night ago against the closure of the SDI Rover plant in Solihull, a group of workers raised a slogan which was rapidly taken up by many of the marchers.
They chanted: Michael Edwardes, dole.' From protest action to an all-out tight against 10b loss is a big step, Militancy isn't lacking, but the struggle against unemployment requires a political break the traditional framework trauc umon acuor.
The argument which has to be won is that occupation of a threatened plant can only be a part but an essential part — of a strategy to save the SD1.
Stopping the closure of the Rover plant requires a confrontation with Edwardes plan for BL as a whole. , There is no special case for the SD1.
The arguments against closure are against the Edwardes' plan, and ultimately against the Tory Assault The Tories have used BL as a spearhead for its attacks the working class movement. The 5 per cent wage rises at BL; the enforced speed-ups, and the assault on trade union Have OCCI carried through in BL are now being extended to the rest of engineering.
In the contracts which BL IS now making with suppliers, there are detailed specifications 'Michael Edwardes, We ain't going on the the working. class for its DO CICS be lett to a handful of industrialists operating under the cloak of commerical secrecy.
Even on BL's figures it would need under £200 per car to keep the plant Crisis The workers in SD1 are responsible for an e crisis in the industry, and the company should pay keeping VUl jobs until solves the crisis which is of its making.
Balanced against the cost to the company of jobs is the cost of closure. In terms of lost revenue. expenditure on unemployment benefit, rate rebates and rent, household costs the Exchequer almost £7,000 annually.
It is a crime against the working class that the immediate cost to a capitalist enterprise is deemed more the community as a whole. If SD1 closes, people will face years of hardship on the dole and most of the older workers will never work again.
ERY SAD MY Challenge MAN WORKERS SO I AM HERE SPPORTI DAD. brought in to sort things out. KEN