Lambeth Labour Briefing no. 2

EDITORIAL

The next five years will see the Tories attempt to dismantle local

authorities. Housing

policies, privatisation, and other inner city infttiatives, plus further ratecapping are all designed to undermine local democracy and increase central

control. The Wandsworth experience and the Health Service clearly show that privatisation means cuts in wages ,conditions ,and services.

The majority of London

Labo ur Authorities will not be able tu balance their budgets next year. Lambeth's gap is al present estimated at £60-70 million,a third of ils spending!As Dave Morgan, the Deputy Leader wrote, the stark choice is to make significant cuts or challenge the Tories.But, like most London authorities,Lambeth Labour Group has already indicated that it is unwilling to have a confrontation, and withoul a Labour Government they have iv choice but to buckle under for the next five years .Many authorities, including

Lambeth, are already making invisible cuts through vacancy freezes or drags-high vacancy levels and consequent running down of services has paved bhe way for privatisation and direct Government approaches

tt D’YOU WANNA FIGHT ?sdddot

to Council tenants.Others are now making full,visible cuts.

The Tories stated that one of their goals is to see Socialism extinct by the end of the century; their policies are designed to quash traditional Labour strongholds in the inner cities,either by moving in ‘yuppies’ to change the nature of the population or by pressing local authorities into Implementing unpopuler policles like massive rent rises for properties the local authority cannot afford to repair. The Tories will offer some tenants the 'choice' of transferring their landlords to housing associations or private landlords. | In this situation local authorities will be powerless to offer anything to the local working class.In some cases | the Tories will seem to offer more, But for large majorities of the inner city population ,and particularly the black population, conditions of life will continue to deteriorate and result in demoralisation and total alienation from the political process.Labour's ability to attract voters will not go unscathed.

However, in both Lambeth and Liverpool ,Labour's majority increased .Where Labo ur authorities are prepared to fight they can attract popular support.Where the Labour Party __ offers no lead ,but ben d the cay

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knee, people are left isolated and demoralised.

The choice is clear. If a radical Socialist opposition to this Government is to survive, then we to fight. In Lambeth, the trade unions will be on the receiving end as the Tories continue their onslaught aganinst organised labour, It is up to the local Lambeth Labour parties and councillors to unite behind the unions and support any action they take. Instead we had the council docking pay for atending NALGO meetings.

Across the council unions we must establish a fighting left current which can organise an effective campaign against cuts in jobs and services. It must combal any tendency for inter-union fights over a declining budget 'cake'.We must go out to tenants, the grant-aided sector and black organisations overcoming the racism which is increasingly

fostered by the Government and media.We must demand that

Labour Counctliors ensure the council recruits full establishment ,stop their attacks on Council trade unions, fights pr ivatisationcreating jobs rahter than selling them-and commits itself to no cuts, even if this impi les {llegality.We must begin to build a campaign which will offer proper political opposition to the government and show the Lambeth working class that there is a socialist alternative.

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In Lambeth, Briefing is committed to building the largest possible unity among all those in the trade unions, the Labour parties, on the Council and in community organisations who are willing to fight against the Tery attacks, whether they come in the form of cuts in services, redundancies and job freezes, privatisation or rent anc rote rises.

At the Lambeth Left Caucus on i3th July, Briefing supporters argued for a recalled borough conference for delegates from trade unions, Labour parties and community organizations. The conference has now been called for i3th September by the Labour Group. All party members, trade unionists and users of council services must be mobilised to attend.”

We must demand the fuil facts on the Council's financial position, and that ali Labou Councillors are committed to the pledges they made in the manifesto on which they were elected - no cuts in jobs vo services and no rate or rent rises. We also argue that the conference should be a launching-pad for building and strengthening the campaign.

In addition to the cail for a recalled borough conference, the Left Caucus also decided to support a call from Camden NALGO for a Lendon-wide meeting of all those willing to fight the Tory attacks on Local Governmes! on Seplembe: i9th. Clearly this will not include those Labour Councillors who have been proposing - and implementing - ‘responsible' cuts in a desperate attempt to placate the Tories and their allies in Walworth Road.

CPSA - action and lessons

On Tuesday 5th May 1987, the CPSA held 4 days of industrial action for a 15% pay increase and better working conditions, refusing to accept the 4.25% offered to us.

During the first day of the strike, a mass meeting was held at the Town Hall An important issue was raised - how the people on Supplementary and Unemployment benefit would be affected whilst the members were out on strike

‘during that week. A sudden decision had to be made between the DHSS and DE in the South London area (who were present) with NALGO.

