Stirling jobless organise

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by Stan Crooke and FOLLOWING on the example set by Trades Councils in Alloa and Falkirk, an "Unemployed Workers' Association" has now been set up in Stirling as well, at an inaugural meeting held at the end of July.

Such an association, linking up the unemployed and employed, is badly needed in Stirling and the rest of Central Scotland: in the past 12 months unemployment in the Central Region has shot up by 54% and in Stirling itself by 43%.

The principal aims of the UWA, as laid down by the constitution accepted by the inaugural meeting, are: to set up and run unemployed centres; to provide advice on unemployment and supplementary benefits; to encourage unemployed to be in a the union; and to. organise support for workers struggling against short time and redundancies.

The UWA also aims 'to impress upon the government and local authorities the need for increasing employment. Failing this to assist in bringing about the conditions to replace these representatives" formulation which represents an uneasy compromise between the STUC 'strategy' of 'forcing the Tories to change their policies" and a fight to force the Tories out of office.

Demonstration

Members of the UWA have already been active in carrying out such policies.

When the July unemployment figures were announced a demonstration was held outside the Job Centre in Stirling (the Department of Employmeni offices were closed because of the civil servants strike). At a meeting held immediately after the demonstration it was agreed to hold such a demonstration every month, when the unemployment figures are announced.

Members of the UWA have also been active in boycotts of local shops selling Lee Jeans, which have been initiated by the "Right to Work • Campaign"/SWP, and have already produced the first issue of 'Broo Bulletin" monthly newssheet which provides information on the activities of the UWA, advice on claiming benefits, and coverage of both local and national industrial disputes.

The UWA, despite some political limitations, marks a real step forward in building a united fight of both unemployed and employed against job losses in and around Stirling.

Conference

The next step for Stirling UWA, along with other Scottish UWAs, should be to call a Scotland-wide conference against unemployment along the lines of the one recently held in Leicester.

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Organiser August 13, 1981 Page