Trade union rank and file call for fightback
Article published: Thursday, September 9th 2010
Trade Unionists from Greater Manchester are calling on the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to demand a national demonstration against ConDem public sector spending cuts.
The lobby has been called for Sunday 12 September in Manchester by the National Shop Stewards Network in response to the proposed public sector cuts and job losses which threaten the livelihood of hundreds of workers across the country.
Salford based trade unionist Alex Halligan said of the Government cuts: “The ConDem government has unleashed a massive attack on the lives of ordinary people. Trade Unions need to fight back and show the government we won’t take public sector cuts and job losses lying down”.
At the forefront of the campaign to defend public services, UNISON have released an alternative budget that proposes a list of measures ensuring a fairer solution to economic recovery. The union states that money could be saved by cutting out ‘waste’ and that the super-rich – those earning in excess of £100,000 – should be contributing a fairer share of tax. Other proposals include the introduction of a Major Financial Transactions Tax (or ‘Robin Hood Tax’) on UK financial institutions which could annually raise £20-30bn alongside cost-cutting measures such as cancelling the Trident nuclear protection programme, which could see £76bn saved over 40 years.
Motions calling for national action have gathered support from public sector union PCU who reject the government position that cuts in jobs, public services, pay and pensions are necessary in order to pay for the national deficit. The union argues that the deficit is a result of a banking sector collapse and it should not be down to the public sector to pay for their £1.3tn bail-out.
The motion goes on to say: “congress opposes the attempts by the Government, including the emergency budget, to make ordinary workers and the unemployed bear the brunt of reducing the deficit. The poorest and most vulnerable in society would be disproportionately affected and the economic situation could worsen”.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said, in response to the government proposals: “there is an alternative way to tackle the deficit by collecting £123 billion in evaded and avoided taxes, investing in public services and creating jobs”. Serwotka promised in July “[a] plan for industrial, political and community campaigns on a scale not seen for decades” in response to drastic cuts to redundancy pay.
Another supporting motion has been submitted by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) which accused the coalition Government’s attack on communities and public services of launching “an ideological dismantling of the state and an attack on workers and the most vulnerable in society”, calling the Government cuts “all-out class warfare”.
The lobby will commence at 12 noon at Manchester Central Convention Centre, where the TUC general council meets before TUC congress (13-16 September). Trade Unionists are hopeful that TUC will recognise the need to call on mass action to fight cuts and will use the lobby to urge the TUC general council to join the fight against government public sector spending cuts in a united front.
Joe Beech
More: Manchester, News
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