Death knell for Rolls plant?

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THE final announcement of the complete closure of the Hillingdon Rolls Royce plant in Glasgow with a workforce of over 4,000 is now cleariy only a matter of time.

On Thursday 15 April, every member of the workforce received a letter with their pay packets stating how much he/she would receive if they were to opt for "voluntary redundancy"

According to the letter, the reason for this personal approach was "the continuing interest of employees in the company's voluntary severence terms and the evident reluctance of some employees to make public their interest in the terms."

But the real reason behind the letters is that this move represents part of a continuing _softening-up process, paving the way for the plant's eventual closure.

Axed

500 jobs were axed at the close of last year, another 480 already this year.

Now management have announced that they want a further 400 redundancies.

Whilst hundreds of jobs are disappearing, discipline is being savagely tightened for the remainder of the workforce. Movement between blocks by workers has been banned, the starting and finishing times of breaks are behing strictly adhered to, multi-machine manning is being extended throughout the factory, and workers are no longer permitted to have union representatives present when appealing against sacking.

The clearest indication of the coming closure of the Hillingdon plant is, as Socialist Organiser can exclusively report, the management's proposed withdrawal from the firm's pension fund: £12 million is to be withdrawn during the first six months of 1982 and a further £35 million during the second six months for the purposes of "early retirement and other contingencies"

Management strategy at Hillingdon is clear: weaken opposition to complete clos ure by a series of phased redundancies; make working conditions so intolerable that the remainder are glad to get out; and use withdrawals from the pension fund to buy off any opposition to closure.

Such a strategy tallies with the contents of the Rolls Royce Annual Report published just a fortnight ago. The report pointed out that 5,900 jobs had been lost last year and "a comparable decrease is expected in the course of 1982."

The axing of 5,900 jobs would involve the complete closure of one plant (Hillingdon), and a trimming back of the workforce at other plants.

A campaign based on strike action and occupations has to be built to fight both the immediate threat of 400 job losses and also the longer term threat of the plant's eventual closure.

Within Hillingdon itself a campaign to dissuade anyone from going for voluntary redundancy, was demanded by the shop stewards committee. The work of anyone who does take voluntary redundancy should be blacked, with immediate strike action in the event of victimisation.

And support for the fight to safeguard Hillingdon's future must be fought for throughout the combine.

• The National Aerospace Liaison Committee of Shop Stewards must also take up the fight, especially in the light of the motion passed at last month's meeting action in lede event of anal which altius compulsory redundancies in the aerospace industry. Rights public meetings.

May 7 (details, centre page). (AUEW TASS Clydebridge) steward, BSC Reg Race MP told Socialist "The guillotine motion says that the Bill has to be through its committee stages and report to the House of