More than two million public sector workers took strike action yesterday. That amounted to a virtual general strike of the public sector. In terms of numbers, the action was bigger than the “Winter of Discontent” in 1979 – bigger even than the 1926 General Strike. Even The Financial Times, the organ of Big Business, surprisingly described Wednesday’s strike as “undoubtedly historic”.
More than two million public sector workers took strike action yesterday. That amounted to a virtual general strike of the public sector. In terms of numbers, the action was bigger than the “Winter of Discontent” in 1979 – bigger even than the 1926 General Strike. Even The Financial Times, the organ of Big Business, surprisingly described Wednesday’s strike as “undoubtedly historic”.
TUC march in London 30 NovemberAll the anti-strike propaganda of the media failed to prevent it. A total of twenty nine different unions had successfully balloted for industrial action, a number of which, such as the head teachers, had never been on strike in their entire history. The success of the day marked a turning-point as the labour movement sprang into life after decades of passivity.
The government’s attack on pensions has enraged many workers, from the highest grades to the lowest. The indignation was heightened by the government’s Autumn Financial Statement, which announced a massive transference of wealth from the poorest towards the richest. The mood of anger was reflected in the remark of head teacher Sally Bates. “I feel quite Bolshie about it, if I am strictly honest.”
The pleas by George Osborne to call off the strikes fell on deaf ears, especially after the announcement the previous day that the government’s vicious austerity measures would be extended well into the next parliament. This barefaced Tory cynic calmly announced that a further 300, 000 workers would lose their jobs and wages would be cut (while the rich would get richer). The state retirement age would be raised to 67 in 2026 – ten years earlier than previously admitted.
The next day the workers of Britain delivered their reply. All over Britain public services ground to a stop. The PCS union claimed a huge turnout, with 90% of staff striking in some government departments, including Revenue and Customs. Some 300,000 Scots and 170,000 Welsh workers went on strike. The majority of strikers were women workers, as could be seen by the participation on the picket lines and demonstrations.
As part of a blatant attempt to play down the impact of the strike, the government banned NHS trusts from revealing how many local staff was on strike but in the health sector an estimated 400, 000 NHS staff were out. Students joined nurses and hospital staff on picket lines and on demonstrations.
Millions of school pupils missed school as a result of the shutdown of education. Up to 90% of schools were closed down and higher education was brought to a halt. As one London teacher said “People don’t like striking. But unless you take a stand at some point you will just get pushed around.” Universities and Colleges were paralised with students joining lecturers and staff.
Half of London’s ambulance workers went on strike, with many hospitals running a “Christmas Day” service covering life-threatening emergencies only. Libraries, courts, swimming pools, and leisure centres were closed, and even traffic wardens were on strike. Workers on the Mersey tunnels set up their picket line from midnight onwards. Council offices and depots were closed down as council workers and refuse collectors went on strike.
Throughout the day the most unlikely scenes unfolded as lawyers joined pickets outside the Crown Prosecution Service in Manchester. Government departments were also affected. The Scottish Parliament said more than half its workers were absent. A cheer went up from the crowd when a speaker at the London rally informed them that even in David Cameron’s team in Whitehall some had walked out.
Mass demonstrations
There were big demonstrations all over Britain. Hundreds of thousands of workers took to the streets from one end of the country to the other, bringing many places to a complete standstill. In London up to 100,000 workers demonstrated, after being joined by feeder marches from different areas. In Manchester, more than 20,000 took part. In Birmingham, an estimated 15,000 marched through the city centre, despite attempts by the Tory council to ban the march. One eyewitness commented:
“I have been a trade unionist for many years, and what happened next was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. There was not a police officer in sight! West Midlands Police of course have their own problems, facing 3,000 redundancies including 1,000 frontline Bobbies, while much of their civilian staff was on strike. So the police gave their verdict on the posturing of the City Council – and stayed away. Police were nowhere to be seen throughout the one and half hour protest march through the city. Not one.”
In both Glasgow and Edinburgh 10,000 went on the march. Forty people were outside the Victoria Infirmary Hospital in the south side of Glasgow, holding signs and banners which said: “Everyone deserves a decent pension” and “Hands off our pensions”. Passing 
Paul Wilcox, Unison steward at the Victoria Infirmary, said:
“We’re just getting hammered on the pensions. Basically we’re low- paid workers – auxiliaries, nurses, porters, domestics – and enough is enough. I think we’ve been pushed to the limit at the moment. Many nurses in there don’t want to go on strike, it’s the last thing they ever wanted to do, but many of them have come out on strike. We don’t go on strike for a whim. We’re not here looking for a fight. I think the fight has been brought to us by the Tory Government.”
In Cardiff, 5,000 marched, while in Newcastle some 10,000 took to the streets and the same number in Sheffield. In Belfast 15,000 went on the rally. In Brighton, Worthing, Horsham and Hastings the marches attracted thousands. Many smaller towns held rallies and marches, up to more than 1,000 in total, showing the real depth and breadth of the movement.
