HO TRU Labour councillors give Thatcher an easy time children to prevent closure.
labour movement:
Ine chairperson of Wakefield District Counleader of the ASSOCKOH ot Metropolitan Authorities. On 16 prior discussion, he ancouncil's nounced to the Labour group a draconian of f4.5 million Dulkard cuts : much to the alarm of 11 left councillors.
happy to pass these cuts on the package which includes closures of libraries, nurseries and old Kingsmead, one of Hackney council's housing estates union liaison officer told the mass meeting: 'Asking the worktorce to indemnify the council agains surcharge is no differen than what was done with Tatt-Vale iudgement more NGA dispute in making the trade unions financially responsible for the consequences of an industrial dispute.
It is clear that the coun TWO DAYCARE nurseries in the Wakefield district have been occupied since Christmas by parents and This bold act has put them in the forefront of the fight against cuts in the district and has sent shock waves through the local peoples' homes, rises in school meals charges and come aces The most drastic measures were the closure of an old the on the of only daycare district, one at Wakefield and one at South Kirby.
These not childninding units. They cate for children and parent: cil is out of step with the local Labour Parties who nave issuea statements ol support for the council workers, along with the tenants associations the town hall trade unions The feeling that the council will have to be brought into line quickly if it wants the support of its own workforce in the battle with the Tories over rate capping. under severe stress.
Some of the children have SUCCO accidental injury and most specialised dedicated care, When the closures went ahead despite a vigorous public campaign . ine parents. including many single mothers, occupied They have the support of loca the NUPE and NALGO branches concerned, local members and councillors. The ocfocus for local oppositior to the cuts and wave of disgust at the way in which leading cillors have carried them out.
Their attitude to This poll Cull phasised by the shop stewards who called on the workers to gear up the union at its base to prepare for the next stage of the fight will They were urged to join local Labour Parties and fight within them to force the council to honour its commitment to the needs of its workforce tenants. democracy is exposed by the way they forced a decision on the Labour Group only hours after the cuts were first proposed. Their lack of concern for the needs of parents children is shown by their failure to obtain a report on the kind of cases dealt with by the nurseries. rook eight weeks after the closure decision for entirely inadequale alternatives to come forward.
has become clear that part of the reason fo ne cosures is rue value u the nursery sites if sold to private developers the Wakefield site for housing and South Kirby site for industry as part of the Langthwaite Grange enterprise zone Only a year or two since Sir Jack and his allies commanded regular large majorities on the District Labour Party, the same body passed an overwhelming vote against cuts and the nursery closures When these votes were the Group, the DLP went on to pass a vote of no confidence them oy similar majority.
of the most powertul arguments in in movement has been that Wakefield's cut package directly tradicts the Labour Party NEC's policies and advic Groups. Si:
Jack, being Labour leader of the AMA has a parresponsibility observe this but so far the Tories have come off pret ly lightly The Labour left's cam paign should now look outwards then focussing just on votes at the DLP