Ealing Nalgo Ballot on Action Against Cuts

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PEOPLE StOp NOT LIS The options are: fight cuts now, or see jobs dwindle AT THE beginning of December a special branch meeting of Ealing NALGO voted overwhelmingly to condemn Ealing Council for threatening • compulsory redundancies in order to conform to government spending cuts. The branch meeting also opposed attempts to cut services or privatise council work.

NALGO has a policy of all-out strike action in cases of compulsory redundancy. Ealing branch resolved to ballot members on implementing this policy.

Already in Ealing seven schools have been closed, a mother and baby home, five children's homes, and public baths and a library.

Drastically

Council house building has been drastically cut, and there has been an almost complete stop in housing people from the waiting list.

Increased charges on services like meals on wheels, school meals and luncheon clubs for the elderly have seriously affected their use.

Staff cuts aren't new, either: in 1979 the staff in Technical Services was cut 7%. Posts have also been cut from education administration, lab technicians in schools, and field social workers.

Part-time / non-teaching staff hours have been cut, and part-timers have been put on 'flexible' contracts which enable cuts in hours to be made automatically when pupil numbers fall.

Over the past few years Ealing Council has reduced its workforce by 600.

The council now aims to slash its budget by 4 per cent - about £5 million. Proposed cuts include the elimination of all grants to playgroups and mother and toddler groups.

Parks

Play centres in the parks will cease to offer any provision to under-fives, and provision for over-fives will be drastically reduced. School meals throughout the borough will be put on a snack basis only. Eight priNALGO, in persona mary schools are to be amalgamated into four, one high school closed, and six further schools amalgamated into three.

Ealing council is regarded throughout London as a hard-line Tory administration, and we are conscious of the fact that unless we defeat compulsory redundancies here it' may well set the pattern for other boroughs. NALGO district officer Andrew Jacks told us at the December meeting that Ealing is the first borough in London to face compulsory redundancies. rior steward, capacity).

In April last year Ealing NALGO switched to a new shop steward system of representation based on union reps where possible in each workplace.

This has made the flow of information through the branch much better than under the old system.

An important part of this has been to involve the new stewards as much as possible and to hold meetings in each workplace - quite an organisational feat in a branch with over 2500 members scattered across the borough!

In the week of the ballot on strike action - starting January 17 - we plan to join a lobby outside the council meeting on January 18, organised by Ealing Trades Council and the 128:

Already teachers parents have had an impressive lobby of the er tion sub-committee, play-group staff and parents of the Policy Resources committee.

Spiral The choice that faces us in the ballot is either to accept the continuing spiral of cuts and redundancies, or to stand firm and united to protect our jobs and services now and in the future. Vote for all-out action!

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