plant. The others -Cowley-all votedagainst strikeaction.
Deputy Sepior Steward, SD No 1 plant, Birmingham The uneven response of BL's workers wasonlypartiallydueto the fact that some of the plants hadlittleor nothing to gain from the parityprogramme.
Evenplantslike Cowleywhich had been promised substantial benefits from the parity pledges votedagainst action.
BL argued that the parity payments were dependent on achieving agreed productivity targets, and that as these targets had not been met the payments wouldbepostponed.
But the lack of enthusiasm for Tolchard puts it, among leading began a massive Newcastle on 2 February.
A threat of closure requires a major leap workers' confidence and organisation to challenge management's controloverinvestment, the government's refusal to intervene, the "facts' of the market.
The Scotswood campaign has the sort of case on which a very broad and self-confident campaign can be built. fight is against management's deliberate sabotage of viable ana Vital productive capacity (in heavy engineering).
It isn't that Vickers don't have the to invest in Scotswood; Vickers is expecting £150m. in 'compensation' for the nationalisation shipbuilding and aerospace It isn't that the markets aren't there for heavy engineering; major orders have been turned away and Chinese OTECTS could possibility.
It is simply that the profit and loss accountants on the 19th floor of Millbank Tower (Vickers HQ) have calculated that investment in Scotswood • and, for that matter, heavy engineering more generally does not add enough to the profits side of the balance sheet.
The campaign's arguments have already had a wide hearing on Tyneside, and increasingly Support has come from the MOST diverse sources: workers at all the main Vickers in the country; shop stewards committees other companies on Tyneside;
trades Socialist Challenge 15-February 1979 page 6 THE CALL by union leaders for an all-out strike in Britishleyland wasmassivelyrejectedbytheworkforce. The Longbridge walk-out was the only one at a major Rover, Jaguar, Triumph, and strikeaction wasnotsomuchdue Ratherit wasa direct result of the course the union leadership BL has pursued for the past five years.
Every year national and most plant union leaderships have urged the membership to Jobs and conditions accept paltry wage rises in order comancoL prontadic.
They have opposed attempts to contront the management by saying that this would involve confronting the government, andthat it is impossibleto defeat thegovernment.
SCOTCHES propaganda about large scale WE ARE putting everything we've got into saving Scotswood. It's a real test of the strength of the shop stewards movement and of the combine committee. That's how Vickers Scotswood convenor Peter and it's a pretty general view shop stewards in the company.
Already an aggressive campaign is under way, which demonstration tenants groups; from Tyne and Wear County has promised £10,000 towards the campaign; from MPs; and even from local parish priests.
But all this would be just so much froth if the lacked real industrial muscle, and the will to use it.
The leadership campaign recognise this.
The Murray, secretary campaign committee, like this: "Only industrial action will hit Vickers where it hurts. And this is what we are building up to: industrial action through. out Vickers led by the North CaSU of *Mass meetings at and Michell Bearings (the two other along Scotswood Road) have mitted themselves Confed. has agreed to support real exhausted. it now that procedure has been *The political lobbying and the widening of support communicated to the members through a weekly campaign bulletin - will help to build up the strength and will of the members. *I don't think Vickers realise what they've taken on. They believe their own propaganda too much.
InIs Is certainly relation to the committee. Vickers just refuse to believe that workers in such a multi-product company (ranging from huge dock cranes and power presses at Scotswood, in through armaments at Elswick, duplicators and office furniand LUTC. highly closuresif thestrikes went ahead gained a certain credibility. Management repeating arguments that the union leadership had been using Toryears.
There was complicating trickery. Leyland combine joint negotiating committee had at mended acceptance of the parity deal last November - including me sen-unancing aspector te deal.
Many workers felt that the sell union and to aware that the company meant what it said when it talked of "self-financing'.
Or that the negotiators had purposely avoided precise information productivity required because they wanted company controntation As a Solihull convenor put it, was merely questions weren' tasked.
Ine further Tactor tnat une lighttostepupitsattacks.
recom- plant helddown.
negotiators were well strike calls membership workers seeking on the andprofitability.
Unless avoid a profitability at BL. HAPMAN 'themanagement did not seem to want us to ask questions'. So the There is no hiding the defeat that therejectionofthestrikecall means for BL's workforce. It will give the company the green The five year plan involving and 20,000 redundancies will bespeeded up, while wages will continue to be But a fightback will not be developedthrough bureaucratic issued (LO demoralised and misled union The situation faced by BL requires political answers to the problems of jobs those answers are developed it could soon be a situation of few jobs but much