Parts Strike talked to Patrick Sikorski about the strike at Leyland.
the strike about?
Redundancies have sparked off this strike with the threatened loss 0I 1,09. jobs during 1982.
It is the Edwardes Plan that has caused the redundancies. we are oldy opposed to the plan. If we we believe that we can stop recoances.
of the bardes pian Edwardes TOTi Leyland Bus and Truck?
The aim of the plan is to remove the manufacturing base from the Leyland site.
They want outsource al! engine production companies like Cummins International Harvesters the Auctical name but two.
Leyland would be reduced to assembly only. with a maximum of 2,000 hourly paid workers remaining.
The present number of paid workers 7,000 in total over 10,000 work at Leyland. This the penultimate of the no culcula tion of the plan. Having removed the possibility ot viably producing engines the Leyland site by pushing through these redundancies and transfer work they will then turn round to us and say that All Photos: PATRICK SIKORSKI (Socialist Challenge) Committee, Lancashire, can't produce the remaining l engine viab v either and that will be the end of ''The company's document 'Leyland in the '80s' made clear that they were not going to continue with the production of cerLau Manulacturing pro cesses How has the Leyland management explained the need for redundancies?
They're saying the same thing as they have said for the last 3 years under Edwardes. When his plan for Leyland came out he the company promable ana buone opinion whole thought that Ills was d gova lillig He said he'd do it by reducing overallls. reducing fixed costs and getting unit costs down to the level of competitors. But they were never honest wiln us or ine public. Inel intention has been to close publicly owned vehicle manufacturer and assembler in the country Do you think they plan to sell off the company? The Leyland Assembly Plant was on v 1978 and cost £32m of public money.
think would be auite possible for them to keep that part of the company in public hands while all the manufacturing processes would be hived off and the private sector would be making profits out of the publicly owned assembly actory whose proacts would sull carry the Leyland badge.
VOUl alternative?
We believe that we can produce engines at a quality and cost that would be comparable Rally manufacturer in this country anywhere in the Our intention is to bring about big changes in the running of Leyland We want centralised organisation of une waole combine so la we will be producing and manufacturing our own units and parts and assembling them own wago 1s.
we told the companv that we weren't seeking a controntation and that we wanted immediate all deferment the (ulporate plan and the ensuredundancies months in order to give the trade unions the democratic right to present their economic and trading allendauve.
Management refused and last week we therefore began to operate sanctions in line with the Combine All comations messages support LVL Joint Strike CommitAustin Senior, Leyland Leyland, Länco (Tel/ Leviano and mass meeting decisions. The company's response to the continuation of sanctions was take 620 members oft the clock.
The mass meeting was very well attended by over 6,000 hourly paid workers Works Committee recommended full support tor the trade union alter natives, and total withdrawal as of lunchtime Thursday Was accepted with 95 per cent in favour.
How are continue the fight? We are now involved in an all out fight together with Bathgate which. OCcupied.
Our union officials at ed that opposition to the plan would receive official backing from day one. are expecting formal endorsement of this at the first opportunity Senior stewards will be in contact across all the plants in the group. We'll be looking support TURI of trade union and labour movement board. ting blacking Leyland Vehicle products.
We're saying that the membership Leyland Vehicles have no confidence in the policies that management has pursued over the last 3 years.
Labour MPs like Stan Thorne, Ton! Benn and Les Hucktield have made clear commitment cause as they showed in when vcal they addressed a mass meeting and fully ported the trade union I Confederatione area Confederation Shipbuilding and Unions, the Lancashire Association of Mick Coyne: 'British Leyland have never been honest with us' Trades and Preston, South Ribble and Chorley trades have already declared their full support. We are looking for a groundswell of national support.
We now have a strike the unites presh will ta unions which will meeting daily and we a: having meeting nex Thursda: which I would expect basis.
A MEMBER of Solidarnosc in Britain who is in the North West area to build support in factories and address the Leyland Vehicles Strike Committee on Leyland workers feel strongly that the way they trade union and democratic rights JOHN PARKINSON, Socialist Challenge sup porter and Secretary of the Lancashire Association An emergency solidarity resolution was put by the LATC 10 inorough ascussion was passea unanimously. Ine resolutiol called for full support throughout the region for the industria action now being taken and attacks the role of Edwardes and Fi calls for co-operation with the North West group o to be raised in the House of the North West TUC to circulate the official collection sheets , ine resomon uso commitee throughout the area and backed the demonstration to be held inrougn a co-orainating commutee basea on ine inree loco Trades Councils, measures are being taken to protect those in dispute from financial hardship and to mobilise mass suppor:
• the Trades Council will be approaching local authorities anc ine sus ane elecincu poores norto cure Levono workers o • ine trades council will organise a series of mass jactory galt calls for national support are being organisec • the strike committee has asked the trades council to take ou!
and other support and a direct appeal for support on the picke!
28 January 1982
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MICK COYNE, Works Convenor and Chair of the Leyland Bus, Truck and