>
>of their appointment partly be cause of the unmanageable demands from
>Westminster.
>
> The motion on Private Finance Initiatives was carried, calling among other
>things, for the Government to use the substantial financial resources it
>has available to ensure that education is funded on a needs basis and not
>through bidding-led mechanisms geared to short-term initiatives. Also high
>on the agenda were motions on teacher stress and workplace bullying. This
>last matter has serious implications for the implementation of
>performance-related pay (PRP) in schools where teachers are already so
>intimidated by the attitudes of their head teachers that they are unlikely
>to apply to cross the threshold for fear of failure.
>
> The Teacherline phone counselling service, which has run since last
>September, has already received more than 7,000 called from stressed and
>distressed teachers.
>
> The executive priority motion: "Family Friendly Policies and Worktime" was
>well received and several delegates told heart-rending tales about their
>home lives.
>
> Loving the job is a concept that seems to have lost out when teachers are
>working more than 60 hours a week and considerably more when it is their
>school's turn for the Ofsted inspections.
>
> There was an emergency debate on Asylum and Immigration on the final
>morning of conference.
>
> The agreed text called on the executive to press for the repeal of recent
>legislation on asylum and immigration, to inform the Government of our
>opposition and to campaign for additional resources to support refugees and
>asylum seekers in our schools. The issue received a lively but harmonised
>discussion and was carried, after a friendly amendment, by a unanimous vote.
>
> The decision for action to oppose PRP with a ballot for strike action and
>a call for a special conference later in the year was reached after a
>fragmented debate.
>
> In his closing address McAvoy, re-elected as general secretary during the
>past year for what must be his last term of office. showed his
>dissatisfaction with the decision.
>
> He said he would not try to thwart the will of the conference (the supreme
>policy making body of the union) by failing to call the ballot.
>
> But he would refuse to "campaign vigorously to ensure a positive yes vote
>for a strike".
>
> The picture painted by Education Secretary David Blunkett in response to
>the NUT vote at this conference is of a group of trade union members
>"turning down the offer of promotion and extra pay simply for doing their
>job well".
>
> If he insists that PRP is that simple, it is likely he will increase the
>chance of a yes vote!
>
> He would serve teachers best if he listened to all points made on this
>matter and paid attention to the growing unhappiness of teachers throughout
>the profession.
>
> *************************
>
>4) International story
>
>British spy centre spreads it's web.
>
>by Xinhua
>
>THE BRITISH government is going to build a �25 million spy centre to
>monitor criminal gangs through their use of the Internet.
>
> The Government Technical Assistance Centre (GTAC) is likely to be used to
>unscramble coded Internet messages, tap phones and intercept e-mails.
>
> The Home Office, which confirmed the project last Sunday, said it was at
>an "early stage".
>
> Details such as when and where it would be built had not yet been decided,
>officials said. But it has been suggested that GTAC could he sited at the
>M15 headquarters in London.
>
> Fears have already been expressed that the government could use the centre
>to increase surveillance of the general public. But the Home Office insist
>that proper procedures will be followed to monitor communications.
>
> "The suggestion that there will be mass snooping and interception is
>unwarranted," a Home Office spokeswoman said. "Warrants will have to be
>obtained for every interception. It's very important that we are competing
>with criminals and ensuring that law enforcement agencies have got the
>tools to do the job".
>
> *********************
>
>5) British news item
>
>May Day around Britain.
>
>by Renee Sams in London
>
>A LARGE contingent of workers from the threatened Rover car plant at
>Longbridge led London's May Day march out of Clerkenwell Green on its way
>to Trafalgar Square.
>
> Despite the threat of unemployment hanging over their heads, they were in
>good heart and optimistic that the Phoenix consortium would be able to put
>together a deal to save their livelihoods.
>
> Shop steward Paul Parsons told the New Worker: "We are not going to go
>away. We are going to fight for the survival of Rover and the West
>Midlands. We think that Mr Blair should wake up and realise that this is a
>working peoples' party."
>
> Another shop steward said: "We are not asking the Government to
>nationalise but just as Renault in France and Volkeswagen in Germany, this
>Government should take a stake in Rover."
>
> Also on the 7,000-strong march were workers from the Ford plant in
>Dagenham which is also under threat of closure; some members of the public
>sector union Unison; a contingent from the East London Teachers'
>Association; a large number of Turkish and Kurdish groups; the Communist
>Party of Britain; the New Communist Party and many individuals celebrating
>May Day.
>
> Despite the fact that Trafalgar Square is the traditional venue for the
>march organised by the longstanding May Day Committee, the police stopped
>the demonstration at the end of the Strand because a very large
>"anti-capitalist" demonstration was approaching the Square from Whitehall.
>
> Organised on the Internet, the "anti-capitalist" demonstration attracted
>many thousands of people, filling Whitehall from one end to the other in a
>"wall-to-wall" march.
>
> But it had a festival atmosphere and earlier in the day, protesters had
>planted flowers in Parliament Square.
>
> The May Day marchers were quite shocked to see police in riot gear forming
>a solid cordon, blocking their way to Trafalgar Square.
>
> But they were good tempered and merely stood around while stewards spoke
>to the police, jeering passing BMW drivers and cheering Rovers.
>
> The march could have remained a happy and peaceful affair, despite a small
>group that had obviously' planned the trashing of MacDonald's, but for the
>reaction of the police in completely cordoning off Trafalgar Square and
>creating a stand-off between the two demonstrations.
>
> But with such a heavy police presence, obviously prepared in full riot
>gear, trouble was bound to flare up as they started to herd the
>demonstrators back down Whitehall.
