TO SAY whether it was a victory or defeat you have to look at the original purpose of the action. It was the first round in a battle to establish a national minimum wage. In that sense of course it was a defeat.
When you look at the anger being expressed at Fisher's position recommending acceptance, the call by the London NUPE Divisional Council for Fisher's resignation which is being echoed up and down the country, the membership do not see it as a victory.
However, that isn't struggle was a total disaster. It was a cereal, our not a dercat or our dolty to win, because we never engaged in full Sections of the union have learnt a lot out of this struggle. It has been the first experience of collective action different publicservice workers —Jocal government, health, ambulance workthey've learnt a lot seledile action i'very divisive THE gang of four put in charge of the tow pay battle Mallinson, Keating, NUPE.
in different types of struggle losing different types of money. As the strike goes on people who are on all-out action begin to feel that others are not doing all they should.
In Southwark, for example, they all went out on strike and then went back of to selective action because they felt they were on their own In Westminster the all-out strike, waged a fight to get the rest the undermined by full-time officers on the scene, and the result accepted a £200 back to work bonus and took no further part in the action. Selectivity tends always to pick on the most organised to take the action and this has a long term effect. by much more difficult to such more die, tounget the duk to November they were corting forward about to the area committee, saying "don' expect us to do all your lighting for COHSE; Charlie Donnet, GMWU; Mick Martin, T&GWU; Ron be fully involved.
under rule at all.
dust went on WHICH the last four or five years. was inal they in the next.
Whatsteps were needed to win?
-back in example, similar figute to us. went into all-a - from left: Terry isolated from DOTONERS. went as a result. Women workers became much more involved, electing their own stewards, coming to the meetings, and wanting to In London we began to create a tradition of holding London stewards rallies, which there's no provision for If you look at the dust the experience of organisation in the past stands them well in this dispute — in Tower Hamlets it took only days for a joint stewards committee between the unions to be set up, though it had ceased to exist over The gains in this dispute in union organisation will stand us in good stead The ideal time to go into struggle was in November, when we could have had a united fight of sections in the private and public sector. The lorry drivers, for -were ighting for a very weak. But local So is the problem -achon, put this was still selective in the national sense, The leadership was happy to let them go on cause to be able to t all-out strike, so long as they remained other areas and WACCULEC part-timers, many women argued at the meetings that there was no point in getting a pay rise if half of our jobs Every kitchen | know of in Tower resolution Hamlets is running af three women Was Certainly, that's part offine problem, be action against the linesof the union La lead must be given by bodies which have some authority in AT THE CENTRE of Labou nearly 1½ million workers in t The claim is now settled, bi from over inside the public ser enough done to W comparability? And should w they betrayed us?
Socialist Challenge asked i JENNY WEBBER about wha nakedo 25 ner cont RAY VARNES, a member the eyes of the membership lonal and ciry-wide strike des, by divisional councis, cic But a lead will only come fron bodies if militants are providing he into all-out political lead within them There is organised left inside NUPE, capable co-ordinating the activity militants within the shop stewards