A.T.U.A. calls motor workers' conference

politics of the 'Institute' that one of its leading lights, Mr Ken Coates, found himself replants marching earlier this year against the closures. STRIKE CALLED TO BACK THE motor industry, noW occupying a major position in the western European economy, is being hard hit by the growing economic crisis.

Deflationary policies and high interest rates are creating the conditions for recession in the industry. There is now a real danger of short-time working and redundancy.

Meanwhile, the industry has been subject to the greatest speed-up drives in its history.

Measured-Day Work, jobevaluation and productivity bargaining have intensified exLave ben acceped.

have been accepted.

Workers all over western Europe face these same problems.

The All Trades Unions Alliance believes that car Yorkshire miners

Wages

demand stepped up TWENTY - FOUR West Yorkshire pits have threatened to strike if Primrose Hill colliery, Woodlestord, near Leeds is closed; and 19 pits in South Yorkshire may strike in support of a wage dispute at Cadeby Main colliery.

Twenty pits in Yorkshire have closed in the last 12 months and the miners are determined to keep Primrose Hill open.

1,600 men have been on strike since September 15 at Cadeby Main over wages paid to 130 market men. On Tuesday, September 23, a mass meeting rejected appeals by the Yorkshire area NUM agent, Abe Collins, and financial secretary, Jock Kane, a prominent Communist Party member, to return to work so negotiations could take place.

They claim that these men are being put on to lower-paid jobs when there are vacancies at the coalface.

Delegates from 19 other pits in the area have agreed to consider strike action if no satisfactory settlement is reached by the end of this The linked issues of see report on miners rent disputes) mean that Yorkshire could face its biggest pit stoppage since 1961 when the entire coalfield struck for a month over coalface contract earnings.

Tenants £5

FORD'S 1/667 Transport and General Workers' Union branch has donated £5 to the GLC tenants' fight against rent increases and promised active support in the event of any attempted evictions.

strike action The pay claim submitted by NALGO was for 10 per cent and £15 a week minimum pay. The negotiators had accepted 3$ per cent in July.

Despite the growing militancy amongst rank-and-file members of Britain's largest white-collar union, the NEC managed to browbeat conference into rejecting a strike call.

E. KIL mands of these men and women . .:, but apart from government action he makes no other proposals except to welcome the initiative of the Scottish Nationalist councillors in obtaining a special council meeting on the issue.

The Department of Employment and Productivity has tried for three weeks to arrange a meeting between its conciliation staff and BSR management, without success.

The employers are adamant that they will not meet or speak to trade union representatives at any level.

Since the DEP is one of the departments set up by the government to discipline workers, it is unlikely that it will do more than request the management to arrange a meeting.

A way to break the deadlock was discussed at the quarterly meeting of AEF shop stewards in Lanarkshire, who represent 20,000 workers.

They passed a resolution calling on the AEFs midLanark district committee to call a half-day token strike in support of BSR. workers, irrespective of their unions, should discuss these problems in a conference.

They cannot be resolved by trade union struggles alone, because the crisis is one of the whole capitalist system.

It is therefore a political question which poses the necessity for international action through the building of the alternative revolutionary leadership.

Car workers from the Michelin, Renault and Citroen factories will be attending the conference.

The provisional agenda is: • Reports on the position of car workers in Britain and western Europe.

The campaign against unemployment and short-time working. rent fight: strike off By Jack Gale BENTLEY and Scawthorpe (Yorkshire) miners' strike against the proposed rent increases in National Coal Board houses has been deferred. The original call for a strike on September 22 and a demonstration through Doncaster was passed at a mass meeting on Sunday, September I4 (see "The Newsletter', September 20).

This call caused alarm at NCB headquarters. Lord Robens, NCB chairman, appeared on television on Friday, September 19, appealing to miners not to strike and promising to meet their 'representatives' in Yorkshire.

As reported in 'The News. letter', the Communist Parts was split on the issue.

Sat me meaned on the One of the leaders of this attack was a long-standing and members joined with rightwingers in denouncing the Scawthorpe men as 'anarchists' and 'disrupters'.

WEAKENED

It must be said frankly that the Scawthorpe committee it. self weakened.

After the strike decision was taken not a single leafle calling for support was issued * he st he stout in mater of I understand that at a meet. ing of the Bentley and Scaw• member of the All Trade nions Alliance fought for th and insiste onl to win was stay on the offensive. dAfter this resolution to understand, Was passes members BRIDE WOMEN This strike is planned for Wednesday, October 1.

An approach is also being made by the strikers to the Glasgow district AEF shop stewards' quarterly meeting for support.

At a mass meeting of strikers last week a full-time AEF official reported that solidarity action was expected from other sections of workers, particularly at the Grangemouth oil refinery, and railway workers on freightliner trains.

Solidarity

It is understood that BSR works on subcontracts for HMV and Ferguson.

The question of solidarity action by these workers must be raised.

Another factor is that firms beginning production in new towns like East Kilbride receive special government aid.

If they are not prepared to concede the principle of the right of workers to join and represented by a trade union they should be taken Steps to support the campaign for wage parity between Ford and Vauxhall workers and the Midlands.

The setting up of a national car workers' advisory committee affiliated to the All Trades Unions Alliance.

Delegates and visitors must be workers in the car, car delivery and components industry.

The conference will be Digbeth Civic Hall, Digbeth, Birmingham, Saturday November 8 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Conference fee: 5s a pers VAUXHALL over - nationalized without compensation and placed under workers' control.

In this dispute, involving almost entirely women workers, the key card is clearly held by the AEF.

It has a tremendously powerful weapon in its membership in the engineering and shipbuilding industries on the Clyde and in the West of Scotland area.

Within the union the demand must be made that this power be used by mobilizing all engineering workers support of the BSR strikers to force the management to recognize and negotiate with the union representatives. Donations to the strike fund should be sent to:

Mrs. J. Maxwell, 28 Houston Terrace, West Maine, East Kilbride, Lanarkshire.

Registered with the GPO as Press, 186a Clapham High Street, lewspaper. Published by Workers"

London, S. W.4. rinted by Plough Press Lta. (TU), 80b Clapham High Street, London,