A slashing attack on the Government's motor policy, and a demand for the nationalisation of British Ford, Vauxwith British Leyland, has been launched by TASS, the staff section of the 1 million strong engineering union (AUEW).
Yet TASS's answer to the mess in the motor industry is to aim for the production of 2½ million cars a year by 1985. Despite us purpie prose aboul servicmg society's transport needs rationally, prevening congestion and enwronmen tal pollution, and liberating the creativity ora mose wno work mm me mousa tre main proposal in TASS's Trade Union Kesponse to the Government white raper is for more of the same.
Nowhere does the pamphlet say Connd. 637 35p how the industry is to be nationalised * and what it is to produce - presumably that is to be left to the goodwill of the Government and the multinationals. In fact, far from preparing the workers for a suruggie to impose namonalsation through workers control and the opening of the books, TASS meekly states that 'we do not....believe that Ford (or General Motors) would refuse to co-operate'. Thus will the power of the multinationals be vanquished!
And how will the single state firm be run? Well, there's a token reference to workers control, but the 'inspiring document' that 'forms the basis for a really viable, creative National Motor Corporation' is the Leyland Shop Stewards' submission to Ryder. workers in Leyland plants throughout the country who are now fighting mass behind their backs, because their senior stewards are up to their necks in Leyland's class-collaborationist worker paracipamon scremes.
done better to look at an alternative members in the car industry - the Whitley stewards' report on Chrysler. Using design, investment and so on waien tae) see as part of their job, they were able to compile a line bv line refutation of the arguments used by the company and the Government on Chrysler.
TASS should go and tell that to the sackings and speed-up with one hand tied The pamphlet's authors would have "trade union response' produced by TASS even the information on product planning, Heated -Although weak on conclusions - it
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A TRADE UNION RESPONSE The British Motor Vehicle Industry