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NSSN
Staffordshire report of 30th June & follow-up meeting
6 July NSSN
Staffordshire activists visited UCU picket lines at Stoke-on-Trent
College and Newcastle College as well as PCS pickets at Hanley Job
Centre, the Tax Office in Hanley and the largest picket of the day at
the DWP across the road in Albion Square.
We also
visited many schools across the area. There were no picket lines at
schools but most were closed for teaching. At various schools we spoke
to NASUWT members, cleaners or caretakers who all took our leaflets
into the staff rooms. This was important because those leaflets
explained why other teaching unions should ballot for coordinated
strike action in the autumn
PCS North
Staffs and NSSN Staffordshire mass picket
PCS North
Staffs and NSSN Staffordshire jointly organised the mass picket which
took place in Albion Square from 10.30am onwards and the Rally which
took place later after a brief march across to Reardons. Over the
previous 3 weeks three NSSN Staffordshire meetings had been organised
to build support for the mass picket and rally by local trade union
reps and activists from PCS, CWU postal, CWU Telecoms, Unison, NUT and
GMB
As a result
of this work many new contacts were made with other trade union reps
and activists. This was particularly the case among teachers with NSSN
and Classroom Teacher leaflets being sent out to almost all NUT reps
at schools across North Staffs and followed up with phone calls.
Contact was also made with NAPO members and advice given concerning
their rights about not crossing PCS picket lines.
Fenton
Magistrates Court, Stafford Magistrates Court, Stafford Crown Court
and Stafford prison were visited to make sure that workers there
received PCS and NSSN leaflets. PCS members at the Magistrates Court
took leaflets from us to give out to others inside the building and
the response was immediate as the PCS regional office received phone
calls asking about the strike action and what PCS members should do on
the day.
NSSN
Staffordshire Stall
At the mass
picket, we had a stall set up in the Square along with our new banner.
Throughout the day we gave out hundreds of NSSN leaflets which called
for a 24 hour general strike. This demand was well received by
strikers, supporters and members of the public.
Many
shoppers getting off buses shouted their support and honked horns to
show their support. A woman who seemed very flustered approached the
picket line and pointing to two kids with her said: "I support your
action. I would pay teachers a million pounds if they would look after
these pair for just two hours!"
Midland News
broadcast the PCS/NSSN Staffordshire mass picket live and we also got
good coverage on Radio Stoke and the Sentinel. Unfortunately, however
it was reported in the Sentinel that North Staffs Against Cuts
had staged the 'public rally in Albion Square' which was clearly not
the case.
Successful
Rally in Reardons
The Rally in
Reardons was attended by over 50 activists and was chaired by CWU
North Midlands Branch secretary Andy Cawley. Platform speakers
included:
Pete Rofe -
PCS DWP North Staffs Branch
Ron Foulkes
-Stoke-on-Trent College UCU rep
Chris Parton
- NUT rep
Simon
Halstead – North Staffs TUC
Rachel Anand
– Keele UCU
Andy Bentley
– NSSN Staffordshire & Socialist Party organiser
Maxine Tuck
- CWU Midland No.7 Branch secretary
All the
speakers agreed that this day of strike action was just the beginning
of a serious fightback against the Con-Dem government’s attacks not
just on pensions but also their programme of savage cuts in jobs and
services.
NSSN
Staffordshire activists also busy in Stafford
NSSN
Staffordshire activists were also busy in Stafford where earlier in
the day they visited the PCS picket line outside the local Jobcentre.
50 PCS
members were on strike and they were going down to Cannock to support
fellow members and then on to the rally in Birmingham.
This was
followed by a very successful campaign stall in the centre of Stafford
where we learned from other union members that PCS members at Stafford
Prison and MoD Stafford were out as well as a good number of schools.
The response
from the public was unanimously in support of the action with equal
support for both teachers and PCS workers.
We spoke to
some Unison members who were very much in favour of their union
undertaking similar action in the immediate future!
National
Shop Stewards Network Staffordshire activists will be stepping up our
campaigning activity over the weeks and months ahead building for a 24
hour public sector general strike.
After 30th
June NSSN Staffordshire Public Meeting
Turn the 1
million into 4 million!
How can we
build for further coordinated action?
Monday 11th
July – 7pm
Sacred
Hearts Social Centre, Regent Road, Hanley,
Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3BY
Fore more
details call 07845893607
NSSN to
lobby TUC Congress: 11th September
The
National Shop Stewards Network will be organising a lobby of the TUC
Congress on 11th of September to press the demand for co-ordinated
strike action in the public sector in the autumn.
All unions out together! |
