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Cause of poor training, exploitation, or dangerous conditions - will face a cut in benefit of 40% (from £15.80 to £9.48 per week) for 6 weeks.

To highlight this scandal, and to launch a campaign against compul. sion on YTS, the Action Group organised a lobby of the Birmingham/ Solihul Area Manpower Board (which oversees all local Schemes) last Given that the protest was in support of official TUC policy - against compulsion - many of the trade unionists present were surprised by the reaction of some of the Board's union nominees. Board chair Barry Shuttleworth (NUPE Div. officer) avoided the lobby altogether, while Regional TUC chair Sir David Perris was clearly beside himself with rage. However NATHE nominee Paul MacNee joined the lobby unu prumnstu i move a resolunion ar ine meeting and nunmind ta masa a ananditina st no..

oppose local deals. NOT only can the socialist and green movements cooperate together very fruitfully, but there is in fact a burning need for them to do so. For over the 200 years of capitalist dominance in the world, and even more so in the last 40 years, there has been an unprecedented assault on all aspects of human and natural ecology.

In the publicity for their conference "Socialism and the Green Movement", SERA and Green CND pointed out that both "reds" and "greens" had a "common interest in convincing people that there is a practical and attractive alternative to our decaying welfare capitalism."

SERA/GCND hoped that people from both movements would come together, discuss mutual interests and resolve differences.

The power of such cooperation can be seen in the success of the National Union of Seamen in stopping the dumping at sea of nuclear waste after a long campaign by Greenpeace. Pressure to redirect industrial production (eg. in "defence" industries) towards "socially useful products" is another potentially important area of cooperation.

These and other topics were discussed in the conference, held in Coventry two weeks ago. To match the ambitious task set by the organisers was an ambitious programme of workshop discussions. The reality was much more modest.

The attendance was a fairly healthy 100-150, fairly evenly balanced between those who saw themselves as "greens" and "reds". However, all were already convinced of the need for an environmental perspective. There were no 'reds" who weren't already "green", but there were quite a few "greens" who weren't "reds", including some Ecology Party members and Young Liberals!

Disturbingly, many "greens" identified socialism with the Labour leadership, nationalisation and economic growth. To this, the "reds" counterposed not the revolutionary critique of capitalism and reformism that Marxists put forward, but various milk-and-water soludece such sai polar workers co-ops.

Few workshop discussions lived up to their promise. They lacked focus (and often speakers).

Too often, the floor was occupied by articulate hobby-horse riders as participants attempted to grapple with topics such as "Technology" or "Health" in 90 minutes. Sexism prevail (men repeatedly spoke of "mE kind" while one trade union spoke patronisingly of t "girls" 'in my factory") a women who brought this were themselves criticised.

Sessions on campaigni were more productive. A wol shop on Energy discussed t history of the struggle agai nuclear waste dumping. Aftel long struggle by Greenpear involving members risking and limb to stop dumping at st the London Dumping conventi passed a motion calling for two-year halt to sea dumpi while a scientific review of t available evidence was carri out.

Only a few months later, t UK Atomic Energy. Author chartered the Atlantic Fisher dump 3,900 tonnes of waste the Atlantic from 11 July 1983 However, in June, the Nati al Union of Seamen, the TGV and ASLEF jointly agreed "1 to handle or transport a waste by road, rail or s scheduled for sea dumping Within a few days, nine si farers refused to sign articles the Atlantic Fisher and s dumping had stopped.

The workshop discussed 1 need to extend the campaign cover all transport of nucl waste for dumping on sea land, aiming for the coop ation of rail and road unions also discussed the need positive energy policies, son thing which socialise grot tend to neglect.

The workshop on technolo discussed the problem of dan ness that afflicts many worki class dwellings. Dampness I be caused by rain penetratic rising damp or condensation, of which are signs of poor desi and building techniques, thou condensation may also be symptom of poverty (pove equals coldness which equ condensation).

The speaker had be engaged in research to see dehumidifiers could be used tackle damp. This could tr provide jobs as well as tackli a social problem - a "sociE useful product". However, decided that they were m likely to be used to cover shoddy housing and so were socially useful.

