Members of the National Education Union (NEU) poured into Hyde Park in central London from coaches from around the country to take part in a massive demonstration to Trafalgar Square on Budget Day, 15 March.
They were joined by groups of London junior doctors in both the BMA and HCSA, University and College Union (UCU) members from the London universities, tube workers in both the RMT and Aslef, and members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the BBC, all striking together. Mostly young PCS members in the civil service came from government HQ picket lines to gather on the Embankment, to march up Whitehall, past Downing Street, to join the huge gathering in Trafalgar Square.
At the same time, big rallies of PCS, BMA, UCU and NUJ took place in towns and cities around the country.
Socialist Party members around the country visited picket lines, attended the demonstrations, and many spoke at the rallies as well.
Elaine Brunskill reports from Newcastle:
Arriving at the rally point for the march to the Monument in Newcastle city centre, it was clear it was going to be huge.
Outside the hospital both sides of the road were ram-packed. On one side there were the striking junior doctors, and on the other there were PCS, UCU members and others also out on strike. The mood was buoyant and flags, banners and placards were flying high.
Earlier it was clear that some junior doctors had feared they wouldn’t get the same level of support as other strikers. They needn’t have worried. The support was phenomenal, including patients at windows waving as the march set off!
The junior doctors are a group of young people who are increasingly identifying themselves as workers in struggle. There’s huge anger at the Tories, but also a defiant mood that this is a battle they can win. As one of the chants went up, “Shy bairns get nowt!”
Ellen Kenyon Peers says of the London strikers:
The continued enthusiasm was really noticeable – there wasn’t the fatigue you might expect, instead a determination to organise. So many young people, a lot with no previous experience, leafletting and shouting loud on pickets. Great to see.
Charlie and Ian stood alongside striking PCS members when they joined the NUJ picket line in Nottingham in a show of solidarity.
A junior doctor at Kings Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, said to Denise Tooley-Okonkwo: “They spend money on training us but not retaining us.” A registrar supporting the strikers said: “I was on the same money as you are now when I started… that highlights how little we are paid.”
A BMA rep in Salford told Sally Griffiths that the only people who had crossed the picket were those who were concerned about their visas or were employed by the university not the trust.
Students and young workers supported the action. Alex Smith reports that at the UCU/PCS/BMA rally in Liverpool, Socialist Students members and Socialist Party members spoke from platform. According to Iain Dalton, 40 people participated in a York Youth Fight for Jobs Budget Day solidarity rally, involving strikers from PCS, UCU and Prospect, as well as students.
Amy Sage reports that UCU strikers on picket lines and at the rally in Bristol were talking about escalating action and were feeling confident about the reballot. Mike Whale reports that in Hull teachers were reading and discussing the proposals for escalating action that have been circulated by Socialist Party members in the NEU
Roger Thomas reports that the next day, 16 March, several hundred teachers marched in the rain in Truro, Cornwall, with passers-by applauding the strikers.
London teachers demo. Photo: Martin Powell Davies 
Liverpool Socialist Students at the strike rally. Photo: Alex Smith 
Leicester NEU coach. Photo: Heather Rawling 
Leeds NUJ strike. Photo: Iain Dalton 
PCS strike in Darlington. Photo: Alan Docherty 
Strike rally in Bristol. Photo: Tom Baldwin 
BMA joins Neu strikers in East London. Photo: Kevin Parslow 
Newcastle strike rally. Photo: Elaine Brunskill 
Plymouth UCU on strike. Photo: Ryan Aldred 
South London teachers on strike. Photo: London SP 
RMT and Aslef strikers in Leytonstone, East London. Photo: Kevin Parslow 
Prospect strike in Plymouth at the HSE. Photo: Ryan Aldred 
PCS members strike at Department for Education in Sheffield. Photo: Alistair Tice 
NEU strikers await their coach in Nottingham. Photo: Gary Freeman 
NEU rally in Truru. Photo: Roger Thomas
Lewis Melville, Liverpool Socialist Party reports: Socialist Student society members from University of Liverpool, John Moore’s, and Edge Hill University stood in solidarity at the picket lines.
A demonstration at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool to showed solidarity between the different Trade Unions currently on strike. Calls for a 24hr general strike were met with an elated response and the need for a political direction. One member from the Socialist Students Society at University of Liverpool was given the opportunity to speak, calling for continued coordinated action and outlining the regretful decisions made by Kier Starmer to, refuse to back striking workers, refuse to pledge to abolish tuition fees, and all around, alienate the working class of this country.
Socialist Students member, Charlie, also outlined the leaked Whatsapp messages between the Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and ex-education Secretary Sir Gavin Williamson describing our teachers as “what a bunch of absolute arses the Teaching Unions are… I know they really really do just hate work”. A complete lack of respect for the teachers in our country, who continue to work under increased workloads, reduced pay, and no job security under casualisation. With demonstrations such as this, the hope is that fair and honest offers are put to the Union members across the board, and an end to the normalisation of poverty stricken conditions.
