"Tough came fy

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Wing' strike last year, which resolved absolutely nothing.

In reality the only way to change the attitude of management is for the unions to win something, in this case to successfully defend the six minutes.

The final clause of the formula says that the unions make no recommendation whatsoever to the mass meeting, and allow the workforce to decide - which is astounding when you consider that the formula was not a compromise, but BL's original terms restated.

BL'certainly had it both ways, since they promptly placed advertisements in the newspapers recommending a return to work.

The shop stewards' committee, which had given leadership entea as being tater to tne tell 11 the trade union movement, while Duffy is presented as the extreme right. This demonstrates once more that when the issue of viability arises, and when it is a matter of a major industrial struggle against the government, the left and right of reformism play the same treacherous role.

Failed

The workforce remained completely disciplined after the sellout at the weekend. Musgrove's call for a return to work on the Monday failed completely. Only one or two workers turned up, to face a picket of several hundred. this morning by every speaker. Buckle spoke as if the strike was already over. There were endless patronising statements about how magnificent the strike "had been" , long references to what "must happen" when everyone was back at work, great praise for the four-person inquiry which was going to bring changes in the plant. Workers were urged to bring their grievances to it so that it could begin its work.

When it came to dealing with the shop stewards' resolution, Buckle simply lied about it. He said the shop stewards had expressed a view, but "we're not he was not prepared to allow Harold Musgrove 'to "write his script". But Harold Musgrove, in return for no concessions at all, had certainly determined what was not said at the meeting by Buckle or anyone else.

Bob Fryer, as the final speaker, did mention the stewards resolution. But it was in the context of a speech which was in tune with the rest of the platform.

Inevitably, after this, the meeting voted to return to work by a majority of about four to anej, was certainly a major vict ory for management. The Musa victory for their policy on the shop floor, and use it to clamp down in other sectors of industry. Local BL management will use the new commitment they have to APS to force in new manning cuts and push up productivity. Local full-time officials will use it to gain control of a plant traditionally run by a democratically elected snoo stewaras lovellell. elected shaps not the whole story.

The strike was the product of a process of breaking down shop floor organisation in the plant, which had gone a long way. The shop stewards' committee, for example, had been reduced to a fraction of its previous strength. But now gains can be made to. begin to rebuild the shop stewards' movement.

Hundreds of young workers fresh in the plant have been in action for the first time. They work on tracks where in many cases there are no shop stewards. Militants who came forward in the strike must remain active in the trade union movement, become stewards and trade union activists, begin to tackle the political problems which led another powerful strike to defeat at the hands of the bureaucrats.. by a TGWU steward, BL Longbridge shop. floor workers and rank and file stewards were very sympathetic towards the Cowley strike, Although most areas of Longbridge had their "washing-up time" taken away some years ago, the general attitude was to say 'Good luck to anyone who fights this management' The "tough-guy" managers, presently at Cowley, are all people who came from Longbridge - Andy Barr, for instance - and we know exactly how the Cowley workers feel because we've had exactly the same treatment from these people.