Manchester prepares for day of strike action
Article published: Tuesday, November 29th 2011
Up to 13,000 people across Greater Manchester are expected to take part in strikes and protests to defend pensions tomorrow as part of a nationwide “day of action” called for by the Trades Union Congress.
They will be joining up to three million public sector workers across the country who will be defending their pensions against government cuts. Teachers, nurses, council workers and civil servants are to hold pickets across the city and police expect between 6,000 – 8,000 demonstrators to take part in a march and rally in Manchester city centre.
The coalition government intends to add an extra 3.2 per cent workers’ contribution onto public sector pensions, claiming current payments are “unsustainable” despite earlier renegotiations in 2008. Unions argue the figure amounts to working an extra day per month for free, labelling the raise a tax on ordinary public sector workers to pay for the costs of the financial crisis and subsequent bank bailout.
Despite fears of intolerable disruption to services an opinion poll commissioned by the BBC suggests strong public support of the joint action by 23 trade unions, with 61 per cent in favour of industrial action to defend pensions. Support was particularly strong among women and the young, with 67 per cent of women and four out of five 18 – 24 year olds backing the strike.
“An out-of-touch government”
Manchester Trades Council secretary Geoff Brown said: “The government’s attack on public sector pensions is totally unacceptable and we are taking action on a scale not seen in this country since 1926.
“Pensions are deferred wages and we are therefore responding as we would to an attack amounting to the equivalent of a day’s pay for the rest of a worker’s life.”
Pickets will be held outside dozens of schools, colleges, hospitals, universities and job centres and strikers and supporters will join a march starting at Liverpool Road in Castlefield, off Deansgate, at 11.30am. Demonstrators will march through the city centre before holding a rally and a “nationwide shout” for “pensions justice” at 1pm in Whitworth Park.
Manchester Unison branch secretary Pat McDonagh argued Unison members were “reluctant strikers”, saying “they work in the public sector to deliver services, so going on strike is the very last resort for them.
“But whilst they’re dedicated to their work, they refuse to be ripped off by an out-of-touch government that attacks public services and pensions but defends the bankers and financial elite who created the recession.”
A tax on low-paid workers
Commenting on claims by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce chief economist Brian Sloan that the strikes would cause a cost of £3 million to the local economy, McDonagh argued pension funds were a major source of economic investment and said “what will cause a real and heavy cost to the Greater Manchester economy is the damage a collapse in the Greater Manchester Pension Fund would create.”
Remarking on figures from the Office of National Statistics which suggest a sharp decline in real wages across Manchester in the last year, he said “given that local government workers and many from other parts of the public sector in Greater Manchester have endured a pay freeze for years already, a decline in wages is all too real for many of our members.
“That’s why the government demand to pay more for a pension, whilst getting less out and having to work longer has helped create this strike.”
While stopping short of endorsing the strike, Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said in a statement that local government pension schemes were “far from being gold-plated” and added that government demands to cut an extra £900 million from the schemes amounted to “a tax on employee pensions” for some of the “lowest paid workers in Britain.”
Major industrial action by public sector workers to defend pensions took place last June and just under half a million demonstrators joined a mass rally in London against cuts called for by trade unions in March, while recent months have seen ongoing unofficial strikes by electricians who face deskilling and severe pay cuts.
