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Scottish local government officers in NALGO are to take one day strike action
against spending-cuts and redundancies proposed in the 1977-8 local authority
- budgets. These arise from the Labour government's 4%% cut in the Rate Support
Grant.
The strike decision was taken at a special NALGO conference in London on
January 14th. The date is to be fixed by NALGO's Scottish Local Government
Committee in conjunction with other unions willing to take joint action. The most
likely time is in early March.
Already, despite widespread, if uncoordinated, opposition to spending cuts, increased charges and deteriorating services have hit hard in trans port, housing, health, education, librarles and all other aspects of the welfare state. The present proposals would axe a further 11,000 local government jobs, as well as virtually eliminating nursery school, community and youth centre provisions.
The NALGO strike call has already won backing from the Divisional Coun cil of NUPE, which has called a day of action for their 55.000 members in the Health Service as well as in local government. This decision lays the basis for unifying the entire Trade Union movement in Scotland in effective opposition to the cuts.
It represents a big step forward. Unfortunately, at this time, a Day of Action is not enough. The STUC's campaign against cuts and unemployment has singularly tailed to impress the government or mobilise the Scottish working class; the time for Saturdar marches and lobbies of parliament has passed.
By WALTER McLELLAN, Assistant Secretary. Glasgow Branch, NALGO Sterner measures are required; and that means united strike action against the cuts. Also necessary is a fighting programme which demands that the burden of the crisis in the capitalist system must be borne by the financiers and industrialists who created it not by the workers and the most deprived sections of the community.
That is why, at its recent recall conference, the SLP adopted a fighting programme of demands first raised by Stirling Trades Council at last year's STUC congress. This programme, defeated there by the block vote of the general unions, demanded: - A thirty-five hour week and longer holidays without loss of pay. Cost of living clauses in all wage agreements, pensions and state benefits. A crash programme to restore social spending cuts and inflation-proofing of all social expenditure.
Nationalisation without compensation of firms declaring redundancies. Also crucial is the demand for the nationalisation of banks and finance houses whose crippling interest charges now constitute the main element in social expenditure.
The proposed Day of Action must not be another one-off protest, but the first step in a co-ordinated campaign of industrial action to defeat the anti-working class policies of the Labour
Everyone in the Labour Movement has an urgent duty to build up such a campaign by:
- building the day of action and fighting to transform it into a public sector general strike. attempting to secure the support and involvement of other sections of the trade union movement. moblising support in the communities through Tenants' Associations, Action Committees, Right to Work Committees etc. demanding that Labour Councillors vote against the cuts. arguing for the adoption of a programme of demands really adequate to defend workers living standards.