BUILD THE MASS PROTEST TO SAVE OUR NHS: 29 SEP
T
ENS OF THOUSANDS OF teachers showed how to take on Tory cuts when they walked out together across the north west of England last week. This kick started joint rolling strikes called by teaching unions NUT and NASUWT. Thousands joined strike marches and rallies, against attacks on pay, conditions and pensions. This shows how to fightback. The strikes were a welcome sign that we can do more than just lie back and take the attacks. The Tories are slashing pay and pensions, axing services and jobs and launching a savage assault on conditions. This week it was revealed that since the Tories started their vicious cuts agenda, half a million public sector jobs have been wiped out. The latest spending review announced another 11.5 billion worth of cuts. And Labours pitiful response was to sign up to the Toriess cuts. Its fantastic that now Unison, Unite and the GMB, have called a national NHS demonstration at the Tories conference in Manchester on 29 September. But this didnt come out of nowhere. The tens of thousands who mobilised to defend the NHS, and the 7,000 who marched on parliament on a London demo built from below put serious pressure on union leaders. Now, in every workplace, union branch and community its crucial we push to get big numbers there. Its a brilliant opportunity to descend on this Tory rabble and say we wont pay for a crisis caused by the rich.
As teachers kickstart a programme of strikes...
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Glimmer
But we dont have to accept it. Last Thursday was another little glimmer of what we saw on 30 November 2011 the potential, for serious strikes that can actually defeat the Tories attacks, if our union leaders call the action. Support was strong among those striking, but it extended well beyond their ranks. In London, over 1,000 angry teachers joined a solidarity march, with many raising the question of why they werent out on strike too. On the strike marches themselves, many argued the need for national strikes.
Teachers on the march against the Tories The teaching unions have more regional strikes planned, building up to a joint union national strike in November. The teachers are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of PCS members have struck against austerity. They are set to consult on how best to escalate. Others could move into battle too, but only if union leaders match the mood for a fight by calling action. Privatisation and a continuing squeeze on pay, pensions and workload could see CWU members balloted for strikes.
Boost
Mood
In Scotland, local government workers are balloting to strike over pay and EIS teachers have just voted for strikes before December over workload. The mood is there for coordinated strikes, but the gap between some union leaders words and the action they call, means potential action hangs in the balance.
This is part of an international response to a global crisis. The massive scale of resistance in Egypt, with 17 million on the streets, is an inspiration, so are the mass movements in Brazil and Turkey. In Britain, people are just as angry. Over 4,000 came to the Peoples Assembly looking for an alternative. Weve seen mass strikes and protests here, and the TUC were pushed to discuss a general strike. But words must be turned into action. A mass protest outside the Tories conference would be a boost to all those pushing for the action we need. It means getting organised now, pushing unions to lay on trains and buses on a huge scale. Lets hit the Tories hard on 29 September, and keep up the pressure for the national coordinated strikes that can beat back Tory austerity.
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