Defend S. Yorks fares!

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THE campaign has got costs: under way to defend South per w Yorkshire county council's every cheap fares policy. But S. Yorkshire county coun that t cil draws up its budget on tions March 6, and in the next thems two weeks activists in the and ir South Yorkshire labour at a lo movement will be leaflet- We ing, petitioning, and giving on the out stickers to explain the on S. threat to South. Yorkshire's Backil cheap bus fares posed by their the Transport Bill. and c From a meeting at Shef- way tr field Centre Against Un- bus y employment between un- fares ‹ employed, busworkers' The representatives, and a campi councillor, a public meeting that S was arranged to broaden ty G the campaign out from the guns original handful of council- fares ‹ lors to labour, trade union other. and community organisa- sary i tions. saved The bus fares policy is Bill de massively popular in South Buil Yorkshire, where we have the tr an average adult fare of 7p and ti with children riding for 2p such i and pensioners free. This and af DID you know that, as of Orther of this vear. newly verviva iN June, unemployed persons are longer required to register for work at a Job Centre? That this is part of a move by the Tories to sell off or close down Job Centres?

Did you know that the burden will now be on the anemployed person to "prove" to the Department of Employment that s/he® is "genuinely" looking for work? That s/he is genminely "available" for an average of only 60p veek on the rates for ratepayer. : it has become clear he wages and condiof the busworkers selves are very poor, adustrial relations are webb. cannot run our policy a backs of the workers Yorkshire Transport. ng must be given to calls for better pay onditions, as the only a involve rank and file vorkers in the cheap campaign. • first stage of the aign is making sure outh Yorkshire Coun›uncil stick to their and don't raise the on March 6. But many actions will be necesf the policy is to be and the Transport efied.

Iding a campaign in rade unions at rank ¡le level is crucial in a fight, both before ter March 6.

If protests fail to save the fares, the response of the South Yorkshire workers' movement must be to dety the law, beginning with an outright refusal by the council to increase fares -no matter what threats the Tories may make.

Any attempt by central government to intervene in the running of council business should he met by strikes, boycotts, and, where possible, the running of essential services under workers' control.

The Transport. Bill probably won't become law until after the General Election. So in South Yorkshire we can also link the fight to save cheap fares to the fight for the election of a babour government and the demand that such a government reverse the Tory cutbacks — but we mustn't just pin our hopes on that.