Go down to a local picket line and give the strikers your support this morning. There will be a rally with speakers from striking unions at the Oddfellows Club on Humberstone Gate at 12 noon (this is not hosted by Leicester Socialist Party).

Tuesday 15th May – Public Meeting, The Globe, Silver St 7pm (upstairs)

Stop the Pensions Robbery – the fight goes on!

Speaker – Tony Church (PCS)

The government are determined to force through proposals to slash public sector pensions. Public sector workers are being asked to work longer, pay more, get less – with the pension age being increased up to 68, employee contributions going up by around 50% and all for a smaller pension at the end of the working life for public sector workers.

In order to defeat the government, we need united strike action across the public sector, and support from the private sector. It is vital that we do not let the working class be divided in this battle.

The PCS, UCU and sections of UNITE are striking again today – let’s support them today and put pressure on those unions not taking part in action, to continue the fightback. This is a battle we must fight and win, as pension cuts will pave the way for further privatisation of our public services, making them more profitable for future takeovers.

Unlike New Labour’s Ed Milliband, who has not supported striking workers, the Socialist Party and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition  fully back the strikes and calls for escalation of the struggle. We are opposed to all privatisation and cuts to our public services. To find out more about how we can unite workers across public and private sector trade unions, contact the NSSN.

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If you enjoy reading our paper please buy a physical copy or make a donation.

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Kerry Feetham (UNITE rep and Socialist Party member) will be discussing the trade union movement and the advances working people have gained by coming together and fighting for better pay, conditions and health and safety legislation. This is timely, as Workers’ Memorial Day was held on Saturday – remembering those who have died in the workplace “Remember the Dead and Fight for the Living”. There is also the ongoing pensions dispute with some public sector unions on strike again on May 10th.

In individual trade unions, we are arguing for a fighting, democratic leadership and an end to trade unions funding New Labour. We need united action to defeat the austerity cuts faced by working people and are involved in building the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) to share lessons from different struggles throughout the country and to offer support and solidarity to striking workers.

However, there are also limits to what trade unionism, on its own, can achieve. We would argue that we also need a mass political party to stand up for the interests of ordinary people, within which we can argue for a socialist transformation of society. The Socialist Party is in the process of building such a party, through TUSC, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

For a timeline and history of the trade union movement: http://www.unionhistory.info/timeline/timeline.php

Articles from the socialist: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/14404/25-04-2012/interview-get-organised-to-support-workers-in-struggle
(interview with Rob Williams, chair of NSSN)

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/13569

(editorial on the trade unions and Labour)

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Anti-cuts and disabled activists protesting against Welfare Reform Bill, London 28.1.12 , photo Ben Robinson

Lucy Stokes will be speaking on cuts to benefits at our next Leicester Socialist Party meeting, which is at 7pm, in The Globe pub (upstairs) Silver St, Tuesday April 27th.

Benefit claimants have had to go through harsh medical assessments and a sea of red tape, courtesy of ATOS, the company which has administered the government’s attacks on people on benefits.

The Welfare Reform Bill is grossly unfair, attempting to label people on benefits as “scroungers”, who were falsely claiming allowances. It has resulted in an increase in attacks on disabled people, and caused stress, misery and hardship for claimants.

According to an estimate by the PCS union, the rich get away with evading tax to the tune of around £120bn a year, while the government’s own statistics show that just 0.4% of claimants attempt to defraud the DLA. Who are the real scroungers?

We are completely opposed to the Welfare Reform Bill, as it is a vicious attack on working class and disabled people. It is time disabled people, along with others in society, say that enough is enough and stop attempts to divide us. The disabled, workers, the unemployed, students and young people must unite to fight all cuts.

For more information – see a recent article in the socialist.

All are welcome to come to our meeting.

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Train driver and Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union president, Alex Gordon, appeals to Londoners to vote for TUSC in the forthcoming Greater London Assembly (GLA) elections in May 2012.

