Women s Fightback Trade union conference

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Time and again women trade unionists have come forward to fight the Tory onslaught on their rights and living standards. And each time they have run up against the limitations or outright treachery of the existing bureaucratic FER 20 '82 And they have found a movement which has for decades ignored the issues and problems faced by women.

The March 27 Frade Union conference called by Women's Fightback is designed as a focus for a movement to change the unions and challenge their present leadership.

The conference is open to women either as individuals or as delegates from any group, workplave organisation, branch or women's group at local, regional or national There will be an all-day creche. Workshops on various topics under main groups: Pay; public sector and the cuts; jobs; fighting sexism; racism and the Third World.

MALET STREET, LONDON, W.C.1 The conference fee ir £3.50 (£2 for low-waged or unwaged non-deleg-tes). Credentials from 41 Ellington A Conference is being held in Unemployment, as well as how to orgLondon to organise nationally and anise locally for a demonstration MARCH 27 locally around the fight for A Woma- planned for June 5. an's Right to Work. Workshops focus More details and credentials (£3.00 en's Rights at Work and Women's —onaThe latest Fightback postage fr ington St, frozen posts, changed ratios, decreasing full time places, etc.

The group will coordinate work, give support and, on invitation, send speakers with experience to areas where cuts in childcare are taking place.

It was felt that unless this vital work is done the NCCC would lose its membership and impetus. There was agreement to produce a general leaflet asking for a monitoring of cuts taking place, for the NCCC to be informed, and offering a check-list of what needs to be done.

Delegates also felt it necessary to have an updating of the pamphlet Nurseries: How and Why to Fight for Them, as many had found it useful when faced with cuts in their areas.

The Campaign generally is hampered by lack of funds, and many felt that this was one field where the unions should help. They should fund leaflets and hopefully the production of a comprehensive 'Guide to Defending Child Care Provision'.

State

Although many are unhappy with state provision it was pointed out from the Leicester Nursery Campaign which had staged an Iweek victorious occupationthat what we want for the future is tied in with defending provision.

Many parents have involved themselves in the Leicester occupation and changed aspects of the state nursery of Beal Street play centre, which had continued afterwards. leaders. level.

Street, London N7.

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NOEL HIBBERT The strikes at the Leyland Truck plants in Lancashire and Scotland against Edwardes' 'rationalisation' plan coincide with the emergence of a new international division of labour in the world truck market.

Indeed most bourgeois economists are predicting that by the mid eighties we will see a significant rise in world demand for trucks as Third World countries undergo industrialisation drives.

Conglomerates

The future period will be characterised by a number of basic features: a colossal expansion in the volume of investment in new technology, plant and machinery: a world-wide regroupment of productive operations, by the big companies, into concentrated assembly plants: a smaller variety of products with interchangeable components: a decimation of those companies unable to compete with the giants: and further, and most importantly for the workers, the introduction of a new framework of industrial relations and control over trade unions.

A vast new level of cut-throat competition 1s emerging on a global scale which will lead to the complete disintegration of some firms (Chrysler Talbot in the UK) combined with mergers between Euro-Japanese conglomerates (e.g. HINO Trucks) leading to half-a-dozen outfits dominating the international scene.

A drift of investment aid production from the West to the East (Asia, Latin America, Africa) will lead, as the Financial Times said recently, to:

"A whole new gamut of joint ventures, collaborative technology exchange deals, both between European firms who were previously competitors, and between these new conglomerates and Japanese companies attempting to prise their way into the European manufacturing scene."

If this analysis is correct, and there is no reason to doubt that it is, then the two indigenously owned UK truck companies, ERF and Leyland. Vehicles, have a bleak future indeed.

Moreover, five of the seven UK truck companies are owned by US multinationals and if the logic of Edwardes' Corporate Plan is carried out then either the na pe lau (bi Ca ills that goes with it.

It is accepted by everyle that there has been a ump in the world market 'er the past two years, but impare Edwardes' strategy with that of Cummins, the S giant.

Cummins lost $6m in 181 yet they have launched phenomenal investment ogramme of £150m 'ar, in building plant and achinery in expectation of e upturn in the mid-80s.

Indeed this company is backed by the oil giant ENECO which has ured money into trucks.

contrast the vernment use North Sea revenues to pay tax handts to the rich and unem›yment benefit to over 3 lion rather than use the oney to create jobs What is more, the transtional companies are comting with each other to inch the "World Truck"

brother of "World Ford and General Motors particular are far advanced th this project..

Using micro-technology telecommunications systems based in Michigan, General Motors bosses will be able to shuffle standardised designs and components around the world from plant to plant like the proverbial poker player shuffles cards around a table.

The development of the World Truck puts workers everywhere at a great disadvantage, for it gives the employers the facility to build models with components from anywhere in the world while being able to isolate industrial action in particular plants. l'or the unions it places international leadership at the top of the agenda.

Part and parcel of this redivision of the world market among a smaller number of economic juggernauts. will be the introduction of American-style trade union practices into European plants.

Just recently the Prestdent of the United Auto Workers, Doug Fraser, MEETINGS FORUMS LONDON public meeting:

'Stop the Tories in their Tracks'. . Speakers: Steve EUROPEAN Daimler Benz Iveco (F iat)

Ford Renavet Bedford Volvo Leyland Saab-Scania Man DAF (IH)

Dodge (Peugeot-Citroe Motor-Iberica-Spain Enasa Seddon-Atkinson (IH) Sleyr-Daimler-Puch ERF Fodens (now US-owned)

agreed to wage cuts for his members, no strike pledges, an acceptance of management's prerogative to move capital as of right, and also launched a campaign amongst his members for them to sell their jobs for severance pay, in exchange for guarantees referring to "institutional consultation" over new technology. For his efforts Fraser was made a main board director of Chrysler!

