Reports of
Anti-Cuts Protests
23 October
2010
London
When it became clear
that the TUC Congress had pulled back from organising a demo in
response to the ConDem Comprehensive Spending Review, the NSSN, along
with RMT, FBU, PCS and NUT London representatives decided to go ahead
and call a demo. The RMT Regional Committee was first to agree a date.
Later UCU and CWU joined in, and right at the last minute, but
nonetheless very welcome, Unite.
What a marvellous day
it was! Led by striking fire-fighters in FBU fresh from picket lines,
and then by RMT still in dispute on the Underground, and followed by
other London unions, all with banners and flags. It felt like the
London labour movement waking up and getting ready for action.
The 15 drummers of
Rhythms of the City Samba Band heightened the tempo as up to 4,000
demonstrators made their way out of Chalton Street the HQ of RMT and
into the busy Euston Road. Megaphone cheerleaders led the chanting and
singing. Whistles were blown. Spirits were high. People on the
pavements welcomed us. At last someone was doing something! One
demonstrator told me she had come on her own. She was so outraged by
the government cutbacks she rang up the TUC and asked what she could
do. They suggested she come on our demo!!!
Imagine what a turnout
we could have got if the TUC had actually got up off their knees. In
Edinburgh, where the Scottish TUC had taken the initiative, 20,000
participated. Around the rest of the country there were many protests
eg in Bristol 1,500 turned out to a lively march, in Cardiff there
were 500. In Sheffield up to 1000 came. Manchester 100. Everywhere the
NSSN participated in, and in some places helped to initiate, the
marches.
From Bob Crow, Matt
Wrack and others the message came loud and clear. We are starting the
real fightback - in the unions and in the communities. Andy
Littlechild put an NSSN model motion to the crowd to go back and work
for united coordinated action and a national demo now. A massive show
of hands went up.
The NSSN in London and elsewhere will encourage all its supporters to
get stuck in and agitate for 24hour public sector strike and a
national demo before Xmas! And then follow up with an Anti-Cuts
Conference on January 22nd.
Linda
Taaffe, Secretary, NSSN
Manchester
Up
to 100 trade unionists and community campaigners rallied in St Peter's
Square on 23rd October, organised by the Shop Stewards Network, held a
democratic discussion afterwards, and called a demonstration for 8th
December.
This is what the TUC should do but appears utterly incapable of -
bringing workers and ordinary people together in opposition to the
Con-Dems on a clear basis of "No cuts to jobs - no cuts to services -
no cuts to incomes". The TUC seems to struggle to organise even a
leafleting team! The demonstration and meeting both agreed to a day of
protests on 8th December, when Manchester city council holds its next
full meeting.
Despite pouring rain, Steve North of Salford Unison (personal
capacity) opened the demonstration with a rousing call to action. Andy
Beehan of Manchester South RMT spoke about the Trade Unionist &
Socialist Coalition and challenging Labour-run authorities to not
implement Con-Dem cuts. Gavin Hartley from PCS called for a national
demonstration before Christmas to be organised by the left-led trade
unions, followed with a public sector general strike. Paul Gerrard of
Bury NUT recounted the lessons of successful local community campaigns
and the anti poll tax movement. Speakers from community campaigns in
Bolton to save services for disabled children, and from the threatened
South Manchester Law Centre, received loud applause and support.
After the demonstration, some people went to the Right to Work protest
at the BBC building. Others went to try to help the TUC's leafleting
team, apparently 30-strong and moving round the city centre, but which
appears to have moved out of town altogether by mid-day!
The
after-demonstrations public meeting by the Shop Stewards Network
brought together trade unionists from across the union movement. Andy
Warnock-Smith (RMT regional secretary) and Sarah Robinson (PCS branch
secretary) explained what the spending review means in terms of
colossal cuts and a total absence of fairness! Speakers from the floor
contributed on how to oppose the cuts and the very important role the
NSSN can play. The meeting closed with the 8th December demonstration
agreed, the 22nd January NSSN conference strongly supported, and
enthusiasm to fight all the cuts.
If
the Trades Union Congress put one-tenth of the effort into opposing
cuts that it puts into covering New Labour's backside, the turnout
today would have numbered tens of thousands. In the absence of any
meaningful lead from the north-west or national TUC, the Shop Stewards
Network will assist communities and workers, support all struggles,
and help build the generalised national strike action and mass
mobilisations necessary to smash this rotten government to pieces.
Cardiff
Workers in Wales were buoyed up by seeing 600 trade unionists marching
through Cardiff city centre and making it clear that we would stand up
and fight any cuts in Wales.
The
demonstration was backed by the PCS, CWU, UCU, FBU and RMT unions, as
well as the Wales Shop Stewards Network and Cardiff and Swansea trades
councils. Trade unionists from Napo Cymru, the NASUWT teachers' union,
Unite and Unison branches also attended.
GMB
members in Remploy organised a mini-bus to the march. Les Woodward,
the Remploy joint convenor, made a powerful speech attacking this
government's offensive against the poor and those on benefits.
There was disappointment that the Wales TUC had failed to call and
organise this demonstration because of their lack of confidence that
workers would turn out.
Fortunately, trade unionists have taken the initiative in Wales and
will continue to do so if the Wales TUC continues to abdicate its
duty.
The
rally voted reluctantly to hear the Plaid Cymru deputy leader of
Cardiff county council, Neil McAvoy, speak, with the view of 'let's
listen to what he has to say'. But he got a hostile reception when he
said there was no choice at council and Welsh Assembly level but to
make cuts because of the Con-Dem government's decisions. Shouts of
"it's better to break the law than break the poor" interrupted his
excuses and he was reminded that the law has changed, so councillors
can no longer be surcharged.
For
more pictures of the demonstration go to
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=531164&id=630125592
Katrine Williams, PCS Wales Chair |
