A one-day general strike in Britain protested austerity measures imposed by the Conservative and Liberal-Democratic coalition government. The world capitalist crisis has impacted workers throughout the industrialized countries and the developing states., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
One-day strike in Britain protests austerity plan
David Stringer, Associated Press
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Paramedics, emergency crews, teachers and even some employees from the prime minister's office took to the streets of Britain for the country's largest strike in decades - drawing attention to government cuts but failing to bring the nation to a standstill.
Public-sector employees staged the one-day walkout Wednesday over government demands that they work longer before receiving a pension and pay more in monthly contributions, part of austerity measures to tackle Britain's $1.5 trillion debt.
The strike came a day after the government said public-sector pay raises will be limited to 1 percent through 2014 - even as inflation now runs about 5 percent.
"The government wants us to work longer, pay more and at the end get less. How fair is that?" said Eleanor Smith, president of the UNISON trade union, which represents about 1 million health, education and law enforcement staff.
Prime Minister David Cameron defended the government's stance in Parliament, insisting that "as people live longer it's only right and only fair that you should make greater contributions."
"I don't want to see any strikes, I don't want to see schools closed, I don't want to see problems at our borders, but this government must make responsible decisions," Cameron told the House of Commons.
Labor unions in Britain said as many as 2 million public-sector staff joined the strike, which would make it the largest since the industrial dispute known as the Winter of Discontent in 1979, which presaged the arrival of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister.
A small number of separate protesters, meanwhile, stormed an office in London's West End as night fell. Police said 21 arrests had been made there and that the incident was unrelated to the strike.
London police said altogether 75 people had been arrested in the protests, including 37 detained after clashes at a rally in east London.
About two-thirds of England's 21,700 state-run schools were closed as teachers joined the strike. Health officials said 60,000 nonurgent surgeries and appointments had been postponed, while in Scotland at least 3,000 surgeries and thousands more appointments were canceled.
Treasury chief George Osborne said Tuesday the age for collecting state pensions would be raised to 67 in 2026 - earlier than previously planned. His decision followed an official forecast that cut Britain's predicted growth to a feeble 0.7 percent next year.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/30/MN791M6D74.DTL
This article appeared on page A - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle
The New Worker: The Weekly paper of the New Communist Party of Britain
Week commencing 25th November 2011
New attack on workers’ rights
by Daphne Liddle
AS SUPPORT mounts for the national strike of millions of public sector workers next Wednesday, the Con-Dem Coalition has unleashed another major attack on workers’ rights.
Business Secretary Vince Cable this Wednesday set out a series of proposals that will deprive workers employed in small businesses of any protection against unfair dismissal.
It is clear that the top bosses in Britain want a comprehensive reduction and restriction on the industrial tribunal system as a way of resolving industrial disputes and protecting workers’ rights.
They forget that if they remove this channel of negotiation they will leave workers with no option but to resort to strikes to settle issues of gross unfairness in the workplace.
The giant union Unite responded swiftly. The union’s general secretary Len McCluskey said: “At a time when unemployment is at a 17-year high and youth unemployment has topped a record one million, it is appalling that this Government should concentrate on making it easier to fire people, rather than getting people back to work.’
“Ministers are hell-bent on removing long-established rights at work, making dismissal easier and promoting a culture of fear in the workplace. These proposals are a charter for rogue employers and bullies....
“It is clear that David Cameron has gone into ‘Flashman’ mode and is intent on kicking working people during the worst recession for a generation — but is too scared to tackle to the real architects of the economic crisis — the bankers and the City elite.
“The Liberal Democrats, rather than holding back the Tories, are willing collaborators in this onslaught on long-established employment practices that have worked well.”
Cabinet officer Francis Maude is also threatening more attacks on workers’ rights to strike if next Wednesday’s strike goes ahead. In particular they are looking at low turnout in union election ballots. But by that logic Maude would not be in Government and Cameron would never have become Prime Minister.
But it is clear that a process of all-out class war is developing. The Con-Dem Coalition is clearly seriously rattled by the strength of support for the coming strike and further strikes.
They know their position is becoming weaker as working class unity grows. Their attacks on us are prompted by fear.
And next Wednesday will not only be a day of strike by public sector workers about pensions. It will also be a day of marches and rallies all around the country involving workers from all sectors, pensioners, people with disabilities, students and many others who are suffering under the Con-Dem cuts.
The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) — a students’ organisation — is calling on all students to play an active role.
In a statement the NCAFC said: “On 30th November members of UCU, Unite, Unison and GMB unions will be on strike at universities across the UK. Student activists and Student Unions should be supporting them!”
And the NCAFC called on students to join picket lines, shut down their campus, liaise with striking unions, organise for future action, organise strike meetings before the day, organise regular exchanges of information and to demonstrate and occupy.
The General Strike was 85 years ago and those who took part in it are rightly regarded as heroes of the labour movement.
Those who take part in next Wednesday’s strike — and subsequent actions to bring this government down — will be taking part in this country’s labour movement history.
They will be able to tell their grandchildren with pride that they did not stand idly by while workers’ rights were destroyed but that they stood up to defend their class — and that the workers of Britain are not apathetic doormats who allow the ruling class to walk all over them.
All out on 30th November!
MILLIONS of public sector workers will walk out next Wednesday in a TUC Day of Action against the ruling class attack on pensions. Civil servants, health and local government workers will be supported by the student movement and many more workers are expected to join the protests and lobbies on the day.
Some 20 unions, including the giant teaching, civil service and local government unions as well as those representing specialist and senior grades, will be taking in part in what will be the biggest national stoppage in British labour movement history.
Government ministers are bleating that they’ve made concessions to the unions and that the strike should be called off. But they’ve offered next to nothing and the little that they have put on the table still means increased contributions and lower pensions for all public sector workers, along with the prospect that most will have to retire later to get much less than what they signed up for when they were first employed.
The Tory-led Coalition Government’s cuts are part of a general offensive against the public sector designed to place the entire burden of the capitalist crisis on the backs of the working class. The purpose of the pension cuts is to raise £2.8 billion to pay for the deficit and pave the way for the sell-off of what’s left of the public sector.
It’s all part of an austerity plan designed to squeeze the pips from the working class to ensure that the rich can continue to live their parasitical lives of ease and pleasure as they have always done.
Unemployment is soaring. Some 2.57 million are now out of work using the official criteria which excludes many the tens of thousands of others that used to be counted in official statistics. Workers are working longer hours for less pay while education and the health service are being slashed. And it’s not just in Britain.
The world-wide slump has plunged the entire capitalist world into crisis. Millions upon millions have been thrown out of work in Europe and North America. Social services are being cut throughout the heartlands of imperialism. Those still in work are taxed to pay for what little benefits are left, as well as fund the Nato war-machine that’s used to oppress and plunder the Libyan, Iraqi and Afghan people.
But the rich carry on unscathed. No one in the Government or the other chancelleries of the European Union is telling them to tighten their belts. And all the ruling class has to offer workers is longer hours, less pay, poverty and creeping fascism.
The alternative is job creation and investment instead of the damaging cuts that are devastating communities. The way out of the capitalist crisis is socialism and the planned economy that does away with exploitation and oppression altogether. But first we must build the resistance to stop the ruling class offensive in its tracks and bring down the Cameron-led government.
A massive strike across the country will send a clear message to the Tories and their Liberal Democrat collaborators that these cuts are unacceptable and that they will be resisted all the way. Next week we will tell them what they can do with their cuts.
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