THE WAGES FIGHT

Workers Press no. 920, 14 November 1972 · scan page 2

Topics: Health and welfare, Post office and public services

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: headlines and words can be misread, and a caption or advert can run into the text. For anything you quote, read the scan.

collar Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs in deciding Talks 250,000 for official action over pay.

The week has also begun, h many union leaders and the 'left flat on their backs before Heath.

on the £4-plus claim hospital workers are take place on Friday.

Union leaders have already been told that the talks cannot lead to any increase before the end of Heath's 90-day freeze, despite the fact that the workers involved are extremely low paid.

There are no guarantees that hospital wages will not also be hit by any extension of the freeze or the promised follow-up legislation.

MILITANT shopworkers plan to lobby pay talks today between the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers and the Multiple Grocers' Association. The grocers have offered £1.80 a week for shop assistants and £2 for managers. USDAW is claiming £3 and f5 for the 120,000 workers involved.

Also in the pay queue this week are 50,000 gas manual Anger in the hospitals has been increased by the knowledge that the 900,000 council manual workers, whose wages normally set the pattern for hospital ancillaries, but who have a greater strike power, are to get their £2.40 increase.

Sam West, National Union of Public Employees' branch secretary in Mansfield, told Workers Press yesterday:

'We're not doing any more work for nothing. Heath says he'll pay for productivity. Well, we're 30 to 40 per cent down on the taff we should have. If we're not productive I don't know who is. But Heath says we're frozen.

It's my job to get something for my members and if we have to do it this way we'll do it.' But NUPE's executive, which organizes the majority of hospital ancillary workers, yesterday sent out circulars urging a brake on industrial action until negotiations are completed.

Union leaders apparently think they can persuade a majority of the employers' negotiators to make a joint approach with them to Health Minister Sir Keith Joseph, despite the fact that three of them represent Joseph's department.

They hope by this means to pressure Joseph for an exemption from the pay laws. wever, Labour MPs Pain' Hospital ancillary workers on a recent lobby at their pay talks in London.

'We've already had a number of instances of sporadic action, and we understand the frustration that leads to them, NUPE spokesman told Workers Press. 'But we're pointing out to our members that it's essential to run out the talks?

The NUPE leaders clearly accept the Tories' right to dictate not only pay, at a time of rocketing price increases, but all trade union activity.

By merely asking for exemption they, in fact, accept the principle that the state pay law remains.

In other words, it would still be illegal for other sections of workers to take, or threaten to take, 'any action with a view to compel, induce or influence' a breach of the freeze.

But besides being given credence by the NUPE executive, this is also the position of the "Tribune' group of Labour MPs. DEMONSTRATE FOR-&8 CONSTRATI ON FRIDAY 27mi FOR S8 47 130 ON FRIDAY:

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