IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

SPEKE! NOT ONE JOB MUST GO

Socialist Challenge No. 42, 20 April 1978 · p. 16 of the scan · 672 words

The scan: sc-n42-apr-20-1978.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 1-7 of 7; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 16 of the scan

When the closure was first nounced, payments of up the press had erraned. Bui the press now it has been revealed that it is more a case of two brass The offer is:

*One week's pay for every year's service — as Leyland are "An additional week's payment for every ycar "A maximum of 12 weeks" *What this amounts to is that BOLILL instead thousands of pounds, it has turned out that most workers will only receive around E600, and good deal less.

After the 17-weel lay off at Speke ended in February, most workers were quite happy to sell their jobs But bow the 'Everybody is disgusted and blazing says Peter Wilson who has worked at Speke for eight years.

*All the workers are together now. he adds. militant but misested we wil nor let then are all so get away with it. There is talk 0Е аП ООСТаПОЛ.

At a mass meeting held on Saturday, the Speke workers backed up these words when all hut four voted to reject the company offer. Sensing the given a little booklet outlining the company's redundancy proposals last Thursday evening, reports anger, comtine shop stewards chaicperson Derek Robinson declared:

•Not a balt will be allowed to leave the TR7 plant."

But Robinson went on 1o say: are improvement of in British Leyland so we can compete in commercial terms on the international market."

Yel the previous LevEn workers nad decely rejected the latest productivity scar tor Leyand. now much Robinson's talk of nuts and ploy semains to be sens remains ing at the weekend suggested that Leyland was preparing to increase its offer even before the original one was laid on the table: thar the initiat offer was made so that Leyland could appear *generous money was increased.

The only answer to these sort of tactics is Leyland workers to show that their jobs are, quite simply. not for sale The most immediate expres Son OT such restance would factory, and the building tol Decupetion mass support Leyland for the one-day strike agreed at the Liverpool Trades Council conference earlier this I month,

Leyland boss Michael

wardes will retreat, Instead of shifting the TR7 production to Coventry, he could simply shur down production of the model completely.

From a strictly commercial point of view, Edwardes would feel every justification to make move. productivity are wides acknowledeed to be failures week Leyland is trying to make the workers mistakes which they responsibility for: just as the overall strategy seen wardes's plan aver 10,000 interests of solving Leyland's profit problems.

By itself, an occupation and general strike will not counter management's strategy What when the would? First a demend for a cut in the working week Leyland without loss of pay for the to maintuin the johs il the TR7 is scrubbed.

Second the Leyland's books, and a full workers inquiry Leyland is run and responsibile lo the problems the throughout workers face.

Third a decisive rejection of the entire CONTINUINI officiul union Leyland. Ir is a workers' und it needs a workers' plun.

Unfortunately our accountants unlikely EdThe TR7 has of management te have so for the is to sacrifice jobs SERIE Liverpool opening of into how who is Edwardes's plan by the leadership Brixion on Saturday crisis stutement is untrue. in your These the well over the 96. issue of 30 Murch selling Chailenger virtuslis Name Address Brision. See pages 2 and 3 for a full report position? This about 33,000 newsagents in this country, of which uhout 375 are WH Smili shops or bookstalls. Throughout Britain there are about 430 that wholesale distribution depots of which WH Smith have about The letter also stated that if rade seling is Socialist Socialist Smith hundreds people' sould no longer be able to buy the paper from us. You Domestie: 6 montis, E5: 12 months, C10 Abroad: Airmuil. £16.50. Surface, t10 per annum.

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