>
> After that, violent clashes were inevitable for the rest of the day, which
>saw some 67 people arrested and some people, including police officers, in
>hospital.
>
>
>by Maisie carter and Dolly Shaer in Trafalgar Square
>
>THOSE New Communist Party members who arrived early in Trafalgar Square to
>set up a literature stall and await the May Day march were to see a
>relaxed, celebratory atmosphere transformed into menacing situation by the
>end of the afternoon.
>
> Banners, stalls from various organisations and a friendly crowd of people
>all made for a very convivial afternoon.
>
> Much interest was shown in our stall, to quote a Morning Star seller: "You
>have a good selection of literature here".
>
> Twenty New Workers, several pamphlets and three red flags were sold.
>
> But gradually we became aware of an increasing tension building up. The
>noise of two police helicopters static overhead, police in riot gear
>surrounding the Square blocked all the exits and entrances except for
>Whitehall.
>
> This is where the "protesters against capitalism" were amassed, spilling
>over the road and into Trafalgar Square, blocking the route of the May Day
>march.
>
> At about three o'clock a marshall from the march came into the Square and
>advised us to leave, as the march was not going to get to the Square.
>
> Marchers had been told to disperse but had sat down outside Charing Cross
>station.
>
> Their anger was understand able, given that they were so near the Square.
>And why couldn't the police have blocked off Whitehall instead of the
>Strand so the way would be clear to let the march through to the Square?
>
>
>May Day in Newcastle by Dick Copland
>
>MAY DAY'S march and rally were different this year. True the march followed
>the traditional route to the rallying area in Exhibition Park, where the
>usual tents and stalls flanked the platform for speakers. The buzz of
>social and political greetings and discussion was all one would expect.
>
> What transformed the occasion was the participation of 200 asylum-seekers
>(the term used in the literal rather than the tabloid newspaper sense)
>living in accommodation in the West End of Newcastle.
>
> They formed part of New Labour's programme for dispersal to the regions,
>if programme is not too grand a term to describe the mishmash of changes
>and uncertainties with which local authorities and caring agencies have to
>cope.
>
> The participants -- all young men -- came from Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan and
>Afghanistan where many longstanding antagonisms are still unresolved.
>
> Preliminary trade union action had persuaded all the groups to work
>together for solidarity on this occasion.
>
> They responded in full calling, simply but tellingly, for justice as an
>immediate demand. Newscastle's Saturday morning shoppers may have been a
>little surprised but displayed no signs of hostility whatsoever.
>
> Several of the rally speakers took up the theme of justice and, in
>particular, the issue of vouchers for food and other goods -- measures
>regarded as intolerable.
>
> As Bill Speirs, general secretary of the Scottish TUC, put it: "For a
>Labour government to be putting anything of that kind out is a disgrace to
>themselves and to the labour movement."
>
> Compared with recent years, attendance (over and above the asylum seekers)
>was noticeably up as between 500 and 600 listened to brief but high quality
>speeches. And there were many issues to comment on.
>
> Bill Speirs reported good progress in trade union recognition in Scotland
>with over 50 per cent of call centre workers now unionised.
>
> But he gave pride of place to the MSF general union recognition agreement
>with the Edinburgh Assay Company, founded in 1457 and signing the agreement
>in 1999.
>
> This was an example, he said to much amusement among his listeners, "of
>how long-term investment recruitment and organisation pay off at the end of
>the day"!
>
> Among other speakers was Jack Monedi of the African National Congress, who
>stressed the importance of international working class solidarity; a
>representative of the asylum seekers speaking with an interpreter; a warmly
>received speaker from his wheelchair demanding Government action to improve
>the quality of life for disabled people and a stirring speech from Ann
>Hanison who has worked for 20 years for Newcastle City Council in the
>school meals service.
>
> This service faces a �l million cut with 261 job losses and lower
>standards resulting from the Government policy of Best Value -- "a
>dangerously misleading description", she noted, resulting in cut-backs and
>sackings "all too similar to compulsory competitive tendering under the
>Tories".
>
>
>from John Maryon and Eric Trevett in Norwich
>
>MEMBERS of the New Communist Party East Anglia district for the first time
>ran a stall in Norwich Chapel Cardens, next to the university, in the
>annual May Day celebrations organised by Norwich trades council.
>
> The event was launched with a short march through the town in which a
>number of trade union banners were carried.
>
> The comrades described a great day out with live entertainment and a lot
>of interest in the NCP stall.
>
> Many new contacts were made and the New Worker was well received.
>
>
>from George Abenstern in Manchester
>
>NEW COMMUNIST Party members in Rochdale held their regular stall at the
>annual Burnley May Day fair organised by Burnley Trades Council. As ever,
>the home-made bread proved very popular.
>
> The sun shone on the procession that preceded the fair and on the
>speakers, who included Bruce Kent.
>
> There were good sales and the CND stall also did very well.
>
>
>Sheffield
>
>ANTI-capitalist campaigners brought Sheffield to a standstill last weekend
>in a pedalpower protest against global greed.
>
> They blocked the traffic through the city centre with a slow moving but
>colourful procession, accompanied by some makeshift musical instruments.
>
> There were some heated exchanges with frustrated motorists but no arrests.
>On the whole the atmosphere was good.
>
> *********************
>
>
>New Communist Party of Britain Homepage
>
>http://www.newcommunistparty.org.uk
>
>A news service for the Working Class!
>
>Workers of all countries Unite!
__________________________________
KOMINFORM
P.O. Box 66
00841 Helsinki - Finland
+358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081
e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.kominf.pp.fi
___________________________________
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe/unsubscribe messages
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
___________________________________
