[representatives of the workforce, must be involved in…]

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representatives of the workforce, must be involved in any talks that take place.

Blackmail

This appears to be one of the reasons why the AUEW, one of the unions involved, has not made the strike official.

The District Committee of the AUEW endorsed the decision taken by their membership; but because the full time officials are not involved in the strike, the EC of the AUEW will not ratify the decision taken by the District Committee.

In effect they are trying to blackmail the strikers into handing over the reins to the official leadership.

A meeting called by the full time officials which brought the strike committee and the bureaucrats together was designed, as stated by one of The stewards, to split the strikers and get them back to work.

The meeting ended up in a slanging match.

A delegation from the strike committee has visited the Manchester area where they were well received by stewards from plants also in the Acro group. As a result, a conference has been set up for all shop stewards in the Acro group to meet towards the end of the month.

*Messages of support and donations to the strike fund should be sent to: Priestmans Strike Fund. c/o AUEW, 78 Beverley Road, Hull.

Parents and supporters at Beal Street Play Centre have now entered their third week of occupation in their fight with the Tory County Council to keep it open.

Despite an offer from the Social Services which would giye them the use of the biding to continue to run it themselves they are determined to stick out for their demand that Social Services should continue to fund it as before.

The offer came from Social Services Director Brian Rice after a delegation from Social Services had visited the occupation to discuss with the parents' action committee.

Local elections

Although no agreement was reached the local paper, the Leicester Mercury, who: have frequently pioneered self-help as an alternative answer to cutting services, proclaimed in their headline that the parents had won and accepted a self-help scheme.

The forthcoming local elections are an important feature in this campaign.

At present the Tory Council has taken no legal action against the occupation nor have they made any move to cut off services.

The massive cuts in education and social services have made possible a Labour majority on the County Council for the first time.

However, parents have no illusions in the Tory council reversing their decision. There is a Social Services Committee meeting being held on Wednesday when Beal Street will be discussed and there may well be an attempt to offer a compromise solution.

A large lobby is planned and three Labour councillors on the Counci are already committed to fighting for it to stay open.

. There has been support from Labour councillors on both the County and City Councils and it is planned: to consolidate this to further the campaign.

In the event of the Tory council rejecting the parents' demand, they will call on the Labour . controlled City Council to take it over.

Letters and offers of practical support have come from NUT, NUPE, AUEW, CPSA, Blind and Disabled Association, the Youth Bureau, women's lib groups, Labour Party wards and many others.

This kind of support, coupled with increasing backing from the community such as the £14 raised in door-to-door collections on Saturday, must be turned into a sharp political fight with the Labour City Council to provide this very necessary facility in the city and a complete rejection of any kind of self-help scheme.

The action committee was very heartened by the occupation in Gorbals and letters of support and solidarity have been sent to the occupation of the Moffat Street Nursery there.

These kinds of action against cuts show clearly the willingness and determination of the working class to struggle against the Tories.

*Messages of support and donations should be sent to the action committee, c/o i regasus Close, LeicesteI. .

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SOCIALIST PRESS *