Workers in Britain today deprived of one of the most fundamental human rights - the right to work.
fect those without jobs.
work it is a weapon used by the bosses to hold down wages, attack trade union rights and working conditions.
the unions are severely weakened, that it is time to get back to basics and rebuld the shop stewards movement.
Broad Lefts a ances policed the last Labour government's social contract, Liberals, concerned' sections of the CBI.
But just how strong are the Tories? The government threat of a miners strike because they feared that such a confrontation would involve the rest of the working class. The 'Iron Lady' has been unable to deal with the ten-week old pay campaign by her own government's half million employees.
should be. The 200,000 who turned up for the two Labour Party unemployment in Glasgow and Liverpool and the thousands who March for Jobs had just one slogan on their 'Maggie, Maggie, Out!' Labour government in its place.
thousands of militants are therefore involved in the fight to make sure there are no repeats ot last time. inat is wny Wembley decisions and support Benn's campaign for deputy leadership.
iner problems Carne policy.
be solved on a plant by plant basis.
Many ors wow te miners nove someon hey had dealt with the problem pit by pit?
Probably as many as British Leyland have savplant by plant. In other words NONE.
abour movement who want to get the CBI to oin in approaches to the government, and who, in order to win such support, have put forward proposals for import controls and incomes policy.
national campaign government woud be committed to imple ment - for the 35 hour week with no loss of pay. And by mobilising the massive strength of the 13 million trade unionists in Britain to kick out the Tories. One of the best ways of building support for this will be by continuing to do everything possible to make sure the Lee Jeans and Laurence Scott occupations win and by rushing messages of support to Rover Solihull to help build the fight there against the latest Edwardes job cuts. * you would like to be put in touch with Socialist Challenge supporters in your area or would like more information fill in the form below lame....
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Send to: Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP.
S:cialist Challenge 28 May 1981 Page 2 are being But unemployment doesn't just afFor those in Some people in the movement say that Others sav that the deteats ot the old rebuild une win ine same low leaders wno the church and backed off from the The rank and file know what the solution demonstrations against greeted the Peoples Maggie, Out, Out, Kicking out the Tories means putting a Tens they They are right to seek national solutions to government The problem of unemployment can't How dealing with Edwardes We reject the approach of all those in the We say that the answer lies in building a which the next Labour to wardes, will result in the closure of the Wellingborough foundry, the Car. diff parts division and the SD1 plant at 'resist the closure workers have suffered at the hands of BL and Edwardes. Pat Hickey, deputy convenor at continues with his diary of resistance to the closures. SUNDAY 17 May. meet the Leyland Action Committee and sup porters from Cowley and Longbridge.
The Cowley comrades have already raised UUtheir shop al t committee slewalls stewardshe haTe sho stewaras have management that they take the car if we resist. We'll make this the headline for the bulletin.
At Longbridge and Cowley there widespread mood resistance to edwardes discuss the combine to be held on 6 June and arrange a public meeting in Uxtora for y June agree a leaflet for Cowley and Longbridge, and leaflet to be distributed on the Peopie's March.
Monday The Rover delegation to the People's March about 9.30am. We have nearly 100 people. The demo is well attended starting off about 4,000 and growing as we reach the city centre Line nover delegallor is in good spirits. Chants ot save Jobs. Sack Edwardes' and 'Jobs in, Edwalues out are lancu uu The delegation takes hundreds of leaflets to hand out to demonstrators and passers by. Ten thousand in all are distributed.
Regiona secretary
Brian Mathers leads the open-air church service. An Ansell's striker says he should pray for back bone.
At the rally in Bingley Hall, Mathers is drowned Ansell's OU! workers. Clive Wilkinson, leader of the city council, gets similar treatment for the council's redundancy programme.
