The full-time officials of course are the only ones who do not risk losing their jobs in the plan! It is not too late to reversethis position and call action to stop the completion of the deal. But to do so means an all out fight to expose and remove those traitors within the labour movement who now jeopardise the future of their members.

There are no other jobs to go to in Coventry. or Linwood. Factory occupations must begin to defend all jobs in Chrysler and force in work-sharing on full pay, and those leaders who refuse to lead must he driven ont