Lothian union leaders cover Labour council sell-out

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Baxter LOCAL TRADE union officials in Lothian are moving in to cover the tracks of the Regional Council Labour Group's climbdown on cuts.

Lothian Joint Trade Union Committee chairperson Alistair MacRae last week told the press that the committee 'now accepted the inevitability of further cuts'. "No other council group in Britain has tried harder to protest the interests of the trade unions and the citizens" - but, he said, "There is a limit to the sacrifices anybody can make"

At a joint meeting of the Trade Union Committee and the Lothian Action Committee on Friday 21, all resolutions were ruled out of order, and the full-time officials steered the meeting onto a discussion of which cuts to support.

Panic

The Labour Group, meeting on Thursday :Oth, voted to repeal the treeze on new spending imposed in panic when it capitulated to the Tories - but also to go for turther cuts. No emergency council meeting has been called, so these decisions cannot be implemented until the next regular meeting on September 1.

It is still not clear whether the scrapping of the freeze will mean that all of the 900 teachers.

sacked on August 16 get their jobs back.

The Regional Labour Party executive has passed a resolution opposing further cuts. But since it also urges "no recriminations" against the councillors voting for cuts, this opposition cannot have much weight.

Casually

Many rank and file Labour Party and trade union members are not so willing to casually tear up all Lothian's resolutions about 'no cuts' and 'industrial action against cuts' and all the promises made to the working class of Lothian.

At the full Regional Labour Party meeting on September 6, there will be resolutions calling for the councillors who voted for cuts to be removed from the panel for the next elections.

And the NALGO Region Executive, meeting on August 24, defeated proposals to negotiate on details of the cuts. There is a NALGO Region branch meeting on Thursday 27 August and militants are preparing resolutions calling for all-out strike action to restore the cuts in jobs and services. and for joint trade union workplace committees to organise the fight against the cuts.

No cover The teachers EIS has officiall on its members not to cover for the sacked teachers, and there too resolutions are being pushed for strike action.

Lessons

Confusion and demoralisation is, predictably, still strong after the sellout. but Socialist Organiser supporters in Lothian are determined not to forgive and forget' - but to draw the lessons and help build a solid class-struggle left wing that will prevent future sell-outs.

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naige PHYLIS Heriot, of Lothian Region Labour Group has refused to give a categorical assurance that all the 944 short term contract teachers currently sacked under the freeze on new spending in Lothian Region will be given their jobs back when the freeze is lifted on September 1 (and a new package of cuts is substituted).

The Lothian Region Executive of the teachers union EIS has decided to call on the national executive to authorise all-out strike action in Lothian if any of the teachers are not reinstated.

But these fine-soundBrian Edmands COVENTRY Labour Left is leafletting and campaigning for a boycott of Coventry Labour Council's 'cuts or rate rises' referendum on ing words from the Executive must be looked at in the light of the fact that when the 944 sackings were first announced, the same Regional Executive voted against immediate strike action.

The National Executive (which does not meet until 9 September anyway) is not exactly renowned for its militancy, and unless consid. erable pressure is applied, it will veto the action and leave the Regional Executive playing the role of frustrated militants, with relieved and happy smiles on their faces by Callum McRae fore, to oppose the referendum. These 'delegates' moved and seconded a boycott resolution, but then voted against it!

This appalling backsliding shows the importance of maintaining the struggle in the Labour Party to make