This Weighell's DUSTRTAL SERTUC talk-shop gives no lead on nursery cuts

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to Socialist Press Please send me trial sub/six months/one year The most interesting feature of Saturday's South East Region TUC Conference on the Under Fives (attended by nearly 120 delegates) was the spectacle of Jack Dromey (SERTUC Secretary) and the Communist Party desperately manipulating the speakers' slips to prevent any speaker from the Oxford City Nursery Campaign challenging the talk-shop atmosphere that pervaded the whole conference.

After much loud talk from Stalinist Tess Gill (NCCL), Carol Bailey (from the working party on the TUC Under Fives Report) and Tribunite MP Reg Race on the effect of the cuts, the platform took a clear decision to stifle attempts to inject programme and political analysis by the Oxford Campaign-the one organisation there which represented a real struggle against the cuts.

TGWU resolution

A resolution to the conference from the Cowley Assembly TGWU 5/293 branch was eventually heard, though Dromey made no reference to it in his summing up.

The motion called for the setting up of similar conferences in each area covered by SERTUC, for full discussion of the TUC Report throughout the labour movement and for support for any action such as occupations and strikes in defence of threatened nursery facilities.

In presenting the motion Fred Carmichael spelt out his branch's policy on nurseries, shooting out of the trees the platform's line that there is no working class support tor nursery education and that what was needed was a campaign to "educate" the 'male chauvinist' and 'backward' British worker. Demonstration outside the oce Earlier the delegate from West Ham Trades Council, Pru Chamberlayne, had brought out the need to unionise women workers and nursery nurses in particular-attacking Dromey and the SERTUC bureaucracy for their role in the Grunwick and Garners unionisation struggles.

Nearly every other contribution, however, skirted around the key questions of tactics and class perspective.

Embarrassment

Dromey and Gil had the occasional embarrassment of the odd speaker demanding some more concrețe action proposais, but by and large they managed to keep politics out with practised skill.

It was only at the end that they were forced to take a speaker from the Oxford Nursery Campaign after delegates' patience with the blatant manoeuvring had finally been exhausted.

Ted Eames, delegated from the Oxford NUT branch, set the question of cuts in the context pied Oxford nursery of the crisis of capitalism and argued for a linked strategy of occupation supported by strike action in defending existing provision.

Occupation by itself is no guarantee of victory, only the withdrawal of labour by the unions concerned can force local and central government to back down.

Eames also made the point that campaigns must fight for elected committees of trade unionists and parents to investigate all aspects of spending on education, to expose the way that banks and private supply companies leech off the public sector.

The blindingly obvious problem is that of leadership.

"Wrong policies"

Reg Race belatedly attacked the Labour government's record on the cuts and on nurseries, but put it all down to "wrong policies"

At the same time the SERTUC bureaucracy is clearly unwilling to do more than pass RATES:

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ciations of free collective wage controls. out token propaganda whole question of nursery education.

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Dromey in his summing up made the astounding declaration that, "no group of workers comes to SERTUC, asks for support and doesn't get it" (the effect of the double negative in mercies. this sentence is certainly food for thought).

He implied that SERTUC would back actions against the cuts in every way possible.

Dromey must be taken up on this at the first available opportunity.

But without a principled fight for a programme of action all his huffing about "winning the battle of ideology within and without the trade union movement" must stand exposed for the diversionary rhetoric it is.

After this conference it is vital that all areas organise their own local meetings and that they should focus sharply on the tactics necessary to fight the Tory offensive on cuts in jobs and facilities.

Tory government. emancipation of mankind.

Shah in Iran.

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manoeuvre, coupled with routine left' defy rhetoric enabled railwayblackmail At the NUR conference at on a blustering speech, ostentaWorkers at Chrysler's tiously refusing to talk to the The Tories and the unions try started a strike for do not even speak the same increased pay last Friday.

But he combined this Management had refused vigorous witch hunting attack to increase their offer of on those sections of workers 52% in response to a claim that took strike action last of 20%-25%. winter and defeated the labour Both management and the capitalist media have And he renewed his denungone all out to persuade bargaining, and advocacy of Chrysler workers that their strike will threaten the viabIn similar fashion, Weighell's ility of the company. move to knife the £65 claim was They are hoping that glossed over by 'left' rhetoric. their scare-mongering will He argued that with inflation prevent Chrysler workers at already predicted to be over 20%, it would be wrong to "pin Coventry's Stoke plant from negotiations down" to demand- joining Ryton workers on ing a rate of pay which might strike when they meet this week.

While lowest grades Hard hit require a 37% increase to reach the £65 basic, others would The Stoke engine plant his has been hard hit by lay-offs perennial empty threat to take since the class struggle in action to cut the volume of Iran led to closure of the overtime worked on the assembly plant there. railways and fight instead for Production has re-started British Rail to end the and full production at Stoke scandalous practice of leaving an estimated 10,000 vacant jobs was expected to start this week.

The NUR conference voted Chrysler workers must 47-30 to reject the £65 target reject the company's camwith corresponding rises for paign of blackmail, and go higher grades-and left next all out for the full claim. year's claim to Weighell's tender Railway workers beware!

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