Nigel Danby, CPSA
Regional Secretary (in a personal capacity) EMPLOYMENT Service workers around Britain are poised to join in CPSA's campaign over pay.
Offices called out include Moss Side, Leamington Spa and Sheffield, as CPSA General Sec. retary Barry Reamsbottom succumbs to pressure from ordinary members to escalate the action.
While sorge activists feel that this is "too little, too late," the agreed to it is a victory in itself. When he threatened to suspend the strike during talks with ACAS, CPSA's Leeds HQ was besieged by strikers, many tak. Ing part in their first dispute, chanting "No sell-out!" and singIng "I'd rather be a picket than a scab!"
Even notorious right-wingers like Reamsbottom can be forced to act in their members' Interests by pressure from below. Instead of being suspended, the strike is being escalated and ACAS talks called off.
The importance of the dispute can be seen in desperate management offers of a 2500 bonus to anyone willing to break the strike in Leytonstone office.
Last month, almost 100 casthe impact of the strike in Leeds. As one casual said before joining the strikers, "I've only been here a week. If I'd known they were employing me to break your strike, I'd have told them where to stick their job."
As a striking casual worker, she has put her job on the line. CPSA members owe it to her to be stubborn in their pursuit of their nine per cent pay claim and unremitting in their pres sure on the union bureaucracy.