counLEy.
NUPE branch secretary John Suddaby puts it:
Just how far Camden's offer has divided the Labour left on authorities can be judged from the remarks of two prominent supporters of the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory, Ted Knight and Livingstone.
Knight is leader of Lambeth council in South London, which experienced an all-out strike by its employees, and prospective parliamentary candidate for Hornsey. He is furious that Camden is prepared to pay up.
*They're politically irresponsible,' he told Socialist Challenge. "The fight is with the government capitulated on that fight.
Needless to say, Lambeth has refused to make any offer to its employees. Knight's recommendation to them is to urge a London-wide all-out strike to stop Fisher's sell out'.
Ken Livingstone's response to that is brief: "Tea and sympathy," he snorts. Livingstone is chairperson of Camden's housing committee, and prospective parliamentary candidate for Hampstead.
It was his resolution to the Labour group, passed by 15 votes to 9, which brought Camden into the national headlines on Wednesday of last week, seven days after the 2,500 members of NUPE's general branch in the North Lonodn borough had begun a virtually Socialist Challenge 22 February 1979 page 8 the full £60-35 hour claim of its employees — with some possible provisos — has stepped up the pressure on other councils across the While the public sector union leaders have sat down to talk about a 9 per cent national offer, the Camden strikers have shown - as 'No one can now say that what we're demanding is pie in the sky' all-out strike.
What we need now is to get other councils to follow our example,' says local Livingstone, "That will put an end to the sodding pay policy as far as the public sector is concerned.' He singles out Ken Lambeth councils in London, which both have much heftier Labour majorities than Camden, where Labour 202S holds 33 of the 59 seats.
The offer has still to be put to a full Labour council meeting, but there is little chance of the Labour group's decision being changed. What is at issue, however, is the interpretation to be given to the resolution that was passed.
It states: "This group agrees to the they've NUPE claim for a basic wage of E60 for a 35-hour week and resolves to open local negotiations to implement this decision. *This new basic wage to include the consolidation of awards under earlier phases of the government's pay policy and also the existing guaranteed bonus scheme.
We accept that this policy will reduce differentials and resolve that the reduction in basic hours should lead to an increase in employment rather than overtime.
Existing differentials are already narrow - basic pay for all the local government workers involved ranges from £40 to £44.91 a week, and the union negotiators accept that this could be futher narrowed.
HALL £60 for all grades.
would not people Hackney and could make himself heard again.
John Suddaby, secretary and International Marxist Group.
limit the resolution' explains, to stop a demobilisation, bag."
explain the Camden developments.
its rates pay rise is expected to lead to.
Labour 9.30am. the call for a recall conference. charges." to low pay. determination of some councillors to interpret the offer as a minimum earnings guarantee rather than a basic The former would mean in effect that those who presently depend on bonus payments, including refuse workers, road sweepers, and highway staff, benefit from the local agreement, but have to rely on the national settlement for their pay rise.
The response of NUPE members to this proposal was evident at a meeting for the public to meet Camden strikers and councillors last Saturday, which attended. When right-wing Labour councillor advocated the consolidation of guaranteed bonuses, five minutes passed before he 'It's a ploy by the right wing,' says the NUPE branch member They didn't want local negotiations in the first place and now they're trying to 'Our position is that the resolution says £60 basic and we're demanding that the council doesn't back down.' Meanwhile the strike continues. The offer has giyen the strikers enormous encouragement. "We don't hear many whispers against the action now, John No one can now say that what we're demanding is pie in the sky. But at the same time we've had to fight because members have assumed the deal is in the The strike committee has received numerous enquiries from other NUPE branches about the offer, and is preparing to send out speakers to immediately It is also anxious to argue that Camden is not a special case, although the borough receives three-quarters of income trom commercial properties, which will pay the majority of the 8 percent rates increase that the The branch maintains its call for a national all-out strike, and will lend its weight to the demand for other Labour councils to follow Camden's example It is supporting the lobby of the London Party's annual conference, to be held on 3 March at (coincidentally) Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WCI. The lobby, called by SCEPTICISM abounds about the concordat announced last week by Jim Callaghan and TUC general secretary Len Murray. Margaret Thatcher called it a "boneless wonder' and much press comment was of the same order.
Accordingly if Callaghan is to give the concordat any degree of authority it must be seen to work - and work at once. And this is where the public sector workers come in.
It was at the public sector rally on 22 January that NUPE general secretary Alan Fisher stood up and promised that he would only consider a comparability study if it was a one-off exercise and if public sector workers were offered the 'going rate' of between 14 and 15 per cent.
Fisher has also maintained that any comparability exercise would not just involve comparisons with those in similar work, but comparisons with the The proposals now on offer, both suggested in general terms in ti concordat and specifically in tl negotiations between the public sect unions and the employers, do not eve approach the settlement outlined by Fisher on January.
Indeed the concordat hints long-term agreements by which strik in the public service will be 'voluntaril abolished. Nor is there any mention the concordat or the public sector p offer of the 35-hour week, even as long-term commitment.
For the public sector workers, th means that through the concordat 35-hour week claim is ditched; Fishe of comparisons manu workers as a whole has been droppe and the 'unacceptable' offer of 8.8 p cent made before the strike actic began now turns into the acceptab offer of 9 per cent, plus comparibili with those doing "similar work.