explains.
In actual fact, the NEB is becoming increasingly central to the Govern теп 1 дистося to moorse DEUN apital. "What to do about the NEE shop stewards committees in the EAI33CU DUSCLLOr OVOCN months, partiçularly if Labour wins What is more, many trade unionists still have lingering illisions about the NEB. They feel that NEB control or involvement could tean improvement in job security and working conditions.
In the absence of a clear alternative they put Faith Lovernmem s commuement ual toe 'NER will be an instrument for direct MInaTTWO BuS GOO RUTIE! of high unemplosment": as weil as in Iact hat three leading unionists, Hugh Scanion, Basnett, and Harry Urwin, are on its board.
It was with these hopes that shop stewards at Tress Engineering, subsidiary of the Fairey Group on aiong throughour the combine, campasned and cvest Industrial action to get the NEB to take control when the Fairey Groun was declared hankrupt in October 1977.
TRAFALGAR A bid for F'aitsy Trafalgar House, the notonous asset stripper, unice basher inst bet of the Faire es assets stripped if Trafalçar wot control.
Tresi had been a low Faurey's corporate plans. It did not fit COLADT CIMAR product range. So most of its profits weresiphoned off to other parts of the group Like many the subsidiaries the corporations, Tress was allowed to run down.
The stewards assumed that the purpose of the NEB was precisely to reverse this order of prioritics and AKCUUVESTTCOEDCCISIONS ONTAC ORSIS needs. So NEH did take: Fairey over January 1978, they expected things to chanee and snvesiment to sart Indeed there was much talk of of new products and job securily: Job security is experience these days on Peoplc began to book holidays, take on hire purchase commitments and so on, on the strength of these changed prospects.
Three months later, while the shop finor were on sinke over n nav calm. the NEB announced that Tress was to be closed immediately.
Three hundred and thirty men and women were to join the growing dole queues of the North-East - 330 jobs and apprenticeships gone forever. The same week newspaper headlinea announced tha: 11,000 more school léavers had joined the dole queues of WHAT'S LEFT Gp por word. Display 22 per colum Deadiine: 3pm Salurday balone Honu resen Dronus. ************* TYPSTWANTED Cered m hea otor.12tim ************* URGENT. FUI-IO WCrRer D0030e immec alels lor S0 GUGUNLOT OUD NORTH LONDON Diford Hemingtoed Rd, Landon N1. 75p/50p *THE National Enterprise Board? We all knew from the start it was just another piece of state capitatism." That would probably be the reaction of most readers of "Socialist Challenge". Dismissal of the NEB is in one sense absolutely right. But that cannot be the end of the story, as HILARY WAINWRIGHT the North.
Culte nncd Ol lhe big corporaliaas that Tress could Or cascs over machinery. a real LOBBYING in trade raken it for a ride.
David day-to-day decisions. lobbied. -threntened Murphy.
NEB and was put in by the profitability Fumuisturna as a Wh0lE empire to have profit in thelong tun — priority it restructure ailing profitable _anto sne taurcy CULECSSNCESYTLT shareholders.
North-East multi plant ILLUSIONS being case of- Kearney.
when the McConpell.
WIl 2O the La rare resistance panies in risky micro-clectronics.
of restructuring.
The experience Protection Act.
