Meet the TUSCs taking on the austerity-mongers

Meet the TUSCs taking on the austerity-mongers

From a Socialist Party press release

Who are the TUSCs?

Across England, Wales and Scotland a coalition of trade unionists, working class campaigners and socialists will stand as candidates in 135 seats, one in five parliamentary constituencies in the general election on 7th May.

These are not career politicians but nurses, teachers, rail workers, firefighters, low-paid young workers, private renters and others with a record of campaigning to defend the 99%.

  • Len Hockey, a hospital porter, is challenging arch axe-man Iain Duncan Smith in Chingford and Woodford Green in London. IDS is the millionaire architect of the hated bedroom tax and universal credit, bringing misery, hunger and poverty to households across the country.
    Len is a trade unionist with a record of uniting workers in solidarity against privateers seeking to drive down pay and conditions.
  • Len Hockey

    Len Hockey

  • Val O’Flynn is standing against Victoria Ayling, one of divisive Ukip’s hopefuls in Great Grimsby. Ukip may pose as anti-establishment but they have already identified £35bn of cuts.
    But Val has actively supported workers’ struggles for better pay and conditions, standing on the picket line with NHS workers and firefighters, campaigned against zero-hour contracts, the bedroom tax, benefit sanctions, and cuts to public services.
  • Gary Harbord is a member of the late Bob Crow’s RMT union standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip against Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson ran his mayoral campaign promising not to shut tube ticket offices. Now the vast majority are being closed down – including the ticket office in Uxbridge! Gary has challenged Boris to a debate in Uxbridge town centre.
  • Mary Jackson, an advice worker for 27 years, has seen at first hand the devastating effects of Tory policies such as redundancies, benefit sanctions and house repossessions. She helps out at food banks.
    In this election she is standing against Ed Miliband in Doncaster North. Miliband has said that a Labour government would carry on with the Tory budget cuts. “The trouble is Labour isn’t socialist anymore, it isn’t even Labour!”
  • Bob Crow, the late RMT general secretary, addressing a TUSC rally in Doncaster in support of  Mary Jackson (centre), photo A Tice

    Bob Crow, the late RMT general secretary, addressing a TUSC rally in Doncaster in support of Mary Jackson (centre), photo A Tice   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

  • Owen Herbert, an RMT activist, is standing in Aberavon against New Labour ‘prince’ Stephen Kinnock. Kinnock includes on his CV “22 years … at the interface of the private and public sectors”. Owen is a member of a union that has been at the front of the fight against privatisation of public services.

The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is the sixth biggest party standing in the general election and is 100% anti-austerity. See : www.tusc2015.com