Strike to save Ford jobs!
On Thursday June 22nd 700 workers from Ford's Dagenham plant arrived in a fleet of coaches to demonstrate outside of the Ford UK head office in Kensington. They were protesting against the decision of Ford management to end car production in Dagenham and transfer the new Fiesta to Germany.
Most of the workers were from the Dagenham Paint Trim and Assembly (PTA) plant which is the site faced with closure. There were also workers and stewards from the engine plant which, according to Ford management, is staying open, at the present time. It is a policy of divide and rule.
700 was seen as a good turn out, given that it was a working day and took place against management pressure not to leave the plant and the possibility of disciplinary action being taken against those who did. It should provide the basis for action to be stepped up.
Tony Woodley, the TGWU national official for the car industry, spoke to the demonstrators before going in to meet management and present them with the trade unions official rejection of Fords closure proposals.
He attacked Ford management over the closure but he was not talking about stepping up the action. He said that there will be a ballot for strike action if necessary but that this will not take place until the current round of redundancies - those resulting from the reduction of the PTA from two shifts to one not the proposed closure - have been completed.
He went on to say that after this demonstration, and the lobby of parliament by Ford workers due to take place on Wednesday June 28th, there will "be a lull in the campaign" until the ballot takes place! There were murmurs of "what campaign?" given that there have not yet been mass meetings inside the plant, and this was the first action of any kind which had taken place.
The problem is that time is on the side of Ford management, and the longer it takes to get resistance off the ground the more difficult it will be.
Already there has been a collapse of the shop stewards committee in the PTA, with 20 shop stewards, including the convenor, taking redundancy in the current round of cutbacks.
It is a difficult situation, but the turnout and the militancy of Thursday's demonstration shows that there is a solid body of workers prepared to make a stand if a lead is given. New stewards need to be elected and the shop stewards movement made to function.
But if this is to come about the momentum needs to be kept up. A national demonstration in London led by thousands of Ford workers, would get a huge response from the London as the Birmingham demonstration against the closure of Longbridge did on April 1. It could help to galvanise the situation and lead up to a successful ballot for action.
The crucial steps must be:
Mass meetings at Dagenham to involve the workforce and keep it fully informed.
A national demonstration in London, against the closure.
A ballot for strike at Dagenham against the closure.
Supporting action from the other Ford plants.