N. RELAND....
At first many of the stewards Here was the NEB acting like the most profit-conscious Some of local management and the Tyne and Wear Council leaders wete equally shocked: they were convinced investment to replace the old - in At first many people thought that it would be just a matler of some strong lobbying, trips to London, pressure on Scanlon, questions to Varley, and the NEB would cole to its senses and realise that Fairey management had But in the course of a few days' Jobbying the stewards quickly realised that the NEB does not work like thal. Its statutory guidelines make sure that it is not politically accountable for its Ar every turn the stewards found that the Government has made sure that the NEB acts acoording to the normal practice of any major private financial institution. I iseven header by a former merchant hanker, Leslie The only difference between the private institutional sharchelder is that whereas tbe latter is concerned primarily to maximise its own protas, toc NEb is coocema The NEB itself has to show a high 15-20 pet cent by 1980 — but this is only to enure that it sticksto its primary purpose: to but potentialiy backed management can apply, and then sell the company back to private This has already happened in the Trecker und Marwin, an important machine tool company which was sold to Vickers. More recently, Pitcralt Summir was sold to the multinational Booker provides bits), Fairey Holdings, and the otben the Cover Government (either party) meets no Establishing new profitahle com such also for later handing over to private shareholders, is clearly another side of this process _ Tress, then, shattered a lot of illusions. And not ouly in the NEB. I aiso revealed some of the weaknesses of the Employment Ai Tress this turned out to be more 01 a managemene reoccuon 2Çr 11 certainiy he ped lo protect managestewards saw as their only hope The Act's cnabled DEUTESOEE management to bay out the 90 day consultation period and lock out the workforce. The Act does not make he 90 days compulsory. it cash award management don't allow the period.
Furthermore, the Act redundancics DUETEa •STIRE COTNOR occuerence these days.
Once the 90 days were lost and the workforce locked out, everything depended TaTLULL membership to carry out a tight. to occupy the plant. That is what the stewards argued.
Bur when the workers had been living on strike pay, and little of that for six weeks there was a lot convineing to For this stewards needed the full hacking of the full Bime ofticals. On this further illusions were shattered.
The Juli-lime officials saw thei priority as being "to ger a did they PIUREI BANNENS: Mar inlesertior challenge manageient's decision lo chose.
LOIS WES DU SUDESUNEUES particularly nasty official. The whole just oughly management's definition of SC Conum Ea marKC competitiveness) and munagement's priorities (profits, corporate growth) have become part of the normal thinking of officials al a regional as well as national level the And the support which the officials gol from some quarters indicated that the rot has not stopped at the level of the officials.
On the other hand, a large mumber shop stewards, unionists and Lahour Party members the look a strong stand against the closure of Tress.
Within the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers there are now good not stronger resistanice Husa testien Inel 5 40-4 Har redundancies shog IMPACT CELUITE involvod, political debate sections of the the interests of many OPTEICICS SonEre other trade Ал inceling with the same if to establish policy aaulsi CON COM: INHI AHASIHIMT EECTH LUDDE TEUIUIUSET SLINGTON Campa gn againal Facisn and would attempt to back up the principle that jobs are not for sale with some sort of discipline Pun Ine labour Party Hicre is growing pressure for an ingury anto TeTE UC CEEUCCIHI there is more thoughtful discussion aboul vest coleres and what lorms of organisation will overcome the Tacalisur with which the majority of workine people are accepting ciosures and redundancies, as if there is co alternative future lo light lor.
It was in order lo strengthen these responses, in order to genernlise some of the lesaoos of Tress, and in order to auswer some of the many questions which are being asked on abour the closure, that the former stewards computiee membere of the Tyneside Socialist Centre, have produced the pamphlet The Closure of Tress: A Fainey Story.
It is a pamphlet which aims to have an impaci among rank-and-file trade unionses far beyond the left. Judging by the mass sales by sempathetic shop stewards committoes (eg. 340 sales mn Two Vickers plamts), bythe debales in Constituency Labour Party meetings, andi hs the camenls in nons. cinhs. and factory foors it is fulfiiling ies It is perlaps coo early tu say, but it wouldseem that a pampllet on a local instance of a wider problemo, written and produced by or with the workers Is a way of stimulating among far wider workers movement than ever the lell press or public meetings could do I's been done before, of course but maybe we should make a hatit of problem at the moment, however, is that on Tyneside, at least, rank-and-file organisation in the AUFW able to build on the SULH pampbler The Broad Lett has never really bad much presence onl Tyncside and, as elsewhere, is weaker now than ever betore. Engineering Charter is enly beginning to gain respoct initiative Jike the Tress pamphlet can therefore only help to prepare the ground for the future.
Further information und copies of he pampilel Iprice 20p plus påp SENTrUS Socialist Centre, Westeate Road, Newcastle 1.
LONDON Latin American doupie: 485 defend
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