A large majority of CPSA members were in favour of emergency payments for extremely urgent cases only. The NALGG leadership and SWP members decided against our

proposal, arguing that the only hope of getting support from the unemployed was to make payments across the board. In effect blanket payments of £14 per adult and £10 per child were to be organised from the Town Hall. Most NALGO members opposed their leaderships resolution favouring emergency payments. Why oppose blanket payments? Why should the unemployed support us in our struggles for a 15% pay increase and improved conditions for the workforce?

The Government has made

numerous attacks on the unemployed with various

types of ‘work for you dole ' schemes. Availability testing and 13 suspensions (all ploys to scare people off the register) hoping to reduce their appalling track

record! The CPSA has fought hard against such threats and has succeeded in keeping Ethnic Monitoring out of the DE.

It was up to our members to show the least amount of co-operation as possible during the week of action. The idea of blanket payments played right into the hands of the management and the Government, weakening our

campaign.

Blanket payments were made from the Town Hall by WALGO members who actually volunteered to.

As the situation now stands a national vote for regional selective action has taken place. The South London Branches have had a further two days of action on the 8th and 9th June.

by JAQUIE BLACK.

HE CPSA!

E action suffered a

ous blow when the SCPS

rohip pulled ovt of the . ad selective action. The conclusion CPSA members are forced to draw is that the SCPS leadership is wore concerned with attacking the

Broad Left leadership of the

PSA Whan winning the pay campaign,In the short term this ted Lo a mood of defiance, but in the longer term made it more difficult ¢ win the ballot on ali-ont action.

The no-vote in

out ike balio

paid to this year'

S pay

campaign. In view of Lhe serious blowssuffered by Lhe

union over the past six weeks

the negative response was

little surprise, shuwtny gust 19,468 in favour of taking all-out strike action, This

te

represented a third of ‘hose t

any

voting and only 13% of the

union. The figure uader~

represents the militant foie mM) core w fa the unfoo serves to further unJderatine the confidence of the membership.

With no tradition of industria] militancy ,confidence has to be built from serateh, Menbers must be convinced strike acti on can win .Tt's clear from the ballot result confi dence has been allowe d to slip. The gifficully for the Broad Left was that in taking contro) of the NEC it inherited a campsign already determined: ~ the seeds of defeat were sown before the BL came to power.

ar ar car c@yrcr NEARLY THERE IN STREATHAM BY ANNA TAPSALL. The Streatham result was absurd forays into the realms they can be convinced that we remarkable.However,it is of crimeometers,etc.The know how to deal with these being studiously ignored by insistant refusal to be clear forces ranged against us. Walworth Rd,and the media. on defence was disastrous. To get back to Streatham and This myopia is particularly This is not a peripheral issue to Lambeth.We have four years fascinating given that the nor should it be.Tied up in to expose the system.Every— Streatham campaign centred this issue are people's thing in the Queen's Speech very much around women and fantasies about Britain's reinforces that obligation on organised in almost complete role in the world. us.The campaign in Stretham was independece of the national The Labour Party must take about engaging the Party in campaign. time to publicly analyse the dialogue with the people who Even so it was not easy to nature offorces that dis- live there.We were strengthened shake off the daily drag on embowel our policies and by the fact that that our help agreed policies.An example of sabotage our efforts to gain camenot from Walworth Rd, this was Labour's policies on power.We know of course who computers and the media,but crime and policing,where they are.So do the large from Lambeth comrades who were there was substantial back- number of young people and visible,approachable and tracking by Gerald Kaufmann on black people who didn't vote coherantly socialist. police accountabilityand with and who won't register unless

COREE NALGO SETTLES jaar fa FOR LOW PAY

NALGO's campaign for fair pay has collapsed at the first hurdle, without so much as a fight.

The employers' first offer which gives the lowest paid just £200 a year extra, whilst giving those on £18,000 a further £1,300 has been accepted on the recommendation of NEXT LAMBETH LEFT ¢ the National Executive Committee. meetingis on AUGUST2 1st. discussing ough Conference legy, uniting

Nine emergency motions at Annual Conference demanding ballots on industrial action were refused a hearing.

