Hull: Rallying against the austerity budget

AROUND 100 trade unionists gathered in Hull city centre on Saturday 3 July to protest at the shocking cuts coming to the public sector following the Con-Dem budget.

Jack Walker, Youth Fight for Jobs, Hull

Banners from a range of unions including the NUT, PCS, GMB, NASUWT, Unison and Ucatt showed how the spending cuts will affect all workers across both the public and private sector.

There was a range of speakers, each talking about the problems in their particular workplace, with reports of agency workers being used to undercut full time workers and plans for redundancies in most workplaces.

Labour cuts

Two of Hull's Labour MPs, Karl Turner and Diana Johnson, tried to use the protest to whip up support for Labour, having previously promised deep cuts to the economy.

Their speeches, however, were received with polite applause only.

In contrast, the best-received speeches of the day were ones that put forward a united union fightback against the cuts and that laid out clear socialist policies.

Matt Whale, speaking for Youth Fight for Jobs, highlighted the situation facing young people in the city and demanded free education, jobs for all and a higher minimum wage.

New party

Mike Whale, secretary of Hull National Union of Teachers, was greeted by cheers when he called for the nationalisation of the banks and a programme of public works to tackle the need for more houses in Hull, as well as creating more jobs in the city.

The loudest applause came when Mike called for a new left party prepared to fight for working people in the way the current government is fighting for the rich.

The protest was a brilliant success and laid important foundations for the struggles that will undoubtedly be coming our way.

Already plans are in hand to lobby the Liberal-led city council with a petition calling for no redundancies.

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.