production.
ITT wants to bring the struggle to a rapid conclusion. It failed to drive the workers out over the New Year holiday period, and it will undoubtedly resort to new tactics, but its basic aim remains the same-the crippling of trade union organisation in the factory.
The key to victory for the workers is effective blacking action, combined with solidanty from local trade unionists. It is possible for ITT to conceal the transport and handling of black goods but an effective combine committee, the involvement of other unions, and the systematic collection of information about the Maclaren contracts can defeat attempts at concealment.
The occupation of the factory provides a base for such work since the files are in the hands of the occupiers, and there are worker available to do the job.
The STUC may be able to wring some concessions out of ITT, but so far the management has refused to listen to the workers themselves. Bigger and better negotiations on the union side will not be able to divert ITT from its main aim of hamstringing militancy on the shopfloor. especially when the negotiations are carned on behind locked doors.
The way forward for the Maclaren worker is through mass solidarity action hy the local trade union movement, mass support for the blacking of the transport, assembly and machining of components produced under the Maclaren contract, and the carrying on of any negotiations under the control of the Macturen workers. A resolution calling for the occupation of plants -threatened with redundancy or closure was carried at a conference on the current crisis organised by Oxford Trades Council last Monday, It was moved by the 5/55 branch of the T&GWU, which represents workers in the British Leyland assembly plant at Cowley.
Throughout the capitalist world, car workers are being put on short time or face redundancy. and speakers on the resolution stressed that the British car industry would be severely hit by last month's deflationary budget, especially the hire purchase restrictions, and the rise in petrol prices, The policy of plant occupations was agreed by a recent meeting of the British Lay land shop stewards combine committee.
The other main resolution discussed at the conference, which was attended by a hundred trade unionists from a variety of work placus in the area, called for the recail of the TUC solidarity action with the miners and others fighting Phase 3, and immediate industrial action to pursue the engineers pay claim, But this resolution, which was moved by the Co ley 203 AUEW branch, did not specily the kind of industrial action necessary, and fuiled to propose any concrete steps to achieve these objectives The most positive response of the conference was to Dave Jackson of the Shrowshury Defence This was passed unanimously. untans, and white workens.
Victoria Centre, Nottingham. Committee, who moved a resolution calling for district-wide industrial action to free the three jailed building workers, pledged support for any national initiative along these lines, and also called for the immediate organisation of a distnict-wide campaign of leafleting and collections.
Jackson answered those who say that the Shrewsbury issue is a diversion from the central struggle against the Tories, and those who treat it as an isolated issue, when he stressed that if the workers' movement allows this fight to be lost, it will be a serback for all the coming struggles against Tory Government attacks.
The East Midlands is to be the focus for the fust conference organised by the National Committee for Trade Unions Against Racialism, formed last June at the initiative of the Manslield Hosiery strike committee, Lough borough, Leicester, Nottingham, and Mansfielf have recently seco bitter struggles by Anan workers against poverty wages, 84 hour weeks, and the racialism of managements, HAN Speuken ut the conference, to he held in Nottingham un 23 February, include Alan Spper (ACTT) and Mike Cooley (TASS). Dele pites are invited from union branches und other labour movement bodies together wilh ohservers, Detwils from NCTUAR, 8:11 on the conference to demand that the Executive Committee of UCATT and the T&GWU launch a national building strike, to send a atessage of support to the Birmingham balding workers who had cailed far a national atrike, and to pledge extended strike serion in the Manchester area. But when the guest speaker at the conference. Pete Carter, a leader of the Birmingham buihting warkers and s momber of the CP, failed to speak in favour of the Birmingham resolution the amendment was voted down.
[British Section of the Fourth Imernationel 182 Pentonville Road, London N.1.
I would like more infor mason abour she IMG and its activitie Red Weekly 25 January 1974 Page 11
Red Weekly
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Trade Unions Against Racialism plan February conference in Nottingham
International Marxist Group