Coventry strike goes to

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ACAS IN A period of declining profit margins it might come as a surprise to the COVENTRY's NUPE local council strikers decided last Saturday to go back to work immediately pending the result of an ACAS inquiry.

•Previous conditions will apply until ACAS reports -that is, the council have withdrawn their letter which broke tocal agreements and attempted to cut back the wages of the workers by ten percent.

The strike had lasted for four weeks, and involved 4,000 workers - caretakers, school cleaners, and canteen workers. Over 60,000 children were off school.

Only half of the strikers attended the mass meeting last Saturday - ironically, because of a lightning strike by West Midlands bus drivers over their 23 per cent pay claim - but the vote was two to one to go back.

Two of the most active pickets felt that the result was a sell-out, since the implication was that the ACAS result is binding.

However, strike leaders emphasised that both sides were to respect the result, not abide by it. At the same time, it was felt that the strike had shown Coventry NUPE's militancy in face of the cuts, and the Labour council had backed down quite considerably over the four weeks.

They felt that ACAS would have to find that agreements had been breached the Labour by Council, find in favour of NUPE.

As well as this, a return to work would give the members two weeks' money before Christmas, and keep the membership united.

Way Dar Spenci As reported last week, support for the strike at official level was appalling. At a mass "meeting last Thursday called by NUPE and attended by about 1000 militants from all the unions, Harry Mellon, the NUT secretary; got a very rough reception because of his union's poor show.

A committee of • local unions at official level is to be set up to coordinate and plan against the next round ot cuts. At the same time. che support committee oi rank and file trade unionists needs to be kept in existence to pressurise and to remove, where necessary, the local officials.

The NUPE strike has been the first battle against the cuts in Coventry, and has shown the way forward.

THE LAW Lords still have not announced their decision on the Greater London Council fares case, though the hearing are finished.

Denning ruled that the London electors did not actually vote for what they thought the Labour Party stood for in the election, and that it didn't matter anyway because the council is exceeding. its powers and does not have the right to carry out its manifesto.

If the Lords uphold this ruling, it will be one of the most explosive political issues in decades - a direct and openly political intervention by the permanent un elected elements in the state machine to overwhelm and outlaw a decision approved by the relevant electorate.

A small scale model.. in fact, of one thing the ruling class would do if the labour: movement posed a real challenge to their interests nationally.

Not only defiance by the London Labour Parties and the GLC, but also ind.

ustrial. action by London Transport workers to black any Lords-ordered fares increases, will be called for to beat this back.

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must back fares