Print Unions Drop Times Charade

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Fleet Street march early in the 'campaign' Having masqueraded for seven months as defenders of their members jobs at the Times and Sunday Times officials of the NGA have decided to back the management closure.

The NGA executive decided MATSOP AT SOPA NA? :883 DAMNED/ NATSO NoT A Arr MATSOPA AMr PRICE last week to tell its members to ''find other jobs'"-thereby effectively putting an end to any struggle against job cutting.

Joe Wade, General Secretary of the NG A said:

"We have had to come reluctantly to the conclusion that the Times and the Sunday Times are dead."

TIMES NAP - THE NATS NAP:

NEW AT SOU NATSOPA has already called off the fight and the NUJ President, Jake Ecclestone, who is also FoC of the Times chapel, said that in view of the NGA decision the NUJ would consider a similar policy.

Times Newspapers stopped publication seven months ago demanding massive job cuts before they would reopen.

For all of that period the chapels have shown themselves ready to take action-launching 24 hour pickets until being instructed to allow Guardian printers through the pickets at night.

•But the leadership of the unions-which held secret talks with Times management before the closure-has taken no steps necessary to win the fight.

The Times and Sunday Times should have been occupied. The locked out members should have been producing regular widely distributed workers' paper.

In addition workers should have--and still can-challenge the management's right to cut jobs by demanding full and public access to the books.

Instead of boosting Tony Benn's blatherings about under workers control without compensation.

The muscle is there. All Fleet Street chapels should have been called out.

Thomson Regional chapels should be called out in support.

The management should be challenged at the sharpest point -their right to own the papers.

Instead officials have talked of cooperatives and new owners.

No call for occupation has ever been made. No challenge to the Thomson owners has ever been posed.

Increased run

Worse, the print unions have all allowed other Fleet Street managements-who are almost certainly supporting the Timesto step up their print runs.

The Observer announced its latest increase just two days after Wade's announcement.

NGA, NUJ, SOGAT and NATSOPA members have little time now to mount a challenge.

Unless a clear cail to overturn leadership policies and mount real opposition to the Times closure is made now, the campaign to 'save' jobs at the Times and Sunday Times wili end with the sacking of everybody.

of With no more than one iweek's notice to the nurserv nurse and the parents, Southfields College in Leicester has shut down a part-time creche.

The creche has been used to train nursery nurses. But the cutback is part of drastic education cuts in the area which have slashed £50,000 from the budget. of Southfields College alone.

This move has particularly angered parents who have been stung by the callous indifference at the Pallann 4ka phila or ine correge ano ine nia Studies Department.

On the ‹one m hand these bodies seek to train nursery nurses in the importance of child caré: on the other they summakily axe a much-needed day care facility.

The parents are determined all lini: colofon nuis : clómnd down on the British Rail pay review must be expected if the 30% claim is adopted. And of course any flat rate increase in the present inflationary crisis