Coventry Sackings: Dateline February 1s

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Hundreds of Chrysler workers have shown their faith in the Labour government's "rescue" by opting for voluntary redundancy. At the Stoke engine plant the queue to get out was headed by reactionary T&GWU convenor Bob Morris, who had waited only to prevent any struggle against sackings before scuttling out of the plant clutching his company cheque.

A similar spectacle presents itself at Ryton where out of 770 enquiries about voluntary redundancy, 22 are from shop stewards - a clear indication of why no fight emerged from that plant's leadership against the government SACKINGS Thanks to such stewards, even in Coventry, where there are no jobs to go to and continuous sackings are taking place under the watchful eye of the trade union leaders knifing any attempts at struggle, Chrysler have managed to ensure that no compulsory redundancies among houdy paid workers will take place in the first round of sackings at the Stoke plant on February 2nd. Some white collar staff however will be compulsorily And in Ryton the government plan demands that an additional 1,000 workers over and above the applicants voluntary redundancy must be thrown out of the plant on February 2nd.

At the company's Whitley headquarters_25 women employed at the Data Processing Department have been told they must go. Their union, APEX, has objected, on the grounds that some of the work done by the women is now being farmed out to office office bureau. The women are particularly angered by the company's suggestions that they approach the bureau concerned in order to find work! "Why can't they keep us on?" is their obvious reaction.

CRITICISM

Meanwhile, as Chrysler prepared foe habit goldinnet the obsaxe plan is coming in for criticism from every side - except from the 'left" MPs and union officials.

Lord Ryder, Chairman of the National Enterprise Board, reported to be furious - arguing that a major blow has been struck at the government's entire industrial stratègy, and in particular at British Workers at the Stoke plant Leyland.

The Trade and Industry Sub-Committee of the House of Commons Expenditure Committee has questioned the viability of Chrysler UK despite the government's injection of £162m.

Eric Varley, who, it is widely rumoured, was against putting any money into the company, was sharply grilled by members of the committee last week.

Tory MP Maxwell-Hyslop argued that production of the Avenger would be more expensive at Linwood than at Ryton where, even with the Stoke engine plant nearby, production levels of 88% capacity were needed just to break even. With the Stoke engine plant 240 miles away, the costs would be greater.

ATTACKS

Right wing Labour MP Pat Dufty has followed up his previous attacks on Labour's investment in British Leyland with the statement "we want taxpayer get value"

As Duffy has not been one of those who have called for nationalisation we are only to assume. that he wants the car industry to collapse, leaving hundreds of thousands on the dole.

Such people must be driven from the labour movement and replaced with those who will put forward policies 11 .. defence of working class conditions and living standards.

It is clear that workers at Chrysler and elsewhere are expected to draw the conclusion from the campaign against the "rescue' plan that they have been lucky to get a postponement of Chrysler's closedown, and that if there's any trouble that closedown can easily be brought forward. The fact that 8,500 redundancies can be portrayed as "lucky" shows the complete betrayal of Labour and trade union leaders.

There have now been. several major reports on the British Motor Industry - one by the government's "Think Tank'; the Ryder Report on BL; the first report of the Commons Expenditure Committee; and finally the Department of Industry's "The British Motor Vehicle Industry"

There has yet, however, to be an independent working class enquiry into the future of the Motor Industry. And without full knowledge of the real state of the industry, car workers are at a clear disadvantage in fighting the current drive towards speed-up and unemployment.

Yet before the government made its decision to axe 8,000 jobs the unions at Whitley drew up their own plan for future production.

The findings of this report NEB chief, Lord Ryder. Morris should be published as widely as possible and steps taken immediately for the establishment of an 'open the books' committee around which a campaign for a ful workers enquiry into Chrysler can be launched.

There have recently been reports of resistance by French unions to the transfer of production of the Alpine to Ryton in Coventry. French unions at Simca must therefore be drawn also into the preparations of a full investigation into Chrysler International.

As we have argued consistently the Chrysler workers should demand to see the company's books. What plans are being prepared to speed up those workers who remain? What is to happen to the money handed over (with no strings attached) by the Labou The next round of compulsory redundancies is fixed for June. Between now and then a policy must be hammered out around which a fight to reverse thi situation can be organised.

Along with the campaign for the 'opening of the books' must be demands for no further sackings work sharing on full pay, anc nationalisation under worker management. Those stewards who persist in support for the rescue plan must be replaced by those whe will resist any sackings.

FOOTNOTE Another rat leaving the sinking ship. is Lord Rootes. He ra Chairman of Chrysler UK unti 1973 when he severed connection with the company.

He is now chairman of Chrysel dealers Green's of Swindon.

Greens are giving up their Chrysier franchise and switching to Japanese Datsun cars.