The first week of the university term will he far from quiet. Students may Isce Financial problems, but so do the staff. Already sclective strikes are plannod by members of NALGO.
The dispute has arisen over a pay dea agreed on 16 May which gave administra five and clerical staff a starting salary of £918. Not a great deal to ask for, one But it was too much for the universities to best. Having accepted the agreement they thought abour it and scabbed. Instead they proposed the princely sum of t783! At the same time, they teduced the upper timit by E400 to £1400.
This is just anotber desperate attempt by the college authorities to cut corners and save costs. The direct action to be taken hy NALGO offers the possibility of budding a student worker alliance ag ainst this state policy, which is the mot cause of the problems that students and campus workers face.
Unfortunately the strike will halt the payment of grants to students and wagc to other college workers. This action will not win NAEGO support. Instend the only work they should carry out is the making of these payments It is not in the interests of NAL.GO members to make those people suffer who are already bearing the beunt of the spending cuts A Kent campon no he launched by all chose actually fighting the redac ron in education expenditure. joint action woold be best organised via joint campus meetings of all campus SULACE ARE SOCIS.
Red Weekly 3 October 1974. Page 10 needs to expand higher education to provide industry with skilled labour power, it canmor find the moncy to pay for this policy. The huge economic crisis in Britain has resulted in the welfare state getting short change. The result is a process of rationalisation and cutbacks within hughier education a strategy of education on the cheap.
What flows from this strategy is the ending of subsidies for housing. and food, as well as the chopping of building programmes. Lahour have carried out these policies just as faithfully as the Tories ever did In particular, Labour has done next to nothing about the Tory education cuts announced last December. They have only managed to salvage 17% of the E180 million chopped in Barber's budget. It was also the Labour Government which refused to meet the NU'S claim in full and which still allows discretion ary awards to Hourish.
The air of all such policies is to shift the burden of paying for educ ation onto college workers and students: Poor facilities, Jower stati-student ratios, bigher rents and prices, job lose and low wages are now occupational hazards of college life.
Hense the college authorities seized upon the pront award an a good excuse lu propose big rises in rents and prices for the new academ ic year. At Eesex University the administration proposes to double the around demands like:
*A freeze on college prices and rents.
*Higher wages and no redundancies for college workens.
*College facilities to match student intake.
*No cuts in education spending by either Tory of LabourHOUSING Al the start of the term the issue which will highlight the spending cuts will be the accommodation shorlage. Every yearlack of student housing expected this autumn.
The independence agreement for