new threat to everyone's back garden? to press).
Parsons has reason to be worried. The recent Transport & General Workers Union 5/293 Branch elections virtually wiped out Parsons' puppets and replaced them with militants prepared to defend workers' interests. In particular Alan Thornett (the so-called "Mole'), a member of the Workers Socialist League and steward in the transport department, won the Branch Chairmanship.
The Organiser, the Cowley bulletin of the International Marxist Group (the other organisation Parsons hates most) pointed out that this was 'a big step forward' for the workers in the plant. It went on:
- Leyland are upset, because they know they will face a fighting branch determined to oppose the Ryder attacks at every "Beware of the Mole', screamed the Mirror. 'Stop the Mole and his mates!' urged the Daily Express. What is this mole - some The truth is rather more simple. It's union election time at British Leyland's Cowley plant again. And senior steward Reg Parsons, chief stooge for BL management in its attempts to slash the workforce and introduce savage speed-up, is worried lest the militants win a majority of the full-time deputy senior stewards posts (which are being voted on as Red Weekly goes Alan Thornett was singled out for special treatment. Eighteen months ago, Thornett lost his deputy senior stewards' post following an orchestrated victimisation campaign by management, the TGWU leadership, and a press witch-hunt. This campaign was initiated by Parsons and led to a weakening of trade union organisation at Cowley.
Following a stage-managed enquiry which formally cleared Thornett of all charges against him, the TGWU bureaucracy ordered new shop floor ballots for deputy senior and senior stewards, replacing the previous method of election by the stewards committee. This led to the defeat of Bob Fryer, the left-wing senior steward, and Parson's artival in his present position.
the Cowley factories. ope. 710stable*. up and take notice.
Due to be axed in June as part of the which has been in the Little hope Although the local union leaders are us to get work again?" material deprivation. Witch-hunter and hunted. belowl neg Parsons, (above) Alan Thornett The TWU also split the old 5/55 branch and set up a separate branch for the Assembly Plant, 5/ 293, in an effort to crush the power and unity formerly involved in a single branch covering three of This neatly prepared the way for Leyland's sackings and productivity tions drive, embodied in the Ryder Report, and for management's attempts to incorporate the plant union leadership by implementing Ryder's proposals through a system of class collaborationist Joint Management Committees'. As a result of speedup, BL management are now claiming that the Marina assembly line at Cowley is as efficient as any in EurBut despite the efforts of BL and the Labour Government, BL is still losing £6 million a week. Recently were told Ryder was all about) was suspended and BL announced that the first dollop of lolly from the Government had all gone to pay current bills rather than re-equip the plant. In other words, as IMG and WL militants in CowDISTRICT complete nationalisation of the concern can be carried out under workers control And the fight back against Ryder has been developing. The elections for the vaunted worker participation' committees were greeted by mass abstentions. Three separate attempts to force massive speed-up on the Princess line - including a threat to close the North works if a ridiculous target of 28½ cars an hour was not achieved - have been beaten back. Now the militants have won the 5/293 Branch elecTEST CASE Behind the red scare tactics of the right-wing leaders in Cowley lies the fear of the ruling class that the Government's efforts to save British Leyland for capitalism will fall apart. BL, along with Chrysler and the steel industry, are test cases for the future success of the Wilson Government in its attacks on the working class.
If Ryder's applecart is upset and car workers at BL reverse the recent defeat suffered at Chrysler, then a dent will have been made in Wilson's abilities to serve the employers so well. This is why the ruling class is so concerned that the Parsons regime should continue at Cowley - and why the capitalist press was so keen to splash it all over its pages last week.
COWLEY IMG The main banner of the demo, instead of urging a fight agamst the anti-working class policies of the Wilson Government, 70 ycars British and Boom: 7 years American and Doom As if British workers' problems stop this side of the Atlantic. No real links have yet been made with workers facing redundaney in other Chrysler plants to build some common campaign against redundancy.
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