CleCted The ousting of Kate Losinska from the presidency of the 215,000-strong Civil and Public Services Association was a sharp retort by the rank-and-file to the massive press and legal campaign launched on her behalf in recent weeks.
Ine impact or mar campan are CISHID make itself felt at last week's conference wue electons tor ane executve where the lett' majority narrowed from six to two votes. However inis weaken ing represents the weakening of the Broad Left in the union. Two Redder Tape sponsored candidates, one a member of the International Socialists, were The growing political weakness of the Broad Left was also revealed through its choice of the successful presidential candidate - Len Lever, a moderate and 'candidate of convenience"
There is a crying need for firm leadership in the union, as opposed to patchup jobs like Lever. The militancy is there. The conference threw out Healey's pay deal and called for industrial action against any increase in workload resulting from redundancies. This will be needed - the Government has just announced that there may be redundancies of 35,000 to achieve "savings".
The support for the positions of Redder Tape revealed that need for leadTwo tucsuons. nowever reveai the failure of this IS dominated grouping to come to grips with the political problems that are increasingly of concern to the union's members.
The IS refused to fight for the amalgamation of the CPSA with the 100,000 strong Society of Civil Servants. Trad itionally the Government has sought to divide Civil Service workers through Whitley Councils and the separation of workers on different salary grades and acharame