WEEKLY work are not bright, Just a lew weeks ago another 80 were laid off at a local quanty. If the college closer, 125 workapse has never heen far around the clared a profit. But profit figures such as revaluing its stocks of matering its depreciation of capital on old and not current costs of its assets. protits were artificially boosted.
back several years. After the merper to turn a giant conglomerate into an giant European firms concentrated profits far more efficiently, BLMC sal on its laurels and doled out huge profits to its investors instead of ploughing them back into more pro ductive machinery.
By the time the slump in the world market for cars began on earnest, BLMC was already being overtaken by the competitive efficiency of French, German and Japanese producers. BLMC's investment was lower than its rivals. By the end of 1973, it was running un overdraft with the banks of over E100 million.
cash bills to other companies to the tune of C360 million. The three-day week and the slump in car demand BRITISH LEYLAND MOTOR CORPORATION, Britain's largest exporting firm, is falling apart at the seams, After pleading on their knees to their bankers for the last two months and getting an icy refusul, BLMC management have crawled to the Labour Government for cash to stave off bankruptcy.
Industry Minister Tony Benn has obliged with a promise of about E300 million. Sir Don Ryder, newly appointed overlord of the National Enterpr ise Board and noted for his tough attitude to the unions when he ran the giant Reed International firm, will oversce the Government stake in BLMC Ever since BMC merged with Lord Stokes' Leyland Motors in 1968, collcorner. Until 1934, BLM always demasked the reality. By sleight of hand, ials and finished vehicles and calculatDELIGHTED The roots of BLMC's sickness go in 1968, the company was never able efficient capitalist concern. While the and rationalised production, huilding massive new plants to produce future the employers, At the same time it was running British Layland workers from the ALC plant in Southall on the march against one of a series of recent management attacks Day Work in the last lew years to jack up falling sales and low profits.
Already, Fords, Chrysler and Vauxhall's are sacking workers.
So far, BLMC has got rid of 10,000 jobs in the last two years by 'natural wastage —that is, by simply not taking new lahour on, But now the need of the capitalist is greater.
While Bean hands over the money with one hand and calms down workers worried about jobs with the other. Ryder at the NEB will be delighted that a Labour Government sees its way lo slosh so much money in the direction of But the accountability the NEB will be demanding will be to the trol. sacred capitalist market and profits And the price of that will he jobs. The British car market peaked at 1.6 million models in 1973. Next year sales may well be under i ON million. Mr. Ryder's "investigations" will take these things very seriously BLMC workers should demand they have every scrap of information and plans from the NEB before their eyes at every stage, and should exercise a veto against any plans that The fight for werkers control over any Labour Government intervention into BLMC will not be casy. A mass mecting last Friday at the Cowley plant decided to raise a L12 pay demand to ElD. That is a slap in the oge for Labour's social contrI'call very well to reject the social contract on the wages front but that alone will nor stop the sackings which are on the way. The need for a strategy against rodundancy in BLMC alld the whole motor industry a needed.
STRATEGY Such a strategy must concentrate on the tight for nationalisation with out compensation under workers control, The first steps to such a common joos policy throughout all BLMC plants can centre on de mands for work-sharing and a cur in hours when redundancies or layoff are threatened.
The BLMC Combine Committee should meet immediately to thrash out this policy and demand to sec and know every stage of Labuur's plans for the company, When the Coinbine Commitice meets it must convene a national alewards conTerence front all BEMC plants lo discuss and decide the road out of redundancy and towards a nationalised industry under serkers conTin Hall PAMPHLETS BRITISH LEYLAND Leyland in Crisis-produced 30p plus 5p p&p British Layland: An Economic Report-produced by Birmingham IMG 10p plus 5p p&p From RED BOOKS, 97 Caledonian Road, N.1.
Two weeks to go, and we've almost made it to the 2,000 target, with Our thanks in particular to: P. Barnes
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