Mobilising Success of Today's Co-ordinated Solidarity Action Across Public Sector
What a day!
First, I met the TGWU members at Shelter who are on a two day strike because their management has decided to tear up their contracts and impose new terms of employment, cutting their wages and undermining their conditions. These are people who have dedicated their lives to working to tackle homelessness and who through their dedication have made Shelter one of the most respected voluntary sector organisations in the country. Their Chief Executive has decided that the organisation has to embrace the contract culture and that the staff must pay for this with cuts in pay and conditions.
Next, on to attend the rally in Westminster Central Hall in support of the teachers, lecturers and civil servants on strike. Listening to three young teachers addressing 3000 trade unionists packed into the hall just lifted all our spirits. You couldn't fail to be impressed by this display of the idealism of workers committed to their profession and to providing public services. The buoyant atmosphere of determined solidarity across a range of public sector unions demonstrated the potential their is in our movement at present and for the future.
Then I went on to address the Grades Conference of the RMT, which represents many of those railway workers who undertake the maintenance work on the rail network and the underground. Many of these RMT members have seen their jobs privatised, their companies like Metronet go bust and in some instances have seen their jobs being brought back in house under Network Rail. They made it clear that they too had had enough of being treated like chattels and delegates raised with me the possibility of solidarity action across public services.
I was then interviewed by various news programmes asking me why I supported today's strikes and informing me of the round of ministerial statements, including one from Gordon Brown, condemning the strikes.
It is becoming increasingly clear that this Government is close to a political tipping point. New Labour continues to alienate section after section of our support and the political situation is now perilously close to being irretrievable. By turning on its own movement and supporters New Labour is handing government over to the Tories.
First, I met the TGWU members at Shelter who are on a two day strike because their management has decided to tear up their contracts and impose new terms of employment, cutting their wages and undermining their conditions. These are people who have dedicated their lives to working to tackle homelessness and who through their dedication have made Shelter one of the most respected voluntary sector organisations in the country. Their Chief Executive has decided that the organisation has to embrace the contract culture and that the staff must pay for this with cuts in pay and conditions.
Next, on to attend the rally in Westminster Central Hall in support of the teachers, lecturers and civil servants on strike. Listening to three young teachers addressing 3000 trade unionists packed into the hall just lifted all our spirits. You couldn't fail to be impressed by this display of the idealism of workers committed to their profession and to providing public services. The buoyant atmosphere of determined solidarity across a range of public sector unions demonstrated the potential their is in our movement at present and for the future.
Then I went on to address the Grades Conference of the RMT, which represents many of those railway workers who undertake the maintenance work on the rail network and the underground. Many of these RMT members have seen their jobs privatised, their companies like Metronet go bust and in some instances have seen their jobs being brought back in house under Network Rail. They made it clear that they too had had enough of being treated like chattels and delegates raised with me the possibility of solidarity action across public services.
I was then interviewed by various news programmes asking me why I supported today's strikes and informing me of the round of ministerial statements, including one from Gordon Brown, condemning the strikes.
It is becoming increasingly clear that this Government is close to a political tipping point. New Labour continues to alienate section after section of our support and the political situation is now perilously close to being irretrievable. By turning on its own movement and supporters New Labour is handing government over to the Tories.
posted by John at 12:33 AM
2 Comments:
Hi John,
Been a while since I posted so well done to you for supporting the teachers and highlighting the critical errors about to be made at Shelter.
My brother is in front of a disciplinary panel today basically for asserting his contractual rights under a TUPE situation where his employer is trying to impose new Terms and Conditions. He has been suspended for the best part of 8 weeks and despite having a full time URTU officer in attendance I have no doubt they will dismiss him. He works for a well known waste disposal firm (Heathrow Area and Contracts) who take the view it is cheaper to dispense with an employee and take the hit at Tribunal rather than observe TUPE rights.There is no trade union recognition in the workplace and through my stewardship he took it upon himself to advise his colleagues of their rights under TUPE. Because of this they have singled him out.
This has been a bad week for the labour party what with the 10p tax band and the Tories using all the bad news to their advantage no wonder they are gaining support in the Country.
I fear that stewardship of the economy over the last 10 years in allowing a huge debt bubble to take root will be a bedrock of problems going forward. Clearly 'the clunking fist' was in charge of all this going back and has made some disastrous decisions since becoming premier.
The only way back for the party is with a New Leader and one that will not be afraid to take the difficult decisions that get our economy back on track.
Well, as Labour and Tory policies are now so close that you can't get a credit card between them, it'll mean further elections will be a beauty parade only.
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