NUPE co-ops duCK

Scan page 11

Oh l do directed to sweep up if there is no other work to do.

And safety standards have been thrown aside in the hell-for-leather drive to increase exploitation.

BL and Hotpoint stand as a grim warning to all workers of the kind of regime the Tories wish to bring about, using the threat of mass unemployment and the anti-union laws to bludgeon workers into submission.

Sooner than fight savage Tory cutbacks in the school meals service, leaders of NUPE and other public sector unions in Dorset are looking to set up co-operatives, using the existing kitchen facilities.

Under the new plan, kitchen staff would work for the same rates of pay and under the same conditions as before.

The difference, according to NUPE official Paul Dunn, is that:

"There will be none of the expensive administrative costs."

In other words, the locar authority clerical staff (NALGO members) who administer the finances of the existing school meals system would lose their jobs - while the new 'cooperatives would presumably rely Bowater, the newsprint giant, donated £10,000 to Tory Party funds in 197980.

But when the firm asked the Tory government to help meet the costs of running its ultramodern paper mill in Ellesmere Port it received the same blunt message as so many other firms faced with the Joseph axe: 'no dice"

Now management have announced the closure of the plant-the largest of its kind in Europe-with a loss of 1,600 jobs and a further 3,400 in forestry, mining and other related sectors.

High Pound Tory policies-high energy prices, a high value for the pound, high interest rates, and a refusal to subsidise British industries-have led Bowater to follow Reed in closing down production of newsprint.

As a result, 96% of the British newsprint market will be filled by imports: and some of the logs earmarked for Bowaters upon "voluntary. labour to administer their own accounts.

NUPE is therefore seeking a means of "saving" the jobs of its own members m at the expense of conceding, indeed almost advocating, the loss of NALGO jobs!

Skating Round Such attempts at simply skating around rather than fighting the Tory offensive on the public services opens up acute dangers of dividing the labour movement and allowing the main cuts to be carried through with no real resistance.

NUPE members must demand that their leaders break from this divisive policy and lead an all out campaign of strike action and occupations to halt the cuts. will be sold off to Scandinavian paper mills!

A confused campaign to "save Bowaters" is under way, focussed at present exclusively on protest action to change the government's mind.

Occupy

But an ASTMS delegation the TUC last week declas themselves willing to fight Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement Partick Burgh Hall off Dumbarton Roa 'hursday Septen 7.30pm. TUC words but no action on cuts: NUPE Official Ron Keating. occupation of the plants if all else fails.

It is vital that the energies of ASTMS, SOGAT and other manual unions involved are directed now towards occupation and supporting strikes throughout the print and paper industry if this attack on jobs is to be defeated.

CUTS University Union 10a.m. -4p.m.

Called by Glasgow

campaign against the Cut:

Speakers include Ted Knight (Lambeth council