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End Low Pay

NHS Exploitation

Student Nurses earning £2.60 an hour are victims of low pay. With 80,000 nurses set to retire in the next five years, the Royal College of Nursing accuses the government of deceiving the public with misleading announcements about increases in staff.
The Socialist says health service staff need decent pay, in a fully funded health service - otherwise the healthcare workforce will continue to decline, beds will remain empty and wards closed.

 

Slave Labour Rip-off

Some workers are even done out of the minimum wage. Indian stonemasons working on a Hindu temple in north London were paid 60p an hour while living in a shack on the site. They won £100,000 in back pay after builders' union UCATT took up their case.
The bosses are making record profits, the stock markets make millionaires overnight, yet some workers have to fight even to get their right to a measly £3.70 an hour. It is the increasing gap between poor and rich that is driving working class people towards a socialist alternative.

 

Minimum Wage Con

ARE YOU low paid? On the minimum wage? Then New Labour's got a Christmas present for you - a whole 30p an hour increase - an 8% rise!
Poverty is at an historic high. In the past three years the number on very low incomes has risen by one and a half million. Income support and other benefits are at the lowest level relative to general wages for 17 years, according to a report recently published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The £3 70 minimum wage is laughable. It should be at least £5, as the trade unions demand, but realistically needs to be £7 an hour, to lift people out of the poverty trap.

The Socialist says £5 an hour minimum wage as a step towards £7 an hour / £280 a week Pay health workers a decent living wage! Rebuild the National Health Service, free at the point of use. Join us and build a socialist society.

 

 

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Shut Down Hackney on 20 December

 

IN A magnificent show of solidarity, Hackney council workers have voted, overwhelmingly, to take strike action.
Chris Newby
94% of T&G members who voted, together with 80% of UNISON members and 70% of GMB members backed the call for strike action. That strike will now take place on Wednesday 20 December.
This clearly shows Hackney's managing director Max Caller, Hackney councillors and the New Labour government that council workers are determined to fight cuts in jobs and services.
Hackney UNISON, recognising the local community's deep anger at the council, is calling on every workplace to come out in support of the council workers in a mass show of defiance to demand extra resources for Hackney.
"Mad Max" Caller, together with the councillors, is trying to push through a cuts package to deal with an estimated £76 million deficit for this year. If they succeed they will slash council jobs, including over 200 housing workers, and decimate already overstretched services.
Over £600,000 could be cut from the education budget alone. Some council workers could have £80 per week taken from their wages - in the fourth poorest borough in Britain, where one-third of households survive on £5,000 or less a year.
Hackney Teachers Association says that its members won't cross picket lines. Workers in the recently privatised refuse collection and street cleansing service have said the same.
Serviceteam, the company who received an £8 million sweetener from New Labour to take this contract have an appalling record with other councils. They lost the contract in Waltham Forest because complaints increased massively whilst they were in charge. In school meals in Camden they underpaid many workers.
Socialist Party members are campaigning to ensure the biggest possible turnout on 20 December.
Young Socialist Action members are visiting Hackney secondary schools to explain to school students what's happening with the cuts and to try to get as many school students as possible on the protests on 20 December. All the borough's main workplaces are also being visited to win their support for the shutdown.
A successful strike day can be used to build for further action after the Christmas break. It will give a huge boost to Hackney people's confidence that these attacks can be beaten.
A victory in Hackney will also show council workers around Britain that attacks on local services can be beaten.

 

 

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Marching Against Europe's well healed leaders in Nice

