CAMDEN NUPE has produced a pamphlet detailing the terms of the settlement won locally and analysing the lessons of their successful struggle.
As the strike has lessons for militants throughout the country, we publish here a lengthy The one-day strike on was success in Camden.
Within its own limitations it drew the membership together NATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFERENCE 28 April, 11a.m.
Digbeth Civic Hall, BIRMINGHAM Socialist Challenge 8 March 1979 page 4 just and allowed us to feel our collective strength.
A local march from Camden Town Hall on 22 January was soon swelled by other NUPE members to over 2,000 at Hyde Park Corner and the message from that march was clear -only all-out strike action can win our full claim.
Selective action versus all-out action: Faced national policy industrial action, and the policy of all power to the local branches masking the very real lack of a national lead, Camden marked time in the week after the one-day strike.
It was clear that while a national call for all-out action would have got full backing, silence at the national level made our task more difficult.
After a week of discussion, a decision was taken by the strike committee to call out the two petrol pump attendants and works department plumbers on official strike from 29 January.
The effect of that decision was traumatic. Officer members of NALGO were called in to operate the pumps; NUPE members refused to accept petrol from them or to accept chits from garages and by 30 January the borough's transport, works, building, cemeteries, and social services were slowly grinding to a halt.
The branch meeting on 30 January supported the decision of NUPE members not to fill ALGO members and decided pumps to call for a mass meeting on 6 February dation for all-out strike action in pursuit of the full claim.
On Wednesday 31 January, under threat of lay-offs, refuse section at Cressy Road took indefinite strike of selective and sent delegations to the other two refuse depots.
On Thursday meetings of the other two refuse sections voted to come out on strike. hat day works department refused to cross the Cressy Road refuse picket lines and themselves voted to come out on strike.
Between then and the mass meeung further including sewers, public lighting, road sweepers, body shop fitters and highways, strike action.
All-out strike resolution: the mass meeting on Tuesday 6 February was approximately 1,300 members calling for all-out strike in support of the claim for £60 and a 35-hour week.
It also called on the national executive to call all-out strike action in support of the full claim, and called on the Labour council to grant the claim in full.
strike elected at the mass meeting and met regularly at least once a day manned by with a recommen- picketing, bulletins, mentary benefits...
against the advice CELe leader, action basic week... morning meeting on became clear the drivers sections, maintained took Black attended by cleaning.
Council's offer action the full claim.
of giving the £60 wage to those not on Nevertheless -Commee group endorsed ship's for the duration of the strike.
Sub-committees were set up to deal with the organisation of transport, strike claims for suppleLabour group breaks:
On 13 February the Camden majority Labour group voted of their councillor Shaw, to grant NUPE's claim for £60 and a 35-hour [But] by the first negotiating 15 February, that Labour group leaders were interpreting the offer as a £60 minimum offer and wage rather than as a basic The pressure of the strike was throughout this the period. Picketing was strengthened at the main administrative buildings which were near Lessons of to being ciosed because or te of heating oil and the conditions inside due to no 'clarified': objective.
Our demand at the meeting of 19 February was that Camden Labour councillers should not back down and should grant We stressed the inequalities bonus fu claim. but while leaving those on bonus with the national settlement. strike action.
the Labour leaderinterpretation or ine JOHN SUDDABY, Camden NUPE General branch secretary negotiations were held on 22 February.
of these negotiations the strike committee recommended a return to work to the mass meeting held the following day. This recommendation was accepted overwhelmingly.
the strike: The most important lesson of the strike is that the union's full claim claim of £60 basic minimum wage and a 35-hour week is not pie in the sky but a realistic If Camden NUPE can get very near to the full claim by taking all-out strike action then the national union can win the prepared to embark on all-out do not believe that Camden NUPE's success can be repeated at a local level in every local Labour-controlled council; although one lesson we have learnt is that Labour councillors must not be allowed to shed their responsibility for of low pay among their employees.
In Camden said that expressing sympathy for our but keeping the leaving our claim in the hands of Callaghan who seems intent on making those who afford it least suffer the most.
The lessons of the Camder strike are clear. All-out action in pursuit of the full claim can win. Even now a determined lead nationally can still bring Copies of the pamphlet can obtained John Suddaby, Secretary NUPE Camden Branch, 211 Arlington Road, London NW1.
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