Says B-Leyland

Workers Press no. 223, 4 August 1970 · scan pages 2, 3, 6

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: headlines and words can be misread, and a caption or advert can run into the text. For anything you quote, read the scan.

Wing full employment in our factories?

Of course Turnbull, Leyland's chief hatchet-wielder against piecework during the 1968 engineering package deal negotiations, must know that his combine's problems are entirely the responsibility of its capitalist management.

His appeal for higher productivity today, like his last-ditch attempt to undermine the key 'mutuality' principle two years ago, form part of same employing-class strategy.

Plummeting profits are not just a British-Leyland problem, but unlike the others in the car manufacturers' "big four' — Ford, Vauxhall and Rootes-the combine has not even the slim prospect of assistance from a US-based parent.

So, for British-Leyland, the June jump in imported car sales to 15 per cent of the domestic market, as compared with their 10-per-cent average over the preceding months, is a particularly serious threat.

Its only solution is a costcutting trade war with the European car firms.

The combine's plans to 'orking-class| unity needed to defeat governmer BV Larry Cavanay!

Mochay cook....

behind THE NEWS PAGE IN A PERIOD of sharp class Tuesday, August 4, 1970 Teresdi Trotsky

make its workers pay for this crisis, as Nicholas Faith's 'Sunday Times' article pointed out two days ago, include: • Ending piecework and replacing it with MeasuredDay Work; • Raising production at Austin - Morris's Oxford plant by 40 per cent without extra labour; and • Complete rationalization of Austin-Morris and specialist car divisions— Jaguar,. Rover and Triumph-along Ford-style lines.

tinually warned that this means a head-on clash.

Yet Faith's article also strikingly confirmed the responsibility of capitalism's whole system of car production and, particularly, the policies of the Leyland management, for the present crisis.

Designed solely from an engineering point of view and without consideration of competitive costs, break-even point for the present Issigonis range of cars is not less than 80 per cent of full capacity.

And the combine's new hope — the ADO 28 - comes on the market eight years. behind the comparable Ford model and two years behind that of Rootes.

British - Leyland workers must not be intimidated by Turnbull's message, but fight —in opposition to all attempts to hamstring them with Measured-Day Work-for the nationalization of the entire car industry under workers' control and without compensation to its present owners.

RACES A DISPUTE between the National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees and the ATV Network will probably black out transmissions from Wolverhampton racecourse today.