Rate 6 PARKING Chrysler workers at Stoke -ast month, after a concerted campaign trade union. officers, ~ rysier worktorce was oressurisea accepting the government proposals for 'saving' the firm. In voting at mass meetings in Linwood, Ryton and Stoke for these plans - thereby overturning =revious decisions to occupy the plants a: ine threat of any redundancies - the C-rysler workers were persuaded to accept 9000 lay-offs.
The decision at these meetings to accept the recommendations of senior sewards and union orticials does not i-s: mean, however, forcing one third become unmistakaby ciear in me years -re Times, in a recent analysis, acte to ine omer surines tea to as. ernment's decision to pour £162m subsidies are dependent on what is a 'no strike' pledge, support the government's - even inougn it may 'ugnien' in ine period ahead - and on a recognition that all existing agreements protecting working conditions are to be scrapped as rationalisation' measures are now introduced.
Strategy There can be no doubt that persuadina the unions to ram this deal inrougn is a major victory for the government's strategy towards the car one lett industry. The problems facing Chrysler - a decrease in sales due to fierce competition in a shrinking world market - apply, to a greater or lesser extent, to all car firms in Britain.
The government is only too aware that if these firms are to compete today in a world market which, competitive, lower manning levels are vital. the past 20 years, britain's the world market in car sales has slumped by 15% and. is considered a 'car glut', will slump even faster.
Only recently, Review Staff (the government 'think Tanke sumitec a cocument entitier ' The Future of the Car which It spelt out, in black the problem. Unless, it said, a drastic improvement on such issues as productivity levels, an industry in which the balance of trade in cars would deteriorate by al gave billion a year (by 1975 prices). More InC concrecy. ancies of between 50, 000 on a cuarantee le wage policy La lead'.
Viability through!
impossible without the of union leaders.
well, nationalise Chrysler lock, following entry has become ever more TODS Over share at a time of what Play -olls. the Central Policy the government's policies, Industry! in and was there is over-manning ancies. 1985 could see it recommended redundand 275,000 THE LESSONS ions.
The government's attitude towards Chrysler - forcing through a smaller, more stream-lined company by redundancies - is merely the first step in a long-term policy that will, in the period ahead, be applied to other firms. It is obviously taking seriously the think tank's report that it must 'give The government's ability to 'push this rationalisation scheme al neysler would ciearly nave been 'co-operation' Accepting the 'viab¡lity! of private enterprise is not just the hallmark of the government but also of the leaders of the AEUW as such as Bob Wright, who made no attempt to force the government to stock and barrel as the sole way of protecting That such a campaign would have won the wholehearted support of the workforce is demonstrated by the fact that mass meetings at Linwood and Ryton emancie occupations at the first sign of any instead of channelling this mass feeling into a viable opposition to the union leaders tried to intimidate the workforce by suggesting that if Varley's plans were not accepted, they could be withdrawn under Tory pressure, thus leading to even greater redundThis attitude, which ties jobs to the Iviability! of private enterprise, not only led to 9000 lay-offs for the Chrysler work-force but will prove equally disastrous in the fight against recuncancies in mme perioo aneda as Accepting the starting point of 'viab¡lity! leads inevitably to accepting cuts in manning levels and working conditIt leads to fragmenting the work • force in the scramble that ensues as workers fight to 'savel their job at the expence of fellow workers. This will become even more obvious at Chrysler in the coming period as ine voluntary redundancies! scheme ends and the management begins to wield ine axe Lessons lnis is not, or course, to suggest Ine union leaders found it easy to get the Vane-s ccaro cans acceoted. the various shop stewards' meetings, the vote in favour of the plans was only narrowly passed - being carried at Ryton by 45 to 43 votes and at Linwood by 156 to 129.
The fact, however, that the unions were pushing support tor government policy as the 'lesser evill seriously contused ine membership wno, light of no viable alternative, clearly felt intimidated into accepting them. The maor lesson, in this sense, to emerge from the Chrvsler experience is no - as groups such as the International Socialists maintain - the need for more militancy. The Chrysler workers do a"ne labour torce oronto ne co action at Linwood - in the teeth of government threats to end subsidies -only goes to show.
The major lesson is that the struggle against unemployment cannot be solved locally but is inseparable from a real national struggle in ine unions ana ine Labour Party around a clear programmalc allernative to tne dollcies or tne right-wing leaders. It is only by building a polltical opposition natonally lo the 'lesser evil' policies of the labour demands of work-sharing, opening the books and nationalisation under workers control - that this militancy can be given a real alternative perspective to the dole queue policies of a Scanlon or a Jones.
February 76 page