NALGO knifes typists' strike

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1 20 1 18 1 9 27 8 26 15 23 22 30 Oxfordshire County Association of Trades Councils conference: Ireland - where does the labour movement Saturday Décember 12, 10-5 at West Oxford Community Centre, Binsey Lane, Oxford: Delegate's credent ials £3, observers £1.50 (un waged £1) from Marie Camp bell, 167 Walton St, Oxford.

Greenwich Labour Party DAY CONFERENCE:

IRELAND-A WAY FORWARD?

Saturday 28 November 9.30-5.30 Goldsmith's College Students Union New Cross, London SE14 Creche available. Lunch provided. Registration £2.50 Details from Greenwich Labour Party, 32 Woolwich Road, London SE10 LAMBETH LABOUR LEFT has called a meeting on 28 November at County Hall at 7.30 for all those on the left in the Labour Party in London who are taking a no cuts, no rate rise stand, in order to hammer out a policy to confront the Tories.

Camden Socialist Organiser meeting: 'Smash the 4° wage limit' , with speaker Alan Thornett (TGWU Cow ley Assembly Plant, in personal capacity). Wednesday November I1, from 7.30 at Camden Labour Club, Carol St.

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Conference November 13-15, at Queen Mary College, London.

Details: CND, 11 Goodwin St, London N4.

St Mary's Hospital, London W9: support conference for the struggle against closure.

Saturday November 21, from 11am at Porchester AFTER five months on strike for a regraded pay structure to give female office workers equal pay with their male colleagues, 400 Liverpool City Council typists now face defeat -not at the hands of their employers, but at the hands of the NALGO national executive.

The typists' dispute is on the verge of bringing the city council to a standstill. Suppliers are not being paid and are threatening to cut off deliveries, contractors are threatening to sue the mayor for non-payment of bills, and hundreds of thousands of pounds in rent are not being collected. The city council is now being run by a seven-person emergency committee.

Knighthood

Liberal leader Sir Trevor Jones (I wonder why Thatcher gave him that knighthood?) had arrogantly refused to negotiate Typists on the picket line the council's original and inadequate offer. Now, suddenly, he wants to talk.

But what happens? Instead of pushing the full claim, the negotiators take the noose from around Jones' neck and offer him arbitration. Breathing audible sighs of relief, the condemned man grasps this welcome reprieve and accepts.

Return

The typists, however, are not so delighted. Arbitration may take up to 12 months. Meanwhile they have to return to normal working and take the pressure off the council. And of course there is no guarantee of a suitable settlement at the end of it all.

Many of the typists feel they have been sold out. They didn't make sacrifices for five months for it to end like this.

What then made a majority accept arbitration at a mass meeting? Quite simple - NALGO national officials said accept or we withdraw all support, including strike pay, and the local branch officers recommended this solution to the meeting:

It is not clear at the moment why the branch officers made this recommendation. They and the typists have already learnt in this dispute that sometimes you have to fight the union as well as your employers. Only a few weeks ago they secured strike pay by picketing NALGO national headquarters. This fight was obviously necessary again.

Morale The typists' claim could and should have been won in full. The employers were cracking while morale among the strikers was Prising. Support from other trade unionists employed naigo witho Havin Stan Croa of 1500 Hillington by the council was increasing the pressure for a just settlement, but the NALGO national officials didn't have the 'bottle' for seeing the fight through like these women had.

Dump This story of betrayal by those paid out of our union subs to serve our interests is a familiar one. Out of this betrayal, however, yet another group of workers has learnt a very valuable lesson.

Unless we take seriousiy the fight to dump these well-fed, union-car-driving, 200-guinea-suited рагаsites, and replace them with a leadership accountable to the members and with the guts to fight our battles with us to the end, Thatcher and her friends can sleep easy in their beds at night.

I suspect, however, that NALGO national officials cannot. Liverpool typists have long, long niemories.

SUE ERSWELL ke explains production (Glasgow).

AUEW full timers and of the Chris

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