Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/727/14898
From The Socialist newspaper, 18 July 2012
Tolpuddle festival shows fightback needed today
Sean Brogan, Exeter Socialist Party
Every year trade unionists make their way to the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset to mark the imprisonment and release of six agricultural labourers in the 1830s.
The six Tolpuddle Martyrs were arrested for trying to form a trade union, and sent to Australia. But, after three years of trade union campaigning including a march through London and an 800,000-signature petition, the six were pardoned and returned to Britain.
At this year's festival, the anger against this government was vocal. Railway workers in the RMT, TSSA and Aslef unions voiced their concerns about the massive redundancies proposed in the McNulty Report. Teachers in the NUT, NASUWT and ATL are being swamped by attacks from the new academies and so-called 'free schools'. PCS and Unison members campaigned against cuts in the public sector. The POA prison officers' union is fighting for the right to strike. Postal workers in the CWU are continuing to fight the privatisation of their service. The list of grievances was massive. There was even a 'Kids Union' marching!
Trades Union Congress
In these circumstances, it is the responsibility of the Trades Union Congress to organise a fight back against an unprecedented undermining of jobs and services. It has called a national demonstration against austerity on 20 October, but the question is what next?
Socialist Party members handed out leaflets calling on the TUC to organise a 24-hour general strike and urged support for the National Shop Stewards Network lobby of the TUC in Brighton on Sunday 9 September. We received a lot of support with over 100 copies of the Socialist sold.
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In The Socialist 18 July 2012:
Socialist Party news and analysis
March and strike against austerity
Miliband and Labour - no real alternative to Con-Dems
Tories stick the boot in on care funding
Oppose the closure of the Independent Living Fund
Witch-hunting Unison leadership "shabby" declares judge
Wales NHS - Reject the Case for Cuts report
Socialist Party workplace news
Support striking Remploy workers!
RMT cleaners Trans-Pennine Express strike
Fighting against exploitation of seafarers and port workers
2012 London Olympics
Olympics: The greatest sporting, and money-making, show on earth
Olympics G4S scandal shows failure of privatisation
Bosses bank in on corporate olympics - we get austerity!
Teachers fight school privatisation
Top-up fees: £50,000 debt leads to to 50,000 less students
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Southampton: two Labour councillors vote against Labour council cuts
Bristol protests counter racist EDL
Tolpuddle festival shows fightback needed today
International socialist news and analysis
Brazil: 'Miracle' economy slows
Solidarity picket of Turkish Airlines
Reviews and comments
Review: BBC TV documentary "When I get older"
Music review: Long live the struggle by The King Blues
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