Rover retreat: a blow to the fight for jobs

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The struggle to save the 2,300 jobs at BL's threatened Rover SD1 plant at Solihull received a setback last week.

A mass meeting of all SD1 workers heavily voted down shop stewards' proposals for interim action to prevent the transfer of work from Solihull to Cowley.

The plans had included:

* An overtime ban.

*A refusal to work on paint shop equipment which is to be moved to (owley.

*Resistance to management preparations to move testing equipment and tyre bay to Cowley by mounting a picket on the SDI plant during the summer break.

The stewards proposi were defeated amid shoul from some workers for them to negotiate redundane! payments.

But the fight has not yet been conceded. The stewards stepped up the struggle 1o inform workers on the situation with bulletins and leaflets.

At a national conference with the company taking place as we go to press. Rover stewards have registered a 'failure to agree' on the closure.

They have been ted in this stance by TGWU automotive secretary Grenville Hawley.

But Hawley has refused to address a recall mass meeting at Solihull on Tuesday July ?. Stewards appear divided on what proposals should be put to that meeting.

The struggle is at the crossroads. Until Edwardes is confronted and a stand taken in BL jobs and conditions will continue to fall as the dole qucus grow in the Midlands.

Last week's meeting of the leaders of the nine civil service unions resulted in no new initiatives to build for the all-out strike action necessary to win the four-month old pay campaign.

Despite a strong lobby outside the meeting and the (PSA delegation's mandate to raise the all-out demand again. there was little real discussion on sepping up the cumpanen most time " in dael spent discussing the ments and demerits of ramus forms of the selecHe ison Despair this latest boost • Thatcher's drive to break the dant Servie unions, the the excellent response to the call for increased levy money (even from those who have already broken fror any illusions in selective action).

It is clear now, as the data comes in, that already it would have been cheaper for the government to have paid the 630,000 civil servants their 15% claim.

The costs in revenue loss, interest on loans, overpayments and disruption of all normal financial administration will never in fact be accurately calculated.

This makes it all the more obvious that for the Tories the fight is not about money this year, next year or in 1983. It is about smashing the unions.

That is why Thatcher is celling back-dating of the offer or mass suspensions.

An important extension to the selective action last week could well change that situation and lead to wholesale suspensions; that is the decision to bring out staff Who issue blank Giro cheques to local Department of Employment and DHSS offices.

Picketing has been successful so far and it could start to bite in about a fortnight's time as management are faced with suspending people or paying out millions of pounds in cash daily over office counters.

Another factor to emerge in the dispute is the government's use of an archaic conspiracy law (used only in an Inland Revenue Staff Federation union official in Ted Elsey, the official involved, was arrested after following scabs who were smuggling mail out of the strike-bound tax computer at Cumbernauld in their private cars.

Intimidating

He is alleged to have been guilty of "intimidating" the scabs by simply following them to their destination.

We urge Socialist Press readers, particularly in Scotland, to watch for details of the court proceedings; to support any lobbies and fund-raising events; and to raise support for Elsey