Civil servants walk out

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chairperson of Shell UK and former president of the CBI: Sir John Greenborough. Even assuming that the complete body can be established, what is the chance of nurses getting a decent deal with such "impartial" arbiters?

This new pamphlet tells the story of the victimisatle of Socialist Organis. er supporter Alan Fraser and bow the fight to defend him was sold out by the union officials. 25p Pas postage from 75 Freemantle Close, Basingstoke. AT 2.00pm on Wednesday 9 Nuvember at Nuttingham Land Registry, over 300 civil servants in both the CPSA and SCPS (a union for executive grade and above) walked out to protest against suspension notices given to 98 of them by senior management.

A similar walk-out took place at 3.00 p.m. on Thursday to coincide with the 98 being pulled out on strike. Other walk-outs and strikes have occurred throughout the country: Birkenhead, Durham, Gloucester, Harrow, Lytham, Plymouth, Swansea, Tunbridge Wells and Weymouth.

Out of grade working proposals by management has been the cause of the dispute. As a result of a whole office inspection by HQ Staff last May in league with the Treasury, management attempted to introduce corner cutting work systems involving downgrading of jobs. This was an attempt to cut 200 jobs to appease Thatcher's axe-wielding minions in the Civil Service.

Backwater In what has been, up to now, a rather quiet backwater of the Civil Service with only a handful of Broad Left activists, rank and file members were angry enough to totally reject the Nottingham Land Reg Branch Secretary management schemes at mass workplace meetings. Their refusal to comply with the retrograde treasury plans has resulted in the 98 suspension notices at Nottingham and similar numbers of suspensions at other registries.

In all these places the threatened members of both unions are now on official strike.

Senior union officials now have had a clear mandate for further action from their outraged members. The strike should escalate as management's attempt to bring workers into the key areas denuded by the strike and members refuse to move or handle blacked work.

Further suspensions are thus in the pipeline. It remains to be seen how much leadership will come from the 'Moderate' NEC of CPSA. Broad Left workers must take the lead.

While rank and file stand united in this fight there must be no sell-out at section or national level; and no let-up in financial backing from the National Disputes Committees or donations from other branches in CPSA or SCPS. Then we can win.

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