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Dan Fahey will be introducing an interactive session on the environment and what socialists say can be done about the problems of global warming, peak oil and the environment.

Further reading:

Global warming

Have we reached a tipping point?

Dithering in Durban – why capitalism cannot solve environmental problems

World warming even faster than thought

Peak Oil

Has oil peaked?

Peak oil – what are the alternatives?

All welcome.

The general discussion went our way.  People were openly criticising Labour, fully aware of their history and the fact that they can’t provide solutions for public services. Several of our members were denied to speak by the chair, but one woman in the audience brought up the poll tax campaign as an example of how the people have defeated government bills before, even after they had been passed. This gave us the perfect opportunity to come in and point out that we were the leaders of that campaign.

Like the poll tax campaign, we argued for a mass grassroots movement opposing the bill where people have to get active in their community and local anti cuts groups. We leafleted for Leicestershire Against the Cuts, our future meetings and got a good response and new contacts.

People care about the NHS and the turnout in Leicester shows that they are willing to fight the government on this issue. Socialist Party activists all over the country need to intervene with the right arguments and demands. People are are looking for an alternative to failed Labour policies, and the Socialist Party and TUSC can play an important role in providing that alternative.

One person in the audience also commented that there was a surprising lack of youth involvement around the NHS bill. Although we had a youth representative present, the chair did not let her speak. A young female trade unionist also had her hand up to speak, but she did not get into the discussion either.

Young people do care about the NHS! Our party have several young trade unionists, fighting and campaigning for the NHS. There is also the example of the recent success of Youth Fight For Jobs’ campaign against the workfare scheme, which has forced many of the big companies to back down. Our organisation is full of young activists fighting day in and day out and organising. The NHS is an issue that can engage with and enthuse young people. Our job is to organise them and provide the right political solution.

We will keep on fighting for a NHS for the 99 % by our hard work within the Party, Youth Fight for Jobs and within Leicestershire Against the Cuts, a local anti-cuts group.

by Rebecca Christiansen, Leicester Socialist Party

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20th March

Know Your Enemy – what causes women’s oppression? (speaker Kerry Feetham)

27th March

Building a party that will change the world! Congress report.

3rd April

Where next for the battle to defend Pensions and services?

10th April

Europe, a continent in crisis. Congress report.

17th April

Fight the ConDem’s Welfare reform!

24th April

Financing a revolutionary party. Congress report.

1st May (May Day)

Trade Unions – what are they doing for us?

8th May

Building support for Socialism amongst young people. Congress report.

Contact Steve on 07737978057 for more information.

Visit www.socialistparty.org.uk for more info about the Party.

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Student union executives at both the University of Leicester and De Montfort University (DMU) are refusing to support the NUS-called walkout. DMU has gladly said that all lectures are off when the Queen visits on 8 March but the student union is afraid that students “will miss too many lectures if they walk out on 14 March.”

At Leicester, we issued an emergency proposal to the student union parliament calling for them to support the NUS campaign and build for it on campus. We asked the student union to use its authority to make sure that the students walking out are not penalised and to organise pickets outside academic buildings. However, the steering committee blocked this emergency proposal and made it into a white paper, which is not due to be discussed on Tuesday 13 March – the day before the walkout!

Students at both University of Leicester and DMU have been seriously let down by our student unions, so we have to do the work ourselves. We will leaflet for the walkout and connect it to the Youth Fight for Jobs and Education campaign to bring back EMA, so that college and university students can walk out together in solidarity. On 14 March we will arrange a demo either on campus or in the city centre.

We held a meeting titled “a socialist alternative to cuts, fees, job losses and workfare”. The response was good and the questions asked showed that people have started to be critical towards capitalism and look for a socialist alternative.

What we do after 14 March is equally important. We need to continue with the meetings on cuts to education and the socialist alternative. We are also looking forward to next term’s freshers fairs where there will be potential for Socialist Students to get many more members, as next year’s freshers will be paying £9,000 fees.

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