A CLEAR DIVISION unions' strategy of fighting rate-capping at the London Bridge shop stewards day on 19 March. Over 500 stewards heard speakers from Bentley Womens' Action Group, Liverpool joint shop stewards committee, and from Camden NUPE boiler section who have been on strike for five weeks.
One strategy is that of working as normal if the money runs out.
Hackney council workers have been told that they may not be paid next month, because of a court injuction prevents the council borrowing against rale come, until a legal rate is seus court dol has followed against IstThe work-in tactic was put forward forcefully the London Bridge meeting, and not surprisingly, had the support of Margaret Hodge, Leader of Islington council, representing the Association of Labour Authorities (ALA).
Veness Hackney NUPE officers' branch Conte COLsidering action to saying: 'If you decide to hang me I'll shoot myself.' A representative from the Greenwich joint shop stewards committee stated that they would be seeking to delete all reference 'all-out' strike action from London Bridge policy.
Ivan Beavis, NALGO NEC member, tried to give the work-in tactic a left flavour. The tactic is part of an overall strategy in which unions are proposing to carrv on working in order to win public sympathy and maintain it until the Tories back down.
It is described as form of 'workers power' and a method of preventing the appointment of receivers and subsequent privatisation.
It is ironic that workers are being told in the face of attacks on jobs to work rather than strike. In elfect this is a serious erosion of the right to strike.
The other strategy put forward at London Bridge is one supported by the Joint camin Gamden. This provides the only basis for defeating the rate-capping legislation and the gradua erosion of the right strike with the loss of jobs and services. This is not to counterpose work-ins and occupations but to say that national action and solidarity is the only way to win.
In the context of all-out strike action, ocupations and some emergenci cover will be necessary but the workforce be mobilised first. . We should look back on the civil service and the health service Ratecapping emerged over the trade disputes, recognise that months of localsed actions demobilise the unions and ultimately lead to demoralisation defeat.
As Dave Burn, Islington NALGO branch secretary pointed out, work-ins simply cannot be sustained without money It costs £3 million per week to run Islington services.
Camden Nalgo The moves towards the work-in strategy NO! yet a disaster, but whether the Castoner bIrS Hackney or elsewhere, the HIUS rapidly escalated. The solidarity action peeded cannot be developed unless national action is seriously built by local authority unions on a joint Union basis.
There must be total rerecuos compromise budgets maximum rate increases, or we will have lost - and the Tories will be back for more next year and the year after. MANCHESTER City Labour Party voted to accept a budget last Thursday March, which will SOCIAL SERVICE OUTS Showdown in Manchester meetings every day as Liberals, Tories Labour right felt that an illegal .will passed. The have called a council meeting for Friday March to discuss this, so showdown is imminent.
The city exstandby at each council meelllig : to be consulted that they can determine policy for councillors.
It is not too late for the group to employ these methods, although Wednesday's meeting mas see the end of a fightback leaving firmly in the union's court. The spotlight is on certain councillors whose side are they on?
BG BROTHER?
HANDS OFF THEMET BY LAW all unions have to ballot their members by
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BIG BROTHER?
of JOCK VEALL, a beloved friend and comrade. Died 16 March 1985.