Trade unionists and socialists met on Tyneside on Wednesday 10 December to discuss the fight back against social expenditure cuts in the area.
This was the first meeting following the successful Conference on Unemployment, Wage Restraint and Public Expenditure Cuts organised by Newcastle Trades Council on 22 November, which was attended by more than 350 people.
The fight against unemployment took up the morning session. A delegate from Plessey's spoke of his experience in fighting lay-offs at the Sunderland plant of this multinational. Another delegate chucised une raunty or me Manpower services Commission, which is currenti using unemployed youths to clear driftwood off Sunderland beach. A report was also given by members of the Tyneside Unemployed Teachers Liaison Committee.
The conference passed a resolution on unemploy mont and wage resarm which included a call for occupations and nationalisation without compensation under workers control of factories creating redundancies. An amendment proposed by two members, to include demands for the opening of the books of such companies and a crash programme of socially useful public works was overwhelmingly carried. To organise a fight for this policy, a Right to Work Committee for Tyneside was due to hold its first meeting on Tuesday 16 December.
Thrust
The afternoon session of the 22 November conference split up into workshops to deal with four areas of the social expenditure cuts: health, housing, transport and caucanon. nese worksnoos reconvened on 10 December to discuss policy under the auspices of the Tyneside Action Committee Against the Cuts, which had been set up by the conference. Each workshop elected a number of delegates to a central body which will coordinate ine campaign and give it a pout ical thrust. This will prevent the danger of the campaign being sectoralised into different fields of unrelated activity.
Each workshop is to draw up a survey or the cuts in us sector i tae area. Inc health group will be investigating private practice in Tyneside, and is to affiliate to the National Co-ordinating Committee Against the Cuts in the NHS. The educaton group is attempung to mvoive TEacHer students annenne localities to campaign around classroom sizes, staff/pupil ratios, and the underfinancing of education in general.
The transport group is contacting Don ral and bus umons localy to cran up an integrated transport scheme for Tyneside, involving free and more com -prehensive services. The housing group is to contact local environment groups to oppose cutbacks in council house building and slum clearance whilst more office blocks are still being erected in Newcastle.
spending cuts has now begun in earnest on Tyneside. The Newcastle Trades Council conference has given a lead which other areas will do well to follow. It is only by organising through the labour movement to involve all working people and their families that the policies of Wilson and Murray can be defeated.
Council conference can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to: Conference Convenors, 85 Adelaide Terrace, Newcastle 4. A full report of the Newcastle Trades working class.
Totally Useless and Confused The TUC's proposals are a Totally Useless and Confused rag-ba vhich in no way pur forward the measures needed to defend the jol of workers throughout the country.
These so-called leaders of the working class must be brought to account. If they are not willing to fight for the right to work, then they must be replaced so that a centralised struggle can be waged. Alongside the building of Right to Work Committees based on the broad labour movement in every area, the demand from Birmingham Trades Council for a recall TUC conterence on unemployment is one that must be echoed throughout the
Unemployed Struggles Red Weekly 18 December 1975
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NO CUTS IN PUBLIC SPENDING