"OPENING UNDER pressure" said the Nice-Matin newspaper on the eve of the EU summit, following the massive demonstration on 6 December.
Dave Griffiths reports from Nice
While the rulers of the European nations squabbled over an enlarged bosses' European Union, up to 100,000 trades unionists and youth, socialists, anti-capitalists and environmentalists, demanded a different agenda for Europe.
Even the rain couldn't dampen the boisterous, colourful protests. There were big trade union contingents plus youth and organisations from across Europe including Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, Macedonia and Turkey.
The trades unions were for a 'social Europe', a vain hope for a more "compassionate" capitalism rather than neo-liberalism. The unions wanted the Social Charter given force of law but other protesters didn't because it was so bad.
The Greens demanded reinforcement of the European Parliament, more social and environmental rights and fiscal harmonisation while the French Communist Party confused everyone with calls for a 'non-productivist economy'.
The demands covered many issues and were unclear or vague, but most demonstrators had a strong sense that they were 'the people' against the neo-liberal policies of governments and the companies behind them, and they wanted to be heard.
The demonstration showed the massive rejection of the bosses' Europe that exists. A cartoon in the French newspaper "Liberation" showed Europe's well-heeled leaders relaxing in their exclusive club as bricks came flying through the window.
"Is it that lot from the East begging to get in?" asks one. "No!" answers another. "It's our anti-capitalists who want to kick us out!"

THE CONFERENCE area had been sealed with Red, Orange and Green Zones around it. The hotels were like fortresses, with roads sealed to let diplomatic cars speed through. The fortified conference hall was like a military bunker.
The local population, the Nicois, had been warned to expect trouble but ended the day very much in sympathy.
Meanwhile, trains had been stopped at borders to stop protesters arriving. A protest about this at Nice station on the evening led to the first use of tear gas.
The trade unions' departure on 6 December left a few thousand protesters to try to blockade the summit next morning. But given there were over 6,000 police, CRS, anti-terrorist squad and secret police it was never likely they would succeed.
But the police chose to make this clear. They fired their double-barrelled tear gas in volleys into the crowd, and drove the protests on the west and east side of the "Zone Rouge" back down the streets away from the police blockades.
This led to sporadic incidents including the overturning of cars and smashing up of shops and banks on one or two streets. On my return to England I found that the activities of the "casseurs"- literally smashers - or wreckers as the British press called them, had dominated our news. Such is their twisted view of events.
As we've seen before in Seattle, Melbourne and Prague the youth were there in numbers. And their politicisation was reinforced by their experience of the police.

DISCONTENT WITH the free market is growing. Further evidence was shown here in Nice as Europeans protested at their governments being organised for the market rather than for its workers and youth.
But even the anti-capitalists' political aims weren't clear. The key to stopping globalisation is the struggle against capitalism. That was the message taken to Nice by members of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI), the international organisation which the Socialist Party belongs to.
Around 5,000 CWI leaflets in six languages were distributed. Over 100 people were keen to find out more about us with some wanting to join immediately.
As the CWI leaflet said: "We must combat all bodies set up to coordinate the policies of capitalist governments in their long tradition of exploitation and domination world-wide". We must also bring forward an alternative to capitalism and "revive the struggle for socialist ideas worldwide."

 

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Squabbling in the bunker

AS THE last wisps of tear gas drifted away, European Union (EU) leaders emerged from their bunker, the Acropolis conference centre in Nice.
Manny Thain reports from Nice
The summit, scheduled for two days, finally reached agreement after an 18-hour session on the fifth day. Yet the agreement from the longest EU summit ever resolved nothing.
The EU is a forum where each government fights for its own national, capitalist ruling class's interests. Where interests coincide, agreement can be reached, such as on implementing cuts in social welfare.
It is in European capitalism's general interests to form a continental economic bloc against the US-dominated North American Free Trade Agreement and Japan-led South-East Asia. Where European interests collide, however, the veil of unity is quickly discarded and bitter wrangles and recriminations follow.
Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, mindful of the imminent general election, was intransigent over tax and social security. New Labour will see the retention of the veto as a plus-point in the polls.
The main concern for the big four - Germany, France, Britain and Italy - was how to maintain their dominance over the decision-making process while enlarging the EU to incorporate mainly Eastern European states. If the structures aren't reformed, enlargement would shift the balance of power to smaller states - impermissible from the main players' viewpoint.
In the end, the big four actually increased their influence in the Council of Ministers, the EU's main decision-making body. Combining votes on the Council with a new rule stating that a vote needs to represent at least 62% of the EU's population, any three major countries could form a blocking minority even if the EU expanded to 27 members.
However, the reforms of EU structures finally agreed at Nice will only be implemented if the EU expands to 27 members.
But this expansion won't start until 2004. That's when EU ministers can look forward to a repeat performance.

