Lee Jeans: co-op red herring

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After 20 weeks sit-in strike action, the workforce at Lee Jeans in Greenock are wondering what else they need to do to win their struggle against plant closure.

They have occupied the plant since February; they have forced their union-the Tailors and Garment Workers-to declare the struggle official; they have won huge popular support from the labour movement; and they have now got dockers blacking imports 3612) from the plant's owners, Vanity Fair Corporation.

Transport workers, 1oo. are blacking the goods, anc there is a statement of support from USDAW, which organises shop and warehouse staff.

But the 170 women still actively involved in the fight have not yet been able to force the employers to cave in. Resting on alternative production at plants in Ireland and Belgium, they have relied on the patchy trade union organisation in the distribution and retail trade to continue their sales in Britain and Scandinavia.

With the whole British textile industry in profound recession and many factories on short time (as little as 2 days per week), any call for solidarity strike • action by other NUTGW members would meet at best a mixed response.

In this situation the workforce at Lee Jeans has yielded to pressure and set up a committee to examine the possibility of establishing ä cooperative.

There is no scope for the establishment of islands of "socialism" in the midst of a capitalist slump. Al best a cooperative would mean workers themselves deciding to inflict on themselves the kind of speed-up and redundancies that the employers are trying to enforce elsewhere.

Such a venture would be a disaster-wiping out many jobs immediately while still leading almost inevitably to a financial collapse along the lines of previous cooperatives.

Meanwhile the fight to tighten up the blacking of Vanity Fair products and establish a boycott of Lee Jeans by the labour movement is continuing.

Extended

The campaign should extended to force a halt Lee Jeans advertising cinemas and newspapers.

The Lee Jeans closure. like others in the textile industry. confirms that such jobs .. can only be . saved it workers take a sand and fight to mobilise mass action aimed not simply .tl

Lee Jeans occupiers

individual employers but at the Tory government-drawing on the support of trade unionists in the supply and distributive industries.

Donations of support sh Ellen Monag bridge Road.! faces near-extinction if a fight is not mounted in defence of jobs, must be made to lake steps 1o halt production of VI products in Ireland, or. if that fails, consider moves in conjunction with other unions to halt the distribution of all brands of jeans to retailers in Britain until such time as the entire Lee Jeans workforce is reinstated in the Greenock plant.

and messages uld t: e sent to an.. i5 Camreen‹ ick.

Find me more details about the Wor Name Address WSL, BM Box 5277, Londor: WCIN Send to 3XX OIN WSL. Socialist League.

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