Private Contractors Out of Local Authorities Mandan an Birmingham Threats

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Sun sets for ioneer profiteers "I would hope that all those who are minded not to cooperate will reconsider their position... I must make it clear that any employee taking such industrial action after Monday August 23, 1982 will be dismissed."

That was the chummy message from Neville Bosworth, leader of. Birmingham City Council to NALGO members who are currently blacking the Council's privatisation plans.

As well as demonstrating the Tory council's determination to force privatisation in for housing, amenities, architecture, solicitors, school meals, recreation and refuse, the sacking threat is also a blatant attempt to smash the closed shop.

Earlier in the letter obligatory for the founder of the Scottish Industrial Revolution: they slashed their workforce from over 1,600 two years ago to 800 at the time the receivers were brought in.

But such measures proved of no avail: the firm's market value slumped to £3 million, whilst debts piled up to £11.7 million, and the price oi the shares collapsed from 258½D (1973) to 18p today. The sun may never set on the British Empire but the same certainly cannot be said of the firms which grew fat off its rise.

The crunch finally came as a result of a further attempt at rationalisation begun earlier this year. Management foolishly heeded the Siren's claims that the recession was over, and borrowed heavily in the belief that the market was about to pick up. But then the firm found itself left high and dry as the market remained depressed, and was ultimately ship-wrecked by the high interest rates being charged on its debts.

Volley A volley froni Carron's tannon could not have had a more devastating effect on the workforce than the announcement of the arrival of the receivers:

"It was all worth states: "I can assure all employees that no-one would be dismissed through losing union membership through discharging his (sic)

duties to the council."

The Tory cuts and privatisation plans (amounting to £17.4 million, 80 jobs in the ratusin departmenz in social late.

housing and 212 services just for starters), comes on top of £15 million worth of cuts and 2,000 jobs lost) made last year by the right wing Labour administration of Clive Wilkinson.

Determination

Now there is an increasing determination amongst the rank and file (and even amongst many of the officials) of the council unions that the time has come to stop all cuts and job loss.

by Stan Crooke for them to take in," said Harry Donaldson, GMWU senior shop steward at the foundry. «They were obviously shattered by what has happened." He described the workforce as "stunned"

Heather Lyon, assistant secretary of Falkirk Trades Council, and a tormer employee of Carron's herself until sacked, described the impact of a closure on the area: "Carron's is the last big workplace in this area, and in many cases all the wage-earners in a family work there. Closure would mean the complete decimation of local villages like Airth, and unemployment in the central region would rise to 17% Slim The prospects for a fightback look slim. Harry Donaldson described his strategy for saving jobs. "We tried to impress on our members that the major thing was to buckle down and work as hard as we can in order that we can save as many jobs as possible."

But in practice this will mean either all workers working themselves out of a job quicker than ever, or a fraction of the jobs being maintained at the price of a drastic deterioration in working conditions. It certainly isn't any way to begin a fightback.

NALGO'S strong response to the privatisation plans is a reflection of this.

Unfortunately, not all the unions have responded so well. TGWU union official Doug Fairburn, has already weakened the unity of the response by suggesting that the union side put in its own tender for refuse collection - a tactic that can only mean sacrificing jobs, conditions and wage levels voluntarily!.

Council workers must reject any suggestion of such a sell-out, and establish a joint union strike committee (NALGO, NUPE, TGWU, GMWU) covering all departments to coordinate all-out strike action from 24 August. That is the only way to answer Bosworth's blackmail and stop the Tory cuts in Birmingham.

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PICKEF LONDON DIVISION