1976 that I told my friends in Sparkhill that 1 had applied for a job at Rover. "You must be joking', "They don'i recruit they said.
DaCKS Aa rDO nEraulLionally, car workers mn une WG anes enOy standard of living than workers CONDONCHI SUDUI Y to my shop in future. I couldn't | had got three stewards elected get much joy from the shop steward, but all my workmates supported me and the foreman stopped Sandom. That was the nirsE encourasine SiCD lOr HC 1 got elected shop steward The older hands moved out and my workmates, all aged under 30, stopped making racist joke! and turned their wit on the fascists instead.
That summer there was a mass meeting of 2,000 workers opposilion to ane convenor, 1 our clalm movea a resoluuon loi acuul As 1 left the platform, the next speaker attacked my speech by saying I had six wives and could but afford to stay on the dole!
My friends had to hold me It is not surprising that at the end of'75, the fascists had been able to win total control or un TGWU 5/909 - despite the fact tha joint shop stewards COmmtlee was controlled by CP and the Militant tendency, and that a leaflet had been distributed by the joint shop stewards confed against the National Front.
Prior to the branch elections there had been an unofficial Rover carrying out of a time study. The handling of the strike by stewards and the eventual defeat created apathy among the rank and file. The hront nac nastee nal exploit this apathy on the shop Toor ane oooos ne lorees bur up virtually no resistance.
•W d.
As a recul ane ascss wor union positions, though as it turned out they unable to bring their people to the regular branch and soon lost practical control. Transe red to came ew sbi turn came plant, and I was given a job or line 2. Immediately I heard talk Wa. going on about the activity of the fascists on line I, where they were building up support and Not long after 1 was again elected shop steward, basis of being a good trade unionist and despite, taulic than because of being black Still, 1 did represent 60 whites as well as 10 blacks and I could sense a feeling of identity among the blacks.
At SRO0 stewards badges. Another sign of their activity were the fascist posters. mostly anti-black, track with NF stickers on them, the black workers said they would refuse handle these cars and it quickly stopped.
a nad OCCH continually approaching all the progressive elements for a joint campaign against the fascists which The branch and SBOE stewards committees did consistently support anu-racis. demonstrations, and buy anti-racist leaflets to distribute on the shop floor, and both bodies organised special meetings with outside speakers. Bu only the converted responded In the absence of links with shop floor struggles, leaflets usually straight in the dustbin and meetings are ignored In the tin smith area the Front had established a cell that meeting regularly at lunchtimes to listen NF music and speeches, and in the final lines area they were gomg round openly wearing NF badges and stickers.
However as the NF= Nazis message began to get home and the Anti Nazi League was with the NF. The blacks were feeling more secure and the NF the verge of being isolated from popular opinion.
developments in It was these the national situation that laid
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resolution for action. "The next speaker attacked my speech, sa and could afford to stay on the dole. My fri RAGHIB AHSAN, a shop steward at the Solihull, describes his encounters and confr racists and fascists at work.
meetings 1 found that a few shop stewards were wearing NF
mosund line ilor a me ar on line 2 were coming down the
would take up these shop floor issues, but nothing effective was organised.
gaining ground people became reluctant to identify too closely