Act Now: Defend All Jobs! Reject Bosses' Blackmail - Occupy Deserts

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inflation eats away at the employers' profits, undermines the cash liquidity of their firms, and relentlessly cuts the purchasing power of workers' wages. Through falling sales employers are driven to cut production, close "uneconomic" plant, and speed up the efforts of those still in work in order to maintain a 'viable' (or profitable) business. At the same time weaker sections of industry, unable to compete, close down altogether. The result on a world scale is unemployment and short time. In America, the world's most powertul capitalist country, there are now well over 8 million unemployed. 20.8% of teenagers are unemployed and 13.4% of blacks. In the car city of Detroit alone 26% are officially out of work, with the real figure almost certainly double this. Black wor kers, half the population of Detroit, suffer most. 96% of all black youth are officially out of work.

Company supplements, which maintain 95% of wages for worker laid off, begin to run out in two weeks time, and with this goes many medical and dental schemes As John Pilger in the Daily Mirror reported(28.2.75): "In the last three months since the lay-offs began in earnest the Detroit Health Department has reported 150,000 cases of malnutrition mostly amongst women and children...." [in a city of only 1.6 million] "NIGHTMARE' His article was headed with the words: "The ending fo the great American dream in Detroit show what tomorrow's nightmare cou be like for Coventry and Cowley Luton and Longbridge…......

The car industry, construction and textiles are the main focus of the recession in Burope also, unemployed in the Common Market countries - an increase of 1.2 million over last year. In Britair itself there are now 800,000 unemployed and a further 250,000 on short time according to latest estimates.

Here, as in France, some of the big employers have tended to back away from the prospect of bitter resistance including factory occupations, and with the passive acquiesence of the Trade Union leaders have opted for short time rather than outright redundancies. Already every motor manufacturer has move to introduce short time - Chryslers have had it since December 31st.

But it extends into other industries - the textile trade, ICI fibres, GKN;

Lucas, and Dunlop are among the largest firms involved. Helens, BLM's Jaguar works with 1,000 redundancies, and the closure of Imperial Typewriters throwing p 3,200 johs. These are just some i the biegest - countless small turm. are laying off labour all over the country. This is in addition to large scale hidden redundancies throughout industry from unreplaced "natural wastage".

Under these conditions the biggest question facing the working class is leadership. The reformist Trade Union leaders are incapable of defending jobs in this period because their political position starts from the acceptance of capitalism.

This means acceptance of the right of the empioyer to private property, to have a profitable and viable business, and accepting that workers should be subject to market conditions. If these "rights"

come into conflict with the rights of workers to jobs then for these leaders, the "rights" of the capitalis must prevail.

ARROGANT

This is clear just trom the examole of Fords. On February _9th Fords arrogantly announced, without consultation, that 8,000 Dagenham workers were to go on shor time from March 3rd. The shopfloor was incensed, and stewards threatened 'disruptive' protest action. Moss Evans, T&GWU automotive group national organiser, however, opposed all action witt.

the statement: "Destructive action will not persuade people to buy cars". In other words, don't challthe employer will say it is necessary for the survival of his company -and to reject it means the sack (in BLMC Cowley management threatened to send the new ADO 71 to Longbridge). If a worker is victimised fighting speed up the employer will threaten to close the plant if victimisation and speed up are not accepted - and the trade Mass meeting at Chrysier's Linwood factory union leaders will say "it is not the time to fight". In Renault in Paris, where workers have been fighting in precisely these circumstances against victimisation linked to speed up, the management has intimidated workers by putting all 35,000 on indefinite short time Everywhere the weakness and collaboration of the union leaders opens the working class to attack beyond the immediate issue involved. Following Moss Evans' acceptance of short time, Fords immediately seized on this retreat and a week later announced Dagenham workers would have oniy 11 days work in April. Next day they followed this by leaking to the press that:

"Without the agreement of the anions the company intends to impose three as opposed to two shift working from next week in a bid to make the (Dagenham, plant more efficient and reduce excessive overtime being overworked" [Financial Times 28th Feb emphasis added] Fords therefore increase efficiency without consultation with thr. assistance of Moss Evans.

fight on any issue today means efend jobs, and for this reaset it is one thing to occupy ut with no perspective this can be the point of greatest danger leading to confusion and demoralisation (as at Norton Villiers at Meriden where only 250 of the original 1750 workers remain in occupation, or Plessey Interconne at Swindon where a six-months 'stay of execution" has been accep At the centre of every occupation has to be a clear perspective. Occupations must centre on the demand that the books of the compa: claiming financial problems be opened to elected trade union committees, who would then have the task of exposing the concealed workings of capitalism to the workers whose jobs were threatened. Any employer who threatens the livelihoods of workers has no right to 'business secrets" or indeed to remain an employer. Once it is proved that indeed a firm, with its full labour force, is 'non-viable' under capitalism, then it must be taken out of the "free market".

* beath it than that the Labour government nationalise the company, not under a state manaer, but under the management of te workers, through their elected mmittees that already control e factory under occupation.

Compensation must be paid only to small savers.

The TUC announced yet another betrayal of the imprisoned Shrewsbury pickets last Wednesday when, despit a lobby calling for strike action, they refused even to call a one-day protest stoppage to attempt to free the Two. These bureaucrats now stand right behind Jenkins, Prentice and the whole of the Labour right wing which supports the Tories' actions in jailing these trade unionists for picketing.

The TUC announced yet anothe betrayal of the imprisoned Shrews bury pickets last Wednesday, when, despite a lobby calling for general strike action, they refused even to call a one-day protest stoppage to attempt to free the Two. These bureaucrats now stand right behind Jenkins, Prenti and the whole of the Labour righ wing which supports the Tories' actions in jailing these trade unio nists for picketing.

This whole betrayal has been covered up and protected by the "lefts' of the P.L.P. 'Tribune' grou who have refused to fight to remove Jenkins from his position of Home Secretary, and who did not even turn out to support a call for a further Parliamentary debate on the issue. At the same time the Communist Party, with a whole group of full time officials and militants in the building and other unions has consistently opposed industrial action to force the government to tree the pickets and has set out to divert the campaign into harmless protests.

The only answer now must be to step up the struggle within the trade union movement for a general strike to be called, and for the exposure and removal of those officials who want to prevent this.

As a part of this fight the demonstration called by Leicester Trades Council, to take place outside Leicester jail on Saturday, March 8th, must be supported by all those trade unionists who are not prepared to leave these brothers to rot in prison.

The 250-mile Wigan to London march organised by the Wigan Builders Action Committee ended on Saturday 22nd February with

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SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursdav, 6th March, 1975