Union Rig Under Attack

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But recent struggles in Cowley have shown a very different leadership emerging, a leadership which has mobilised all-out resistance to speed-up and lay-offs in the North Works around the demands of "open the books" and "work-sharing on full pay" • A leadership which crushed the right wing in the elections for the 5/293 TGWU Branch and won 1,000 votes in a factory ballot for Bob Fryer, regarded in the plant elections. A leadership pledged to as a trotskyist, in the convenor fight the bureaucracy tooth and nail in defence of the independence of the trade unions and of hard-won agreements, and one which before the witch-hunt was certain to win representation in the elections for deputy convenors this week.

TWO-PRONGED Panicked by this prospect. British Leyland therefore launched a two-pronged offensive to prevent this going ahead. They announced they would not recognise Alan Thornett as deputy convenor even if he was elected by democratic ballot. And they had witch-hunting convenor Reg Parsons calling a "news conference" to unleash the Tory press and TV against "extremists" in the plant.

Not a word of Parsons' 'sensational' revelations was new. He just dredged up the same old lying allegations about Trotskyist groups supposedly "disruption and "destruction". He named in particular the Workers. Socialist League, the Workers Revolutionary Party and the International Marxist Group.

What was new was the balance of forces inside the factories - the real base of support for the policies fought for by the Workers Socialist League in the plant.

which are policies not of "destruction" but of all-out defence of jobs, wages and conditions. In calling in the gutter press Parsons was admitting his own inability to hold the line for management.

The press have been openly backing the right-wing in the elections. But last week's witch-hunt reached a new level. After creating the hysteria, lists of names of so-called "moderate" candidates appeared day after day in the national dailies - violating every principle of democracy. Yet within the factories themselves there is growing awareness among workers of this role of the capitalist press.

So great was the revulsion vithin the union that even TGWU Regional Secretary. Brian back insurrection or civil war'.) can be obtained Although admitting that only nuances of policy had so far changed he added:

We salute every step towards freedom taken by the regime' He refused to make any strong criticism of it because:

I have not come to France to denigrate Spain. I am a patriot.

Workers in the demonstrations however, were increasingly advancing political slogans for the resignation of the government alongside their economic demands.

Now it is essential for the workers' organisations to unite to call a general strike to bring down the fascist regime and replace it with a workers' government.

Preparations tor this strike, in particular the arming of united defence squads drawn from the workers' parties to protect strikes against the attacks of the state must begin at once.

In Spain the only way forward is to carry through the struggle for workers' power: the treacherous "compromises" and Popular Fronts of Stalinists and reformists with the fascist ruling class must be rejected.