Birmingham Labour Briefing no. 1

IME TO STAND AND FIGHT

NO CUTS IN JOBS AND SERVICES

The refusal by the 20 councilors to support the closure of Martineau House was very welcome. They must be supported against victimisation by the Knowles leadership. Knowles’ draconian reprisals - purging the 20 from posts on joint-boards - demonstrate that any reliance on one-off protest votes as a means of putting pressure on Knowles to share power with these councillors is doomed to failure.

Their opposition to the Martineau House cut opens up the possibility of a different strategy: a planned campaign to defend council jobs and services against the succession of cuts now in the pipeline. Their stance on Martineaue House won widespread popular support. So too will opposition to all other cuts.

Mobilising the support shown from the council workers and the public is the only effective strategy in the long run against the right; to do so entails left

councillors openly linking up with the rank-and-file Party members on whom they rely for support.

It also means taking the campaign of opposition to all cuts to working-class people in Birmingham outside the Labour Party - those most affected by cuts - rank and file trade unionists whose jobs, and

LABOUR TAK

pay and conditions are under threat, and to tenants and other community groups who will suffer from cuts in council services.

There are many areas in which damaging cuts loom. In particular Social Services area offices Calready chronically understaffed) were told on Wednesday 6th July that unless they interviewed for any vacancies by Friday 8th July they could not fill vacancies until next April ! Also in order to ‘prepare’ for competitive tendering the jobs, pay and conditions of low paid council workers in general will be under threat. Education is another area facing cuts. 2,200 extra children are to be taken into Birmingham primary schools next term, with no extra teachers. Class sizes will rise - the most in need will suffer. The 20 councillors should oppose these cuts now!

WO PAY CUTS FOR THE ALREADY LOW PAID! WO TO BIGGER CLASSES IW PRIMARY SCHOOLS!

If Martineau is settled the fight moves on to opposition to all cuts. This itssue was never really just about Martineau anyway, it was about opposition to cuts and attacks on the working-class in Birmingham, and about democracy in the Labour Group.

THE POWER!

COUNCILLORS

HOLIDAYS OR CHILDRENS | HOMES??? |

Councillor Lyn Jones revealed the | following interesting facts about members of our wonderful ruling | Labour Group at the last Council meeting

Evening Mail, July 6th; “In 1986-7 these trips had included a visist by Coun Saeed Abdi (Handsworth Ward), Coun Reg Hudson (Cons,Sutton New Hall), and former Lab councillor Mr Albert Jackson to a meeting with the International Olympic Committe which cost £100,000. . also a trip to | Lausanne,Switzerland by Coun Hudson, Coun Bryan Bird (Stockland Green),Coun Ken Barton, Coun Bill Turner (Sparkbrook) and Coun Bill Gray (Nechells)......that cost £34,500 in travel and a further £250,000. (there's more!! - Ed) A 2-day trip to ....Brussels by Coun Knowles,Coun Eric Brown.....that cost nearly £4000."

Briefing would like to give you one more fact. The Martineau Childrens

Home costs £99.000 per year to run! Briefing feels that someones priorities are somewhere!!

Stop The Clause

-Fublie MeetingJosiah Mason Hall July 22nd. 7. 0pm

wrong

SUNDAY 17 JULY 1988

ASSEMBLE 11-12 NOON FINSBURY PARK To join the Nelson Mandela Freedom March RALLY 3.30 PM HYDE PARK

Organised by the Anti-Apartheid Movement . 13 Mandela St London NW1 01-387 7966

PAGE 2°

Fight for Benn|and Heffer

MASS RALLY!

T.30OPM

wIiTH BENN + HEFFER

TFTosiah Mason Hall

STOP TH CLAUSE

In spite of massive deworctrations and plenty of campaigaing, we did a it manage to Stop the Clause - and of course we were realistic enough to think that the Tary government was not very likely to listen to us,

The campaign gave us strength to fight, It helped lots of gay men and lesbians to come out and stay out and it gave the experince of solidarity to plenty of people who and never felt that before,

The fight is far from over and @irmingham Stop the Clause has decided to keep going and to keep its name

because that is how we are known,The focus now, of course needs to be different, Members of Stop the Clause will still be ready to talk to groups who want

to know more about our campaign, but we will be asking them to join in a campaign to get Labour Councils to defy the clause. This needs to become Labour Party Policy, so CLP's should be supporting resolutions at Labour Party conference calling for this,

Union member and especially those in the NUT and NALGO, need to work to ensure that lesbian and gay members of their unions are involved in the campaign to Defy the Clause,

Coaches went down to London to the Lesbian Strength and the gay pride demos and the group is planning a Dayschool/festival with workshops and great entertainment to be held in September or October, Wait for further announcements,

In the meantime there will be a public meeting at Josiah Mason Hall on July 22nd, with Clare Short MP, an NUT member and a member of the "Birmingham 20",

Debbbie Epstein, Selly Oak CLP Womens Section,

# DICK IS READY FOR THE POLL TAX #

It is not widely known (but LABOUR BRIEFING will tell you!) that Labour controlled Brum is the 2nd most prepared city in the country for implementation of the Poll Tax. A member of the Brum City Council (Treasury ‘Dept) has been spending 2 days a week in London being trained on how to implement the Poll Tax. Now we know what the Right wing mean by making Birmingham one of the leading cities in the country = and taking it into the 2ist century!! (Or should it be back to the 14th?!)

