UN 14 JANUAKY ine Nanonal and Local Government Uticers Association will be holding a special conference on cuts and unemployment. Yet after a year in which services and jobs have been attacked as never before, in which NALGO's Emergeney Committee has been forced to recornise mousina acuon in a recoro numper or disoues. ane we months after the huge 17 November demonstration against cuts, the left in NALGO has utteriv failed to offer the membership alternative socialisi poncies will can answer me labour dovernment s atacks.
The November demonstration, as well as local actions against the cuts, showed the willingness of large numbers of workers in the public sector to defend the welfare SCIVIcES. Dur incDuonc service of the National Union of Public Employees. militants have been left without any perspective for further effective action against the cuts which could smash the anti-working class policies of the Social Contract.
The duplicity of the left bureaucrats has been quite striking in NALGO, where for two years running the left-wing 'challenge' to the Social Contract has come in the form of amendments seeking to you don't embark on a deal with nose whose mustwortness you doubt in advance But despite the failure of the NALGO Action Group to adopt policies which can unite the left around fighting policies, and in spite of the Communist Party's continued alliance with the not-so left bureaucrats, there is still ample scope for organising a challenge to the Government's policies.
CRITICAL There are 64 amendments to the NEC's resolution on the agenda of the forthcoming special confer ence. The majority are in some way critical of the NEC's policy About 20 amendments flatly reject the view that support for the Socia Contract is compatible with oppo sition to the cuts NALGO's Islington Branch is calling for a one day national stoppage, a policy already adopted by the Scottish district. Middlesex Polytechnic branch is calling for a strike from 1 March, wile ammersmins caletor ar escalating national campaignincludes moustnar achon But none of these amendments expresses the clear socialist policies needed to replace the Social Contract, although Medway is calling tor a tl buion programme ol additional public works.
LEAD The place where these amendments can be composited and a discussion begun on the necessary alternative socialist policies is at a meeting called by the Scottish District Council at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London on 15 January at 0.30 pm — ine even ing before the conference. most bronlaoe ourcome on! meeting would be the provision of Thic could he done hu dalsoated ALAN FISHER - militant speeches to all NALGO members. would allow the building of left unity around fighting policies among the rank and file of the union. Ultimately it is only this not manoeuvring in NALGO's web of -when can ensure me cereat or ine Government's Tory policies and their backers in NALGO JACK LEWIS Red Weekly is the only socialist paper which has given systematic detailed and reliable coverage of une survoce in waLGo over r ine crisis-ridden year. Next week's eve of conference edition will carry coverage state or ine Weekiy