The last TUC Congress saw a great deal of noise from the trade union leaders about how they would only accept the Government's pay policy if action was taken to defend jobs, education and the social services in general. That statement now rings as hollow in the education sector as everywhere else.
The real number of unemployed teachers is put at 8,000 by the National Union of Teachers. Young people, being forced back to college because they can't ama work are navne mer discrenonary awaras cut. Adult and nursery education are being slashed. Plans are being prepared to put local authority workers on short time or give them the sack outright. Yet the TUC does nothing - except to sabotage any resistance.
The one region of the TUC which, to date, has organised some form of opposition to Government policies on education - the South East Region - was told by the General Council that it could not have a campaign budget in its own name. No money, no campaign.
It has been more or less left to the National Union of Students to launch any campaign at all. The NUS is calling a demonstration against the education cuts for 27 February, and nas appeaied to the trade unions for support.
but me broad erricadersnip orme NUS has shown itself unprepared to go beyond such actions to mobilise students Tor a tea ment aalse me wovernment. policies in education, in alliance with other unions both inside and outside the education sector.
Although committed by its conference to oppose the Government's pay policy the NUS, like other Broad Left-led trade unions, nas submitted a grants claim or £995 per year that implicitly accepts the Government's pay policy. The timidity with which it mobilised students for the unemplovment demonstration on 26 November shows its reluctance really to campare tor concrete uKs Detween students and workers In actIon us reluctance stems from the Broad Left's refusal to cross swords with the trade union leadership.
Joint action Students must seek joint action with working class organisanons to ngat the Governments atacks mdene union and trade unions in Bristol jointly pushed back some of the cuts that the Tory Council were proposing - in particular its intention to cut discretionary awards completely. Many colleges are beginning to set up joint student union-trade union committees to maunen simir arca wide campaigns against the cuts. Such actions begin to draw out the fact that the attacks on education, alongside the attacks on other social services, are attacks on the whole workme cass and demand a res ponse which goes beyond just those directly affected by the cuts.
Sliding scale grants and social security benefits, a campaign for a crash programme of other 'top people' make a 'special case for saving the "best' parts of education, so we must counter with the case tol otner social services, and for a working class solution to the waste and misery services must be exposed. IMG students will be waging a campaign for a lobby of the TUC headquarters on the day of the fight to start in a real way against these LU accounT mic ande union readers who Resolutions should be put calling for strike action to make 27 February the beginning of such a united fight back.
al staff but no ward!
Clear policies also need to be developed that express the need for class-wide action - policies like the sliding scale of sliding scale of social expenditure, and a public works. As the Vice-Chancellors and defending all sectors of education and the caused by capitalist policies in the social The obstacle that the present policies of the TUC represent to such a fight back Sultan e demonstration to show the need for the cuts, and to demand a recall TUC to bring have openly ignored the interests of even the weakest sections of their membership WOMEN AND THE CUTS LONDON CONFERENCE ON SAT 28 FEBRUARY Sponsorship and donations are being sought from all labour movement and women's organisations. For further informa tion contact 39 Parkholme Road, London E.8. 01-2493072 CONFERENCE CALLED BY THE WORKING WOMENS CHARTER
Red Weekly 22 January 1976 Scottish Labour 5