 

 

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Vauxhall threatened by profits crisis

AS WE go to press, the multinational General Motors has announced the closure of the Vauxhall plant in Luton. This is a massive blow to the thousands of workers and their families in the area.
Bill Mullins
Duncan Simpson, the national officer of the AEEU union, is quoted as saying they will fight this closure "tooth and nail".
The closure comes soon after the Ford company decided to end car production in Dagenham and Nissan's decision not to build its new Micra in its Sunderland plant. Meanwhile, Rover's Longbridge plant remains in a precarious position as its money from BMW runs out.
The union leaders will have to put their money where their mouth is and mobilise the workers of the car industry against this latest attack. The high pound is undoubtedly a factor but more importantly the big motor manufacturers in the USA, Europe and Japan are preparing to cut back production world-wide as they face a crisis of falling sales and falling profits.
Last April 100,000 car workers marched through Birmingham in protest against the threat to close Longbridge. The union leaders at the time also said they would fight tooth and nail but then agreed to hand over Longbridge to another group of capitalists.
This latest closure of Vauxhalls in Luton makes it essential that the union leaders put their words into action.
They should immediately call an emergency conference of car workers' shop stewards and hammer out a programme to save the car industry which must be based upon nationalisation under democratic workers' control and management.
Only by adopting a socialist plan of production based upon the needs of society and not the profits of the few can there be a long-term solution to the threat of mass unemployment for large sections of car workers.

 

 

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Lock up Blair's curfew plans!

THE HEADLINES on last week's Queen's Speech were all about New Labour's plans to extend youth curfews to teenagers up to the age of 16.
MIKE FORSTER, an Education worker in Kirklees, told The Socialist: "I think these ideas are unworkable. I don't see how a curfew can be imposed. And it's a very one-sided way of looking at what they see as a problem.
There are many other ways of tackling crime other than curfews which will alienate most young people against the police.
First of all, you need to make education relevant to young people because there is a link between children being out of school and crime. Then the education system needs the resources to meet young people's needs within the school.
Then there's alternative social resources for young people - youth clubs or out-of-school activities that will keep people occupied.
Most important of all is hope for the future. Most young people don't have much - they're stuck in a cul-de-sac and can't see a way out because all that's available at the end of their school days are low-paid training schemes.
This government has no answers. It's not tackling the root problems.
It boasts about its New Deal scheme which is at base just another low-paid training scheme. There's no prospects for young people in the medium term future.
Most occupations are crying out for lack of staff - teaching, health, social work.
There's a feeling that in general education standards are being lowered, which is why there are shortages which could easily be filled by young people if there was better preparation.
The government's policy is just to get people off the streets and bring down the crime figures. They're forgetting about a trained and educated workforce.
Curfews have failed. Councils in England already have the power to put children under-10 under house arrest. No council has used it.
Britain's prison population is already Europe's highest, yet the government's own figures show that it takes a 25% increase in prison numbers to achieve a 1% reduction in crime.
Blair and Co. seem to be aiming to lock up half the population. A socialist alternative would look first of all at a properly funded education system with well-paid jobs and training.

 

 

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Right routed in civil service election

