THE LEFT FACE of public employee's leader Alan Fisher vanished last week as he cast his vote with the major:
on the General Cowneil in favour of mainliking the 12-month rule for Phase Two pay settlements.
Besides the well-publicied abstention vote Jones, four union voted against the TUC stateClive Jenkins (ASTMS] Alan Sapper, cind technicians, Jon Morton, musicians, and Doug Grieve, tobacco workers.
Fisher's vote to endorse Healey's wuge cutting package will have severe repercasions for public sector Many trade unionists would probably think of the National Union of Public Employees a e union which has been at th wefront of the campaign painst the cuts. Certainly this is GOT DUDES? sector workers. In - past two years NUPE bas membership by nOW OYCI 650,000 members.
But the last union conference red dearly that behind the elaboration that have been pur. lie the same policies of class whole through its support foe he Social NUPE'S conomic Review 1977, endorsrecent conference, OH SOCHE reen the TUC and the Labour Party in 1973 have not been sited by that the Governseconomic strategy 'was at rance with the manifesto comIs made by the Labour me NUrE Jespersmp • that the only thing wrong ith the Social Contract has been abour's failure to implement it!
the "campaign secure a radical change in course in the Government's coonomic olicies* in a clearer light an tempt to persuade the Governthrough a pressure caman to go back to the 'original"
OOHL LUIE CLASS COLLABORATION IN PRACTICE The results of this approach have been demonstrated in the workers, For a stani, NUPE members will be denied the E50 minimum wage which their unmuni conference instructed Fisher to pursue.
Al mat conference many delegates were angered by Fisher's blarant misrepresenJack tation of the vote for a ESo leaders minimum wage as being a vote of suppor for discus sions with the Government Cover Phase Three. A mumber of delegates have since issed an appral for a meeting of left-wing activists to begin to organise for their wews beside the union.
Ron Pearson, TREMBLE TEET cuts campaign. Local ACLIEN which left large sec tions of the membership isolated and mobilised the full weight of the substituted for action against the cuts.
Arms joble poone soctor upon conference on the social wage in to hospitals, told Socialist Challeage:
Jeadership's support for the Wage culs that concerns ms.
Cuts, unemployment, млол democracy, women und back members - these are all insues arowad Which the left must organise.
Full detoils of the meeting. to be held on 3 September, can be abroined front Ron Pearson at 98 Stride Road, Porismouth, Hans. Here we publish a contribution to the debate about how to organise in the union from MARTIN TOLMAN, NUPE membership secretary • NUPE steward Portonouth Birmingham.
'guerilla January. Ruskin tried to persuade the Government that NUPE's policies were 'realistic for solving no real host supe That national strike no real fight launched.
would have meant a confrontation with the Govertment and the Social Contract, Alan Fishor addresses the 17 November demonstration against the cuts last year. Then he promised the marionalisation of the banks, but so far he hasn't even resisted Government pay policy If is nor just the Led it. So, too.
Phase TWO the rights of ram from & tree lor aL PHASE THREE Healey hat branch and cash limits sector budgets.
LEFT MUST ecODomists ORGANISE policies to the Social Contract they accepted Then ar the the union.
NEUTE IS NUPE members had nothing to He said the door should be left open for the executive to negotiknew that the Lihernis were enly supporting Labour to get would be negotiating how much ddition to the 12 month rule now introduced a 10 per cent wage limit, enforced for NUPE members by strict imposed on public anising The failure of Fisher and the union leadership to launch any real fight against the Social Contract and the Government's union activists who are opposed and bers" interests.
La lead. mass action to defend their living standards need to come corciner lo organise for these policies in The executive is organised to because it controls the union machinery. The sight wine 1s 80k lo organise tor ts unc pocalse l capitalist newspapers pushing its policies The left can only rely on itself to organise its fight. This will milicants from many and many in nobe demo can fight for their positions Minority positions and views national co-ordinating body tha and on the editorial board of any news sheet. Org La non-democrati as happened in the Rani and File group in the Nationa Union of Teachers, will make different forces in the struggle.
Until now there has been no Hospital Worker has existed as an organised force, and clenrly NUPE, If only because harely a thind of the union's membership ponsibility for the lack of an organised left rests in large part ace the task of tbe lett as pushing Alan Fisher and athers on the executive gradually further to the here haher takes action such AS SEE ROACHOCE BAS demonstration against the cuts tben of course the job of the left develop it into a still broader fight back. At the same time, the ch mus pe preparca to independently to organise against Fisher whenever he neurores, to when he acts against the memNever reling on left leaders a done by being prepared to ar parise the left in the union TASKS FOR LEFT At the NUPE conference TOUCHI WAS THESET CANINE FO a minimum wage of ESO. Linesh old agreements, a 35-hour week. and other policies This is not an ideal claim fo NUPE members - I think tha as across the board incrense necessary to make up for tum years of wage cuts. It should specity bo time delay in receivthreshold nar ner aaces awomancally g up by 1 per cent with every i pe cent increase in prices.
IMPLEMENT POLICY However, the tirst step is to demand the executive sabmits Limp policy belpare a hant Joe it. Becaus - Thatch is what a best minimum wage would mean would cras ine case ams, AC wont win Fight by telling cach other how The muners, as the executive did i we are compared to conference.
We have to make ourselves as strong as possible. This incars local government workers joistly striking for their CIS BE MEIS HATE TRIATELI stewards' conferences to plan the fight. It means a campaigo in the membership for the cinem And it catails winning support from private sector workers, by their services are best defended by niding us to break through the cash limits, For this reason wi should demand that social spend ing is automatically increased to keen in line with inflation An organised NUPE left could trons et tor the brandes und discuss out. produce workplaces, and campaign for these policies in the union struc campaign to reverse the union's policy ur the next union con STRENGTHEN RANK AND FILE An organised left in NUPE i part or the strupale to suengthe the unson at rank and tele level. F stewards committees control over campaigns striker by those who are waging mittees and regional and national conferences of workplace and So, too, is a fight to democ ratise the union, with _branches MASTER ENC THE LO MUSE STINE official, , electod full-timers, and the right to recall all unice officials Ant orgacised left in NUPE car only aid achieving these policies union leadership's class colla borationist policies on all fronts.
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need pogaised let wing in NUPE. AR