NO WAGE rises for Leyland workers. The only way they can increase their through a productivity deal.
This is what Leyland boss. •Mick the Knite Edwardes has in store. writes JONATHAN SESEKMAIN.
Edwardes might be forced to concede the odd per cent. But his intention is to defend the Government's five per cent to the hilt.
DECLINE Edwardes will have at his disposal the full force of the capitalist press to prove that Leyland can afford to pay no more.
There is no getting away trom this very real crisis-ridden state of British Leyland - or BL as I s now canca.
market share dropped from 50 per cent in 1968 to 30 per cent in 1974 and 24 per cent in CuwauCss confident prediction tht this figure would be raised to 27 per cent this vear was dashed when the figures for the first nine months of 1978 were published. They showed a further decline to 22.74 per Mick the Knife and Sunny Jim have a plan to deal with this called the Edwardes tuauoH. plan. It involves breaking BL down into its constituent parts, sorting the profitable trom the unprofitable sections, chopping the latter.
MOUTH Leyland Bus and division, for instance, made a profit of £43 million in 1976 and the market is booming this year Rover and Jaguar are su!
healthy.
The idea is that these will be -ire me u-tared Standard plant at Speke — will be closed.
oven within the promtable sectors, the Edwardes axe will fall: the AEC bus and truck factory in Southall is due for closure by 1980.
The Callaghan Government Socialist Challenge 2 November 1978 page 4 and STaCK concentrated upon while others | intends to put its money where its mouth is. Ten days ago came the announcement that there would be no more state unless oetamanea proves its performances.
Altogether, SOTU
Leyland jobs are at stake. But BL is so much ai the heart of British industry, with factories in all the major industrial centres, that perhaps ten times aid this number threatened.
30,000 Today's motor industry international. Even it Ine bl bosses" problems of productilike.
problems vity were to vanish overnight, thev wourld stilltace the problem firm, of lack of overseas markets, foreign competition and the Citröen, BL = NO FUTURE To attempt to deal with BL's 'internal"
ITOBEH mechanisms without confronting these 'external' problems is not on. There is no future for BL as a capitalist enterprise.
Thai's why Edwardes considers such draconian measures. That's why rumours abound about a link up between BL and I the French nationalised Cal Renault, following the link deal involving Chrysler and That'swhy hand in hand with the present wage demandsof the Leyland workers, pressing need both for full information about the precise nature of Edwardes" plans and for an alternative trade union plan for the nationalisation of the motor industry as a whole without compensation and under workers control.
Such an alternative plal that would involve the protection of living standards against the effects of inflation through WoWe mmvove Curine H lengih of the working week on -uDay aBer ma Cus Lac workforce.
If there is a problem in the market for cars, the trade union plan could look into alternative products along the lines of the EuLas COrDU dI DIaH Sucha plan would provide the basis for uniting all car workers rather than have the bosses try todividethem with talk of profit of this firm, precarious state of Such a plan would provide a real alternative to the schemes or Mick tne Anile