defend jobs and services.
Build local campaigns
One development we've seen as a result of the miners strike has been the establishment of miners groups. The labour movement has able, locally, to work together, in the common cause of raising funds for the strike, holding public meetings, etc., to win support, and discussing aspects of the strike.
To fight ratecapping, we need to build broad-based campaigns, can unite support for Councils taking a stand. Such campaigns must include Council workers; Labour tenants associations and community groups. It must have representation for women, and ethnic minorities. How they are set up vary from area to area. have "anti-cuts" campaigns or committees already. In other areas, the Miners Support Groups themselves might be the best vehicles. Miners Support Groups should continue regardless of the return to work call by the NUM: money will still be needed for hardship funds and defence funds in the mining communities. the Miners Support Groups towards the fight against cuts might be one of the best ways of keeping the momentum going. Miners Support Groups have the links with the mining communities: to keep up the links, miners and women trom Women's Support Groups should be invited to speak at meetings against cuts and against ratecapping.
Councils must be prepared to fund broad campaigns, and resources for them to use. Aswell organising publicity on the effects of ratecapping, committees must organise now for strike action against surcharges or removal of councillors. If councillors are to expect such support from antiratecapping campaigns, they allow such campaigns to participate in policy-making as the fight develops.
NIPE RATEC APPING No IN LEWISHAM THE DISABLED AND THE ELDERE NEED THEIR HOME AND MEALS ON WHE
support been which Parties. adequate will Some places meeting But turning JANE GOSS sounds the alarm over a little-noticed plan for privatisation of twelve montsh of fighting provide settlement. But the struggle which the as miners took up — to defend jobs and services — is a long way from over. It has to continue every day in the pits, in the counties, and in the inner city areas where the Tories will now feel must confident enough to try to demolish local government services through privatisation and rate capping. miners knew in March '84 — was to their industry. That same stark choice is now facing millions of public sector Jenkin published a Green Paper en- titled "Competition in the Provision of Local Authority Services". In the midst of the media's mania to report the drift back to work and with the rest of the Fleet St. newsprint being Jenkin's proposals. He is no doubt keen to keep them as quiet and unknown as possible, because their implications rightening. proposals is achieved, we will be fac- ing a jobs holocaust which will make the loss of jobs in the mining industry paltry by comparison. The jobs and reaches to the centre of the previous there are certain services which the state, through local government, has a responsibility to provide. Metropolitan the skeletal of council services.
Green Paper could signal Council jobs holocaust government jobs. - they are back at work with no The alternative to fighting - as the wholesale destruction of At the end of February, Patrick services. If the spirt behind his right. goes beyond consensus that Coupled y as possible with rate-capping and the abolition of saying that: Green Paper marks a significant step towards abolition of all but the most Socialist Viewpoint, No. 4, March 1985. Page 12
The Thatcher government is now preparing — and will pass — legislation which will make it possible to implement policies for social services which were put forward in the Omega years ago the Adam Smith gang was looked upon even by many Tories as crackpot right wingers who should not be taken too seriously. Now they are constructing the framework for services which affect all of us - and that framework is based purely on profit and economics. It has nothing responsibilities.
As the Tories' economic policies
unworkable, British capital continues to decline, they are forced to find ways previously unavailable for making profits for their big business friends. Privatising council and health services is their current target.
The contracting out of ancillary services in the National Health Service is now well underway and has been reported previously in Socialist Viewpoint. Jenkins is using the same healin for bit ting appled til
Although there have been sever
ouncils who have eagerly privati
still only a fraction of the available services are in the hands of private contractors - and with millions of pounds being spent on providing services only a tiny amount of the available "profit" is being siphoned off to private companies. Jenkin is moving rapidly to put this
His proposals were put forward only in mid-January - but the closing date for comments is April. This means that the Tories are working for a very tight timetable in order to get the Bill through Parliament as quick-
lenkin is justifying the proposals b:
"at a time when it remains of paramount importance to restrai
expenditure, local
authorities' resources must be used so as to secure the maximum possible value for money.
...it is the Government's declared ... intention to promote the extension of free competition in the provision of local services.
He then goes on to propose a whole series of criteria for what would be privatised and how it should be accomplished. For anyone who takes comfort from reading the paper and thinking that at least it does not propose privatisation of everything, there is a sobering reminder of the wide scope of Tory plans:
"The proposals in this paper should not therefore be taken as limiting, in any way, the govern-
wish to encourage widest possible application of the principle of competition."
Jenkin then goes on to propose what should be privatised in this round. Justification for this further erosion of our services, according to the Minister, comes from the "good system" which is now working in Local Authorities for building and maintenance contracts, which were the subject of the same kind of legislation in 1980.
As anyone who has had dealings with private firms knows, the problems which show up as soon as the contractor takes over are always put down to "teething problems" and even the Minister is citing this. He says of the 1980 Act which decimated council building departments and put the real costs of maintenance sky high:
'there have indeed been some teething problems but in general the Act's objectives have been successfully achieved."
Local residents in Merton, one the first boroughs to wipe out its
D NUPE says: VICTORIAN VALUES -VICTORIAN WAGES diece about forcin Wore argue recorded a frightening catalogue of inadequate and incompetent firms brought in to do work. The waiting time for repairs has shot up, many of the jobs have to be redone, and the prices charged are much higher than the cost of direct labour would be. Merton is not an exception. Private contractors have time and time again been exposed as less reliable and more expensive than direct labour — but they are rarely gien the sack by
The chaos and corruption which now permeates Council maintenance under private contractors will be extended under the new legislation to five other areas. It will not be optional
for councils to put the services out to contract. Like the NHS this year,