[THE all-out strike against ington (back page). council…]

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THE all-out strike against ington (back page). council spending cuts by But in general the refus4,000 NUPE members in al of union officials to Coventry has offered a mount any challenge to the beacon of struggle amidst Thatcher government has the gloom of union be- left such struggles isolated to at most a few hundred trayals. Jobs have been slaught- workers and their local supporters. And in local ered in the public services (more school dinner staff, government the myth has for example, have lost their been carefully created that jobs than steelworkers manual workers will not the tory cuts), and working fight the cuts. conditions have been The solidarity of the destroyed. Education, health, social takers, school meals staff 4,000 school cleaners, careservices, care of the elder- and baths attendants in ly, have come under the Coventry has knocked that axe - while union leaders myth on the head. have stood back, claiming Indefinite strike that their members did not want a fight.

Centres of resistance They threw out the have been few and far wretched proposals of the between: but despite the City's Labour council to implement the Tory cuts officials, militant occupa- tions have taken place to by imposing a ten per cent wage cut and a reduction of defend some hospitals and working hours on school a number of nurseries against closure. Even now the cleaners, and they walked out on indefinite strike on struggle continues to save St Mary's hospital in Padd- November 6.

Third Force' carrving batons Two weeks later they also threw out an insulting so-called 'peace formula' -which involved reducing the wage cuts from ten per cent to five per cent and sacking 52 cleaners on temporary contracts.

The strikers - mainly women - have maintained an active campaign of picketing at selected schools and colleges and forced the closure of many educational buildings.

They have named December 3 as a Day of Action by public sector workers against the Labour council's implementation of the cuts. A support fund has raised over £5,000, including f1,000 from the NUT.

Their stand has highlighted the council's treachery in running its fake referendum' - offering voters the chance to 'choose' between cuts and rate increases - which they are now using as a "mandate' to carry out Thatcher's cuts.

Such councillors must be removed and replaced by socialists prepared to stand with the working class.

The fact that many schools and colleges are still open - with scabs doing NUPE members' work - shows the need to bring out all other local NUPE strikers.