By Patrick Sikorski and Ray Varnes THE ALL-OUT strike by Camden's 2,500 manual workers, all members of the Camden General Branch of the National Union of Public Employees, has resulted in a significant pay victory.
All workers are guaranteed a E60 gross minimum earnings payment for a 35-hour week compared the present average of E42 for a 37%-hour week paid to workers not on bonuses.
This that two-thirds branches members will get an increase of E17.60 per week made up of the present national offer of £4.50 plus *Special Camden Supplement' of £13.10.
The remaining third of the branch who already get £60 gross, due to variable or fixed bonuses plus London weightung . will get a straight 10 per cent increase made up so that here is no loss of bonus carnings due to the reduction of the working week.
The decision to accept was taken by a mass meeting of over a thousand workers at Camden Town Hall last Friday.
There were no speakers azainst the strike committee's recommendations to accept the offer and there were six votes against.
A blow has been dealt to low pay in Camden and the winning of the 35-hour week is important breakthrough in the fight for jobs.
If the eventual settlement for million workersin public sector was to match that won in Camden, attempts of the government to restrict further ENTS year would be dead.
The concordat would just be a useless scrap of paper. The cost of the crisis would start to be laid at the door of the ruling class and its Labour governRICHEL.
Camden won its victory by rejecting Fisher's selective action. It was all-out action which forced Camden to negotiate in the first place The message IS national all-out action can win the full claim.
The first meeting of the majority Labour councillors which called negotiations starca unal council would meet the full £60 basic minimum 35-hour claim.
This made front page news and put Camden forefront of the struggle for the full claim.
However, the Labour councillors mined this position, the offer to a minimum earning guarantee.
With the full-time officers of all the public sector unions recommending the national 11 per cent deal, the right-wing TOUCHE maL they away with this.
an They calculated that Camden NUPE branch would rush to settle, rather than risk being left out on a limb as the the rest of the strike crumbled. and 35 hours won If the branch had stuck out then the for the full claim (by itself) then the council wage increases withdrawn its offer without too stopped much fear of retaliation.
Unfortunately the right-wing councillors calculated correctly.
The strike Camden met to discuss their recommendation to the mass National Executive rejected the tactic of national offer.
Prematurely
the strike would crumble, they voted to clear ance to une mass meetung.
In addition, neither at the strike committee mass meeting did the branch group of leadership (including an IMG for member) argue the the Camden to continue to play their leading role by staying out and for the full national claim of £60 national minimum wage in the public sector, forcing the Labour council to meet the full in the claim and campaigning within national the union for national all-out strike action. right-wing With Fisher now trying to changing £60 gross overturn the democratic decision of his National Executive Committee by every trick in the book to force a return to work, the fight for national strike of action becomes more important than ever. councillors Any setback in the national could get fight will be a defeat not only for all public sector workers, but also a crucial setback for the Camden. the national struggle Camden's local deal will be increasingly under attack and they will find very difficult sector workers. could have every borough committee in finally rely.
the NUPE all-out national action Even if accepted assuming that way, as it have, it recommena acceptCamden at the the national action.
case for national branch also shows achieved by Camden claim could be won.
The as a whole, Without victory in all COUL nationally and locally.
to rally Bureau.