ON 9 March, for the first time ever, service unions joined together in a united campaign and went on strike for the day.
ed airports, given smugglers golden opportunities and restricted the operation of Britain's racist immigration laws.
like the 250 workers at Newcastle's Central Office, which deals with national insurance contributions for the whole of the country. DAVE NORMAN and ANN MARIE MALER asked PHIL DEXTER, one of the 250, about the dispute.
Phil began by detailing is for per cent, £10 increase for the lower grades. We regard this as fairly moderate, and lo per cent as une do• solute minimum necessary to keep pace with inflation.
government originally offered us 6 per cent, bút has now Deer licrcascu lu 7 per cent, provided we accept cent OLIC UCI housekeeping" cuts. This otter was an insult, and was totally unacceptable to the unions. Suspended There is more to the strike than a simple wage claim. The government has suspended the Pay Research Unit (PRU) which has assessed civil servants' pay for the last 25 years.
Phil explains that 'the left in the Civil and Public Servants Association has long been an opponent of the PRU because comparability similar jobs elsewhere, the principle on which it works, has meant that we have always been vell Desulte receiving our pay rises.
However, year the nave recommended rises of between 15 and 20 per cent This would have embarrassed the government, hell bent as they are on maintaining a 6 per cent limit in the public sector.' all nine civil Since then other selective strike action has closSome civil servants are on long-term strike — But now that these workers are volved wouldn't claimants be affected? Phil says no: The strategy to hit the government and to disrupt the flow of revenue into the treasury. The object is to hit workers, the sick or penstonels "Those of us on strike work on the contributions We hold all the colloutel personal aetalls and records for the whole the Brusn Isles. elfect of our action will be that all claimants will have be assessed as having paid contributions for full year. This will result in many overpayments.
Nobody will lose their benefits, and it is unlikely that overpayments will be recovered as this would be an extremely costly exer cise for the government. Militant The mood tne strikers at Newcastle Central Office is, according to Phil, 'extremely militant' and '100 per cent solid'. This hardly squares with the media view of civil servales.
But, says Phil, 'the imsomeone with a bowler hat and a briefcase is so alien to the majority of workers Newcastle that isn't evell duke 'Newcastle Central Office is a clerical factory the majority of the staff are women and we are all on low pay. It was no easy decision to go out on strike and if we are going to come out and put our necks on the line for the of the membership then we are not going to let a bunch of scabs destroy our unity.
'Picketing during the one-day strike was more aggressive in Newcastle than anywhere else in the country.
Such militancy is not a reflection of the lead being given Hallullally. The Losinka, sled the mose CPSA led Kate right: wing of all union leaders. Avoid In the past the union's leadership has always sought to avoid conflic but the national believes they will pay very heavy price'. As tc how the strike should Phil's views are uncompromising:
"There are real weaknesses in the selective However, strike strategy. the reality is that a national all-out strike is probably unrealistic at slate the development. The present action is the most extensive involvement that the Phil Dexter