Leeds Social Workers Step up Strike

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Social Workers demonstrating in the early days of their struggle. in Leeds to step up their two-month strike.

They came out on November 3 along with social workers in Sheffield, joining colleagues. London, Liverpool and Newcastle in the struggle for a regrading claim which stands in breach of the 5% pay limit.

Successful

Initial moves to picket Merrion House, the main local government office in Leeds, were extremely successful. Refuse workers refused to cross the picket line causing piles of rubbish to. mount and Public Health authorities to close the staff canteen.

But at the point where the closure of the whole building was a possibility, the Finance and General Blundell Permoglaze is a paint company with factories in Hull, Birmingham and Ireland plus depots throughout the country.

For a long time this company has paid low wages and has Committee of the 5,000 NALGO branch under • the guidance of Communist Party member Eric Cowin acted to ensure that the strike committee was taken over by a majority of nonstrikers.

24-hour picketing The committee then voted to lift the picket on the refuse, allowing the canteen to be reopened.

Steps have now been taken to repair the effects of this setback.

Last Monday full. 24 hour picketing was implemented, and picketing of the Civic Hall-the main administration centre of Leeds Council-was begun.

Plans have also been made to call out local authority residential care workers, and for a ballot for supporting action by the couriers who Ci rculate internal mail with n. the offices.

strike Already the partial blockade of mail has been quite successful and blacking of invoices and cheques has begun:

But after two months out, some members of Leeds NALGO branch are coming to the view that an all-out strike rather than these partial and. inadequately prepared measures offers the most, if not the only, effective way of supporting the social workers.

PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report

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