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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

 

Download as a model motion

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