Imagine all British trade unions completely modelled on the EETPU and you get a glimpse of what the US companies would create in the UK.

Meanwhile, whilst the are consolidating themselves into a Big Four in order to penetrate the US market:

*DAF (International Harvester):

*Iveco-Deutz (Fiat).

*Saviem (Renault);

*Volvo.

These companies are collaborating in joint ventures together as the only ISLINGTON: Every other Thursday, 7.30 at the Florence, Florence St.

Feb.4: What is Trotskyism?

LAMBETH: Sundays

7pm. For venue phone 3071.

Feb.28: The origins Production location Germany Italy, Franc Germany Britain, Holland France Britain Sweden Britain Sweden German Holland France, Spain Spain Spain Britain Austria Britain Britain way of creating the economies of scale necessary to compete with the Us and Japanese multinationals. Rationalisation was thus implemented on a large scale-in 1973 Europe's leading car and truck makers employed 1.26 million people, in 1978 this was down to 1.19 million. Fiat cut its workforce by 45,000 from 200,570 in five years.

The Financial Times said as long ago as 1978:

"The pressures against them are mounting because of the move towards indigenous production in the developing countries, the increasing competition from Japan and the more efficient design and manufacturing methods of US companies."

The scale of finance involved is massive. The cost of developing a new model is now about $150 million and that does not include the development of a new engine -which would add another $400 million or a new gear boxewhich would add $200 However, since Ford Labour Movement conference on Ireland: Saturday February 27, from 11am at The Theatre, 309 Regent St, London W1. Sponsored by LCI and Committee for Withdrawal from Ireland.

Credentials £2 from 1 North End Road, London W14. Output 1979 23,000 45,000 35,000 30,000 28,000 23,000 22,000 18,000 14,000 13,000 11,000 7,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 Organiser, Thursday Europ (car and truck) has exported $40 billion (!) back to the USA since 1945 in pure profit, it is clear that the US giants have the finance.

Hence the pressure for joint venture projects-where the costs of both components and vehicles are shared between two or more manufacturers.

Hence as far as Leyland Vehicles are concerned, the historic starvation of investment produced by previous governments and managements have placed them in the position of either ceasing to exist or being bought out by a first division truck producer.

There is a third option, of course, the nationalisation of the whole UK truck industry under workers control-but this question will be decided by the overall struggle.

Japan and Russia have appeared on the horizon too. Hino plants in Eire and Canada are about to export "kits' to Europe (thereby circumventing EEC tariffs) which • would be assembled later.

The Soviet government has also licenced Ford to tool up the Kamaz plant in the Urals which should come on stream this year, and will turn out 150,000 trucks per year with a model oriented towards the Western European market.

Interestingly the Comecon countries have an interna demana tor_1,000,000 trucks per year. here is no reason why socialist planned UK truck industry could not orient towards and service this need.

The present government beseeches employers to prepare themselves for the stiff competition of the market place. One could ask what measures Sir Michael is taking to meet this They are as follows:

*He cancelled a £30 million order for a new foundry. A new foundry is crucial to produce the new lighter alloy engines-but this is to be "out-sourced" from now on.

*Whilst the Mitsui Bank London Union, Malet St, London WC1. Registration £3 (or £1.50 unwaged) from WRTW, 181 Richmond Rd, London E8.

Sexual Politics conference:

Feb.6-7, at Edinburgh University. Sponsored by NUS Scotland. Open to all inter1982 in Japan and the Dresdner Bank in West Germany were funnelling long term flow interest) credit facilities to their respective producers, BL was paying over 20%% interest on loans last year and 147 on its long term borrowing.

*The policy of breaking up Leyland Vehicles into selt sufficient "profit centres" is. for Edwardes, key to making BL profitable. In reality, it is the equivalent of amputating boxer's arm and then expecting him to win the ABA championships!

Moreover, "privatisation" is nothing new for Edwardes. In a number of cases he has sold off profitable sectors to past or present members of Leyland Vehicle management.

Take Kenaton Engineering: The Leyland Vehicles pattern making department was closed and its machinery was sold off to Kenaton Engineering, a company now owned by a senior member of Leyland Vehicles management. Kenaton now makes patterns for Leyland Vehicles!

A similar suspicious development has taken place around the selling off of the BL subsidiary Prestcold. This company was sold to Suter manager of Leyland Vehicles and before that of Prestcold itself.

When he left Prescold in April 1979 Abell told the Financial Times that he must "publicly take responsibility for their present near financial collapse."

The whole sordid story of BL's mismanagement and hidden financial chicanery needs to be dragged out into the daylight.

The books need to be opened for full scrutiny by the labour movement.

The Works Committee at Leyland are making. this demand a major aspect of their campaign, comhined with the call for a concerted investment programme that can link the production ot buses and trucks with the economic demands of the industrialising countries.

Workers' Power public meeting: 'Revolution and counter revolution in Poland' Thursday February 4, 7pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, NW1.

EL SALVADOR

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CONFERENCE WOMENS RIGHT TO WORK DEMONSTRATION

on Training and Education, Women in waged, £1.50 unwaged) from 181, the Home, Women in Finance, Wom- Richmond Road, London E8.

Americans are surging ahead, the European manufacturers

Electrical-whose chairman was David Abell, formerly