THE OUTCOME of the Ford strike could condition the whole of British polities in the immediate fature. It could answer the whimper? Could moves to the right which we have recently noted question: will this Lahour government cod in a number of unions be reversed?
Despite the setbacks of the past two years, culminating in the deleat of the FBU strike at the end of 1977; despite the ascendancy of the right wing in a number of unions including the AlE: despite other setbacks of this character, no profound defeat has been suffered.
Important, it is clear that the rank and file leadership in the plants remains largely intuct. The retreat of Duffy in the face of the Lesland toolmakers was a real illustration of this fact. continuation of delensive struggles and even a gumher of important offensive disputes. We have seen the POEU struggle for 35 hours, the parity claims by the Leyland toolmakers and the Chrysler lorry plants, the social workers" demands for local new machines, and a whole series of plant-based produetivity fights and claims ISOLATION perspective was suggested to oppose that of Callaghan and the trade union buresucracy. Hence these disputes remained isolated. When even a hint of openly confronting government policy was posed, the leaderships, as in the case of POEU, deralled the struggle.
threat and indicates the weakness of the labour movement.
their side.
MULTINATIONAL the first place, otber car workers.
cast of living.
to action.
MASS MEETINGS a call made for international solidarity.
working cluss.
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Socialist Challenge 28 September 1978 page 2 Rank and file pressure had heen building up for some time.
The working class has kept its organisational strength. More It is for this reason that since the FB dispute we have seen the agreements, the Bathgate strike for increased money for operating To be sure, all these struggles remained sectoral. No alternative This lack of an overall socialist alternative which could appear credible to a section of the working class now emerges us a real At present the Ford strike does not break out of this situation. Whilst the claim openly floats the government's 5 per cent incomes policy, it is posed by union leaders un a special cuse, Ford workers must reject the argument that they should get a pay rise any because Ford has made a profit. This will not win the Leyland und Chrysler workers, nor indeed the local government workers, Jo In the face of opposition not only from a ruthless multinational firm but also from the government itself, the only guarantee of victory is to win the sopport of the rest of the working class — in It is not so much the profit making of Fords which is centrul bet the need to nationalise all the car industry, Including components, under workers centrol; the breuking of the logic of production for profit and the need for automutic wage rises to keep pace with the Of course, the present leadership of the strike will not do this. Socialists muse fight for a real alternative to the threats of Callaghan und the phoney ostrich-like 'special case' arguments of the Ford lendership. Atthe same time they most fight for initiatives which develop the self-organisation of the rank and file wherely such a political alternative can find u real basis of support and lead The TUC will only be made to aét. The running of the strike must he taken out of the tands of the Ford National Joint egotiuling Committee and placed in the hands of a strike committee elected by a recalled national stewards conference. Flying pickets should be sent our from regular mass meetings to the ports und the airports to stop the movement of Ford products, and Such a course would very quickly win the support of wide lasers of the working class and knock the sung smile off Callaghan's face whilst beginning to develop a real socialist alternative in the tion from within the Labou Party will come from the with a hang or a • Militant current. All that this will amount to a militant resolutions, militant speeches.
militant not-so-milinant votes, but no In 1975, when the Wilson Cabinet was considering series of savage expenditure cuts and rigid wage controls under pressure from the IMF.
locsin.
They mel and agreed 10 a policy statement, which was published aver three pages in Tribune. This stated:
there are signs that the government elieves that, sonichow, shonterm capitalist remedics large scale unemployment and cuts living standards. including savage public expenditure cuts are consistent with long teren socialist plan ning. They are not, and we will not support thent.
They went on to declare their chess. montutionary socialisti Me:
see-collaboracionism in the ladimur ming enours mess the power of the capitals stale statutory control and wowd not suppor other sunilar and scarcely distingusshable NOTICES The key words extracts we have quoted are will not support. The logic of this is to organise an opposition in the Labour Party and the mrade unions and launch a public campaign.
But, and there's the rub, they did support all the measures of (son/Callaghan regimes.
They Tailed criteria as left social-democrills.
Today their forces are in Lisarray Samue Tribunites act Loyal supporters of Michae Fool: others are more attached to Been; others still Mir. with Millant; and a few. perhaps two, responsive to the calls of the extra-parliamenlary or non Labourist left do a Blackpool in 19787 We super that there is only a one word answer - nothing offersolutions that are in the interests, not uf the worden, but of the capitalist socalist Chutenge betire thiet the too wital asks confronting •To Build broad-hised raw struggle tendencies in apposition ment, Thane should he nun-cactusin in character grouping togetber militants holding w wide range of political views Such an unganisation should he haved on the understanding that!
The single sor surialive seeke to suite the light of the workers agrim as wilh that of other appressed layer of society black penple, good — strugging for their liberation. This endalism ea unty be schleved by westlag new unane of port and defeating with al industry cannot be resolved by capital but hy a set of measures which clash the interests capital.
Take the car industry. It is in What is posed at complete and mess.
both British Ley and and Ford question of nationalisation.
This cannot be the same as before. It needs to be under the control of the workers. who will determine whose interests these plants actonily serve Whit is raised in the whole question of a national plan not as a fake attempt to play off set of workers against hut to so how 1be whole economy could be re-organised This question of planning is now being raised by a whole series of shop stewards and In maREs On tie wages frant, the Ford dispute threatens the Labour government in a way that rh Fire Brigad Union The internsb of murke from Polaid and letting the frik people Arming there wen fume.
Will the Labour lelt accep Callaghan's nauseous apoloCand not demand full scale discussion both at the conterence and in parliament?
And what are the supporters of Tribune going to do abou the backing given by Callaghan to the Shal of tran? Is that. too, going to be quietly buried as the butchery continues in the streets and torture chambers of King of Kings'?
Zimbabwe, Iran, and dome stically the Ford dispute now threaten the cohesion of the Callaghan government SocialIsts outside the labour Party are already in the toretrone ol these and othe i strugales (such as the ANI, CARE, cic)
So far all they have got from even sympathetic Labour MP is words, words and more words. The 1978 conference will not be an exception. This fact alone indicates the exten to wilich the spectrum in th Tabour Party has moved to the right Our scinice will be infinitels mur democratie chan wass eviets in itain luday, will Tell rights for all polinical parties and cuments and rapitalete are infecomedalde un workt imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they vistain In tim In Britain a Implies demanding the immediate withdrus at ut Heili-s IronpThe Commudise Parties in Europe ure in crisis strang for the merthrus of the copitalet stair New he hit maar? seriaor parties ane more nassari than erer hefine. Condimins tida ali be built hs rejecting sectariannes and wring internal demicries not w ry bai sa vital acessib. the mess the right in urganie tacts
not a case ROB McCRAE, operator in the press shop at specialt press FORD workers lobby the pay negotiations in Moscow Place, London.
FORD WORKERS are out on strike for a wage claim 005- X0090 • CONFET! *A £20 a week all round
----- pull-quotes -----
The RAR Concert at Brockwell Park on Sunday. A hundred thousand people were there; see pages 7 and 16. Capitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the 1 alour Party and the trades union
(sarialism in the Disk and Fasters Furope tove reedied aiglion in the exerat she millinent mirkers benughont the workt. Me are sppied in Them sad will offer sull support on all those Nighting-tor sataller demerals.