Council workers - Ford: prepare firm against cuts

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OFFICIAL WF

by Pyushi

THE indefinite strike by NUPE workers against Coventry Labour Council's attempts to enforce the cuts and break local union agreements has now entered its second week. Class solidarity is building up fast against the reformist council which now faces the prospect of one-day industrial action by TGWU local authority workers.

Bus drivers in the TGWU will also be organising lightning strikes and busmen threatened with changing conditions of work are also likely to join in.

Mass picket by women strikers It is essential that all these workers push to link these struggles immediately.

The basis now exists to inflict a major setback on the Tory onslaught and to provide a lead to the whole labour movement.

As yet the teaching unions have made no gesture of active support towards NUPE and are still under the instruction of their union leadership to cross the picket lines.

However the NUS held a day of action at one college where students were instruc ted not to cross the picket It is being increasingly understood that NUPE's struggle is not an isolated one.

Last Tuesday 350 NUPE pickets and supporters from the Ad Hoc Rank and File Committee picketed and later invaded the Council House to challenge the treacherous policies of the misleaders of the labour movement.

On Thursday night pickets assembled outside the District Labour Party meeting which was to discuss the issue.

In the event the chairperson, a leading TGWU full time official, ruled emergency resolutions in support of the strike out of order and closed the meeting when he was challenged.

Agitational

Militants in the local authority unions have come together to form an Ad Hoc Rank and File Committee which has produced several strike bulletins, distributed to local factories, explaining the issue.

It has also helped to collect over £ 2,000 towards the NUPt strike fund and demanded the disciplining of scabs in the unions and. that no NUPE work is undertaken.

It is essential that the Ad Hoc Committee continues to organise at a rank and file level. The one-day strike should be seen as an important focus against the Council's package of £2 million spending cuts and must be an agitational platform for all-out strike action to defend the public sector and workers' living standards.

The NUPE stand must also be seen as an important spearhead to politically discredit Coventry's fake referendum which the Tories so eagerly seized upon to use as another weapon with which to attack the working class.

The Labour Left must take up the necessary political struggle inside the Labour Party against the right wing class collaborationist councillors who are daily betraying the class they claim to represent.

Total

AFTER THE bitter experience of the BL pay sellour and a week which saw

weeks of deliberate delay and confusion-mongering produce a vote to accept a four per cent offer by Vauxhall workers at Luton, Ford workers may well be sceptical about their leaders' renewed threats of strike action.

The strong statements rejecting Ford's latest offer came this time from chief negotiator Ron Todd (TGWU). Union representatives agreed to recommend to the executive of all 13 unions an all out strike THE National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers recall conference on the issue of wages fizzled out with a dismal acceptance of a 5% pay increase for 80,000 workers in the clothing industry-except where the employers can prove they can't afford it.

Unity

The best that can be said is that the '15-man board refused the derisory offer of 6.25% which included one day's extra holiday to the minimum time rate and nothing to the piece workers who make up 90% of the industry.

After the regular union conference in April, when a debate on wages was held down by the General Secretary, Alex Smith, a call was made for a substantial increase on the guaranteed minimum time rate, at present £54 for 40 hours.

It was obvious at the conference the employers would make no decent offer -unless the union leadership openly confronted the employers' organisation and Ron Todd from November 24.

But no preparations were put in hand to mobilise the strength of the membership on the shop floor. Union officials spoke spoiled the cosy relationship which seems to exist at the moment.

But the Broad Lett showed no organisation for this recall conference, and after the sell-out by the Communist Party on the Executive Board over Lee Jeans it remains to be seen if the present so-called unity of the Left can be a force within the union.

One candidate for the Executive election spoke against the 5% offer.

"We are sick to death of hearing about the plight of the employers and the state of the clothing industry. We know the state of the industry. We face daily redundancies, claw backs on our incentive rates, cuts in safety, canteen facilities, etc.

Discontent No way can we go on paying for the crisis of the capitalist system. At the risk of appearing ultra-left, if the employers are having such a bad time of it and such a hard time raking in their profits, why don't they pack in and hand it lock, stock

simply of the 'ball' being in 'management's court'. and angled for a further top level meeting this week.

Ford workers must recognise the danger that their leaders will leave the struggle to drift, before

cashing in on post-BL demoralisation to let them off the hook of strike action.

The offer of 4.5 per cent plus strings is completely unacceptable: no amount of talks between now and November 24 will make it acceptable. All out action is the only way to win.

Fight now for mass meetings to discuss the offer and demand that the officials press home the fight to defend living standard sanc working conditions! and barrel to the workers in the industry and let it be nationalised under workers control. (A few gasps of horror from the platform).

It's time we made stand. Three years ago we were asking for £60 for 35 hours and here we are with 13% inflation accepting £57 for 39 hours.

The vote to accept was 3-1, but the debate over wages and conditions will go on. The discontent felt by the shop floor must be brought into the open through branch meetings, shop stewards committees and combine meetings.

Frightened

As the union membership showed, even when we do come out and fight, the leadership are so frightened they take months to recognise the occupation or strike and will withdraw support as soon as possible.

It is clear we must organise a real left base which will generate confidence and discussion in the branches and accountability of Executive Board members and full time officials.

----- pull-quotes -----

NUPE STRIKE PLEASE DONT CAN OUR DINNER CHILDREN NEE HOT DINNE

WANT FIVE DiS NOT FOL