NSSN lobby of the TUC 2012, photo Arti

NSSN lobby of the TUC 2012, photo Arti   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

NSSN to lobby TUC General Council on 24 April

The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) has called a lobby of the TUC General Council on Wednesday 24th April.

The NSSN has been campaigning for the maximum coordinated strike action to stop the cuts. It organised a lobby of the TUC conference last September which brought up to 1,000 union activists to Brighton.

It was delighted that the Prison Officers Association motion for the TUC to ‘consider the practicalities’ of a general strike was passed.

As a result of the POA motion, the TUC general council has been consulting with unions. This should lead to the TUC and the unions organising a joint strike that would seriously confront the Con-Dem cuts. The next meeting of the TUC general council is on 24th April.

The NSSN will be lobbying this meeting of the union leaders for them to name the date for a 24-hour general strike.

There are any number of issues that could be the basis for common action – pay, redundancies, pensions, terms and conditions.

The PCS union is taking national strike action on these very items – starting on Budget Day, 20th March.

The NSSN calls on all other public sector unions to urgently meet with the PCS to discuss coordinating ballots and action.

There should then be a call out to all workers in the private sector to coordinate live disputes with any such action.

This can be the route to strikes on a maximum scale. An ideal date could be June – when chancellor George Osborne sets out the next tranche of cuts for the year of the next general election.

NSSN lobby of TUC general council

Wednesday 24 April 2013

From 8.30am outside TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS


7th annual national NSSN conference

11am-5pm, Saturday 29th June 2013

Camden Centre, Judd Street, London, WC1H 9JE

Speakers include trade union general secretaries: Mark Serwotka, PCS; Billy Hayes, CWU; and Steve Gillan, POA