NSSN action summit to demand union coordination
Rob Williams, Socialist Party national trade union and workplace organiser
The mourning period for the Queen acted as a pause button for the strike wave that grew over the summer.
The localised disputes that have been developing for the last year have been joined over the last few months by national action on the rails, BT and Royal Mail. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) postponed its congress that was due to take place from 11-14 September, at a key moment as public sector unions started to move to industrial action ballots on pay.
But this has only been put on temporary hold. In fact, the rescheduled TUC Congress in Brighton on 18-20 October will be held as many of those ballots happen. Moreover, the strikes will be back on.
On 30 September, 115,000 CWU members in Royal Mail will recommence their action and the next day 50,000 rail workers will join them in RMT and Aslef. And 1 October will also see 2,500 dockers in Liverpool and Felixstowe in the midst of their weeks of action. These strikes will be taking place during ten days of action being taken by UCU members in 26 further education colleges, as well as rolling action by Unison members in over 20 universities. In addition, local strikes, such as the Newham bin workers, have started again and have been escalated.
The TUC’s lobby of parliament has been shifted as well, from 19 October to Wednesday 2 November. Its timing lends itself even more to be a vital platform to build coordinated strike action.
Midweek demo
The TUC and the unions must mobilise to make it a mass midweek demonstration, that can reach out to all workers fighting the cost-of-living crisis, and working-class people facing huge energy prices.
The proposal by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to remove the caps on bankers’ bonuses shows their priority – to protect profits at the expense of workers’ pay. And if Truss moves to implement her threatened new anti-union measures, the unions should prepare to call a 24-hour general strike as a first response.
The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) has rearranged its pre-TUC Congress event to Sunday 16 October. The push into autumn makes this even more important.
It is now an action summit – to bring together striking union reps and members or those moving into action – to demand that the unions coordinate action so that millions of workers across the private and public sectors, all struggling to keep a roof above their families’ heads, can strike together.
The death of the Queen held up the strikes. But the first actions and comments of Truss’s Tory government have shown, like Covid did, that there is no such thing as national unity in this crisis.
The choice is simple: workers’ jobs and wages or the profits of the fat-cat employers. That’s what faces the unions now.
All strike together – National Shop Stewards Network – Pre-TUC Congress Action Summit
1pm Sunday 16 October, Holiday Inn, Brighton
For transport details, email [email protected]
Get all the latest union news with the NSSN – National Shop Stewards Network – bulletin
