AS LOCAL authorities set their budgets for what could be the last time before the general election Labour councillors are again dancing to the Tory's tune and slashing jobs and serv. ices.
Council workers in Liverpool are being told either to take a five per cent cut in pay or face 863 compulsory redundancies.
In Birmingham, education and social services will be badly hit and 727 jobs may have to go as the result of the council forging ahead with a ES0 mil. lion cuts package. Union leaders in both cities have threatened to ballot on strike action if job cuts are forced through.
Cuts are also being made in most London Boroughs. On Wednesday of last week UNISON members in Hackpackage and the threat of compulsory redundancies. Many schools were closed wiren teachers refused to cross picket lines.
In neighbouring Islington the Council is rejecting claims that its decision not to set the highest council tax in the country is anything to do with the fact that Tony Blair lives there.
A E4 million cuts package in educa. tion could mean one teacher being sacked in every school.
Labour councillors in all of these authorities say that they cannot operate outside of government caps on spend. ing and raising of revenue. At the same time many service users and trade unsonists are sick to the back icean of Labour councils making cuts. year-in and year-out.
Doug Thorpe, secretary of Islington UNISON A Branch said that if neces. sary, e 'incils should refuse to set legal budgets and make it clear to both the Tories and Tony Blair that any more cuts were unacceptable.
In Scotland where there are no Tory councils, public outrage, mainly over education cuts, has forced Scottish Sec retary, Michael Forsyth to find another my million Just over we work re 40,000 parents, pupils and teachers marched through Edinburgh to protest against the cuts.
Other protests are continuing and in some cases schools are being occupied.
From Birmingham, Bob Whitehead adds:
ALTHOUGH the council claim that the main schools budget is being probeing cut by 15 per cent and this has led to the loss of thirty specialist teaching Social services face drastic cuts and the council wants to crack down on sick The Birmingham Community Conference and UNISON have been organising opposition. Strong links have been butll with let counciors nic voted against the budget. Another two Labour councillors abstained.
A spokesperson for the Community Conference said that although there was a long way to go they were deter. mined to give a voice to all those attempting to light back
Socialist Outlook 99 • March 16, 1996.