Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

All Out Stop Jobs Massacre

Socialist Organiser no. 113, 16 December 1982 · scan p. 16 · about 1,151 words

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DHSS staff are planning to strike from January MAYBE four million, may- CPSA civil servants' JAYBE four million, may- CPSA civil servants' load caused by higher un- Arthur Scargill, "spread April 1983/April 1984. and DHSS s be five million... the ex- branches will be deciding f.... willian tha av- hasnahna will ha danidina: emninment. like wildfire" throuch the Hera ton the Torios will ho now and min. perts are still searching between now and January through the government's 12 on a proposal for an allfog of figures to discover out strike in the DHSS from the real number of un- January 17. DHSS workers employed. in Oxford and Birmingham More important, major are already on strike, deunions have made decisions manding increased staff to to fight the jobs massacre. meet the increased workIF YOU'VE read as far as the probably seen the middle pages.

There you will read the story of how to save Mexico from going bankrupt.

Socialist Organiser hasn't quite got debts of $80 billion, but again we haven't got lots of bankers offering us long-term loans.

Our supporters have been rallying round, but don't forget us over Christmas. There won't be a paper to remind you, but we will be sitting here waiting for your cheques through the post.

Christmas parties, socials, sales. every group should find some way GRAFIS, GOOD-AS-NEW admission of raising money. And now's the time to think of the new year. We'll be having a monthly fund target so groups should make plans for a This week's contributions. "week's wages", Mick O'Sullivan £60, South East London supporter £15, Bob Sutcliffe £50; Bob Fine £50, Bruce Robinson £89. Other donations. Sheffield SO £8.68, Clir Derek GRAND CHRISTMAS BAZAAR Sawyer £6, a London reader £5, Pete Keenlyside £25, another London reader (from a windfall) £20, Jo Thwaites £5. Total: £333.68. 44b Princes St, off Cowley Road. Gifts, cakes, Please send money to: the Treasurer, c/o 214 Sickert Court, bottle stall, books and other goodies.

Saturday December 18, from 2pm. AFTER the special pay conference had finished, the DHSS delegates stayed behind to talk about escalation oi the Birmingham and OxFord disputes.

Delegates had been given a motion two hours earlier, cutlining the NEC's plans for escalation. It called for deleEates to return to branches, sold workplace meetings, ampaign and get a mandate i: all-out strike action, then eurn to a recalled delegate Jeeting 8 working days == December 23. The allou: strike would begin on January 10.

To say delegates were sunned is an understatemen!. However, there is cass Ioot support for startI levels but to achieve an ¿ll our strike mandate in 8 days is a bit too much to ist.

Apparently, the Society * Civil and Public Servants , SCPSI had decided on a course of rolling action, bringing out different areas for a week at a time. London for the first week, Merseyside for the next, and so on.

Delegates then s spoke from the floor, and most rejected the SCPS idea of rolling action, but also had reservations about the timing of the CPSA's proposals.

Then, at 6.30 pm, an amendment to the NEC's motion was brought by the Oxford strikers' branch. That was for a recalled conference on January 12, giving up till then to win mandates from branches, and the all out strike to start on January 17.

This was carried by a massive majority and it is up to all DHSS CPSA activists now to campaign hard for this, as it will prove to be a real threat to the government and a real boost for CPSA.

Steve Battlemuch DHSS CPSA Branch Executive member, in a personal capacity.

Lanc,

DECEN

WERE FOR YO At pithead meetings last week, South Wales miners voted overwhelmingly to strike from January 17 unless the Coal Board steps up investment in the coalfield. This strike — a'preemptive move against pit closures would, said miners' union president monthly fund-raising event. London N1 2SY. Arthur Scargill, "spread like wildfire" thruch the WALI ИДДИ other coalfields.

South Wales NUM vice-president Des Dutfield said the miners would seek support from other unions in South Wales.

This week will also see the announcement of central government grants to local councils for the year (TU). Registered

'RE ON STRIKE

April 1983/April 1984. Hero ton the Thrioe will ho DANIL WUW VAG AULIDO TILL NE pushing for cuts. Labour councils will have to make a choice between allying themselves with the fight begun by the civil servants and the miners, or being administrators for the Tories.

Tremendous pressure is sure to be put on the miners and DHSS staff betwer now and mid-January. TI success of the strike cal depends on labour mov ment activists campaig ing for support, and lin ing them with the gener demands for restoration under workers' control wi no loss of pay.

SATURDAY ESSEX ROAD LIBRARY views TO JUDGE by their public statements, the leadership of Britain's largest union, the IGWI, have thrown down the gauntlet to Norman Tebbit.

Any move to jail a TGWU member under Tebbit's legislation would be answered by the convening of a special conference to call the whole of the union's 1.7 million-strong membership out on strike.

All well and good. It is high time that union leaders showed themselves willing to fight for action in defiance of the Tory anti-union laws which they have done nothing to prevent reaching the statute books.

But there is a bollow ring to Evans' threats which must temper any tendency for the Tories to fall into a panic.

for, according to the Morning Star report: 'Moss Evans yesterday an nounced that the union's general executive council had decided to carry on as usual.

"If as a result the Tebbit laws were used against them, they would expect industrial support — including strikes - from the rest of the TUC unions"

Yet, as the strikers at Air India, S&K in Coventry and Arlington House hoste in London have bitter cause to realise, the TGWU 'carrying on as usual' is unlikely to incur Tebbit's wrath.

Instead of building the necessary support for thesı isolated strikers by compar atively small numbers of trade unionists through an aggressive campaign of boycott action, secondary and mass pickets, TGWU bureaucrats have abandoned them to their fate or even — in the case of S&K - withheld official support A real defiance of Tebbit has to start where the IG WU leaders leave off — by building active mass support for each and every section of members in struggle; to show every worker the importance of trade union organisation and the power we have as a class to confront and defeat the employers and the Tory rovernment.

Oxford Socialist Organiser

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