The Socialist 10 October 2012

Tories promise more pain ... Kick out the 'nasty party'!

Tories promise more pain... Kick out the 'nasty party'!

Labour Party conference - not fighting austerity

Arguing the case for a 24-hour general strike

Birmingham Tory conference demo

'Millions crying out for leadership and for an alternative'

Anti-austerity candidates selected for November contests

No welfare cuts

Health workers must fight attacks on jobs and pay

Politicians line up to attack abortion rights

The hidden homeless - "Sofa surfing is my lot"

Them & Us

Send the transport privatisers packing

Venezuela presidential election

Greece: escalating the action against austerity

South Africa: 'What are we doing about this government that is killing us?'

Why we're marching on 20 October

More success for Socialist Students

Save East Midlands ambulances

Campaign Kazakhstan: A musical and political evening

Youth Fight for Jobs and Education fortnight of action 13-27 October

Dewsbury fights health service cuts

Waltham Forest: Parents and staff unite against school sell-off

Sunderland anti-fascists stand up against divisive EDL

South Wales bus workers receive strong support for strike

Fighting the construction industry blacklist

Workplace nurseries saved in HMRC

Leeds solidarity with Crossrail battle

Mid Yorkshire Health admin staff ballot for strike

Bin workers' strike threat

Workplace news in brief

TV review : Masters of Money - Karl Marx




Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/737/15418

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Arguing the case for a 24-hour general strike

The Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) passed a motion at its committee urging the TUC to set the date for a one-day general strike in line with the POA motion carried at Congress.

I didn't feel too optimistic about getting it passed when members asked questions about the legality of it.

I explained that so many unions have ongoing disputes that it would be possible to have a legal partial general strike.

Also that it is unlikely that the law could be used if all unions took action anyway. And if there wasn't a large number of workers demanding a general strike the motion wouldn't have been passed.

The motion was passed unanimously and everyone present signed the NSSN petition asking the TUC to name the day.

Clive Walder , Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch CWU, personal capacity

NUT executive seeks to build coordinated action

At the last meeting of the NUT national executive, a motion was unanimously agreed that started to build on the motions passed at TUC Congress supporting coordinated national strike action.

The NUT agreed to write to other TUC affiliates to explore the practicalities of building joint action on pay, pensions and jobs.

The motion also called on NUT negotiators to firm up and clarify with the other main school teachers' union NASUWT how to build from the action short of strike action that both the NUT and NASUWT are engaged in at present.

The resolution calls for dates to be set for a programme of national strike action.

This will be vital given the serious further attacks that could soon be coming - on top of the attacks already faced - from the Public Service Pensions Bill and from the attacks on pay likely to be included in the report to soon be issued by the School Teachers' Review Body.

No specific proposed dates for action were agreed, but progress on these discussions will be reported to the next executive meeting in early November.

From the blog of Martin Powell-Davies: electmartin1.blogspot.co.uk/

Support the Socialist

The Socialist has a record of reporting on workers' struggles across England and Wales and internationally.

We now see it as vital that we reflect the mood that exists for the TUC to act urgently on the general strike motion.

We have published many articles by leading trade unionists - Socialist Party members and not. We welcome debate and discussion about this crucial step - can your branch contribute?

The model motion, letter and petition from the National Shop Stewards Network can be used to build this campaign.

We have increased our page count in the run-up to the 20 October TUC demo to accommodate this important material.

Can your branch take out a subscription for five or more copies? See www.socialistparty.org.uk/txt/255.pdf

Can you pay for a greeting/ ad from your branch or a group of your members?

This will help us with the additional costs of expanding the paper and make sure that these reports and articles reach the widest possible trade union readership.

Please send reports, updates, comment pieces and letters to:

editors@socialistparty.org.uk

Model resolution for a 24-hour general strike

For trade union and anti-cuts organisations. When this is passed, please tell the Socialist: editors@socialistparty.org.uk

This [body] welcomes the overwhelming vote at this year's TUC Congress in support of the POA motion. It called for the unions to take "coordinated action where possible with far-reaching campaigns including the consideration and practicalities of a general strike."

We are alarmed that a relentless barrage of even more austerity cuts is coming down the line, and will continue into the foreseeable future.

Millions of workers, young people, the sick and disabled people face a lifetime of severe hardship through cuts to pay, conditions, benefits and services - the horrendous situation facing people in Greece could be our future if we don't stop the Con-Dem attacks.

We believe austerity cuts must be stopped, and that the labour movement has the potential to force a massive U-turn from this Coalition government of the rich, if our trade unions were to organise action decisively together.

We urge all members, friends and families to come to the TUC demo on 20 October. Let's campaign so this day is seen as the beginning of a new stage of action.

We urge all unions participating in the demo to follow up with a further coordinated 24-hour national strike of both public and private sector workers, making direct calls to youth and students, the unemployed, and community campaigns to join in.

We, therefore, agree that this branch will organise a local/regional meeting to discuss how to progress these ideas put forward by the PCS and POA at the TUC.

We also call on the national executive of our union to call on the TUC general council to urgently meet to name the date for the biggest possible coordinated strike.