[The children scarcely notice the difference. They carry…]

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The children scarcely notice the difference. They carry on with the nursery class as the teacher moves from group to group.

But it is not a normal schoolday. There are more people around, out of sight in the next. room, the doors are all locked and some of the notices have an • unfamiliar look about them.

The space on the wail reserved for today's paintings now boasts 'today's cuttings' Occupation Over the door a large notice warns that noone is to be let in unless they are recognised and on the opposite wall a smaller one states : A Tidy Occupation is a Happy One.

South Oxford Nursery Class is under occupation. Listed for the axe last week it remains stubbornly open.

Parents and supporters keep a 24 hour vigil in the spacious victorian building.

A new waiting list is being compiled from families in the area. Unemployed teachers take shifts on the class.

A 'security officer' ensures that all taking part in the occupation are familiar with the amendments to the Criminal Law Act, commonly known as the Criminal Trespass Act.

The nursery has just 30 places. The building under occupation would easily hold three times that number.

Willingly imposed

But it was a victim of the vicious Tory controlled Oxfordshire County Council -one of a package of cuts carried through in the education service.

The cuts are willingly imposed by the Tories. But they never tire of pointing out that they are the result of the Labour government and Lib-Lab coalition cuts ordered in annual installments.

Drastic cuts in the number cracy defused one of the most powerful surges of opposition to be shown by teachers.

Even so they were forced to call a ten day strike of teachers throughout Oxford and sanctions for several weeks before derailing the Health service cuts are likewise planned on a massive scale in the county.

Already significant cuts in the NHS have been carried through without a single tha font Cuts have taken place throughout the county council service:

Again the leadership of NUPE and NALGO have refused to lift a finger to stop them.

Opposition stops at the point when exhortations to the Tories fail.

Significance

For that reason the occupation of South Oxford Nursery Class has an impact and significance beyond its immediate significance for the parents and children involved.

For those people clearly it is of major significance. The out of nearly 20 naces have been chopped reduced in hours withor opposition.

The occupation is a direr challenge to the long winde collaboration of the loc leadership of all the pubi sector unions.

And that in turn is mere. a mirror image of the collal oration of the national leade ship of those unions.

The occupation has national significance. It w doubtless spark similar occ patiens in other areas, ar will be watched with horr by the Tories and apprehe sion by the bureaucrats.

The Nursery Campaig Occupation Committee h pledged itself to fight all cu and to make the nurse occupation a central plar for opposition.

Appeal

It is directing its campai back into the trade uni movement.

NUPE, NALGO and t NUT are all being asked back the campaign and tra union branches to pledge st port and provide forces t the occupation.

NUPE official, Geor Anderson, himself responsit for smothering ma: initiatives against the cu has been shamed ir providing a letter instructi members not to cut i services.

An occupation leat. states :

'We are appealing to i trade union movement a the Labour Party for suppr for our action against t cuts.

If we defeat this closu the fight against all cuts a redundancies and attacks women's rights strengthened."

The vital direction to:: campaign is the demari trade union officials I: ::

for the filling of the jobs.

That is the

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