The final plenary session r a time for pats on the back, » a very disturbing tendency emphasise joint work in fie outside of the labour moveme Overall, the conference y testimony • to the failure of revolutionary socialist mo ment to break out of the confi of socialist activity as defil by reformist labour and tri union leaderships. led anist ihe nd up ng rkhe nst ra ife ion ing che ied the ity to in onVU not iny eaon the . to ear or er. It for neIps gy ing lay ali irty als zen : if • to len ing ally he ore up not was vith to sids int. was the ›venes ned ade SCHEMES school leavers onto Youth Training Schemes.

you receive".

NALGO and NUPE residential workers continue their action this week pressing on their national employers to open negotiations on their claim for a reduction in their working week, for pay enhancements for Bank Holidays, weekends, and shift payments.

There has been excellent coverage given so far to this dispute in Socialist Organiser and many issues have been highlighted that need discussion throughout the labour movement.

But there was one recent article which implied that Socialist Organiser is in favour of pushing for local settlements; many residential workers are against this. There are a number of reasons why.

Firstly, it is impractical to expect that if one or more 'WHO are all those people?" ''They're your members, they're on strike." "Oh, I suppose I'd better put a sticker on then."

Keith Sonnet, the full-time NALGO official responsible for negotiations on behalf of the residential social workers did, eventually, get ready to face his authorities settled our claim, then it would mean that we could spread our resources to push authorities which have not yet settled.

Very few workers would strike, ban sleep-ins, or take effective action simply in support of residential workers in other authorities who need to be taking the action for themselves.

No difference This would mainly be because residential workers have recognised that such solidarity would make no difference to the authority that has not settled, no matter how dramatic their supportive action.

By Nik Barstow (Islington NALGO)

were about to start the meeting hundreds of workers invaded the Council chambers. One Labour councillor described the scene 'from the other side of the NO Thursday.

sion and cuts in benefits.

The action needs to be united, from start to finish, to ensure that residential workers in poorly organised union branches or in authorities where those supporting the action have been threatened with suspensions, closures and redundancies know that they are not alone in fighting for this claim for national conditions of service.

Our strength lies in the national action we are undertaking in this dispute. And the branches which have been the strongest are the very branches which are arguing the loudest against local settlements.

They have felt the strength that can win this claim nationally for all residential workers. We need to duplicate this throughout the country, not divide the strongest off to leave the weak to defend themselves.

who found their way to the 'NEC members only' sitting room: £800-a-throw desks with goldinlaid, leather tops, a huge colour TV, armchairs that obviously weren't picked up in a job-lot from MFI.

At last, though the officials decided to talk: but talking, at least talking to the members, didn't seem to be their strongest suit. Sonnet, NALGO's Local Government Service Conditions Officer; Paul Marks, his assistant; and Dennis Reed, the Assistant Organising Officer for Local Government all tried to fob off the angry, impatient crowd of 200 NALGO strikers.

"We've tried to escalate the action" back and convince your members' "Some members, residential workers included, won't back us up" "It's your delegates who didn't support all-out action' 'We're doing our best."

They were answered from all round the room, by activists NO TO Also we may see some authorities settling the claim locally, only to find that in the next round of elections these are taken over by less sympathetic politicians who can easily reverse any gains made.

If the offer that was made to the Scottish residential workers is anything to go by, then no realistic local offer has been or is likely to be made.

For example the recognition of shift payments and so on would not be implemented until 1987 and would be supplemented by the fact there would be lower pay increases for the residential workers over the next few years, and a loss of full increment of the pay scale.

Our focus for organisation and agitation must remain on the national dispute and the national claim.

gn from branches all over and beyond.

The leadership had done nothing to support branches taking action. Ballots before strike action, or even before action like Lambeth NALGO's boycott of any communications with councillors, took the full-timers anything up to four weeks to organise.

The list of complaints went on and on... and the excuses of the full-timers got lamer and lamer. By the end it was clear Sonnet and the rest were hardly worth talking to - so he was sent packing to find a phone and find someone from the NEC.

When it was all over the confrontation in NALGO's headquarters proved one thing: it is no use relying on the full-time officials. They might be plastered in stickers but they won't do anything — it is up to the residential workers and the militant branches to start action and link it together around the country.

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NO TO COMPULSION