Richard Goulding
On strike tomorrow or want to pop down to show support and solidarity? See below for the list of pickets
Manchester University
- Pickets at all buildings
AQA
- Devas Street office, M15 6EX
- Kilburn House, Manchester Science Park M15 6SE
- Logistics Centre, Wheel Forge Way, Ashburton Park, Trafford Park M17 1EH
Manchester Metropolitan University
- John Dalton building, Oxford Road, opposite BBC, M1 5GD
- Geoffrey Manton, Rosamund Street West, Oxford Road, opposite Aquatic Centre M15 6LL
- All Saints buildings, All Saints, Oxford Road, M15 6HB
- Business School, Aytoun Street near Piccadilly Station M1 3GH
- Didsbury Campus, Wilmslow Road, M20 2RR
- Hollings Campus, Old Hall Lane, M14 6HR
The Manchester College
- Northenden Campus, Sale Road M23 0DD
- Shena Simon Campus, Whitworth St, M1 3HB
- Openshaw Campus, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw M11 2WH
- Manchester School of Building, Welcomb Street, Openshaw M11 2NP
- Wythenshawe Campus, Brownley Road Wythenshawe M22 9TG
- Fielden Campus, Barlow Moor Rd West Didsbury M20 2PQ
- Moston Campus, Ashley Lane, Moston M9 4WU
- North Manchester Sixth Form, Rochdale Rd, Harpurhey M9 4AF
- One Central Park, Northampton Rd, M40 5BP
- St Johns Centre, Quay St M3 3BE
Ministry of Justice
- Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 1 Bridge Street West
- Manchester Crown Court, across road from Civil Justice Centre
- Manchester City Magistrates Court, Crown Square, Wood St, back from Deansgate
- Crown Court, Minshull Street, off Aytoun Street, M1 3FS
- Salford National Business Centre, Prince William House, Eccles New Road, M5 4RR
Equality & Human Rights Commission, Young People’s Learning Agency, Skills Funding Agency
- Arndale Centre, Corporation Street, opposite Big Wheel, M2 1NP
Highways Agency, Ofsted, TDA, MOD
- Piccadilly Gate, Store Street M1 2WD
Department for Communities and Local Government, Tenant Services Authority
- One Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester M1 1RG
British Council
- Bridgewater House, 58 Whitworth Street, M1 6BB
HMRC
- Trinity Bridge House, 2 Dearmans Place, Salford, M3 5BG
- Stone Cross House,Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1YA
HMP & YOI
- Styal, Styal Road, Wilmslow, SK9 4HR
Dept of Work & Pensions
- Alexandra Park Jobcentre, Moss Lane East M15 5JB
- Altrincham Jobcentre, Roberts Rd, Altrincham WA14 4PU
- Cheetham Hill Jobcentre, Crescent Rd M8 9DQ
- Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre, Graeme House, Chorlton Square, Chorlton, M21 9BU
- Didsbury Jobcentre, Palatine Rd M20 3JQ
- Longsight Jobcentre, Clarence Rd M13 0ZL
- Newton Heath Jobcentre, Oldham Rd M40 2EP
- Rusholme Job Centre, Wilmslow Road, M14 5BJ
- Salford Jobcentre, Baskerville House, Browncross St M3
- Stretford Jobcentre, Arndale House, Chester Road M32 9ED
- Wythenshawe Jobcentre, Wavell Rd M22 5RA
Schools
- Manchester Academy, Whitworth St, Rusholme
- Stretford High School, Great Stone Road, Stretford, M32 0XA
Manchester Adult Education Service
- Abraham Moss Centre, Crescent Road, Crumpsall M8 5UF
- Hulme Centre, Stretford Road M15 5FQ
- Longsight Library, Stockport M12 4NE
- Victoria Mill Adult Learning Centre, Lower Vickers St, Miles Platting M40 7LJ
- Withington Adult Learning Centre, 24 Burton Rd M20 3ED
NHS
- North Manchester General Hospital, Delaunays Road M8 5RB
- Wythenshawe Hospital by Maternity, Southmoor Road, Manchester, M23 9LT
- Withington Community Hospital, Nell Lane Manchester M20 2LR
- Christie Hospital, Wilmslow Rd, Oak Rd, Palatine Rd M20 4BX
- Chorlton House, 70 Manchester Road, Chorlton M21 9UN
- Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road and Hathersage Road M13 9WL
Trafford College
- Talbot Road Stretford M32 0X
- Manchester Road, West Timperley, Altrincham WA14 5PQ
Transport for Greater Manchester
- Transport for Greater Manchester, 2, Piccadilly Place, M1 3BG
- Baring Street depot, Ardwick M1 2PY
Manchester City Council
- Grimshaw Lane depot, Newton Heath M40 2WL
- Longley Lane depot, Northenden. M22 4SY
- Hammerstone Road depot, Gorton M18 8EQ
- Fujitsu Building, Wenlock Way, Gorton, M12 5DR
- Alexandra House, Moss Side. near fire station, M15 5NX
- First St, Whitworth St, City Centre, M1 5DE
- Manchester Town Hall, M2 5DB
- Kay Street Depot, off Ashton Old Rd, Beswick, M11 2DX
March and rally
- March assembles on Liverpool Road, near Castlefield, off Deansgate, at 11.00am, marching off at 11:30am. Salford feeder march assembles 10.30am, Bexley Square, Chapel St M3 6BZ. Education feeder march assembles, 10:30 am,All Saints M15 6BH
- Route via Deansgate, John Dalton St, Manchester Town Hall, Oxford Road.
- Assembly point for disabled people attending: University Place, opposite Manchester Museum, M13 9PL 12.15pm
- Rally at 12.30 at Whitworth Park, opposite Manchester Royal Infirmary. The nationwide shout, calling for pensions justice, is at 1.00pm.
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