trade union movement, and co-operation from Birmingham transport drivers and workers in the CAV factories in the South East who have refused to handle any work normally done at Fazakerley. But they have not been given have brought the Lucas combine to its knees and actually won this important fight.
The only effective inudstrial attack against the Lucas combine has been that carried out by the CAV workers themselves. Because of this they have been subjected to increasingly heavy pressures both by the Lucas management and, unfortunately, by sections of the trade union movement itself.
SHUTDOWN The first important step by the CAV workers to extend their struggle was to force the shutdown of the Lucas Industrial Equipment (LIE) factory that shares their Fazakerley site, and prevent Lucas from utilising the transport vehicles that normally operate from that site. This resulted in the closure of the LIE factory. Despite repeated invitations from the CAV workers to support them and join the occupation, the LIE stewards preferred to cross over to the other side and started a campaign within the local trade union movement against the workers at CAV. A creditable exception to this class-collaborationist path was Bill Hunter, SLL member and steward at LIE, who has recently been deprived of his steward's credentials because of his opposition. At the same time workers in other factories of the Lucas combine on Merseyside failed to extend any real support to their brothers and sisters at CAV. When pickets appeared at their gates this apathy turned to outright bostity on the part of many (although once gain a number of militants were prepared to extend the hand of class solidarity) and the stewards did nothing to assist the CAV pickets, a few even openly encouraging the crossing of the picket lines by transport drivers. The Lucas management saw its golden oppornot starting to pinch.
DEMORALISATION The Lucas ploy with the staff union members succeeded they accepted the company's offer and left the occupation, leaving subthe kind of powerful industrial action that could stantial bitterness and some demoralisation among their former comrades. In the wake of this coup by the management, the Occupation Committee then finally gave in on the question of LIE: it was decided to allow the plant to resume operations, to allow Lucas to use the transport vehicles from the Fazakerley site, and to lift the pickets from the other combine factories in the area. These recommendations were referred to a mass meeting of those involved in the occupation, which accepted them after a full and heated discussion.
It should be stressed that these concessions by no means amount to the end of the struggle. Both the Occupation Committee and the vast majority of the workers in the CAV occupation see this as a tactical retreat to allow them to carry on the fight to save 1200 jobs for Merseyside. This is most clearly shown by the treatment given by the mass meeting to a motion that the occupation should abandon the demand for reopening of the factory and simply seck better redundancy terms. this was defeated by an overwhelming majority of over 90 per cent.
It must be said that, in our opinion, the concessions on the question of LIE, the pickets, etc., were tactical mistakes on the part of the Occupation Committee. The very fact that the company were putting so much pressure on is proof that they were worried: it would have been better at this point to step up action, rather than make a retreat. There are three serious dangers associated with such a course of action: 1. the management will see this as a crack which they will try to open even wider by pressing Turther demands: 2. those involved in the occupation could see it as a defeat, thereby weakening morale; 3. it could weaken the ability of the occupation to gain industrial of the trade union movement, and thus other workers must accept responsibility for these concessions and struggle even harder to launch industrial action against the Lucas combine. If they do not do this then they are strengthening the hand of Lucas management and forcing the CAV workers towards further compromises which can only lead to a serious defeat, not only for the workers at CAV, but for the whole British working class.
As far as the first point goes, the Lucas management have already proved its correctness: they have refused to agree to a return to work by LIE unless the CAV workers are willing to give up control of the site gate to the Lucas secutity police. This shows that, once having gained a small advantage, they are dedicated to pushing for as much as they can squeeze out of this situation. We say that the CAV workers have already conceded too much - they should not concede an inch more. They should use these tricks of the Lucas management to expose the ruthless methods of this company to the whole labour movement. They should reply by spitting in the eye of Joseph Lucas and calling on the trade union movement to stand solidly behind them.
Every trade union militant, regardless of what concessions are forced on the CAV workers, must say:
Solidarity with the CAV workers! Hands off all Lucas products!
All messages of support, donations, requests for information to: CAV Occupation Committee, 46/48 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool 3.
STOP PRESS: We have been informed that from Monday, 29 January, the workers of LIE will be staging a "work-in' in protest at the Lucas management's refusal to allow them to return to work unless control of the gates is handed back to management. It is too early to judge the significance of this development, but we will be carrying a full report in our next issue. * UNEMPLOYMENT.