This despite figures showing that nearly half of all NALGO staff are on wages below the EEC 'Decency

Threshold'. arrest th Once again the lowest paid gain the ee ee Gant Wallis least. NALGO must build a campaign “= PY ae ike 2 wey Lo for flat rate increases in future on aan moked, ex Vion. The that truly give FAIR PAY FOR ALL. net SmpOrvaknt. BeSenn ition the defeat wf the ballot is the

What the BL NEC must LEAD ,

inevilable

face of duy

Lambeth budget i

On 16.7.87, Tabou group rejected any comm: 1986 manifesto and voted against basing our 1988/9 budget strategy on the principal of no cuts. However with the support of the leadership, the left voted down calls to reject the tactics of illegal defiance, mass resignations ,or majority opposition. But it took only four days for the Deputy Leader to tail the Labour Coordinating Committee and propose that outright opposition and non-cooperation must be rejected and a lawful balanced budget achieved. The only way to achieve this is to

Lneut boo be

Lambeth Campaign Group

Briefing supporters have argued at Caucus for its merger with the Lambeth Campaign Group on the basis of adding opposition to all witchunts,and a commitment

fo fightimng for no

et

the Lambeth Left

culls, reduidaccies and rent or

rate ris to thel: already

existing platforw.Tiajls was

agreed unani Caucus. However when we Loook this proposal back Lo the Campaign Group on July 26th as a step towards left unity in

mously by the

the fight against the Tories, uwifor luneately the Campaign Group as a whole was not prepared to commit itself fo the above positions. Nor commit itself to preparing a campaign to take into the parties and trade unions in preparation for the September Borough Conference, The Campaigr Group thus runs the risk of marginalsiing itself from any real rather than purely rhelorical fight against the Tories plans for local

seveciinea i. However the discussion will continue of the next meeting on AUGUST 25th and we hope to move forward tu one united organised left in Lambeth,

Oro oO rer or arene

start making cuts now,and the leadership won support for a borough conference to start thi s process. However no Leaders report was given a t the last Local Governmednt Committee and already more cuts(based on the 1987/8 budget )have started

An urgency committee of the co uncil agreed to allocate the staff slippage to individual budget headings and council departments. At a4 meeting prior to this,a senior council officer claimed that the only way he could achieve more slippage in his department was for the council to change its recruitment procedures. Meaning that ‘slippage’ is now clearly a vacancy freeze.

In the same breath , group have rejected any fight against privatisation. They are not confident there is a mood of mass defiance to the Tory proposals. Ignoring the fact that they have created a mood of total compliance locally.

We are faced with a Labour leadership in lambeth who will offer no challenge to the Tories. They meekly accept that £60 million cuts are needed,whilst calling for a mass campaign against the Sovernment cuts in local government expenditure. This contradictory attitude will only lead to misunderstanding and further demoraiisation.Labour Group must base its budget strategy on the principles of the 1986 Manifests,i.e.;no cuts in services,ne redundancies ,continued recruitment ,no privatisation , and no rent

It is vitai for the Parties and Trade Unions to start building a challenge to these cuts now, A Lambeth Labour Left t be formed to organise the ightback.

TEVE FRENCH, LABOUR COUNCILLOR, CHAIR OF CONSTRUCTION SERVICES,

BRIEFING PICKET

THE HARWICH PRISON SHIP

Saturday 8th. August

12.00 to 3.00 PM

Far quesione Quay, Harwich Docks A disused ex Sealink ferry moored off Harwich docks is currently being used as an immigration prison for refugees and visitors. There are plans to buy more. Not satisfied with its blatantly racist immigration laws, the Tories are locking up more and more black people whose only crime is the desire to visit this country,or who are fleeing from terror in their own country. This revived prison hulk is now accommodating 65 black women and men (from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Ghana, Iran.E ritrea,Guyana,etc) under appalling living conditions. Private companies are being paid by the Government to provide the security and catering. This has resulted in a total lack of accountability,with detainees subject to racial harassment, intimidation, denial of basic facilities and adequate food. Black people are having their homes and workplaces raided under the pretext of 'fishing' for ‘illegal immigrants'.There has been an intensification of policing of black communities.As the Tories begin their third term of office,black people are in the front line of ever increasing

WE ARE REFUGEES,

NOT CRIMINALS!

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vicious state attacks on the working class 45 4 whole.

MODEL RESOLUTION

condemns the detention and imprisonment of :efugees and visitors to this country by the Government. Ta particular this ., pees the use of the car ferry,the Earl William at Harwich,for this purpose as a blatant escalation of the harassment of black people wishing to enter this country,and as a further attempt to discourage them from doing so. This

notes the appalling conditions under which the detainees are kept on the boat, and recognises that these conditions result directly from the privatisation of security and catering.

This calls for an end to the criminalisation of black people through such detention procedures. This supports the campaign against racist immigration controls and will actively mobilise for the future demonstrations against the Harwich prison ship.

Further Details from: Ai Meun on 732 3731 or

TU Resource Centre 274° 4000 X372.

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If you are interested in Lambeth Briefing : or writing for us (letters or articles) ring 274 3551.

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