The outcome of the elections for deputy semor stewaros at me cowley Assembly Plant represents a setback for the left wing and the stewards opposed to the scab policies of senior steward Reg Parsons. Five of the elected deputies featured in the list of moderates" circulated by Parsons. The only elected candidate committed to resistance to Levland's attacks is Bob Fryer, the former senior steward.
Parson s week-long witch-hunt - orch estrated by his allies in the national press - paid dividends as his list of useless nonentities featured in every newspaper. The betrayal by the trade union bureaucracy of the Chrysler workers also took its toll, as workers at Cowley could see no immediate alternative to Parsons' collaboration and therefore voted for his puppets in the vain hope that his policies woud somenow wave men toos..
But recent events - ane the election of Erver - show a growing polarisation in the plant. Fryer will provide the focus for the vast majority of stewards who oppose Parson's sell-out policies; and the recent election victories by the left wing in the Transport and General Workers Union 5/293 Branch show that resisance is not isnea Parsons response nas been to try to smash the stewards' strength through a manoeuvre. He has sought to get the company to prevent stewards from ditferent sections meeting without his permission, and he has tried. so far with little success, to raise a petition amongst members o server noner wu branch which would be under his control.
Manoeuvre But Parsons' willingness to collaborate with the company does not stop tere.
vree a deal win the company in an att empt to settle long-standing regrading claims from several sections of the plant. Parsons did his utmost to ram this manoeuvre down the throats of the Assembly Plant quality inspectors, who have for months been operating an overtime ban I an acmoe to wur men saurue.
The company is extremely embarrassed by this ban, which prevents the clearance of much needed production to the derers. Under oressure rom me com pany the trade union officials were not averse, at a time of mounting unemployment, to instructing the inspectors to work overtime! Parsons' face, voting by 118 to 101 to prattled about his love for democracy, then called a separate meeting of TGWU inspectors, promising them the district official's offer of protection if they would scao on me majority decision. 10 ment with a rump of hardened scabs.
lengths the bureaucracy will go in their Save seme arue worker expense They also show how vital is the queston or leadersmip.
pose his bankruptcy to those who voted Parsons collaboration and set them or the path of solving the crisis in their favour. natis we task sull racing the rev olutionary left in Cowley.
Cowley IMG ing a full-feature on the need for a new strategy in the car industry to coincide with the Institute for Workers' Control comerence on unis sublect The inspectors flung this betrayal in continue the ban. Parsons, who has often their credit most of the TGWU members stormed out out, leaving Parsons in his eleThese developments show to what redundancies. drive to implement the Ryder Report and redundancy.
Parsons' continual sell-outs will exfor him. But clear and viable alternative policies are necessary to break them from Next week Red Weekly will be carryRed Weekly 22 January 1976 Jobs/TUC 3