The unemployed ORGANISING

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(ITI Z CALUNAM S Therm ilkon sin fl aimants aresome at the maastrim pantantal ie si the civinservantsi cam min oyı expliai ming thatithis pay attle is part of the fighufor decenu magęs for all workens» and closely|länkedko ther füghifow jobs and fior public But theci vikser v iceru mio ns eaper sinto hers WEVE HAD THE MARCH-NOW Organised by Leicester Unemployed SATURDAY 27 JUNE 10.30-5.00pm Leicester Polytechnic Students Union Sessions on Organising the Unemployed Accommodation available on the Further details 52 Wyville Row, Leicester The TUC, working hand in glove with the Manpower Services Commission, has succeeded in its bid to 'tame' the Newcastle Unemployed Workers' Centre.

The Centre was set up in 1978, financed by the City Council Urban Aid fund and the MSC. It was, in fact, the inspiration behind the TUC's nan to set un a national network of unramployed centres.

However, the activists (mainly trades council delegates) behind the Newcastle centre had & very different idea from the TUC habout the aims of such a centre and how it should be run.

They wanted an organisation controlled by rank and file trade unionists and the unemployed themseives, with the emphasis on campaigning - leafleting dole queues, supporting workers in struggle, demanding free public transport for the unemployed, and so on.

They also worked closely with the local Unemploy¡ed Workers' Union.

Last January, the Newcastle centre called a con¡ference to discuss estab;lishing a national federation of unemployed centres.

It was at this conference hat a IUC representative turned up with a set of guidelines' for the centres.

The guidelines were not up for discussion - they were a fait accompli from the TUC Organisation Department.

The Guidelines effectively rule out any campaigning activity. They limit the objectives of the centres to UWU aims THE Statement of Aims proposed by the Leicester Unemployed Workers' Union states:

"The capitalist method of production can only offer the working class one crisis after another, and never any long-term gains in their standard of living. It needs to be replaced by a planned socialist economy, under the control of the working class, to produce for the needs of the majority, not the profit of the minority"

The UWU, it says, will 'help the unemployed with any problems they may have regarding their benefits, rights, etc. We also campaign for facilities to be opened to the unemployred... We reject all proposals that the unemployed should do voluntary work an return for their dole money..

"We demand that all the unemployed have jobs with wages at Trade Union rates. Temporary working schemes are being cynically tased as a means of cheap *labour for the employers We demand all such ¡chemes be under strict ¡control of the Trade Union movement counselling and advice, opportunities for training, chanreling requests • for assistance to tribunals, educational classes, and promoting schemes under the MSC's programmes.

Firm rules for the makeup of a centre's management committee are also laid down: half from the TUC Revional Council and half from the Local Authority. 'Representatives of the unemployed' have no voting rights.

The document also includes the following menacing passage: Should any trade union body seeking to establish a centre or any management committee of an established centre act outside TUC guidelines in any way that damages the interests of the unemployed or the trade union movement or could put at risk the funding of centres, it would be for the TUC Regional Council concerned to inform the TUC and the appropriate local authority' The Newcastle conference was split between those who wanted a concerted campaign against the guidelines, and those who favoured attempting to manoeuvre within them.

Newcastle Trades Council voted to oppose the Guidelines as 'ill conceived and negative', but shied away from a confrontation with the TUC over the issue.

Meanwhile, the Newcastle centre continued with its campaigning activities, and maintained its link with the Unemployed Workers' Union.

THE PEOPLE'S March The crunch came at the end of April.

Newcastle Trades Council received a letter from the MSC telling them that unless the TUC Guidelines were adhered to, their funds would be cut off from May. In particular, the MSC objected to the centre's links with the ITWIT and demanded inn further physical contact with the Unemployed Workers' Union' One of the leading Newcastle activists told us: 'We felt weak because there had been no real campaign against the Guidelines after the January conference. It would have been an unequal fight between us and the MSC, given that they control the purse strings, and were clearly acting on behalf of the TUC as well.

'So we've had to temporarily knuckle under and accept their demands. We've had to agree to a new management committee, including four councillors, someone from the Careers Advice Service, an MSC representative, and sumeone trom tne negional form tha Dani ra=l TUC.

'And we've had to cut off all forinal links with the UWU. We even have to exclude them from our new premises. How we'll be able to work as a campaigning organisation I don't know The lessons of Newcastle must be taken to heart by all those who want to build fighting movement against unempioyment. The TUC want these centres to be tightly controlled, limited to recreational and welfare activities their wishes are obeyed -unless we organise an allcentres.

Most importantly, any money from the MSC or local authorities must be on a 'no strings' basis. If this roves impossible, then the ocal labour movement must organise and raise the necessary finance itself.

services.

HE chaos that looked likely y when the civil service inion leaders decided to lose down the big beneti omputer centres has beer ivoided - because the vork of issuing benefit șiros has been done nanually in local offices.

It seems a strange way of unning a strike - pull one froup of members out, pend scarce union funds in giving them 85% strike ›ay, and then instruct anther group of members to over the strikers' work.

The idea was to promote idministrative chaos as a vay of putting pressure on hatcher.

The Left in DHSS and DE aw the official strategy as tupid. In Scotland 26 Unmployment Benefit Offces closed when the "PSA members refused to lo giros manually. In Hull here was a one-day strike.

On Friday 19th, the Scotish strikers agreed to perate the manual system in their own terms - they rould do the giros, and reister new unemployed, ut nothing else. (And this ras on condition managelent withdrew suspension otices.)

In many local offices, the rorkers have forced the MAY 81 «RPOOL VONDO Na LET'S ORGANISE!

Workers Union and The Fight for Jobs and Saturday night Social events on both nights For phone 0533 857828 managers to agree to union terms. And as a result claimants are often getting a better service than previously. They are getting their money - sometimes earlier - with less vetting and without having to sign on.

This does not make the action any less ill conceived - the principle should be maximum strike action to hit the Tories, the bosses and the bankers, while continuing services to the sick, pensioners, unemployed, etc. And the present means of continuing those services is cumbersome and very vulnerable to a clampdown by the managers.

Civil service workers need the support of other workers and of the unemployed. We will not get that if we show that we see our struggle in narrow trade union terms - us inflicting as much trouble as we can on the rest of society in general until we get our demands. By fighting for workers themselves to decide how and where to maintain certain services, in the context of an all-out strike, we can give a lead for a united struggle of all sections of the working class, against the Tories.

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