Union speaker warns of more public services strikes in Bristol
TEACHERS and other public services staff in Bristol are gearing up for more strikes in their fight against Government cuts.
More than 150 union members and representatives from other organisations opposed to cuts to pensions, jobs and public services packed into the Council House last night for a rally.
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The audience at last night’s meeting
The Unite the Resistance meeting, organised by Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance, called for members of unions to stand together and fight against proposals.
General secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) Mark Serwotka had been due to attend the event but was replaced by the union's vice-president John McInally, who gave a rousing speech about the need for trade unions to stand side by side in opposition to the Government's plans.
Accompanied by regular bouts of applause from the floor, he called on trade unionists to continue to fight cuts which he said would affect the most vulnerable members of society.
Mr McInally, right, said that there would be further industrial action by March, following on from a day of action in November which was supported by thousands of union members in Bristol.
"Bristol and District Anti-Cuts Alliance is a shining example of how we take battle into our workplaces and give the trade union movement the best possible example of how we beat this Government," he said. "We need to build a leadership that spends more time fighting this and less time fighting their activists."
Jane Taylor, of union Unite, told the meeting that campaigns against the cuts needed to be "built at a local level so that national statements are not hollow".
"People are insecure about their future, they are worried about their jobs and how they pay their bills," she said. "As a trade unionist I believe the role of trade unions is to give a voice to the overwhelming numbers of people."
David Wilshire of the CWU union said cuts had already affected 350 workers in Bristol involved in administering TV licences who were told last month they would be losing their jobs.
Paul Vernell of the National Union of Teachers in South Gloucestershire described the dispute as "a very crucial battle now".
National NUT president Nina Franklin said: "It is really important we continue this fight otherwise it will look as if we have rolled over.
"If we don't go out on strike action there is the possibility that they are going to take away our health service. It is very important that we continue this."
Students also raised their concerns about cuts along with members of a group for disabled young people, which is to be disbanded.
The meeting also heard from a Unison branch secretary from Tower Hamlets in London, who said that despite the union negotiating with the Government on a pension deal, members would respect strike action and picket lines of other unions.
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by fishpondslad
Sunday, February 12 2012, 9:44PM
“Sorry Lolly, my lips are moving but you don't want to hear a single word of what I say. Our conversation is therefore pointless. Best of luck for the future..........”
by lolly60
Saturday, February 11 2012, 5:11PM
“I can never work out why people in this Country always seem to be a bit miffed about other people with money ,there will always be those with money and those without that will never change,I dont go around moaning about it like you do. I have worked all my adult life for what i have now which is like most people and if i have enough money not to go without things then why would you not like me just because of it.We meaning YOU and everyone else in this Country are know its in a mess and it needs to be sorted out and if you are not in it together with us then so be it,but i do choose to work together with everyone and try and make it better by what ever means i can.”
by fishpondslad
Saturday, February 11 2012, 1:59PM
“Still not listening. There is an estimated £120 billion tax either avoided, evaded or left uncollected every year. All the while HMRC employees, who should be collecting this money owed to the public purse, lose their jobs and large corporations 'apparently' make deals with the government to pay less than their legally mandated share. £120 bn would fill a very large part of the apparent hole in the public finances, and thus avoid the pain that is being inflicted on the society ar large. If we were in this all together I would like to think that this very basic tenet of tax justice would be at the core of any policy to get the economy back on its feet. It isn't, and as long as the rich and the priviledged continue to ride out the recession oblivious to the pain unnecessarily caused to the many, I refuse to accept that trashy little sound bite dreamt up by some government toadie, that 'we're all in this together'.”
by lolly60
Saturday, February 11 2012, 10:41AM
“We are in it together thats just the point”
by fishpondslad
Friday, February 10 2012, 8:32PM
“It's a shame that none of the above attended the meeting and heard the sensible alternatives proposed to the current slash and burn programme of cuts. Cuts that will affect everyone except the very rich, who will ride the storm completely oblivious to the pain felt by the majority unless some balance and sense of equality is injected into the debate. Rather than trot out the same old anti trade union tirades, why not take a little time out to read the considered and well researched alternatives that would see tax evasion and avoidance tackled and jobs created - for example in the green industries. It is surely better to keep public services and small private companies alive by keeping people in work, paying taxes and spending money in the high street. I fear for the future and I fear for my childrens' future, for there are no winners except the big corporations and the financiers if we carry on down this road. Whatever the Coalition are they are not so stupid that they do not not understand this. We are most certainly not all in this together!”
by fishpondslad
Friday, February 10 2012, 8:28PM
“It's a shame that none of the above attended the meeting and heard the sensible alternatives proposed to the current slash and burn programme of cuts. Cuts that will affect everyone except the very rich, who will ride the storm completely oblivious to the pain felt by the majority unless some balance and sense of equality is injected into the debate. Rather than trot out the same old anti trade union tirades, why not take a little time out to read the considered and well researched alternatives that would see tax evasion and avoidance tackled and jobs created - for example in the green industries. It is surely better to keep public services and small private companies alive by keeping people in work, paying taxes and spending money in the high street. I fear for the future and I fear for my childrens' future, for there are no winners except the big corporations and the financiers if we carry on down this road. Whatever the Coalition are they are not so stupid that they do not not understand this. We are most certainly not all in this together!”
by lolly60
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 10:25PM
“Very much negative vibes i think,Nobody wants them to strike we all want to get this country back on its feet again but by stike action you only make matter worse.Yes there will be very hard times ahead but if we want to get of this mess that this current Goverment is trying to sort out after the last one left it in a mess then we have to face some very hard facts .There isnt a endless money pot for our pensions like some seem to think, we are all living longer so we need to work longer and pay a bit more into our pensions ,there isnt any other way of doing it .”
by bobob3
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 5:51PM
“They best have a march about this, there is nothing lefties like better than a nice march.”
by lolly60
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 2:58PM
“HERE WE BLOODY GO AGAIN .”
by Elsewhereman
Tuesday, February 07 2012, 1:37PM
“"David Wilshire of the CWU union said cuts had already affected 350 workers in Bristol involved in administering TV licences who were told last month they would be losing their jobs."
Those workers being not public servants but employees of Capita. And the reason they've "lost their jobs" is because of the extended freeze in the licence fee - originally introduced by Labour - until 2015, meaning that they no longer have to push out millions of bits of paper every year.
So - which would you prefer: a frozen TV licence or that part of any increase went towards paying the salaries of 350 paper-shufflers rather than making TV programmes? (Ignoring the whole BBC financing argument, which is tangential to this.)”