IN the face of the decline of the market share of British Leyland to 15 per cent this month, Terry Duffy, president Engineers' Union, has called for controls on Japanse imports to save British Leyland and to save jobs. 'Japanese country are catastrophic both Leyland and Britain,' said Duffy.
Socialist Challenge spoke to Steve Griffiths, shop steward and AUEW convenor at British Leyland Rover SD1 Solihull.
What do you think of this approach to the problems of BL workers? If Duffy was serious about jobs, he would be aling nis mre al tawaraes and the Tories, not diverting attention to Japanese workers. already seen Duffy's commitment to saving jobs. He backed Edwardes' plan that resulted in the loss of 45,000 Leyland: jobs in the His proposals for import controls has nothing to do with his supposed concern for saving our jobs. It is just a cover for his cowardice in confronting the bosses.
But don't you think you should be in favour saving ilIOn from the Japanese?
I start from my members interests. For Duffy "Saving BL' the objectives that is to make BL more profitable. This means increasing productivity, speed ups, continuity of production, attacks on traditional and everything else that 'Slaves Charter'.
Duffy backed this knowing full well what the consequences were. He bned up with the bosses against the interests of his members.
His calls for import controls are a sommaco or ti approat aternative. It rests on the idea that basses and workers should laborate together to make 'our' industry fit for the capitalist market.
This has only sorters have to make the sacrifices and jobs have to go. There is no other Tray of running an industry in anarchi capitalist system based on -prodaction for proff rather than scod. bat saret,, if Japanese insports mere ped. thea this would would sell more cars and there would be ware jobs?
Socialist Challenge. 3 July 1980 of the sales in this for plant at We have year.
the forecast of 1.45m in 1980.
Leyland cent.
In 1900. 00 is identical of Edwardes": be axed!
union rights is in the this jungle.
IXT 27 col- livelihood and rights, things easier for the bosses.
meaning:
choice. Hos Invie retaliation.
mean BL 1 caNUL for policies.
Not at all. The Japanese only account for 10 per cent of the market taking •18ON.UIS together. But the onset of the recession has meant a drop in new car registrations from 1.71m in 1979 to a That is a droo ot nearly is per walnoul Importlg Unc more Japanese car, jobs would still But in a declining market stopping imports can only help matters.
What happens in a recession? Comnetition dramaticalv increases. I nere is only one way to survive the law of Speed-ups, productivity and job oss. ais is what we nave to fight. If we agree to imports we are saying the enemy is somewhere else.
So salling for an end to Japanese apr= "i zo my fai o prorect members irom attacks on their it will make North In addition, if implemented such policies will simply allow BL to jack up the prices of their cars and restrict meubers, lk alone other morkers? this my beconee Finally, such a policy will merely tion That's the Tories oppose the idea just now. But the opposition of the Tories can't be supporting these the As the crisis gets worse this might be the option the bosses go ior bul this will be just a further signal for a massive stepping up of their attacks on us, as they did in the 1930s.
Duffy uses the opposition of the Tories to argue against taking action now in ns memoers mierests wants us to accept the idea that we should wait for government in 1984, L DOUI meanwhile turn the other cheek to the wage cuts and job loss. "So what is your alternative? We have to start from saving jobs. We should begin with the reduction of the working week to 35-hours with no loss of pay. Overtime should be made unnecessary through ensuring a decent wage. If wage rises were tied automatically to the rise in the cost of living this would be an important step.
"It is a sign of the rottenness of the system that proaches 2 million, more overtime is being worked. So we should fight to have the work shared available workforce. New, especially young, with jobs.
This of tonalising the whole SHOWl everyone who OlIC. the election of a tries like and boost protits.
big monopolies?
as unemploment apHalve among the workers should be provided strength from will mean na- terests against inaustry their inability to safeguard mulated based on need.
More cars would be sold if the working class as a whole wasn't suffering from wage cuts. It is not that wants a car • las gur This is even more true in counCuba or Nicaragua. could produce for these places by taking on the unemployed in the existing Things would have to be under workers' control so that any increase in productivity or automation would benefit the workforce and not just But won't this result in a massive clash with *he bosses, particularly the Of course i will. But we either break their back or they break ours. This is wny a stralegy Dascu vnl conlabold" tion with the bosses, like import controls, is not serious as a socialist alterIn the battle we need a government with socialist policies that draw the organisations of the working class and defend our incapitalism. Such government would not be able to rely paralell Ulysc ius