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Back the strikes Stand up to UKIP!
T
his week were seeing two alternative responses to the economic crisis. On the one hand weve seen signs of hope, with many groups of workers striking against the cuts: London tube workers struck for 48 hours against Boris Johnsons plan to slash jobs and close ticket oces. They plan to strike again next week, for 72 hours. Fireghters start a fresh wave of action against attacks on their pensions with strikes on 2, 3 and 4 May. Teachers plan to strike across England and Wales this summer. They could be joined by hundreds of thousands of local government workers who are balloting at the moment. Health workers in Unison will also be balloted for strikes over pay. These ghtbacks oer hope that we can stop the endless attacks on our wages, jobs, pensions and public services by the Tories and bosses. They follow a number of signicant victories in local disputes such as those at Edinburgh College, Ealing Hospital, Hovis and SOAS university. There is the potential to bring these ghts together and create a movement that can break this rotten government, and their rotten austerity the kind of strike movement that saw 2.5 million workers walk out to defend pensions in November 2011. That kind of resistance would give hope to millions who nd their lives getting harder each day as the Tories drive living standards down. But this week weve also seen the politics of despair in UKIPs Euro election campaign. Nigel Farage and his racist party want to divide ordinary people. They are
Migrant workers raising wages by striking. Photo: Guy Smallman
Dont let the racists divide us...
out to win votes by whipping up hatred against migrants. The Tories pretend to be outraged by UKIPs bigotry, but they go along with most of it. Their real concern is to win back UKIP voters.
Peoples Assembly has called a protest in London against austerity. And the TUC is organising a mass protest this October under the banner Britain needs a pay rise. These are important demos. But alongside these protests we need hardhitting strike action now. We should all get behind the tube workers and reghters and support every group of workers ghting back. We need a united resistance. That means backing the strikes and combating all attempts to divide us by UKIP or anyone else.
Labour
Back these ghts
Unison members at Care UK in Doncaster will strike for two more weeks from 5 May against huge pay cuts. UCU members at Lambeth College started an indenite strike on 1 May, over a contract dispute. Workers at Ritzy cinema in Brixton are ghting for a living wage. These workers need your solidarity. Rush messages of support and requests for reps to speak at your union branch to: Care UK: admin@unison - dab.org.uk Ritzy:
[email protected] Lambeth College:
[email protected]Ed Miliband and Labour have failed to oppose the racist arguments about migration that UKIP feeds o. That has only given Farage and Co more condence. The labour movement has to stand up to UKIPs racist agenda. We should protest against UKIP wherever they hold public meetings, and distribute the Stand Up to Ukip leaets that expose their true nature. (Download them at: standuptoukip.org) But we also need to escalate the ght against the cuts. On 21 June the
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