Camden libraries: strikers dig in

Jon Rogers, Secretary, Lambeth UNISON

Eleven of Camden's 13 libraries have been closed by indefinite strike action by UNISON members since 26th February. The strikers' mood is resolute and defiant in the face of game playing by management negotiators, who tabled and then withdrew an offer of a settlement which went some way to dealing with the issues involved.

The key issues of down-grading and pay cuts have not been addressed by management, and UNISON members are determined to resist cuts in pay threatened against a fifth of the workforce. Public support for the strike has been impressive, with thousands of signatures on a petition, and positive media coverage of high profile supporters. There is widespread recognition that the dispute is as much about the future of the service as about pay and conditions.

Since the main picket line at St Pancras Library is almost on the doorstep of UNISON's Mabledon Place HQ, the strikers have even enjoyed the presence of UNISON Assistant General Secretary and Head of Local Government, Keith Sonnett, on the picket line!

As LLB goes to press, the strikers are preparing for a demonstration when they hope to emphasise the support the dispute has to councillors on the brink of the local election campaign. Unfortunately, New Labour in Camden seems quite willing to go into an election in dispute with the trade unions and to turn its back on a loyal, committed workforce. They can't have read what "Culture" Secretary Chris Smith has to say in UNISON's latest glossy magazine -- that libraries, and the UNISON members who work in them, are valuable "people's universities"!

Contact: Camden UNISON, 59 Phoenix Court, Brill Place, London NW1 1ES, tel: 0171-911 1633.

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