OFFER us flexibility, workers at the Platt, Saco, Lowell textile equipment plant in Oldham were management earlier this month, and there will still be two hundred jobs at the plant by the end of the year.
The workers decided to different option. On 18 February same day as 4,000 demonstrated a few miles away in Manchester against cuts and unemployment — the Platts workers voted to occupy.
In an area that has seen a wave of closures of engineering plants, with over 7,000 jobs disappearing in the last few months, the Platts workers are the first to show militant resistance to closure and what they regard as the government's policy of de-industrialisation.
Support Their plant is part of the Stone Platts Industries multi-national, and they are now seeking support engineering workers in order to extend the action to the companies plants in Bolton and Accrington. the Diversity manufacturing told by would diversify take the have to close.
The moves TORCY WCHIL side of the books, With cheap abroad, the other When This workforce: Oldham, says: "We have co-operated all along the line to ensure viability, and the sack is the price we're expected to pay."
Before Christmas management had promised new electrical products that producuon Oldham site in order to ensure its future. But then it announced that it couldn't afford the £1.3m necessary to purchase the equipment, and that the plant would Platts workers regard these with cynicism. The firm has received a government grant of f1.8m, but the workers have no idea where this •We'd like to see the credit and debit says Ted Brennan, the representative of TASS, the Engineering Union's white-collar section, Platts. *Morally the plant is ours. We have the right to know what is going on.
textiles coming from chauvinist demand for import controls has been widely taken up by textile workers - and the employers.
engineers recently took industrial action on pay, the Stone Platts company chairperson, E G Smalley, told "This kind of action can A similar theme has been taken up in the House of Lords Saco, Lowell. "This firm, Rhodes, a Labour peer, criticised because machinery abroad for other people to use. This meant British manufacturers were suffering great competition.
Now the people who were criticised have folded up."
Textile manufacturers have mounted a campaign to 'save British jobs', which they mean profits for firms.
Platts itself has shown employers put such ideas into practice. In spite of an average return on its capital investment in Britain of 17 percent a year, it is now negotiating to invest t4m in a new plant in South Korea.
'It's the kind of state.' comments, 'where if you try to organise they send you for a three-week holiday. When you come back you can't walk. Revolution machines replacing people. We could be on a 25-hour week, but instead capital goes elsewhere.
The occupation committee is well publicity, against Platt, said Lord usea to be sold textile factories in the arranged. Offered other Oldham workers.
Nettle Accessories, by the London on 9 March. the *Demonstrations Ted Brennan redundancy, at Scraggs, manufacturer.
middle Oldham.
social security benefits, and the security of the plant. The main aim at present is to stop the movement of all Platts products, and a schedule of visits is being Support has begun to come in from The unions at for instance, have offered to pay for two Platts workers to TUC's demonstration in are alright," says 'But the TUC and the union officials need to declare policy.
The policies the unions have operated are part of the problem. The Engineering Union in Manchester, for example, has expressed no concern about voluntary and has excessive over-time working - including which is part of the Platts group, and Dronsfields, another textile In supporting the Platts occupation, militants should aim to make it the focus for a campaign for the 35-hour week:
Donations and messages of support to: Eddie Holland, c/o CSEU dispute, Platt, Saco, Lowell, Featherstall Road, Socialist Challenge