[As announced in the last edition of 'Socialist…]

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As announced in the last edition of 'Socialist Press' , the government have decider ₫ on 46,000 sackings in the Civil Service.

These "savings" are to commence in 1977, and are be spread over a two-year period.

But despite this the government have decided to get down to the nitty gritty of cutting posts now.

Already 708 posts are earmarked for the government axe in one department alone this year - the DHSS. The excuse for this is the government's claim that the workload on the Contributory Benefits side of the DHSS has decreased in the past year.

But this claim is entirely hollow based as it is on the spurious methods of computing the work done throughout the department.

A clear example of how thoroughly worthless these methods are is provided by the fact that in 1975-76 the workload on the Supplementary Benetits side was underestimated by 1219 posts!

The response of the unions involved was initially slow, but after innumerable meetings, the CPSA eventually broke off negotiations and threatened minor industrial action unless the 708 posts were restored.

At the start of August the government offered to restore 436 posts, leaving an outstanding deficiency of 272.

The CPSA rejected this offer on the 6th August, and again threatened minor industrial action unless all the posts were restored on the Contributory Benefits side within three weeks.

The CPSA further demanded that the government create an additional 1219 posts on the Supplementary Benefits side -arguing that since the workload increases had been underestimated by this amount in 1975-76, it was reasonable to assume a similar underestimation in 1976-77.

The government's response is to be announced at the end of this month.

The WSL welcomes any demonstration of opposition to the cuts. But we must point out the inadequacy the CPSA strategy for fighting these for redundancies.

The CPSA must extend its policy of non-cooperation with Audit and Survey teams (which the government intend to use to provide figures as the basis of new cuts) into a permanent position, and must set about the election of union committees with full powers to inspect all government documents pertaining to Civil Service manpower.

These committees must then proceed to a thorough investigation of the workloads in each office, with a view to determining manning levels throughout the Service.

On the basis of these committees the CPSA must begin a fight for a sliding scale of public expenditure as the only way to maintain and expand the present Social Services.

Only by utilising its industrial strength to the full in a fight for this programme will the CPSA be able to effectively combat the present reactionary policies of this Labour regime. ID KEE PES An interesting insight into appointed officials who have complete control of the day to day running of the T&GWU appeared in a recent 'Oxford Mail' interview with a newly appointed Oxford district organiser.

With the sympathetic ear of the paper's anti-union industrial WHERF ARE OTHEYS 400-strong lobby of T&GWU officials in Oxford:

The whole cultivated image of would be endangered ninnid ha But the same interview also contains the key to Hulett's success as an applicant. He is clearly equip ped to follow in the line of diehard anti-communist district officials who have for years done their utmost to make life easy for the employers in the Oxford area. "According to the report, he: "also expects to help to improve the image of the T&GWU within British Leyland, and sees it as