MARK SERWOTKA, a Left Unity member standing on an independent socialist ticket, has been elected general secretary of civil service union PCS. His election is an indication of the deep discontent amongst members with the right-wing union leadership and its failure to represent their interests against the Blair government's policies.
Kevin Kelly, PCS Land Registry, personal capacity
That leadership have meekly accepted a partnership agreement with New Labour, which has meant the worsening of working conditions, performance-related pay and the break-up of pay bargaining into over 200 units. Mark Serwotka's victory was celebrated by rank-and-file members who will see it as an opportunity to repair this damage to pay and working conditions.
His unexpected victory over Hugh Lanning, PCS assistant general secretary, was by 40,740 votes to 33,942, on about a 30% turnout. It comes after the earlier success when right-wing general secretary Barry Reamsbottom withdrew from the election.
The final outcome of the whole election campaign was a testament to the correctness of the position of Left Unity, including Socialist Party members. When Barry Reamsbottom refused to stand for re-election, in spite of a 1998 conference resolution, they played an important role at the May 2000 conference in winning support for a general secretary election. This support was then turned into a yes vote for a new election in the ensuing membership ballot.
When Left Unity held a selection meeting, dependent on whether or not they finally decided to stand a candidate for general secretary, Terry Adams, a Socialist Party member and PCS national officer, won against Mark Serwotka.
The Left Unity conference decided, following a full debate, that the priority for the PCS and the wider trade union movement was to defeat and remove Reamsbottom. Terry Adams correctly accepted that decision.
Left Unity decided to give very critical support to Hugh Lanning to avoid splitting the anti- Reamsbottom vote and on the basis of assurances given by Lanning about his programme.
Mark Serwotka participated in this discussion but refused to accept the Left Unity decision. Many Left Unity members argued that he risked losing the opportunity to get rid of Reamsbottom by standing as a candidate.
The Left Unity decision to give critical support to Lanning, together with the campaign waged against Reamsbottom over many years by Left Unity and the Socialist Party, forced Reamsbottom to cut and run and seek a deal from the union.
It was subsequently revealed that he only got 32 branch nominations instead of the required 50. The deal was that Reamsbottom would withdraw from the election and withdraw his court case against the union, provided he could continue as general secretary until 2002 and be paid until 2004.
Reamsbottom's forced withdrawal was a major victory, greeted with jubilation by activists both inside and outside the union.
In the light of Reamsbottom's last-minute withdrawal, Socialist Party members called upon the PCS leadership and the candidates, Lanning and Serwotka, to reopen the election process to allow members, branches and political groupings to nominate fresh candidates. This was refused.
Faced with an election between Mark Serwotka and Hugh Lanning, the Left Unity national committee recommended support for Mark Serwotka. This Left Unity support was critical for his electoral success.
PCS members and activists will now look to Mark Serwotka to take up his post as general secretary elect on 1 February 2001 (see article below) and begin to argue for and develop with Left Unity NEC members, the socialist programme he stood on in the election.
Reamsbottom will continue as the outgoing general secretary for a while. Mark Serwotka will need to confront Reamsbottom and the PCS bureaucracy to establish his position. Socialist Party members in Left Unity will work with Mark Serwotka to help build Left Unity, to implement Conference policies and to act in the interests of PCS members.

 

 

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Elected to fight for members' interests

IT WAS clear that once Reamsbottom had been told that Left Unity were not putting up a candidate he faced the possibility of being beaten by Lanning in a straight fight.
Bill Mullins
This added to his general demoralisation about having to submit himself for re-election in the first place. This played a key role in his decision to withdraw from the race before the nomination process was completed.
So when Lanning offered Reamsbottom a deal to withdraw from the election he took it. This deal included being allowed to withdraw progressively from being general secretary from February 2001 and finally retiring in May 2002.
Amazingly he is to be paid until May 2004, then he'll get his no doubt generous pension paid for by the members' subs over the years of his tenure as general secretary.
Serwotka can take up his position as general secretary elect from February 2001, alongside Reamsbottom until he retires in May 2002. But Serwotka has said that he doesn't want to take up his position until Reamsbottom leaves. This is because he wants to spend his time 'building up the Left in the union'.
It would be a mistake to allow the right-wing dominated executive to run the union without him. In that crucial 15 months between February 2001 and May 2002, the crucial question of national pay bargaining will loom large.
His refusal to establish himself at the PCS headquarters would leave the left minority on the executive, including vice president Janice Godrich, to fight for the policies of the left in isolation.
He got over 40,000 votes, this is a strong mandate to fight for the programme he was elected on.
Left Unity has a policy of opposing so-called 'delegated pay' to the different civil service agencies, when in fact there is only one employer, the treasury, who determine the employers' attitude for all pay negotiations.
The Treasury are determined to spread the introduction of performance-related pay to further break up workers' unity, allowing widely different pay scales for those doing the same job.
The bottom pay sales of the civil service are some of the lowest in the public sector. It will take a mighty struggle by the whole union behind one pay claim to rectify this.
It is the responsibility of the new general secretary to use his authority to fight for this. In important issues like pay he should be prepared to go over the heads of the out of touch, right-wing national executive majority to the membership as a whole. He should base himself on the mandate that he was given in his election victory.

 

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