Labour must pay the council workers

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branch (with the support of worker igning ine lour per the local T&G and G&M) has cent, too - and doubly so if called conference for it is linked to a political fight Wednesday October 28 (7.30 to force Labour councils to at Carden Town Hall) for "set an example" , too. forum. Sundays at 7:30, at the Leicester Socialist Centre, High St (above Blackthorn Books).

Nov.l: Labour and Ireland Nov.8: BL and the 4% limit Nov. 15: 1956-81, 25th anni versary of the Hungarian Revolution Nov.22: Workers' control Nov.29: Chile/Bolivia.- the role of the military in Latin Oxford Socialist Organiser Marxist classes.

Nov.l: Day school on fascism. 10am to 4pm at West Oxford Community Centre Wednesdays, 8pm at 44b Princes St:

Nov.18: The Russian Revo: lution Dec.2: The crisis of the 4th Dec.16: The nuclear threat. South-East and London con ference of unwaged women. Friday October 30, 10am to 5pm at North London Poly Students' Union, Holloway. Rd, N7. Creche provided. Open to all women: but voting only by unemployed and unwaged women.

Lambeth Socialist Organiser educational programme. Sundays at 7pm: for venue, phone 609 3071.

Oct.25: Labour theory of value.

Nov.29: State and revolutio Dec.20: The Russian revolu tion.

Jan.31: Stalinism Feb.28: The origins Anti-Apartheid movement conference Martin Thomas ONE MILLION council manual workers - by far the biggest single group confronting the four per cent limit -put in their wage claim on Tuesday 13th. It calls for wage increases in line with inflation, shorter hours, and longer holidays.

This is the most important chance yet for Labour Parties and Labour councils to give practical meaning to the militant resolution ag ainst cuts passed at the Labour Party's Brighton conference. The resolution called on Labour councils, "to refuse to make the cuts needed to balance the books" • and mandated the NEC to campaign for industrial action in support.

The Tories' four per cent cash limit is an order to Labour councils to cut the real wages of some of the country's lowest-paid workers: a cut as cruel as any of the cuts in services.

Labour now has a majority on the councils' pay negotiating body. A singlesentence announcement from the Labour councils that they will defy the Tories and pay the full claim would demolish the four per cent limit as surely as a long strike in BL.

And if the BL workers are willing to face the threat of sacking for the sake of the struggle, then the Labour councils, strengthened by the Brighton resolution and this year's T&G conference resolution pledging industrial action in support of any council fighting cuts, should be prepared to face Tory threats of surcharge threats which will in any case be totally unenforceable if there is a strong stand by the labour movement.

The councils, at present, are not due to reply to the unions' claim until mid-November. But left-wing Labour councils and Labour Parties should not hidembehind this formality.

A declaration now by councils like Greater London, the West Midlands, Camden and Lambeth, that they Will pay the full claim come What may, and will fight for the full negotiating body to do likewise, would give a huge boost to the BL workers and all other workers fighting the four per cent limit - as well as being an elementary act of justice for low-paid workers.

Conversely, any hint by Labour councils that they will enforce the four per cent limit will be a stab in the back for BL.

The councils can and should call for industrial action to wring the money from the Tories.

Emergency resolutions, motivated on the BL sacking threat, should be going through Labour Parties this month, calling on local Labour councils to make this declaration. And Labour declaration. And Labour Left leaders and groupings like the LCC should be making a public appeal for such resolutions and declarations.

Encouraging

UPE, T&G and G&M delegates n local Labour Parties can play a leading role in fighting this issue -though their leaders, like NUPE assistant general secIetary Ron Keating, are just saying that the Labour majority on the councils' negotiating body is 'encouraging' ('encouraging' him to wait and do nothing?)

Camden General NUPE Led:

limit.

council workers to plan action on the pay claim. A conference organiser stated:

"We are considering industrial action in the London region, regardless of what is happening nationally. By doing so, we hope to set an example to the negotiators and to the rest of the country"

This important call will giye a boost to every other fi_Ltine the fore nas TONY BENN CHARLES MORRIS RON HALVERSON I AUEW)

ERIC CLARKE LEE JEANS