After 30th June – all strike together!

On Thursday 30th June, strike action was taken by four trade unions: NUT (National Union of Teachers), ATL (Association of Teachers and Lecturers), UCU (University and College Union) and PCS (Public and Commercial Services). In Leicester, this meant the closing or ‘partial closing’ of the vast majority of schools, courts, jobcentres and tax offices.

Best strike we’ve ever seen…

Socialist Party members visited the picket lines at workplaces and the feeling amongst those workers were that it had been a great success, with some describing it as the ‘best strike we’ve ever seen’. The pension robbery that is being proposed by the government means that many people see no other option but to fight back.

PCS members form a picket outside the HMRC Saxon House tax office.

PCS and Socialist Party member Alex Morgan said “We’ve had excellent support today, showing the massive opposition to the pensions robbery – a blatant case of theft that will hit the lowest paid hardest. Public service pensions were reformed in 2002 and their costs will fall in the coming years. This isn’t about saving money, it’s an ideological attack.”

At the Land Registry office, PCS members were able to turn away the post and the bin lorry. Many postal workers, who are members of CWU (Communication Workers Union), refused to cross picket lines and fully supported the strike action. Postal workers are having to fight their own battles against job cuts and the privatisation of Royal Mail so realise the need for unions to work together to defeat this government.

Unions also reported that 30th June brought many young trade unionists who had never been on strike before. Young workers are set to lose the most under the new pension scheme. Also, people were signing up to join the union a few days before so that they could take strike action too.

30th June is only the beginning

The words on many strikers lips, however, were ‘Where are Unison, Unite and GMB?’. These other trade unions, which represent millions of workers in the public sector, unfortunately did not ballot for strike action. Leicestershire Against the Cuts organised a rally of 100 people at the bottom of New Walk to involve members of these unions who are wanting to fight back. There were speakers from PCS, GMB and Unison and the message was: today is only the beginning!

We then made our way to Victoria Park for an excellent rally organised by the NUT. Walking up New Walk, workers were chanting and waving placards and banners. In the park, over 800 people heard from speakers of the striking unions and supporters. Tony Church from PCS and convenor of Leicestershire Against the Cuts got massive applause when he criticised the Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, for his condemnation of the strikes as being ‘wrong’. The Socialist Party believe that Labour no longer represents ordinary people and this was shown clearly by Miliband’s comments. Rory Palmer, deputy Mayor and a Labour councillor at Leicester City, spoke at the rally in support of the strike action but also argued that the government’s cuts were ‘too deep and too fast’. Many workers completely reject this idea. The bankers and the super rich caused this crisis and they should be the ones paying for it – not the working class!

For a 24-hour public sector general strike

Other speakers received cheers whenever the point was made that further co-ordinated strike action was needed. Workers are now looking to the autumn for Unison and other trade unions to call strike action. The message from the day was a resounding call for a 24 hour public sector general strike. There needs to be pressure put on the TUC to call this action. The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN), an organisation of rank-and-file trade unionists and workplace representatives, is lobbying the TUC congress on 11th September in London to do this.

There is a NSSN public meeting on Tuesday 5th July at the Adult Education College at 7.30pm. All welcome.