I agreed to accept the nomination to become interim shop steward for the central services shop of DMS in September 1988 on the understanding that this would be a temporary role to help and support fellow members until the end of the pending reorganisation that would see the abolition of the Directorate of Management Services.
DMS was divided between those who worked for the IT department, a large section dealing with reorganisations and job evaluations and the rest of us who were providing support services. My own section, Finance, monitored and managed the finances of the Directorate but the overall responsibility for what we did rested with the powerful Director of Finance. Officers in Personnel were also part of my shop. It was a fact that most of the staff in the central services division were from Black or Ethnic minority backgrounds whereas the reverse was the case with the other two large sections.
In the meantime and in the rest of Lambeth the Levithan was struggling with many different problems and another Directorate, DHCS where Jon of the Rogers was working in was also about to be abolished. The government was getting heavy with Boroughs and our budget was rate caped which meant more money had to be found from cutting down jobs and services. Linda Bellos was having great difficulty surviving as she had to fend off challenges from within the Labour group and attacks from the community who were not happy to see the reduction in service provision. At the end Dick Serabji won the vote and became the Leader of Lambeth Council for a brief period. It became eveident that we were going to have another fight to defend jobs and services. We started having weekly meetings of the shop stewards committee and the shop had more frequent gatherings to determine policy and strategy.
DMS was divided between those who worked for the IT department, a large section dealing with reorganisations and job evaluations and the rest of us who were providing support services. My own section, Finance, monitored and managed the finances of the Directorate but the overall responsibility for what we did rested with the powerful Director of Finance. Officers in Personnel were also part of my shop. It was a fact that most of the staff in the central services division were from Black or Ethnic minority backgrounds whereas the reverse was the case with the other two large sections.
In the meantime and in the rest of Lambeth the Levithan was struggling with many different problems and another Directorate, DHCS where Jon of the Rogers was working in was also about to be abolished. The government was getting heavy with Boroughs and our budget was rate caped which meant more money had to be found from cutting down jobs and services. Linda Bellos was having great difficulty surviving as she had to fend off challenges from within the Labour group and attacks from the community who were not happy to see the reduction in service provision. At the end Dick Serabji won the vote and became the Leader of Lambeth Council for a brief period. It became eveident that we were going to have another fight to defend jobs and services. We started having weekly meetings of the shop stewards committee and the shop had more frequent gatherings to determine policy and strategy.
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