Roy Hattersley gets a hostile reception over An Ansell's striker is loudly cheered.
axe 6,000 jobs imThe latest 'survival' It is the SD1 Rovers that is key to by all means after the defeats the shop floor SD1 Rovers, Solihull, Pat Hickey Our well pleased with the day's efTOILS and determined go to London on the 31 May for the jobs demo. 'WE would like to offer our moral support to you in your fight to keep your factory open. We are in the fourth week of our sit-in strike in protest against our factory closure and the movement of our order book to our Norwich factory.
repudiation of our contract and that we are no longer employees and will lose all our rights to redundancy payments the site AUEW, makers, APEX, TASS and ASTMS — have voted to continue the sit-in.
payments is a form of industrial nerve gas. Any help we can offer you (although only £650 strong) we offer willingly.
Yours fraternally, Tuesday. Committee The general meenne assessment of the firs week 1s So far so good' but there's a long way to go. The mood on the shot toor 1s beginning to shiti and the shop stewards committee Is more effectively than for a long time We decide to go for a demonstration in Solihull on 4 June after the spring holiday. would stor the plant at 11am and march through the town centre. Mick Clarke, the convenor, and I leave for Street to meet the county council delegation for Westminster.
Travel class reserve seats, lunch in the restaul all county council. We are 'We've been told that our action is a 'In spite of this threat all the unions on EETPU, TGWU, Boiler'We (like you) do not want redundancy we want jobs. Redundancy As the People's March travelled from Liverpool to London it received trem given a briefing on the situation of the Midlands. Over wes 300,000 jobs lost since 1966 50.000 3UllC the last year. The decline vehicle manufacturing is the major reason.
Dole The metropolitan county unemployment rate is higher other county with the exMerseyside: ception Coventry 12.9 per cent, Wolverhampton 12.8 per cent, Birmingham 12 per cent in January 1981.
At We est Midande meet the Labour MPs, Phil Haggs the West Midlands two reps from West Midlands chambers of commerce, and Bevan, Tory MP for Yardley, who condemns the Edwardes' plan and appears a little bemused.
The county council wants assisted area status Tortne West Midlands. Solihull is a special case. BL is a special case.
Import controls are mentioned.
We bring it back to the Edwardes' plan • there is no chance for BL if the present worse in meeting want the meeting to attack the plan. It won't change the ories but it will strengthen our members.
Closure It's finally agreed to set up a committee to oppose the closure of Solihull anc Keith Joseph about loDDy the "Edwardes' plan similar committee is to be up in the West Midlands. A statement is Issued closure and supporting resistance to it. The attack on siderably toned down Edwardes LOll Wednesday. Committee again. Agreed to press ahead with publicity for the demo. 10,000 leaflets, 500 car stickers and placards. will leaflet the Chelmsley Wood estate and other parts of Solihull outlining the effects of the closure on the ared We will ask the public send delegates local teachers' union has been told that 100 teachers jobs will go if Solihull closes contact other plaes to sent dards cons.
shon stewards mittee endorses these proposals. This meeting is also A'STMS and APEX attended In the atternoon there is an extended plant conterence. which is the final stage of domestic pro cedure. Failure to agree is recorded Officials We now go for the op tional national stage. This is to involve the national orcials, Darticulany vict Hawley, national secretary of the TGWU automotive group, who is conspicuous by his absence write the second bulletin, leading with the Cowley shop stewards decision. In the evening there automotive group district committee Reports are a catalogue of and redundan pass resolutions supporting Tony Benn and condemning the regional officials' handling of the Ansell's strike. , particular ly the use of ballots by the regional secretary over the heads of strike leaders.
condemning the Edplan and suppor ting Solihull resistance. It calls for a clear lead from the union leadership and we send a resolution to the general executive committee and the regional committee of the transport union.
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Socialist Challenge
of resistance BL intends
mediately and up to 10,000 more in the next 18 months. plan, masterminded
Solihull. the fightback throughout BL. A mass meeting there has already decided to
necessary'. The militants in the fac- tory know they have a difficult job to do,
- Message of support from Laurence Scott to Rovers
for jobs