designs of the national leaders.
The divisional council has called for:
*Flying pickets to bring out as many public sector workers as possible next Monday, and if possible to involve private sector workers in the day of action. Every NUPE shop steward in the capital has been told to bring their nbers out on Monda!
Support for all NUPE member who wish to go on strike after the day of action.
*An intensification of the struggle against the cuts in order to show the opposition of public sector workers to cash limits, which the Government has said would be used to ensure that a pay settlement over per CCHIL automatically lead to redundancies in local government, education, and the health service.
*To call the rally held last Thursday.
Although it is still a very small force within CAN instrumental in helping to forge this kind of militant response, socialist alternative to acycloping a Alan Fisher's left social democratic policies which offer the low paid no answers to Callaghan and Healey.
Without any tradition of organised opposition within the union, and with Communist Party members backing official leadership, beginnings were understandably modest.
The campaign first raised its voice at the 1976 annual conference, had just four supporters at the 1977 conference, and was taken by surprise when 22 delegates attended its caucus meeting at last year's conterence.
It was this conference, where the present claim was determined, which proved to be a turning point for CAN, over the issue of how the pay struggle was to be conducted. The campaign fought for a proposal to hold a recall conference in the event of the claim being turned down, which supported by a third of the delegates.
CAN now has a foothold in eight cities, and holds caucus meetings on several of the main union bodies in London, with members of the Socialist Workers Party, the Marxist Group, and independents working together.
The campaign has taken up: total opposition the government's economic policies; opposition to all cuts and cash limits; position t acism and fascism; and full democrac within NUPE; including the election ane accountability of officials.
It has formulated alternative policies to the Government's aim of sustaining profit levels by cutting public services and living standards; policies which include the demand for programme of building hospitals, schools, and homes through widescale nationalisation, WE TOU compensating the owners.
As Ray Varnes points out: "How is it that a poor country like Cuba has an expanding health programme and can provide far more adequate education and nursery facilities than exist here?
Not by capitalist so-called planning...
With so little preparation made by the official leadership for the present action, it is clear that if it were left to the full-time officials chaos would rapidly ensue, with very little rank and file involvement in the organisation of the struggle.
An important part of CAN's activity is to encourage the self-organisation of the union members, particularly among women, who make up over 70 per cent of NUPE membership.
JUST •We support the right of women to organise independently, Ray explains, 'by electing their own shop stewards will and setting up their own joint shop stewards committees so that they can discuss their own affairs and gain the confidence to raise these in the union.' How such policies are beginning to shape up in practice, been example of how the action proposed by the London divisional council is being prepared, is shown in the decisions of NUPE's district ting the 12,000 SCHOOl cleaners, and canteen staff working in the Inner London ority.
This committee, secretary, has voted to:
CAN's *Set up a permanently staffed strike HQ to co-ordinate action throughout the ILEA. *Hold weekly meetings open to all members in the district. *Put out regular strike bulletins, not least to counter the propaganda of the DOLTeCOSIC. *To set committees with the other was full-time crash financed present NOT SERIOUS back public austerity measures, Ford.
policy. and a good eventually led committee represenkeepers, yet to materialise.
Education Authsector union of which Ray is doing, says Ray.
absolutely forced to.
Swansea, Newcastle, To be put in activities, steward London E14.
THE offer includes an increase in the 'dirty linen' bonus - for those working with soiled laundry -from 0.02 per cent to 0.04 per cent. A 100 per cent rise. Big deal! unions involved in the ILEA, in order to keep them informed of action being taken and seek to gain their support. public spending plans.
*There are two main factors holding sector workers,' Ray considers. "The lack of any apparent the Government's and acute awareness of their own lack of strength for 1979-80, compared to workers such as those al To confront the latter problem, CAN voted on by parliament. argues for pay action committees to be set up in the localities to bring together all those taking action against the pay It was Ray's explanation of this idea at a public meeting held by Hackney from April this year. Trades Council during the Ford strike to the trades council agreeing to initiate such a committee in its area, although this has "There is no point in pleading with the Government over pay as the public figures were secret.
leaders are essentially "They will only cabinet. concede on the 5 percent where they are A national CAN tour will include meetings in Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton, Cardiff, and Glasgow TOUCH with CAN write to: Ray Varnes, 47 Leyland House, Poplar High Street, service.
discussed in the Third World.
wonder contraceptive?
successful meeting held in London last Sunday.
The meeting, attended by 40 women and two men, the implications contraceptive drugs that are in use in this country and Provera. Why the use and effects of this drug are causing such concern is explained here. of various long term