Such deep antagonisms have now appeared among Chrysler workers that the trade union movement faces one of its blackest defeats for a long time.
One hundred and fifty-six electricians at Coventry have been on strike for nine weeks, demanding implementation of an agreement to transfer them to staff status with a pay rise of £250, Chrysler refused, after being advised by the Pay Board That payment of C250 would be followed by a restraining order The clectricians union, the EPTU, deserves sharp criticism. The demand for staff status is an elitist one, undermining the unity of the workers. Furthermore, once the struggle broke out, Chapple repeatedly said that if Chrysler agreed to pay the £250, then the EPTU would not fight the Pay Board. The stewards failed to dissociate themselves from this.
Williams celabratas, but little joy for other workers Three weeks ago Ford, Dagenham management decided on a show of strength. Without any investigation they sacked Winston Williams for allegedly threatening a foreman, After a week-long strike Willians was reinstated, pending arbitration. Although given basic trade union support by otber workers at Chrysler (millwrights refused to cross picket lines, and production workers hlacked machines worked by scab labour), these political weaknesses became fatal once Scanion and Jones intervened to onder produc tion workers to scab on the electricians, In the event, only Linwood workers disobeyed them.
Chrysler have deliberately tried to split the workers further, Their threat to sack 8,000 men was weep to promone a scances pe tween the two sections aimed at producing a local settlement.' This "local settlement" would consist either of a retum to work or an agreement by other workers to sacritice money due to them under the pay laws so as to make up the electricians' rise to the L250. There are some signs that the top leadership of the EPTU is advocating the latter. The talks last Monday between all the stewards at Coventry illustrate the tragic situation at Chrysler, Earlier on, production workers had said that they would not lodge claims based on any norms established by the electricians. Management had told electricians that lear of such caims was the main thing preventing them settling. But rather than urge the produc tion workers to launch similar wage claims themselves, the EPTU stewards issued a statement denouncing the other unions for wanting to put in such claims, thereby sabotaging the dispule!
Nobody should be under any illusions about the reactionury nature of the intervention by Scanlon and Jones, They knew that the tendency of the strugale was to develop into one against the Pay Board. Instead of intervening to change the political basis on which the electricians were fighting and transforming the strugple into a united fight against the Pay Board, they therefore stepped in to trample on even the most basic trade union principes. The point, However, is not to use the electricians" political weaknesses as an excise for doing nothing while they are curved up. The point is to change the struation for the Better. This could best be achieved if the production workers took up a struggle against the Pay Board, and the electricians announeed their determination to fight the Pay Board should ir outlaw airy setlement, Other groups of workers — the Lucas workers still supporting the clectricians, the Hull dockers and British Leyland workers planning strikes against the Pay Board - should make a direct political intervention among the Chrysler workers to turn the struggle in this direction. Otherwise a catastrople awaits Chrysler workers.
the management, especially sinoe the sacking was probably a provocation. But the whole struggle was conducted so as to avoid the main questons. The demand for internal lay-off pay was not fought for, and this can only lead to a Jood of resignation wich will prevent solidarity actions in the event of further victimisations.
There are already signs of a munagement offensive, and the best way to stave it off is to launch a struggle on the lay-off pay question. This would put the management back on the defensive, unite the different departments and strengthen the still weak links between them. Under Phase 2 workers felt unable to fight the Government alone; Ford militants must learn from this the importance of solidarity between different groups of workers. This could take the form of linking the Ford claim with the national engineering claim for L10 and a 35 bour week. Workers at Dagenham, and throughout the Ford combine must begin to organise now for the light against Phase 3.
Bert Parsons