is long overdue.
Last year, an attempt by British Leyland Combine stewards to set up a National Motors Standing Committee fell flat on its face after a couple of meetings. At that time Derek Robinson, local leader in British Leyland, Longbridge, and a member of the Communist Party, claimed that lack of support made the venture impossible Far more likely reasons were the complete capitulation of the union leaders and BL convenors to the Government's Ryder plan for sackings and speed-up, and the failure so far of militants throughout the industry to fight for a clear programme to beat back the employers and Government's attacks.
Open books Car workers and the unions can work out a plan for production which defends jobs and produces products for social need rather than private profit. To save all jobs this requires the immediate opening of all the car bosses and Government books by workers committees in every plant, and a nanonal workers enoury into une state of the industry.
This will allow the workers to assess the causes of the crisis, mount a campaign demonstrating the need for nationalisation, and allow them to begin to draw up plans for alternative uses of present plant and eqipment. In collaboration with workers facing redundancies in all the car firms, a workers plan for the car industry must be developed.
Car workers have seen quite enough of Ryder Plans and White Papers — all prepared far from the gaze of the workers who are going to suffer their vicious job-cutting logic when implemented. What we need now is a campaign to blow wide open all the secret plans of the State and bosses to smash jobs and living standards.
Model A model of the kind of workers' enquiry required was that carried out by stewards from the Chrysler research and administration centre at Whitley. Their conclusions dem"Shock blow for Chrysler workers', gasped the Morning Star as the small print of the Chrysler deal - no strikes, no sit-ins - was made public for the first time last week. Communist Party member Eddie McCluskey, secretary of the joint shop stewards committee at the Stoke plant in Coventry, confessed himsel astounced.
The conditions of the deal amount to a fundamental attack on the rights of Chrysler workers. The Government is aiming for a massive speed up and productivity exercise. Any major disputes, any occupations or disruptions of production will almost certainly be met with the closure of Chrysler UK. The investment strike by British Leyland bosses hopes to achieve the same errect But the writing was on the wall when the deal was accepted. as we commented then: "The only real commitment to continued production beyond 1977/78 is the Militants from the motor industry will meet this Saturday in Birmingham at a conference organised by the Institute for Workers Control. A meeting to exchange experiences and discuss a strategy for defending the jobs and living standards of car workers Handed nationalisation without compensation, including accountability to all workers for investment of state finance, disclosure of all information, and No Run-Down, No Closures, No Redundancy'.
Democracy Of course, the demand for nationalisation and opening of the books to prepare it under workers control has to be immediately relevant to the struggles of workers in the plants.
Not only must there be the greatest possible democracy, involving mass meetings and with recan or an electea representauves (not the cretinous 'participation' deals with employers aimed at enticing workers representatives into taking capitalist responsibility for the good health' [profits of workers scrutiny of all company books, management wasted no time in refusing.
gham could take a big step forward by adopting such a programme for nationalisation without compensation involving workers control. But then a campaign has to be mounted in the industry for these policies, which won't at all be welcomed by with the employers at present.
The employers (and the Tribune ANDREW WIARD (Report of the Assembly Plant and demanded Saturday's conference in Birminthe union leaders or the Government, Audrey Wise speaking at IWC conference last summer