bust, it's because of the logic of the capitalist market. There's simply no reason, in capitalist terms, why such a factory should continue in production. The only way jobs can be saved is either by the creation of new markets, by a massive increase in productivity allowing the factory to compete on existing markets, or throuch nationalisation and stateMAKE IT NICE LU LOVEL LUSSS In the cases of Meriden and IPD it's a combination of all three. This means the workers, particularly at Meriden, will pay a high price for their coop.
Production at Meriden will he about 24,000 bikes a year - nearly the old production figures with half the original work-force. This amounts to un increase in productivity of about 80%. It must be pne of the most swingeing productivity deals in history. The workers have also agreed to end 'restrictive practices", an end to the piece-work system, and have paid back their rodundancy money!
COMPENSATE Apart from this, while in occupacion the workers bave carried out unpaid modifications to the major product, the Triumph Bonneville 750 twin", to allow sales on the but ation is simply one of preserving sectors of the economy under cap answer lies in Labour's conception of nationalisation. For Labour. the or industries cannot be decided by how best to preserve jobs, but how ing economy.
decision isn't difticult, since these are huge conceros and many other small. single factories like Meriden
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For Tony Benn, the question of workers' democracy and nationalis-