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T
oday PCS members are on picket
lines and protests across England
and Wales. Our action follows
the strike by hundreds of thousands of
health workers on Monday.
Its no wonder people are ghting back
when workers are suering the longest
and most severe decline in real earnings
since records began in Queen Victorias
time. MPs have the gall to defend a 10
percent pay rise for themselves while
telling public sector workers theyll only
get 1 percent or less!
PCS members have faced an enormous
squeeze on living standards, while the
government has tried to undermine our
ability to ght.
Te attack on the check o is
designed to strip PCS of the resources it
needs to defend members. It is an assault
aimed at a union which has consistently
stood up against the Tory oensive.
Te launch of a ghting fund and talk
of sustained and targeted action are all
important steps in building resistance.
Te example of the ve-day strike at
Garston call centre in Liverpool against
the closure of their oce shows whats
possible. And remember that action
by Land Registry workers stopped
privatisation. We need more of this sort of
action.
Its important we re-elect our general
secretary Mark Serwotka who has a
record of backing action and taking the
ght to the government.
When we ght back as a whole union
we feel stronger and we recruit members.
Todays strike must be part of continued
and sustained national action alongside
others if possible.
Health workers are discussing another
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PCS pay strike 14/10/14
strike in November. PCS should join that
and try to pull in others such as teachers
and local government workers.
Our strike today would have been more
eective if it had been part of a week
of strikes including local government
workers.
But leaders of Unison, Unite and the
GMB pulled back from action to consult
on a proposal from the Labour-led Local
Government Association that is little
better than the initial oer the unions
rejected.
Courts
UCU members in colleges in England
were denied the right to strike on Tuesday
when their employers ran to the courts to
stop the action.
Its worth remembering these Tory
anti-union laws were left in place for 13
years by Labour.
Many workers across Britain share
the same frustration: When the attacks
on working class people are so enormous,
why dont we ght back together?
We cant have a repeat of the pensions
dispute back in 2011 where despite the
magnicent 2.5 million strong strike
in November that year some key union
leaders settled for a shoddy deal.
Labour
Its even more crucial we resist the attacks
because its clear we cant rely on a Labour
government to help us.
Ed Miliband says Labour would
stick to Tory spending plans. Tat means
the pay cap stays and the cuts go on, no
matter who wins the general election.
A ghtback is also important because
there is an attempt to divide our side.Te
Tories are out to depict Muslims as an
enemy within. Nigel Farage and Ukip
want us to blame migrants for the attacks
we face. And Labour is tailing them.
Te best response to this racist
rubbish is workers united on the picket
lines and the protests on Saturday, when
there are mass protests called by the
unions in London, Glasgow and Belfast
against Tory austerity. In London the
TUC march is under the slogan Britain
needs a pay rise.
Te message we have to put out loud
and clear is that this weeks strikes and
protests have to be a launch pad for more
action.
We need to turn conference motions
on coordinated action into reality. Britain
does needs a pay rise but we are going to
have to ght to get one.
NHS workers organised big and lively pickets for Mondays
four-hour strike against low pay Photo: Ben Windsor
STEP UP THE STRIKES
TO WIN DECENT PAY
Britain needs a pay rise
Back the
Garston strike
Please send donations to A. Campbell,
67a Garston Old Road, Liverpool L19
9AD. Make payments out to PCS DWP
Liverpool branch hardship fund.
Please also send messages of support
to
[email protected]
