Since the collapse of the Leyland Motor Corporation, and its full-scale backdoor nationalisation under the banner of Leyland, the company s union leaderships have had their own versions of the Social Contract. This Contract involved the unions in participation In form or plains PAT HICKEY.
Welcomed by Communist Party as a major extension of democracy, participation has meant the unions carrying management decisions, Improving producti vily, punishing strikers, accepring redundancies.
In the interests of a strong Leyland' the union leaderships have acocoledan incomes policy more stringent than the one being enforced nationally. Is greatest success to dale was the Michael Edwardes meeting last month when union epreand management SCULLYOS voted together to get rid of 20-30,000 jobs.
To continue on this course the union leadersbips have had to stifle the activity of their membership. When the toolmakers. struck policy to SC Trade Unior NAME..
ADDRESS.
TRADE UNION...
Labour mosement preitions beld.
bosses concentrated on attacking the strikers.
When Leyland management refused to recognise Thornell as deputy steward, the unions responded laying charges Thornett and eight stewards Wage negotiations have been handed over to a joint negotiating not accounlable to the shop Door. The combine committee has has done nothing to help the Speke workers except issue a statement. ек- Plunt leaderships have become the front line for ITE DUELaC the process continues the unsons int Leyland will be mere tools of management, The left must begin organise now to challenge Lis situation, to fight for an end to participation, BERISE Edwarde's plan, in defence of living sandards.
This can be done by building a class struggle opposition in Leyland which unites national level all tendencies and forces who are opposed to the policies of the present leadership.
SLOE Socialist
trade union conference provide those of us in Lesland with an opportunity to learn the CHICTCTLL militants in other unions and sectors about now to beell-to build a strong class struggle the unions opposition.
...why don't you?
If you are interested in attending the Socialist Challenge Trade Caion Conference, just fill in this form and send it Ice. PO Box 50, London NI.
Denny Fitzpatrick is a member of the Executive Committee of the SocialAlan seniot ist Teachers Alliance and La leacher at Paddington against School in London. Five other London schools including her own are committee. presently facing closure For amalgamation. They are fighting back.
By 1978.
Government Education liget tost authe 11,000 million the this brities, these Tory policies have been Implementing cuts piecemen! -squeezing and saving in every possible area.
The trade union leaders have done little to stop this. The the closure of teacher colleges, reduction in ances, cuts in supply and part-time teaching increases in the price of school on meals have followed. those Now, to make real savings, the authorities are having 1o make cuts that really hurt. So with 20,000 registered unemChallenge ployed teachers (and more will besides) union members are being compulsorily transferred from one school to another.
of redeployment, redundancies closure of schools.
The Government and authShites ha matest le curbacks. bombers of children cotering scheois school insures are say rationalisation for such "falling rolls.
In Westminster three newlybuilt face the threat of closure and this threat we have produced aD allergative man. based on keeping all sebools oper and safeguarting all jobs. Unlike the authority's, it is bot limited to three sclools, bur community hased schools with a class size of 25. Wich less children, our plan provides for More space and more equip ment all round.
Our committee Labour will have support we've got real action with no alterative to ority is plunned.
Executive has limute training allow- to local protests.
stafT dEU Teachers" sacked w and the left in the policies recent STA candidates There are declining - they lell un that Socialist leadine bodies comprebensive schools To answer Dur plan is shall Socialist lighting for nationally for policies and carpaigo in West Wesminster. minster involves the students, parents and local trade union Bts. We have formed democ ratic and representative intercommittees schools; an inter-school action to involve the Through the Trades Council. we have called a public meering to broaden the base of the campaign and we organised a lobhy of the London Regional Labour Party Conference. Our Coal Board, next step will be to turn the into some a lobby of the Tener London Education Auth Westminster NUT has taken the lead in the campaigo. But nationally DO solicy to defend education. Th action against the Covernment 5 cuts Instead mounting i campaien against pay restraint. the Gesernment's atacks it has apported the Social Contrac word nd disciplised members wh wanted tu take effective action.
salaries have dec lined about 30 per cent. A light against school closures, against right-wins cuts in wager. jobs and service involves a fight against the right with Socialist Teachers They Socialist obliged Alliance is piedped to uniting democratic NUT araurid majority for a lightback. la membershipcloctions in London. carne withi 200 votes (our of over 4,000) of Excative andidates. The STA detcating the right-wing. even is a democratic tendency with The open debate in its journal Teucher, and all Currents represented on Bur the left in the NUT is wage claim still divided. An important task before us is to unify theleft on a democratic bails, io parricular for the STA to unire wich the SWP inspired Rank and File. sacrifices be going 10. the Challenge Trade Unien Conference not to find all the answers but to discuss how to build a broad based and united opposition in the unions - one that can begin to fight the sort of once actions around The Collier, Worksop Main Colliery, N. Derbyshire.
WHO WOULD have suspected there between our officials in the National Union of Mineworkers, the Government linking the introduction of productivity deals and our annal wage claim?
The same Labour Govern ment which came to power on the backs of the miners, and incidentally the same Govern- our ment which had the key election promise of a return to froe collective bargaining.
Somehow this turned into the most rigidly enforced voluntary This kind ol beirayal..bloody hell, wrong again.co-operation must require certain sacrifioes Ibe participants, which hear close scrutiny.
Elen Joe Gimle an the majority Now NUM crocutive (usually 14 to 11) had to make sacrifices were. for example, the union was the who insisted on having a ballor on the productivity scheming after conference had rejecled these proposal.
leadership was aus forced to overturn the decision of the annual conference that's the jamboree we all thought was our supreme body) on our They didn't of course, have their own staodard of living cut, but then we can't really expect them to shoulder all the There has been a dramatic change since the heady days of *72 and "74. Even in apparent success the soods of defeat can be sown. Half of what you gain by militant action is lost around the nepotiating table, someone said well understood by Lord Wilber- an force, who headed the inquiry after the 72 strike.
was open so-called moderate and this Tory...er. sorry....Labour His report contained two dangerous clauses. Clause 4R moved the date of negotiating annuil claim November • to March, which meant we lost four months and considerahly weakened our bargaining strengin Clause 53 was just al serious 11 said that there should be a productivity scheme. which 'should be agreed nationaly and could he based on increase individual combination of the two.
LEL reaping the harvest.
More deaths, accidents and disease are on the cards with cac introduction incentive schernes designed to break the unity of the union.
The NUM left has also been shown to be wanting FRosd the undemocrats manoeuvres of the right-wing, first Kent last October and then Arthur Scargill's Yorkshire Area in December looked to the courts rather than the power of the rank and lile The Government has achiyed sometbing which the Torie only dreamt of the maicy of the miners. have lost our strength pinning our hopes bit our nonrecallable officials What we have failed to realise is that miticant action by itself is not sufficient in the face of an enormoss crisis and the Government's The Sociulist Challenge Trade Union Conference will provide iportant FELLIE! mlitants to discuss our political Tespouse