The Maclaren Controls factory is on the fringe of Goran, which must be one of the most concentrated industrial areas in the world, with a long tradition of working class organisation. The names of the shipyards and heavy engineering factories which mined that they are not going to be kicked out of their jobs at the stroke bE a millionaire's pen. They have occupied the plant and are sitting tight.
Strachans Engincering, the actory; al Fastlesgh, manufactures buses and vans, mainly under contract from Ford, The reason given for the closures was sustained unprofitable operations. Yet there are orders Trom 31 countries for the vans, and commercial vehicles are increasingly making up a larger cluster around this stretch of the Clyde are a roll call of the most important centres of class struggle during the great days of Red Clydeside.
But Maclaren's did not share in I this tradition. A small light-engineer. convenor fat coyee a have got to stau united in this dispute, otherwise it will be a serious dafeat for the whole trade union share of production in the motor industry as a whole.
"DISRUPTIVE' The Occupation Committee, representing the T&GWU, Sheel Metal Workers, AUFW, ASTMS and EPTU, is convinced that the proposed closure is un attempt by the management to break down Trade Union organisation in thee plant. The directors have made constant rel• etence to disruptive clements.
nesday they would terminate our employment. It was necessary to move quickly.
outside the factory gates and unanimously agreed to occupy. Black.
one of the munagers, asked me if I was going back to work. I pushed past him and opened the door.
'Eight of us got in. and Black chased us round the factory while we looked for a way to let the others in, We finally got them in through another door, but not before Black tried to stop some of the girls by running a steel and where this has failed to split the organisation in the factory they have tried tn 'buy off g members of the Works Committee, As Pat Doyle, T&GWU Convenor, ? told Red Weekly. "They have offered some of is hand-outs: a foremen's positions, and other jobs walking in at the top rate But we have pot to stay united in A this dispute other wise it will be a serious deteal for the whole trade 7 union movement in the ares, and particularly the struggles of smaller sections of workers.
Since the occupation started nothing has moved out of the Fastleigh factory and pickets have prevented any movement of plant or material from the Hamble factory.
GUARANTEES The Occupation Committee hus received a guarantee from Ford drivers that no vans will be transported. Stewands at the Ford plants in Southampton and Langloy have pledged that if van hodies are delivered from an alternative supplier they will be blacked. Britid: Leyland Combine • Committee has agroed to levy its "We held another mass meeting quired. up the occupation, NATIONALISE! people. their decisions. But towards the end of the occupation they recognis ed that they should have tried to get broader participation from the start, especially in fund-raising.
John Morrison says: "If we had to start again we would have set up another committee for fund raising right at the beginning. We've learned The real need of it through experience. At one point we blocked the iden of a separate committee, and when it was finally agreed to, the workers were used to sitting and not acting: It should have been done at the beginning when everyone was caper to act. We should have used their I members to belp provide the financial | Tony Benn, Secretary of State for assistance that is so urpently reBut this support must be extended. The Occupation Committee is arranging meetings at various factaties to explain its case and ask for financial support. Pledges of support should also come from these meetings to stop work if the police enter the factory and break The way to save these jobs is not through the trade unions buying the factory and setting up a workers co-operative, as has been attempted elsewhere. This is no solution, because these co-operatives would have to compete in the market with the bag capitalist firms, and would cither adopt their methods or go bust.
The employers, and particularly Grand ently need money. All resolutions of Metropolitan - the parent company of Giltspur - should be made to pay for their gross mis inanagement, as well as for the results of a system which puts the private interests of a small group of sharcholders before the interests of the mass of working shop stewards correctly see the future in temes of a fight around the AUEW national claim. As Joln Morrison siys: If our union does not go for the full claim, then Scanlori should not be where he is. The TUC tried to make a deal with the Tories, saying the miners were a special case. This does not hold now, We have a clause in our own elim which says that in the event of a national claim being met, we expect the differentials here to be maintained. We want the ALEW to go for the full claim,"
BOB PURDIE Industry, is being brought in to solve the dispute, and it must be impressed upon him that the best way to keep these jobs is for the Labour Government to nationalise the plant without compensation and place it under workers' management. Any subsidy requited for continued operations should come from an industrial levy on big business.
The occupation committee is supporting a conference called by the Ford Shop Stewards Committee to be held in the Southampoon area to hring together local militants to discuss ways in which to fight the attacks on the trade union movement - perticularly in regard to picketing and redundancies. The occupation at Strach ans must now become a central focus for the conference so that maximum support can be provided for this strugeie.
The workers and their families ungsupport and collections should be made payable to Stackans Join! Erion Occupation Committee and sent to The Treanwer, P.Hann cio TaGW, 67-75 London Road, Southampton, I Graham Peterson.
Red Weekiy 22 March 1974 Page 5
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AN'S S ARE TIGHT