Call for Strikes Sto

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nursery places in • one town has to be seen in the context of national fight for leaders and policies to combat the cuts.

That was the message from Ted Eames, NUT member and speaker at the Action Against the Cuts Rally-called in Oxford at the weekend by the South Oxford Nursery Campaign.

Ted Eames linked the fight for the nursery places to the fight against the Lib-Lab coalition and against trade union leaders who refuse to carry out a fight against their policies.

The rally attracted 100 delegates and visitors to a detailed discussion of policies to counter the cuts in action. They included speakers from London hospital occupations and an occupation of a Liverpool hostel for homeless women.

Eames said he 30 nursery places were a victim of the coalition policies in the same way as the more The real, imperialist invasion of Zaire is still being carried through by the forces of the French and Belgian states.

On the transparently fictitious grounds that the rebels have captured European hostages, French paratroopers are waging a major offensive to subdue the region of Katanga.

Despite the outcries of moral indignation in the Belgian parliament, Belgian troops have withdrawn from the main conflict only to station themselves at Kamina airfield.

It is quite clear that these forces will not withdraw dramatic sackings, • wage control and other attacks on the working class.

"They have made a consistent and frenzied attack on the pitifully small resources fought for by the labour movement. When these " resources are under attack only action is effective.

"We are talking about occupation and we are talking about strike action"

Landmark

. The nursery occupation had stood out as a landmark of opposition to the cuts, compared to the swamp of protests made by trade union leaders.

"They either support cap in hand protests or outright capitulation • to the bourgeoisie's demands"

He cited the Oxfordshire teachers' dispute as an example of the refusal by trade union leaders to allow their members to fight.

"If they had called an all out strike in May last year they could have smashed the cuts policy of this "Only the trade unions can bring the right kind of pressure to bear; and by pressure 1 mean strike action. Support is a l dangerous word and a dangerous concept unless it is linked to consistent pressure for action"

Eames stressed the importance of the social services to women "We must fight for a principled, conscious leadership in the fight against the cuts.

"We totally reject the pessimism and defeatism of those who say that the working class will not fight. We have heard enough of holiday speeches at union conferences, we want no stunts or token gestures.

We are for a clear policy of opening local authority books, and to occupy and strike in defence of jobs, conditions and the social services generally"

Ann Marie Sweeney, a NUPE member, and another member of the occupation committee, said that they had had enough of generalised campi igns no action.

Councils had learned to run down services before they closed them, demoralising the workers and making them feel the services were second rate and hardly worth saving.

Responsibility This placed an extra responsibility on the trade union leadership to fight rationalisation' and other euphemisms.

"We had an 80,000 strong march against the cuts in 1976 pleading with the government to change its mind. It never stopped the cuts. It never saved a single hospital bed or nursery place and it never will.

"It is no good calling for general action against the cuts if we don't fight to save South Oxford Nursery Class.

It is vital that the unions don't comply with the smaller less dramatic cuts. We must fight on every cut even if it is only half an dOER