Fight sabotage of Civil Service claim

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Last Monday's strike of over 450,000 civil servants was a historic day of action for the British workers' movement-bringing forward into the pay struggle thousands of white collar workers who had never before taken strike action.

Alongside the CPSA and SCPS, which had formed the backbone of the action so far, the Inland Revenue Staff Federation (IRSF), the Civil Service Union and the Institute of Professional Civil Servants (IPCS) came out.

Even the elite First Division Association-only representing civil servants on more • than £10,000 per year-joined in the strike.

The action took place despite sabotage attempts by IPCS General Secretary Bill McColl who. organised the eleventh hour secret meeting between Prices Secretary Hattersley and five of the nine union General Secretaries.

At this meeting •Hattersley improved the government pay offer from the original 7% now with more in April 1980 to 9% inow, and the remainder "phased and April 1980.

Split ranks

The five General Secretaries swallowed this offer and split ranks with the larger CPSA and SCPS on the very eve of the 2 April strike-but found it impossible to convince their members to accept Hattersley's sell-out proposals.

Threats from the CPSA and SCPS to pull out of the Whitley Council pay structure, combined with rejection of the offer by the executive committees of the five unions led by April 6 to a joint agreement between all the unions to press for an improved offer.

An indication of the pressures on these bureaucrats was provided by the scale of the response to the strike call. In Leeds over 4,000 civil servants walked out, mounting large picket lines on Inland Revenue offices, DHSS offices, the Health and Safety Executive, Ordnance ' Survey, and the British Library at Boston Spa, where a 30-strong picket was assembled.

A demonstration of 750 civil servants marched through Leeds, to a meeting addressed by CPSA, SCPS,: and IRSF speakers and by Garth Frankland of the British Library IPCS.

CPSA official Diane Warwick and the manoeuvres of Bill McColl.

But she offered no tead on how to defend civil servants against suspensions arising from solidarity action and attacked unofficial strikes.

Garth Frankland read out a telegram sent by his section committee that morning to the IPÇS National Executive, condemning the secret deal and calling for an all out fight on the full pay claim.

He explained that the problem of leadership was central to winning the claim. The NEC had tried to leave union members in the dark on the claim-offering no figures or information: but the last union meeting had voted 200 to 8 for the strike, and over 300 had stopped work-97% of the membership at the Library.

Frankland urged other IPCS branches present to consider putting down emergency motions to the union's confer: ence demanding the removal of McColl.

Concordat

But he also pointed out that McColl's betrayal is parallelled by CPSA leader Ken Thomas, who had actually signed the Concordat.

"The General Election is the best time for fighting our dispute" said Frankland. "Every MP must be put on the spot over our claim". His speech won loud applause.

Civil servants, now in the front line of resistance on pay, must step up their fight in the CPS A leader Thomas weeks ahead: whether Callaghan or Thatcher is elected, only the most determined action will win their justified 25% pay claim.

April 2 showed that civil servants have the "muscle" to win: but the events prior to the strike shows that they have a leadership reluctant to fight.

Key political lessons must therefore be learned in the weeks of struggle to come.

YOU

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attacked the government's "clumsiness" over the pay deal,