NALGO must impose workers' contro

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Get your Socialist Press delivered each week by pos Six months (25 issues). . £10.00 One year (50 issues) £18.00 On Tuesday 18 March representatives of local government NALGO branches gathered from all over the country to discuss the industrial action plans being drawn up in response to the employers breaking off of the pay comparability negotiations.

Originally intended to be paid by the end of December last year, the comparability study was part of last year's wretched 9.4% pay settlement for most local government white collar workers.

While inflation has taken off at a rapid rate since then, most NALGO members have been expecting a settlement similar to those won by other public sector unions under the Clegg committee.

Since January concern has been mounting. about the outcome, while the national negotiators have kept a resolute silence about the lack of results.

Eventually forced to recognise that they could not possibly go back to the members and recommend to them the insignificant offer that the employers had made, the NEC found it had no alternative but to start the action:

The membership is acutely aware of the importance of the comparability claim, which will set the basis. for annual pay claims for many years to come. All future percentage claims will be based on whatever pay structure emerges from the present The response from the and decisive victory.

Rock solid

At the 18 March meeting, branch after branch mounted the speaker's rostrum to report on massive membership meetings and rock solid determination to beat the bosses.

Most of the - branches demanded that the NEC issues definite instructions to carry out a much wider campaign of industrial action, rather than the indecisive 'authorisation' that they had issued wast NALGO General Secretary Drair. powerful intervention into the meeting but in fact the previous speaker returned to the rostrum to apologise for having made *a silly joke' about workers control.

Militants in NALGO are presented with massive opportunities by the present dispute.

There is a mood of determination among the membership which has not been seen since the London Weighting campaign of the early 1970s,, and the failure of the NEC to issue clear instructions leaves it open for us to take local initiatives with almost an open promise of support from the leadership.

Pushed into fight At the same time it must be explained to the membership that the national leaders have been pushed into this fight against their will and we must ensure that they have no chance to pull back from it.

We must take care that ultraradical demands cannot be exploited by the leadership to isolate militants. The superficially attractive demand to Six issues.....

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One year (50 issues) .. REST OF THE WORLD (centre) with NEC members bring forward this year's pay claim now seems to have gained virtually no support among the membership and at this point would only result in leading militants losing their opportunities to influence the mass of the membership.

Link up with NUPE At this stage the priority is to deepen the support for the action and to build links with NUPE wherever possible.

Careful tactics will be needed given NALGO's parlous financial state. Members sent home will be given full strike pay-but those who walk out in support will not.

Stewards will have to be careful in ensuring that. their action involves entire sections and not isolated individuals.

This action is extremely important to the development of NALGO as a trade union, and the basic lessons of organisation and solidarity that can be driven into the membership now will bear rich fruit for many years to come.

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membership has been extremely strong, with most branches demanding more action from the leadership to win a quick