Committee launched O back the firemen

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in the West Midlands has moved to support the firemen.

After a debate which centred on the question of the Lib-Lab coalition government, and the lack of an alternative government which would reflect working class interests, the Trades Council voted by an overwhelming Lots of speeches, hundreds of leaflets and militant-but unco-ordinated -industrial action that was the content of last week's CPSA-backed "week of action" by civil servants.

Last Wednesday (November 30) was perhaps the high point of the action, as civil servants in offices throughout the country staged a one-day strike in support of their demand for the immediate reactivation of the Pay Research Unit which assesses Civil Servant's pay.

Employment and Social Security offices in London were shut, and over 5,000 workers packed Westminster's Central Hall to listen to vacuous speeches from CPSA tops.

Suspended.

The Pay Research Unit was suspended by the Labour government in 1974 when it introduced Stage One of its Social Contract.

The function of the Unit is quite simple: it provides information about pay rates in the private sector, and on the basis of this data recom mends wage increases for public sector workers commensurate with the increases naid in the private majority to set up an emergency committee.

The committee, is open to representatives of all working class trade union : Organisations, trade WINION branches, shop stewards committees and tenants associations.

Its job will be to organise regular financial contributions, and to organise leaflets and lunchtime factory meetings to support the firesector.

The government have declared that the Pay Research Unit will not be activated until April 1979, and that the pay settlement for April 1978 will be within the 10% guidelines.

Convoluted position But given that non-public sector workers are going to secure average wage increases greater than 10%, the CPSA argue that their wages are being held down disproportionately, and that average increases should apply to them as much as anyohe else.

This convoluted position is a distorted reflection of the fact that civil servants-like workers elsewhere-are beginning to fight against the wage cuts they've suffered in the post-1974 period.

Reactivation of the Pay Research Unit in itself is not going to compensate for that fall in living standards since all wage increases are lagging behind inflation.

Only a full sliding scale of wages to compensate for each increase in the cost of living as assessed by trade union run committees can achieve this end.

Civil Servants should now raise this demand to regain and defend living standards immediatelv emergency committee was attended by convenors from several important local factories, as well as Trades Council delegates and local firemen.

It drew up a list of all large factories in the area which are to be contacted to arrange for firemen to speak to mass meetings.

It has arranged for the production of 5,000 leaflets putting the case of the firemen in the context of the fight against wage control and appealing for weekly levies to be imposed in factories.

It is making preparations for a demonstration to be held jointly with other Trades Councils in West Bromwich. Fisher postures for press cameras