The BL strike that doesn't exist!
Socialist Organiser1980sTranscribed by hand from the printed page.
Last December 12 workers and shop stewards were sacked by Michael Edwardes at the Longbridge plant. The Metro was brought to a standstill in their defence and every national newspaper made it headlines for weeks.
The TV screamed that militant workers were once again about to bring BL to its knees.
The media was openly used to undermine those victimised, strengthen Edwardes and hopefully, break the strike.
Today in Cowley, the production lines of the two new models, the Honda Acclaim and the Morris Ambassador have been at a standstill for well over a week with hardly a mention in the press or on the TV networks.
After a week on strike a few paragraphs have begun to appear tucked away somewhere inside the papers, just about registering that the strike is taking place.
Why is this? The strike is actually more damaging to BL than last year's Metro strike. The Honda Acclaim is a major new model and it involves the Ambassador as well.
The answer is that the Acclaim launch is actually this week. This causes acute embarrassment to BL. How do you launch a new car when the production line is at a standstill?
Fleet orders, which they hope will come with the publicity surrounding the launch are difficult to obtain if the cars aren't being produced.
Customers are unlikely to get enthusiastic about a car which is impossible to obtain.
It is true that 6,500 Acclaims have already been produced, but that only amounts to a handful in the hands of its distributors.
Now, for a change, BL doesn't want publicity for this strike. They want the launch to go ahead and potential customers to be unaware that the production lines are at a standstill and the plant surrounded by pickets.
So Britain's 'free press' who normally produce BL headlines as a reflex action goes silent.
The strings have been pulled, the briefings have taken place and BL policy is effective and uniform throughout all sections of the media.
Unfortunately for BL, influence at this time in the opinion-forming media is not enough to resolve their problems.
The plant is still at a standstill, it is still ringed by pickets and they still can't supply their customers even if they mislead them into placing orders.