More than Just Fighting Spirit!

The march of 12,000 demonstrators in support of Vauxhall workers in Luton on Saturday, January 20, represented more than just the workers’ fighting spirit. It also embodied the spirit that workers have the aspiration to carry the fight for the right to a livelihood through to the end. It carried the sentiment that workers should be the decision makers.

Workers were determined to protest, despite the freezing conditions, about the threatened closure of Luton’s Vauxhall plant by General Motors. This demonstration is further evidence of the awakening of the working class to the threats to their livelihoods by the economic arrangements made by the monopoly groups. It is further evidence of the workers are determined to come out of the margins and oppose these economic arrangements.

The workers at Luton are demanding that their profitable plant stay open for the sake of their own and their children's future employment. The rundown of the Vectra model can easily be replaced by a new model at the Luton plant, as has been the case in the past.

The demonstrators assembled at the end of Kimpton Road, next to the plant, and marched through the town centre. On the march brightly coloured banners were carried, which included many trade union and socialist organisations. Slogans were shouted and displayed on placards, which said: "NO to closure!"; "Save Vauxhall"; "Oppose GM's plans!".

Car workers from MG-Rover at Longbridge participated by sending five coach loads of people. There were many trade union branches and thousands of people joined the march from the local community. A large contingent of Dudley hospital ancillary workers who are on strike were on the demonstration.

People came on the march from all over Europe and messages of support were delivered from the platform both in person and telegraphed by various European centrals. These included the ETUC and the German IG-Metal Trade Union. GM workers throughout Europe have committed themselves to a Europe-wide day of action in support of Luton and against the economic arrangements of GM this coming Thursday.

A leaflet was distributed by a contingent of RCPB(ML) on the march entitled, "Carry the Struggle for a Guaranteed Livelihood through to the End!" [WDIE No.10]. The leaflet was widely accepted and comrades discussed the issues with workers on the march. The issue the leaflet raised, in particular, was of the necessity for worker politicians to come forward. This was discussed as a very natural idea at a time of a forthcoming General Election, and because of the numbers of workers who are in struggle and not being represented by the Labour government.

A number of speeches were delivered from all of the main trade union general secretaries in the country. Workers from Vauxhall were interviewed on the platform. Standing ovations were given to the workers at OPEL in Portugal who have taken immediate solidarity action and demonstrated outside their own factory gates. Their organiser, Paulo Vincenti, sent a message of solidarity. GM workers in Brazil, Austria, Italy, Australia, Canada and the USA also sent messages of solidarity.

Tony Woodley, national negotiator for the TGWU in the car industry, described the threatened closure from the specially erected rally platform as "the biggest scandal and outrage taken by a global company to date". He went on to explain how an agreement for the plant had been reached recently between unions and management for the sustained future of the plant. He described how GM arbitrarily tore up the agreement, and is going ahead with the plan for an immediate implementation of a 2,000-redundancy programme. He described the actions of the company as "immoral" and "illegal". He said that this is "the unacceptable face of globalisation," and added, "We can't sit back and allow companies to sack our workforce!"

Tony Woodley said that this is not just a British problem but one which affects Europe too. He said, "If GM can close a profitable plant in Britain then they can do so anywhere in Europe." He said that we are witnessing a short term, over-capacity problem, which is not uncommon where there is a run out of a model. He pointed to economic problems and how America was under pressure from financial institutions to kick-start the economy. Tony Woodley concluded by saying, "We've got to resist, make sure our agreements are honoured and start today as a major fight-back."

Bill Morris, General Secretary of the T&G, welcomed children onto the march and said, "It is about their future." He emphasised, "If Vauxhall want to sell in Luton then they should make cars in Luton." The TGWU general secretary declared, "Today is the first small step in the long march to victory!"

Ken Jackson, General Secretary of the AEEU, said that here we had "proof of the fighting spirit here today". He opposed the Blair government's position of saying that bureaucracy was strangling the industry, adding, "We demand the right to have consultation when decisions are being made and not after they are made." He concluded, "We have the right to earn a living!"

Roger Lyons of the MSF said, "We can take this campaign forward and change decisions."

