1.30-3.30pm workshops Eric Heffer (invited), Ken Livingstone, John Ross, Sinn Fein Venue: Caxton House, St John's Way, Printed by East End Offset Ltd. (TU), London E2. 10-12.30pm Labour after the election The election in the north of Glasnost The future of Thatcherism 3.30-5pm Europe: A two tier society Tickets £4 waged £2 unwaged and students London, N19 Archway underground Disabled access SUBSCRIBE Inland 24 issues £10 48 Issues £20 ACTION RATES Overseas (48 issues only)
Europe £24 Airmail £34 (Double these rates for multi-reader Institutions) THE ENTIRE labour movement must rally to the side of the civil servants, now entering their third month of dispute over pay, hours and conditions. The civil servants, along with the teachers, are in the front line of the fightback against the reelected Tory government. Effective labour movement solidarity will be vital inconfronting the new range of attacks planned by the government and the employers on all workers. JON SILBERMAN reports.
ON Thursday and Friday of this week, civil servants throughout Scotland and the north-east will be out on strike. Next week, it will be the turn CPSA ailu SCPS members in Londor and the south; and in the first week of July, Wales, Yorkshire and the Midlands will be out.
These regional actions follow the massively successtul national week strike action on 8 and 9 June. The national stoppage involved 250,000 civil servants and closed benefit and employment offices, brought the work government deparments it Whitehall to an standstill and created havoc at ferry ports and airport terminals Despite warnings that workers GCHQ, Cheltenham, have maintained their membershir despite the Tory goyernment-imposed joined the national Dal action Success The success of the national reflects the deep-felt sentiment by civil servants over the 40,000 conditions. Some CPSA members are so low paid that they are forced to claim state benefits. Over the last eight years, 150,000 jobs have been cut and conditions and services eroded.
The claim being fought for by the Civil and Public Services Association the Society of Civil Public Servants for wage increase of £20 or 15 per cent; national minimum wage of £l15; the abolition liciticia.
scales; six weeks' annual leave; and a 35-hour week.
Negotiations held with the Treasury officials on 15 and 16 June - following the government's reelection - failed to produce any improvement to their original 4½ per cent offer.
Despite suggestions by CPSA general secretary, John Ellis, that the recent two-stage settlement of 7½ worth six per cent for local government workers showed that the civil servants' dispute be settled, the Treasury officials knew that the union's members would not be satisfied with a small increase Unions The government is going out to defeat the civil service unions, 1IUl conciliate with them.
In addition to the strike and rallies, members have also enforced an overtime ban and have withdrawn good Will.
The long-runnin‹ dispute has haa protouna effects within the civil ser vice unions themselves. At its annual conference earlie! this year, the SCPS voted overwhelmingly in tavour of long-intended amalgamation the Civil Service Union.
SCPS general secretary Leslie Christie echoed the feelings of many conference delegates who had experienced the strength of the united campaign with the CPSA when he predicted that the merger would just be the first step to a broader amalgamation process amongst civil service mous But the most spec tacular developments have taken place within the largest union, the CPSA.
The union's annual conference recognised political stakes involved in members to vote Labour in the election and decided ballot its membership on affiliaton to the Labour Party.
Major gains were registered for the unions Broad Left formation elections to the national executive. Of the 26 places on the NiC 18 went to the Broad Left Majority In the election for the union's deputy genera.
Broad Left candidate John Macreadie gained a majority of almost 6,000 votes over the rightwing candidate, Terry -Ainsworth.
Last year Macreadie had pipped John Ellis to the general secretary's job by 121 votes, but press smears over alleged 'ballot regularities witchhunt directed agains Macreadie's support for the Militant newspaper, forced a re-vote which Ellis won.
A similar campaign has been by the union's response to Broad Left gains this year. They have found faithful allies in the press which, in addition to proposing a re-vote, have targetted the union'ssyst of workplace ballots.
In line with proposalsin the governient s green paper on the trade unions, the press have ca ballots hield meetings. Déspite: thest ballots being secreta despite their ensuring far greater membership volvement in elections Tories their media friends say that postal ballots mote "democratic!
Their "ballot regularities' . claims an simply the cloak unde which the press is seeking to undermine the strength of the civil servants action and the impact it is havin within the unions Supporting the civil ser vants, fighting against the witch-hunting Jahn Macreadie, and opposin press interferer. ce into thi union's internal attairs wil be vital if the labour move ment is to mount effective resistance to the goveth ment's 2s and renewed attacks on TO IS
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POLITICS AFTER THE ELECTION Saturday 4th July 10am-5pm
speakers include Linda Bellos, Ernest Mandel, Ann Pettifor,
MSPUTE the dispute when it called