want a united front with everybody doing the same thing. That's what we're going to the GLLP conference on.
The councillors who vote for illegality, non-compliance, they're, exposing themselves charge, disqualification, from office, or indeed imprisonment. There's no easy decision being made.
That's why at the 17 October shop stewards' conference a London Bridge policy was agreed that any councilor who did not consider they could sustain pressure could legitimately honourably resign regarded as betrayal but as a positive statement; we could use those resignations and by-elections to campaign around a budget for community need and defence of jobs and services.
Confidence No councillor is going to expose themselves without the confidence that they will be their staff and by supported by community. Our members reneated v demonstrated over the last year — especially on 7 November when there were over 100,000 local authority workers on strike - their opposition to the government on rate-capping.
Local authority prepared to defend their jobs and services, and if it comes to a fight with the government we will take that fight up. Any borough that's taken on, group or workers lilal s laken on, can appeal for solidarity from the other boroughs and get a response.
Nobody can wave a magic wand and say they authority workers out on strike the there's solidarity know that borough on the hit-list.
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debarment we're preparing three months it wouldn't be to defend every job.
goes and rate-capping need their means rent strikes, lobbies, pickets, whatever consequences own Conles the have any in the Labour group, une casey.
they minute one person is sacked, but we will do everything in our power as shop stewards and convenors to ensure that action from every There's a fight on the cards, and the membership.
That's been underway for the past four months, and we've still got another of conferences Cal undertake education and agitation amongst the membership so that they are prepared The local authorities have got to explain to the community that if the GLC comes in, whole city is going to be devastated. We Whether that demonstrations, • we will have to organise the biggest campaign of industrial action and civil disobedience yet to defend our jobs and ser- to vices and the democratic control of our The lesson from Liverpool last year is that of a united camnaign that took the unions and held mass demonstrations and strike action nac a determined group who were prepared to stand up to the government.
The government weren't prepared to put the commissioners in to take over Liverpool. They weren't prepared to let Liverpool to default on the debts they had to the Citv of London. time it's not one authority, the the london authorities s London authorities somewhere in the region million.
Illegality Councils either decide workers or they say to the City 'we ain't paying your debt charges, we're keeping jobs and services' - that means going illegal. But it wouldn't be illegal to sack workers and pay the financial institutions!
Non-compliance as an instrument challenge the government's basic poilicy of cutting jobs and services in local authorities to tinance tax cuts in the next financial year is not on.
Deficit budgeting worked for Liverpool because they were one authority and they campaigned. We've got 18 difterent authories. with 18 different levels of finance, who are going to run out of money at 18 different times over a period of 9-12 months.
With a no-rate policy those 18 different authorities should run out within [wo or three weeks of each other. They'll all be in the same boat.
We must have joint for LADOllI authorities, in conjunction with the trade unions, in conjunction with community organisations prepared to mount a fight against this Tory onslaught united controlled be RATE CAPPING Socialist Action 18 January 1985
Socialist Action 18 January 1985 WHEN SENATOR Edward Kennedy arrived in