It is reported that up to 1,300 assembly jobs are at stake at Nissan's Sunderland car plant in the North East as speculation continues as to where Nissan will build its new Micra model. Thousands more workers in the components suppliers would lose their jobs if the Micra were not assembled in Sunderland.

On Wednesday, January 17, the EU Commissioners announced that they backed a £40m regional aid package the government is offering to Nissan if it chooses to bring the work to the North East. This follows an investigation by the European Commission into whether the aid package breached the EU rules. However, the ruling that the hand-out was within the competition regulations, which was supposed to clinch the deal, was evidently not enough for the Nissan management. Now, it appears, "there are other issues at stake". Over-production in the cut-throat European car market is certainly one of them, with the consequent need of the various monopolies to do everything possible to counter falling margins.

Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers was reported as saying: "We are continuing to press the case for Sunderland and today's news is helpful. But Nissan has made it clear that this is just one of a number of issues that will influence their decision." Nissan UK's head of corporate affairs Andrew Horne was reported as saying that the money would "strengthen" Sunderland's case but the exchange rate would still be a key consideration. Renault – which has a substantial share in Nissan – has a factory at Flins just outside Paris, which is Sunderland's rival in the race to win production of the new Micra. Renault is particularly known for its aggressive strategy of "restructuring" world-wide.

A picket was organised on Thursday, January 18, to demand justice for asylum seekers. The picket, organised by the North East Campaign for Asylum Rights (NECFAR), took place outside the Civic Centre in Newcastle where Barbara Roche, Minister for Immigration and Asylum, was speaking at a conference.

About 30 people, including asylum seekers dispersed to the North East and now housed in hostel accommodation, distributed a leaflet to passers by calling for justice for asylum seekers. The leaflet demanded an end to the forced dispersal of asylum seekers, the closure of the hostels and the provision of safe accommodation, and the abolition of the voucher system to be replaced with cash payments and the right to work. The leaflet also opposed the detention of asylum seekers and called for the release of those being held in custody. The demonstrators shouted slogans opposing the deportation of asylum seekers, and a delegation from the picket met with the minister to submit these demands.

The fact that such a picket has had to be organised shows the state of rights in Britain. The rights of minorities are supposed to be upheld by the system of civil liberties on the one hand and a civil society on the other which has the responsibility to uphold values which protect minorities from discrimination and oppression. The detention or dispersal of asylum seekers by the state, deliberately targeting them in this way and encouraging a racist hysteria against them, shows that such a system of civil liberties does not protect the rights of minorities, nor are the people and their values the source of racism. In fact, the most vulnerable in society are the most exploited. This is directly a consequence of present arrangements where civil rights, far from being guaranteed by a state which protects the interests of those that privately own the means of production, are reduced to being the responsibility of communities and their attitudes and values. Meanwhile, the state creates the conditions where these civil rights are circumscribed or cannot be concretely exercised. This situation underlines that a society must be brought about in which the affirmation of the rights of all human beings and their collectives, including in the form of the nation, is given a material reality. Such a new society will recognise the rights of all by virtue of the being of each human person. In such a society there can be no second-class citizens, such as the asylum seekers are at present, but all will be recognised as equal members of the polity.

As you probably know, environmentalists, human rights activists, and unionists have been targeted by Right-wing Death Squads in Colombia and Nigeria. It now appears necessary to address the US government's position concerning Right-wing Death Squads in Colombia. Any help distributing the message below will be greatly appreciated:

If the US Government really wants to stop right-wing death squads in Colombia, the US should offer a $3 Million Dollar Reward for the capture of AUC leader Carlos Castano. The US should treat Carlos Castano like any other terrorist.

Several world organisations should publicly ask the US Government (George W. Bush) to post a $3,000,000 or larger reward for the capture of Carlos Castano. If the US Government refuses... that will help define the US Government's position regarding right-wing Death Squads in Colombia.

Once a reward is offered for Carlos Castano, it will be more difficult for Castano to get amnesty for the crimes he has already committed. It will become easier for Castano's surviving victims to sue the corporations and businesses that financially supported his reign of terror.

Note: Victims may be able to file their lawsuits in the US.

(signed) from USA