IMGpapers 1976–79

Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1976–79

PUBLIC SECTOR OFFER Mr Fisher's tastless bait

· Socialist Challenge No. 85, 1 March 1979 · p. 5 of the scan · 390 words

The scan: sc-n85-mar-1-1979.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 1-4 of 7; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 5 of the scan

The circular talked of an increase of £3.50 per week on the basic rates of each grade' and underlined that it was with effect from the pay week which 4 November fell'. This was obviously, intended as an argument in favour of offer.

But the circular omitted to ention that in some instances also stressed *proportionate increases part-time workers'. But it did not mention how much this represented in hard cash. some it could be as little as 50p a Then again, it boasted about NUPE general secretary Alan Fisher was quick to dash off a circular to the union's local authority manual branches last week after agreeing to the government's The circular stressed that the miserly 9 per cent had been 'unanimously agreed' by the union negotiators.

And it went on to try to put the best possible gloss on But Fisher's memo was more interesting for what it full consolidation existing £5 supplement, thereby making it chancedoe for But this stress on overtime goes against one of the main points of the original claim. As the Day of the edition Public Employees put it, more excessive overtime to get a living wage' From holding out the carrot overtime circular proceeded to stress the pontance or lnc standing to commission on comparability, per cent TOT recommendations are promised for 1 August, with the other half due seven months later.

The circular did not go into detail about this comparability study. Specifically, it did not mention that bility" would be similar jobs in private industry. overtime'.

A clue as neglected this fact is found in the following observation on Action Special' this concept of comparability journal - that it meant:

...comparing meals staff with waitresses and kitchen staff restaurants; pital Fisher's with hotel workers; comparing school cleaners with office cicaners - In whose comparing workers with some of the worst paid workers industry. *Any NUPE, must be with national the 'comparamade with why Fisher average earnings.? say, school This in cafes and Fisher eventually comparing hosand domestics Employees.

The other words, public SCTVGe offer was private comparison, argued HE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES day of action IL SPECIAL PAY says. They never notice w not there But un Menday 22 myer 80,000 lov un public service work sure Britain they wo

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offer. the latter's attitude. didn't say.

← END SLOW PAY NATIONAL UPRISING O PUBLIC EMPLOYEE!Building opposition in Nottingham →

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