NSSN campaigns for next united action on pensions to be on 25th January

The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) steering committee has agreed to campaign for 25 January to be named as the next day for coordinated national strike action in defence of pensions if no satisfactory movement from the government is forthcoming.

The model motion below is based on a motion passed at West Midlands County Associations TUC. All supporters of the NSSN are encouraged to put this motion to their union branch, trades council etc.

Model motion

This union body congratulates the magnificent turnout of TUC affiliated unions on 30 November 2011, and the strong united message it sent to the coalition government of widespread opposition to their austerity programme;

a) notes, with anger, that the government's autumn statement, on the eve of the strike, proposed billions of pounds in further public spending cuts which will increase public sector job losses to over 700,000, extend the pay freeze for two years, increase cuts to frontline benefits such as working tax credit and extend retirement age;

b) further notes the coalition government's apparent intention to extend Britain's already draconian employment laws, attempting to make balloting for strike action more and more difficult, and now the attempts by ministers to split unions by seeking to make separate deals on the pension cuts;

c) and therefore calls on the TUC to urgently discuss and announce a further and extended programme of nationally co-ordinated strike action on 25 January and beyond, to maintain unity of all unions, to allow other TUC affiliates to join the action, and to liaise with major private sector disputes, such a Unilever, BMW, Ford, the construction workers and others, so that an even wider public/private unity can be built.

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