Broad Lefts: conference or rally?

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Applause for rousing speeches - but few plans for action but only if the basic groundwork have refused to advertise the jobs SCHOOL meals staff - members of NUPE - are coming under attack from a growing number of local authorities for wage cuts of between 5% and 25% and a worsening of job conditions.

Cuts are being implemented or threatened for 16,000 dinner workers in Birmingham, East Sussex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire and Surrey. The workers have been presented with an ultimatum of accepting new contracts which eliminate the half-pay retaining fee during school holidays, and reductions in holiday pay and working hours - or face the sack.

School meals staff are now only one group facing the wage-cutting being carried out by local authorities in order to curb expenditure and avoid penalties from the government for overspending. GMBATU says that the bonus earnings, working hours, and conditions of other groups, like cleaners and refuse staff are being reduced, often by councils raising the threat of Sacked SOUTHWARK NALGO are now entering the second week of their strike over the sacking of child-care worker Siobhan Stokes.

Siobhan was sacked because she refused to sign a 'loyalty oath' which meant agreeing to work where and when she was told.

: The council wanted to move her place of work from Camberwell to Sidcup in Kent which would have meant four hours travelling time per day to and from work).

The response of her union has been very strong. The strike is solid and has been declared official.

It looks like the strike could be a drawn-out affair. It can best be won by building solidarity throughout the local labour movement and with calling THE Broad Left Organising Committee conference last Saturday, 24th, was the biggest rank and file trade unionists' conference for many years.

With over 2,000 delegates, it was perhaps twice the size of the biggest of the 'Rank and File' conferences which used to be held by the Socialst Workers' Over £2,500 was collected at the conference, half to go to the miners' strike, half to go to BLOC.

But it was also a disappointment.

Very little was decided about future campaigning. A resolution from TGWU 5/833 branch, calling on BLOC to organise a campaign against anti-union laws, was ignored. The event was largely a rally, dominated by the Militant tendency.

The conference declaration focused everything on the TUC Congress in September, not on rank and file action or immediate demands:

'We pledge ourselves to campaign to commit the 1984 TUCto:

1) Coordinate the fight back of the unions against this government's anti-trade-union laws, so that no union cooperates with any section of these laws and that no funds are drained one penny further by fines imposed under these laws.

2) Call a 24-hour general strike as the first step in solidarity action in the event of the seizure of union funds, or the arrest or fining of any individual trade unionist.

Even the basic demand for the unions to break collaboration and stop talks with the Tories was missing.

There was also a resolution of solidarity with the miners. But 450 strikers, mostly women, are on strike at Dunlops (Slazengers), Doncaster Road, Barnsley.

Last week the boss suspended a section and the whole factory came out in support. Martin Thomas reports there was no chance to amend, or even to seriously discuss, either the resoluțion or the declaration.

The conference also failed to discuss the experience of the Broad Lefts. There was a great deal of general talk against the Tories and against the right wing of the TUC, but no critical op inks upon. The miners are supplying coal at the Dunlop picket. The Dunlop pickets attended the funeral of David Jones lașt week, and are lending their support to the campaign by women relatives in support of the strike against pit closures.

Messages and donations to: Dave Buckton, 93 Barnsley Road, Darfield, South Yorkshire. unions like the CPSA and POEU where Broad Lefts have recently won majorities on the National Executives. (Though the new Socialist Organiser pamphlet analysing that experience did sell well).

Most of the speeches were on a very general level, like Terry Fields': "Despite the so-called leadership who will be swept aside, our class is moving for ward."

The main opposition to Militant in the conference came from the Socialist Workers' Party: but they did not take up many political issues. They stressed the general industrial 'downturn' and argued that taking workplace collections for the miners was central (and, indeed, just about the only thing it was possible for socialists to do). They agitated noisily privatis for the conference collection all to go to the miners, rather than 50% to the miners and 50% to BLOC.

The conference declaration also called for local BLOC committees to be set up. In some areas these already exist but are dominated by Militant If they can be established on a more open basis, they could be very useful. 4"Y ation cabal was broken up, they gave up and went home.

The timetable for privatisatior has gone through - now the campaign against contractor must begin in earnest.

We should not help contrac tors to 'case the joint' and tow departmente put out to tender -a walk-out is the only answer Jobs at Rookwood and Barr! hopitals will be the first to be pu out to tender in October thi year — workers there must hav the support of all NHS worker in South Glamorgan, in action ai well as words.

Following the eviction of worker from their occupation two week ago, the factory has been guarder and patrolled by uniformed secur ity staff with dogs to prevent : third occupation.

There are rumours that inter views are being carried out awa from the factory to recruit a least 50 strikebreakers. The CPS, in the Manchester Job Centi

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Industrial digest More cuts in school meals

at Phillips and organisation is done now