Nupe Attack on Occupation Call

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The National Child Care Campaign held its Aims and Action Conference on Saturday 11 April at Redefield School, Oxford.

The day's events were marred at the beginning with the report that the NUPE East Midlands Division (in the form of official John McGuigan) wanted the camCORRECTION Translation problems in Socialist Press 241 brought two errors into the text of our interview on Turkey The bottom paragraph of the first column should have begun:

"From 1973 to 1980 the monopoly capitalists tried to overcome their crisis ...

And the third paragraph of the reply to the second question should have read:

'In contrast to this appearance of general tolerance it takes a very sharp irreconcilable attitude to proletarian socialist left groupings and fascist terrorists who had been alienated from popular support."

TURKEY SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN The TSC campaigns in the labour movement to expose the claims that the Turkish military junta is in any way 'democratic' and fights for solidarity action in support of the Turkish working class. If you would like more information about the campaign write to TSC, BM Box 5965; London WCIN 3XX. paign's publication, Nurseries: How and Why to Fight for Them withdrawn from circulation.

The attack centres mainly round the claim that McGuigan has been libelled' in the account of his failure to defend the jobs of 136 Nottingham nursery workers.

The East Midlands Division is to ask their National Executive to recommend withdrawal from the NCCC.

The issue was not discussed or voted on at the conference (on the constitutional grounds that affiliated groups had not been notified of this item on the agenda). But a discussion will take place at the next National Steering Meeting in Newcastle on 30 May.

Implications

The attack has implications for the campaign which has from its inauguration realised the importance of being independent and not relying on charitable status so that one could campaign without fear of losing funding.

NUPE's threatened withdrawal, while having some serious implications for the campaign in its aim of seeking to orientate towards tha trade union and labour movement, will confront the campaign with the importance of its independence and not being dictated to by seemingly powerful individuals or organisations.

This was reiterated later on in the morning's agenda when there was a move to amend one of the "aims" to delete support for the policy of occupations and strike action in defence against cuts in child care provision.

It was argued by advocates of this deletion that organisations like the Council of One Parent Families and the Campaign for Nursery. Education would not affiliate on such a political aim in fear of losing their charitable status.

It was noticeable in the vote that John McGuigan voted for the amendment though he had earlier stressed his involvement in occupations and tried to take credit for putting forward a call for occupation in Nottingham.

The vote on the amendment was close; it was lost by 3 votes.

In the afternoon workshops discussed defending provision, making childcare a trade union issue, regional groups, research groups, and childcare and the Labour There were many recommendations that came out of the workshops for further action in the next few months.

A message of support went from the conference to Beal Street occupation in Leicester and to the Gorbals nursery occupation in Glasgow.

The tasks ahead of the campaign are demandingto ietain its independence while at the same time broadening out and getting more trade union and labour movement affiliations. Has your trade union branch or Labour Party ward affiliated? the control of the strike out of their hands, openly displaying their suspicion and distrust.

The Priestmans management who initially refused to discuss the situation at all, haye now said they are prepared to meet with the full time officials, but not in the presence of shop stewards.

This has been totally opposed by the strike committee, who correctly stress that they as the elected At issue was the council's history of demanning, running down of essential services and the recent imposition of cuts, rent and rate increases, together with another attack-limiting shop floor meetings to 15 minutes and lock-outs devised to divide the workfoIce.

The strike demands are: itself on Thursday asa totally independent shop stewards committee forging links with all sections in the dispute.

Proposals for a strike fund were elaborated upon and the strike committee was acquiring a firm identity.

While the workers were organising the city wide dispute, Mayor Tom McLatchie DS of a joint shop stewards committee which • can prepare itself for the next round of attacks that tie council has to introdier under new conditions.

The defensive action ot the local authority workers must now be turned into a political offensive against future cuts and against the class traitors of the labour movement.