As part of a general attack against the working class shop stewards are under attack in a number of fields, The sacking of individual shop stewards up and down the country, the proposals of the Ford's management to outlaw the Fords’ Shop Stewards Committes and the never ending prepaganda ese nis peek the capitalist press are part of a pattorn. This campaign is a corollary of the attempt by the Government to stiffen resistance by the employers to workers demands through NEDC and NIC. Just how far they will go in this attack will be largely determined by the resistance the workers put up.
The shop stewards are a particular thorn in the side of the ruling class. As well as being to the forefront generally in any campaign for workers! demands, they challenge the capitalist class where it hurts them most,in the running and control of industry. This is particularly irksome for the employers at a time of intensified competition in export markets, In these days of mergers, rationalisation and takeovers, which in the last analysis represent an attempt by the bosses to reorganise production more efficiently at the expense of their workers, the shop stewards are a reoccuring stuy bling block, No capitalist can now plan without taking into account the reaction and resistance of his workers led by the shop stewards, When Managements complain that they want to manage they are speaking from the heart.
Shop stewards committees achieved their strength in a period of full employment and scarcity of labour, They are particularly strong in industries which have periodic reorganisations of production, e.g., the motor car industry as preduction is switched from one model to another Each time such a reorganisation takes place, naturally the management wishes to alter things to its advantage and the complexity of production is such that they have plenty of opportunity to try to do this. The workers naturally resist the speed up and the shop stewards committees have had great success in organising this resistance, The shop stewards committees which in most cases go over the artificial trade union barriers, are vory efficient fighting organisations. The shop steward unlike most union officials is not removed from the mass of the workers and can gauge the latter's feeling and therefore put forward lines of action which will be followed,
The attack on the shop stewards is an important stage in the process of putting the burden of Britain's economic crisis on the back of the working class, At this stage it is the focal point of this struggle. The left has an important part to play, perhaps a decisive one, The capitalist class has sought to isolate the shop stewards movement over a long period. With its allies in the labour movement, it has sought to use the fact:that many shop stewards are members of the Communist Party to distort the whole rele of shop stowards, To oppose this campaign is the main way the left can help. The whole apparatus of the Labour movement mist be mobilised, for instance, the Young Secialist branches fust organise mostings for the shop stewards to put their point of view, Wards and C.L.P.'s should do the samo. On every occasion that shop stewards are attacked the left should go into action locally and nationally in support. On the other hand every effort nust be made to get shop stewards themselves to bring their struggle into the Labour Party — bitter experience in the past plus statements by the Labour leaders have made them suspicious of the Labour Party and contributed to their isolation, Lrt us show them that the left wing can be trusted to support them.