DEREK Robinson, convenor at Longbridge, BL's largest car plant, is out of a job. He was victimised by Michael Edwardes, BL boss, whose hard man style of management is fast becoming mythical, and workforce that voted nine to one against any action to defend him.
Before he was sacked Robinson was jokingly" povertul people in British industry - but Edwardes showed him who runs BL.
But it won't be just Robinson who suffers as a result of the sacking — BL workforce stands to lose out. A few days the Longbridge against action announced that 50,000 BL expect to be laid off indefinitely due to bad sales figures on BL cars. They also face a pay offer of between 5 and 10 per cent coupled with stringent measures Claret l stepping up rights in BL. rejected by a full ballot of employees, Edwardes explained last week that he might just have to go ahead anyway.
This is what the successful sacking Robinson really means - a tough management against disorganised workforce. "The Robinson is a real blow for rank organisation within the Edwardes get away with it?
It is questions of viability, profits and jobs that underlie the whole Edwardes, threaten closure and redundancy at every turn. It is the inadequacy of the unions' itsponse to han dad bes got the BL workforce on the run.
Cond explained his problem of BL — make it the most prosperous Engineering Union supported by one of the most the whole workforce Edwardes workers could dramatically productivity by attacking union The offer was overwhelmingly but of demoralised and sacking and file strikes, How did situation at BL. and other BL bosses before him, at, a theoretical journal of the it Party, of which he is a mamber, approach to the MICHAEL EDWARDES — unions no alternative to his threats car firm in the world. An aim that can't be far from Michael Edwardes' own heart.
Fo achieve this, Robinson, and other senior stewards on the BL Combine, went along with management propaganda against "wild-cat' management Coventry shop stewards conference after his appointment explaining management and redundancy would 'save' BL. convenors ice at Longbalage bad arende works compu participation, quashed unofficial action and sat on grievances. When it came to his own sacking Robinson, and the rest, did just what they bad done before — nothing. Having put himself at the head of a campaign to.
walk-out? participation majority bardline closed; and show that ANWAR DITTA petitioning for her children to be Longbridge had a disciplined and productive workforce it is not surprising that workers were confused when it came to Robinson's own fate. Wouldn't he have argued against an unofficial In the circumstances it is surprising that the of the plant did walk out when the news of his sacking filtered through. The da fter his sacking Longbridge was completel Canke Castle Bromwich, Lane and Radford had walk-outs; and mass meetings were held in many plants.
But the stewards let the initiative slip away They did not issuc a call for generalised strike action throughout BL; they did not organise flying pickets; there was little effort to organise or enthuse those who were on strike.
include Man at work against the strike.
November, Longbridge queue they began to affect the justification for this permanently close Longbridge.
strike for reinstatement.
on strike action meeting told Socialist Challenge:
all go down with him.' Robinson's and advocate of participation Browns to be made up.
again ed to join hel ON Sunday 2 March the National Front will be laking to the streets of agement, on the other hand, was hard On Thursday 22 three days after the sacking, workers were forced to queue in the rain for hours to get paid. At the head of the were grilled by management before being handed a pay cheque — they were offered safe conduct through the gates; they were told BL would close if they didn't return to work.
Uncertainty about the AUEW's attitude action; and by Tuesday union president Duffy called off the strike. In Duffy used Robinson's own time-worn argument: strike action would The union commission of inquiry reported its findings at the beginning of February. This shameful document said Robinson had been bad, but that his dismissal was unjustified. Duffy went to painful lengths to exonerate any workers who did not want to join the proposer The mass meeting at Longbridge to decide was postponed twice an ventually voted to ditch Robinson, while ! kept silent. As one shop steward icaving th dug his own grave, but the trouble is we couk successor as union boss at Longbridge looks like being a man after his own heart. Jack Adams is a fellow CP member Adams will have a heavy load to bear. If Robinson's sacking is to be just bad, and not a disaster, for BL workers then the independeni political and organisational strength of the BI shop stewards' Combine has to be rebuilt as rapidly as possible. If Edwardes can impose a ousy pay deal and enforce job moblity on t orkforte then there will be even more grow lobinson has gone, it looks like for goo Shop stewards throughout BL have a long hal to make sure the same thing can't pepper Photo: WOMEN'S VOICE