spending cuts. workers vices without massive rate increases.
fend them.
Ine council's latest moves, however, have opened dangerous divide in the labour movemelll.
One of Labour's central policy commitments was to increase the number of jobs in the city council. Last week Labour voted. however, in full council, to make all 30,000 of its workers redundant on 31 December.
Over the past two years the council have valiantly TeNSIEO pressure to make cuts and big rate increases csDunse Already Liverpool s councillors have been surcharged ior over £2000 each, and face being barred office, NO-ONE who sees deputy leader Derek Hatton dealing with the national media can doubt that Liverpool Labour council has been leading a splendid fightback against Tory After years of Liberal neglect, Liverpool elected a Labour council pledged to improve serTheir refusal to back down in the face of Thatcher's attacks places them in the because they have set rate that leaves the city t80m short on its budget. demanding this amount back from the of the f350m taken away government as al L from the city sirice 1979.
The immediate crisis is caused by shortfall of workte u to pay £25m needed to next year, when a new budget IS The City Solicitor Treasurer have stopped making DayLiClILs to contractors employees. Anyone: making these pavments would face criminal charges for This would apply to the councillors: hence the redunColcv nOuLes.
The council have promised that following the December sackings the entire workforce will be reengaged on 1 April. But there can be no guarantee of this, given the threat ing in government comROTM SAP CISIOrCCIIT legislation to privatise services from April 1986.
So the city council's joint shop stewards' CUllmittee - who have backed the council all the way so - rejected the redundancy plan two weeks ago. LISLedU tne) vecucd call for against the Tory goen- all-out strike ment support of the council last week.
largest the GMBATU, together with vAil ana une l.uwu. backed the strike call; but NAS/UWT refused even to let members vote on the issue. NALGO - the second largest union plus EEPTU NATFHE LICHIUCS voted CLU With the collapse of the the leadership the GMBATU put a motion to last Thursday's joint shop stewards' meeting to асthe redundancies Some delegates objected on the grounds that the stewards' constitution has a specific aim to acrend arunA workers When chair, lan Lowes FHE NALGO NALGO mecllng 5000 Hla viily went on At the Liverpool on Thursday evenilig NALGO Pete Cresswel called It should be remembered that Liverpool NALGO fought long and successful battles to defend jobs against previous Liberal council.
Despite the employsonnel COunC1 Dam black Pete Cresswell have ing budget Thid s net s solution. labe! NALGO sack workers direct of ceptable divisive response redundancy noticês Liverpool's PIOWIY NALGO another unTOr tunately, Liverpool's Labour council. E LIVERPOOL
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front line of the battle to defend local authorities, jobs, and services. The whole labour movement has a duty to de-