How we fought Labour which was pushed for strongly by the rank and file groups. Here a motion
NALGO shop stewards Committee for all- out strike action was ruled out of order by
Alistair Macrae, the NUPE official convening the meeting. . The left's argument was that this was the only way to achieve the needed solidarity from other unions.
Of course we have no way of telling whether all-out strike action would have resulted from a strong lead. I believe a lot more assurance of national support from the unions concerned would have been necessary as well. What is certain is that the policy as it was pursued thoroughly demoralising for those trade unionsts who did get involved, and that they were treated as counters in a war of words between the Lothian Councillors and the government.
Another depressing aspect Lothian fiasco was body Lothian Action Group which was meant to be an umbrella campaigning organisation embracing unions, Labour Parties, tenants cuts -
OUR seven-week srike began when a plan was drawn up by the Management Team of Rhondda Borough Council to cut 25 jobs and demote some NALGO members. The union had agreed in September 1984 to an exercise to restructure the Council's white collar workforce — but had seen this as a way to tackle the problems vacancies, temporary posts and secondments. The NALGO branch rejected as unacceptable a Council pledge of no compulsory redundancies and opposed any cut in jobs.
Atter a General Meeting, called a half-day strike of all members, followed the next week by a selective strike of 26 supervisors halting retuse collection and housing repairs, and closing the Council's sports Centre and theatre.
The strikers were paid through a levy on all branch members. We explained our action to the public in a mass leaflet:
The Council response to our action was a letter sent individually to all members on December 13 threatening:
"unless this action is withdrawn forthwith and normal resumed by 9.00a.m. Friday
14th December, 1984, there will be
The waited i standinbet marge.
cy branch meeting which ' unanimously to demand that the letter was withdrawn. The Management agreed and following a meeting with three members of the Labour Group an agreement was reached to withdraw the "Document". This was immediately taken to the Labour Group and then full Council (where the Labour Group has a majority) where it was rejected and the threatening letter was re-instated.
At 11.00am on Monday December 17 an Emergency Branch Meeting voted for an all-out indefinite strike. The vote was by show of hands and followed a vote to ignore Government's balloting Shortly afterwards members of MATSA who were also covered in the "Document" voted to take action alongside trom a ficials but also by officials.
caucus made wouldn't anywhere.
direction the defined by the joint trade union committee, which was entirely made up of branch was officers from local Council unions.
the
Labour Group's influence of the to mobilise called the campaign.
Labour Party members
What is significant is that Alan Fisher of
NUPE and Geoffry Drain of NALGO only
A NALGO shop steward from Rhondda Borough
Council looks back on a successful 7-week struggle of unfilled in defence of jobs.
NALGO's action had effectively closed all
Council services, workers were "locked-out".
the branch the with employers
Christmas and on December 30 an agreeeffectively ment was reached, this time with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Council's Personnel
Committee.
branch members lobbied the meeting, and a delegation sat in the public gallery only to witness the Labour Group leader moving a to ment Team would not be withdrawn!
That Sunday working contractors and police arrived at the local authority refuse tip to clear refuse that had the built up there during the strike. Within a of minutes a matter
NALGO members succeeded in persuading the (unionised)
voted contractors to turn back.
A further attempt was made
Team with non-unionised scab contractors
11.00pm the next day. After a tip-off from a local resident a picket line was quicky assembled and these contractors were also turned back. The battle lines were effectively drawn.
were established at the two refuse tips and the Council's waste disposal incinerators
(where no NALGO members worked) and rota of pickets depots, day centres yoo hired and laws.
strike headquarters.
had been held weekly and a weekly srike bulletin distributed. When called upon us.
Socialist Viewpoint, No. 4, March 1985. Page 15 and consumer gorups, etc. In practice this body did little apart from issuing a couple of leaflets and press statements. Moves to involve Labour Parties at branch level were resisted not only by the union ofthe Regional Party
In practice the union officials operated a clear other douches that anyhere sected to the situation hardened and it was soon clear that the dispute would follow was to are
Even became strike
Thus when the Council finally collapsanything.
ed, it was not as result of a genuine attempt the workforce and create a
The involvement of union and was marginal.
members.
and won!
tacabins", soon manual the since
Negotiations continued atter
Full council met on January 4. Sixty police.
reaffirm that the produced by the Manage-
January
6 outside
Talks had assembled and assembled
- this time return to
- at tion
The following day 24 hour picket lines organised for many and resolve.
smaller and down the valley. We equipped some rooms as
General meetings cle" too!
came down to Lothian when the campaign had collapsed in order to prevent the
Labour Group resigning the administration - along the lines of Regional Party policy. Similar moves came from the Scot tish Council of the Labour Party The collapse of the campaign led to widespread disillusion throughout the unions and Labour Parties. However, the early days of campaign showed that an alliance could be built and that workers would fight for their services.
If Edinburgh and other Laboour Groups resist the government's next clawbacks, a national campaign must be formed — but any alliance with the public sector unions that does not lead to all-out action is unlikely to achieve Further developments can also be made in the involvement of those who use the services and their link with rank and file trade unionists and Labour Party virutally all branch members reported for picket duties, routinely involving between twenty and fifty members at any one time of the day or night. Caravans or "porbraziers, and calour gas leaters were quickly organised as the sub ero temperatures and driving snow mad the first few days and nights picketing very uncomfortable. The realities of picket duty swept away paternalistic attitudes about "women on picket lines": at least half our membership are women as are nearly half the NALGO stewards.
Matters came to a head Monday January 21 when a scab contractor Bailey Plant Hire of Caerphilly arrived at 8.30am to remove refuse from a now half-mile long pile of refuse outside the Council's refuse incinerator. Within minutes 50 pickets ran the length of the picket line only to be barged by a bulldozer and forced back by
I'he bulldozer began to load the retuse onto lorries (along with sections of pavement and a nearby wall). NALGO members from the local highways authority recorded the damage done whilst union members in neighbouring local authroities were contacted to prevent the refuse being brought onto their tips.
were then reconvened by the Council on Friday January 25 when the Council agreed to rewrite the original document to incorporate the original staffing levels. The terms of a satisfactory work agreement were also agreed. This was ratified by full Council the following Monday and on Wednesday January 30 the Branch voted to return to work the following day.
During nearly seven weeks of strike acsense of unity and commitment developed amongst the membership of our branch that before the strike would have been thought impossible. Every move by our so called "socialist" employers merely served to strengthen the membership's
Every NALGO member realises that the threat of redundancies will return next year, or the year after, along with the threat of "rate capping". By then we hope to have some "political mus-