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An open
letter to the TUC
To TUC General
Council
The TUC demonstration on Saturday March 26th was a massive success. We
congratulate the General Council in implementing conference policy so
successfully - "Congress resolves that all TUC affiliates will
urgently work together to build a broad solidarity alliance of unions
and communities under threat and organise a national demonstration,
lobby of Parliament and national days of protest against the
government austerity measures"
At least 500,000 trade unionists, young people, pensioners and
community campaigners sent a deafening message to the ConDem Coalition
that working-class people will fight their �81billion cuts package.
The march should finally dispel the myth that somehow British workers
are different to our brothers and sisters internationally. The same
was said about those in the Middle East and North Africa...before they
overthrew dictators this year. Even worse was said about workers in
the USA...before hundreds of thousands protested and took strike
action in Wisconsin and other states. Now workers here have shown that
faced with this brutal assault, given a lead, we too are prepared to
fight.
Understandably, workers are now asking "What next?" While the march
has given everyone a huge boost of confidence, we in the NSSN feel
that it won't be enough to stop the cuts. Already, the new financial
year has saw still more workers losing their jobs in local authorities
of all party affiliation. Cameron and Clegg have public sector
pensions in their sights and the announcement of the privatisation of
HMP Birmingham is another sign of this government's desire to roll
back all past gains of working people in this country to boost the
profits of big business.
We believe that the General Council next week in accordance with
conference policy should discuss the fight against the cuts and to
defend public sector pensions in particular - "support and co-ordinate
campaigning and joint union industrial action, nationally and locally,
opposition to attacks on jobs, pensions, pay or public services". This
meeting should discuss co-ordinating strike action against the cuts.
The TUC should take the lead in advocating that unions combine to plan
for a 24 hour public sector general strike as a step towards a one day
general strike of all workers. We also believe that the TUC should
discuss with those unions who have already committed to balloting on
pensions about organising a midweek march in London to coincide with
strike action called by these unions to support their action.
The March 26th demonstration has shaken this government, far more than
they would admit as their vacillation on the NHS shows coming on the
back of the U-turn on privatising the forests and concessions on EMA.
But to shatter their cuts we need to take our campaign to a new stage.
The NSSN is confident that if we are prepared to act together we can
win. We will continue to work alongside the TUC, its affiliated unions
and other anti-cuts organisations in order to defeat this government.
Rob Williams
NSSN anti-cuts convenor |
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