WORKERS in the Department of Environment and Department of Transport held a successful one day strike at the end of July.
The mood was buovant and the strike solid with CPSA and NUCPS members out.
The strike was about three issues; market testing, privatisation and proposed changes to redundancy agreements.
Support for the strike surprised even union activists with areas that had never taken action before conting However the stakes are high. According to a leaked letter between Waldegrave and McGregor the creation of new agencies through privatisation and market testing is intended to lose jobs.
Also in the pipeline, from April 94 each agency will be responsible for negotiating pay and conditions. Already in place in the inland Revenue this will mean the end of national collective bargaining.
This creeping process of privatisation is pulling people Into action wno nave never been on strike before.
Activists must now concentrate on building for nationwide strike action on November 5 which involves all unions and departments.