* BLOODSUCKERS AT BLOODBANK OF THE WORKING—

CLASS ! #

++ Venue:Selly Oak Hospital Event: Edwina Currie's visit

++

Standing at the gates to the Nurses home we spotted that well-known socialist John ‘Giz

a Job’ Charlton approaching. Had he come to stand on the picket line and show solidarity? No!! Sorry to dissapoint you, he sailed

straight through without even a word or backward glance at the nurses and comrades standing there.

That evening I watched in utter

amazement as Coun. Charlton came onto TV, giving a grovelling apology to Edwina

‘Give up your second holiday' Currie, saying it was neither the time nor the place for a demo!! It appears that for 'New Realism' there is never a time or a place to protest!

Or maybe its something to do with the fact that Mrs Currie is Coun. Charltons paymaster (£12.000 per year) as a member of the regional health authority???

(Bob Murphy.)

RIEFING i

‘ Birminghams' Very ‘Own Periscope !

# NORMAN PULLS THE PLUG ON THE EEPTU *#

The Birmingham Evening Mail of Thurs. 30th June carried a

———— | touching picture of those two

* THE “AIN'T GOT NO LABOUR BRIEFINGS" BLUES ! #

At the second "Chesterfield" I went with Stuart Richardson to Chesterfield Labour Club. It is said that Stuart in his time jhas sold more papers’ than Rupert Murdoch. At Ten o'clock he had sold all his BRIEFINGS and had a bad attack of withdrawal symptoms. He immediately had to rush back to his digs for some more. Still it is not Stuart's fault if BRIEFING is so much in demand !

(Len Mason)

* DEFINITION OF WORKING-CLASS ? #

In his recent libel action against the Observer newspaper Michael Meacher's attitude seemed to be of couse I'm working class and I'm going to spend £250,000 to prove it! Nice one Michael!

# ANYONE FOR TEA ? #

Wasn't it good of Albert Bore to spend most of the meeting called by the Labour Group to remove the whip from _ the “Birmingham 20", acting as a tea boy for Dick Knowles and Fraser Kemp. Poor old Albert was running in and out all night with cups of something hot for his wonderful Leader. Still we all have to start somewhere comrades!

“stalwarts of the Labour Movement" and “defenders of the working class", Worman Willis and Dick (‘I will be in the House of Lords before you Norman’) Knowles.

Underneath the report on Willis

picture was a and Knowles

opening the new Firmingham Trade Union Studies Centre in Digbeth. Solidarity in action, ‘how touching!

The report stated that in hic speech Willis "accused the leaders of the electririans'

union propaganda’.

EETPU Willis

saying "It is

for me to eee

number jis net

accept collec responsibilities"

In referring to

number", BRIEFING

Willis was aiming a bit closer

home than Eric Hammond

all standing next the picture was Knowles, rumoured to be a member of that y union and a delegate to Northfield cc from that very Union. BRIEFING wonders if Dick will vote to the EETPU leaving the ‘the unions present 3 ‘What does happen Party members who junion which i affiliate to

very

this problems iu

mounting up!!

“PISC” OFF!

From Monday June 27th all posts in the City Council | have been frozen. From that date no post can be} filled without the direct permission of the Chair or | Vice Chair of PISC (the Policy Implementation Sub Committee). This decision will quickly lead to a crisis in service provision, especially in those areas which were subject to freezes earlier in the year) (Social Services, Education, Libraries). Two major | facts are clarified by this decison; |

1. Birmingham City Council will be cutting jobs and services this year.

2. The Council is now (indeffectively run by PISC.

The vehicle for announcing these decisions is «| letter from the Chair of PISC, Councillor Turner, to) all committee chairs. The letter begins "IJ am writing to set out the proceedures to implement the decision we have taken to have a selective fillingof posts throughout 1988/89". This proceedure is then explained. It is that for any post in the Council which falls vacant a form must be submitted by the Chair of the Service Committee and the Chief Officer indicating whether :—

a) they want permission to fill it b) explaining the consequences of not filling it.

This form will then be submitted to the Management Effectiveness Unit (MEU) who will process it and consult with the Chair or Vice Chair of PISC for final authorisation one way or another.

Nowhere in the letter is there any reference to the traditional Committees which might have dealt with these matters (Personnel or Finance and Management). The centre of control of the Council is PISC and its officer team the MEU. Any illusions about the normal (democratic???) workings of the Council can now be dropped!

Two further aspects of this should be noted:-

A. The letter also talks about deleting posts from establishments. This means that

not only would posts be frozen but permanently deleted with a subsequent loss of jobs and services.

B.There has of course been no consultation with anyone on this.

These developments demand that all those opposed to cuts in jobs and services stand up now. A full and open campaign involving unions, users of services and Labour Party activists is needed now.There is no longer any room for fence sitting and full support must be given to those Council workers who will be involved in front line resistance to cuts and defence of jobs and services,

WICK HAY, Birmingham WALGO. (Personal Capacity)

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BIRMINGHAM LABOUR BRIEFING

The BRIEFING GROUP meets Details of Meetings on the last Tuesday of Phone John; 422 1366 every month. All BRIEFING) Articles, Letters, supporters welcome!

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to;27a Westminster Rd, Lozelle, B21.

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