The Labour Party
The Coalition attacks are a result of the crisis of capitalism, not a result of “Tory ideology” as som
e on the Left have mistakenly tried to argue. At the end of the day, the attacks of the government can only be resolved by political means. The government will need to be brought down and a new Labour government will be elected. But it is necessary to ensure that a Labour government is dedicated to represent the interests of working people.
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In this situation, the working class expects their leaders to come out clearly and unambiguously on their side. But the leaders of the Labour Party have been are sitting on their hands since the beginning of this struggle. They have refused to come out in open support of the unions but simply call for “negotiations instead of strikes”. But since the government refuses to engage in any meaningful negotiations, what alternative do working people have but to make use of the only weapon left to them?
There are some signs that the real anger of the workers is at last beginning to penetrate the rarified atmosphere of the House of Commons. Yesterday, during Prime Minister’s Question Time, (30 November 2011), Labour leader Ed Miliband asked Prime Minister David Cameron to explain how the head mistress of a school who he praised for not going on strike in June had now closed her school in protest against his pension cuts.
In reply, Cameron accused Miliband of being “left wing” and of supporting the strike. The Labour leader replied to the taunts of Cameron as follows:
“The difference is that, unlike him, I am not going to demonize the dinner lady, the cleaner, the nurse… people who earn in a week what the Chancellor pays for his annual skiing holidays.”
“Ed Miliband this morning has said very, very clearly he is not supporting the dispute. I am, and I think it’s the right thing to do and I’m hoping he will listen to some of the people that are on these picket lines. Some of these people have never been on strike before in their lives, some unions have never been on strike in their history. That’s how angry people feel and I think the Labour Party and the Labour leadership should be reflecting that anger.”
“It’s time that the Labour Party got off the fence and supported this strike” PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka told the London rally yesterday. That is absolutely correct. The millions of people who voted Labour expect their elected representatives to stand up for them. The time has come for Labour to stop prevaricating and support the trade unions and the struggles of ordinary working people. And the unions, who pay the bills, must demand value for their members’ money. They should ensure that the Labour Party does what it was set up to do: to defend the interests of the working class.
Rather than trying to patch up capitalism which is in deep crisis, Labour must be committed to put an end to this rotten and unjust system once and for all. That would provide a real incentive for millions of workers and youth to sweep this discredited government of Tories and their Liberal hangers on into the dustbin of history where it belongs.
Not one step back!
This smacked of desperation. How can it be said, on the one hand, that the strike was a flop that had no effect and on the other that it was “irresponsible and damaging”. This was one lie too many! His spin doctors must have got hold of him last night and told him to change his tune, so that today he admitted that the “damp squib” was “obviously a big strike”.
The attempts to split private and public sector workers with talk of “gold plated” pensions has not worked either. All workers are under attack. Those in the private sector will be drawing conclusions that they too need to get involved in the fight. Support for the strike has been very high. This was evident on the day, despite the press saying that the strikes were very unpopular. A BBC commissioned opinion poll showed that 61% of the population, including 79% of youth, 67% of women and 71% of Scots support the strike. This shows the real situation.
As time goes by, this feeling will increase as living standards are cut in the greatest austerity for generations. Pensions are simply the thin end of the wedge, which affects millions of workers fearful of their retirement. Those striking are also striking against the relentless attacks of the Coalition government, determined that working people will pay for the crisis of capitalism.
The government-trade union negotiations over pensions have been a joke. The government is asking the unions to return to the negotiating table, but what is on offer is their “final” offer. They have even threatened that their “improved” offer will be withdrawn if a deal is not reached by the end of the year. All they want is for the unions to argue amongst themselves over the pain that must be shared out. Union leaders have said that ministers will need to show a “real will to move”, but the cupboard is bare. They are determined to carry through the austerity and they are determined to hold the line.
The trade unions must understand what is at stake. They must step up the action, involving private as well as public sector workers. They must be prepared to unleash the biggest struggle in their history. The idea that the unions should revert to selective strikes will be a step backwards. In Southampton, a dispute over cuts has gone on for six months with different sectors striking, but this has still not caused the Council to budge.
“Class war”
At long last the British working class is on the move. They have understood that the Tory-Lib Dem government has thrown down the gauntlet and that there is no alternative but to fight for their future and that of their children. The realization is growing that this is a war of the rich against the poor, of the bosses against the workers.
A mood of quiet determination is developing everywhere. Millions of workers are not prepared to see their families sacrificed for the sake of the bankers and their rotten system. They have been brought to their feet by this strike. They have been able to feel their collective power on the picket line and in mass demonstrations. The next step must be a 24 hour general strike involving all workers in both the public and private sectors.
The strike 30 November strike was a big step forward, but it is only the beginning of this struggle. Bob Crow, the leader of the rail workers, has correctly accused the government of “ratcheting up the class war” and called on the trade unions to respond with a 24 hour general strike. That is the way forward!
We must demand not only the withdrawal of the Tory pension plan and all other cuts in public services. We must kick out this bankers’ government and fight for a fundamental change in society! On a capitalist basis, there can only be cuts and austerity. Only by taking over the commanding heights of the economy under workers’ control and management can the resources of society be used in the interests of all and not those of a tiny handful of bankers and millionaires.
The 30th November was a turning point in the class struggle in Britain. On the basis of events, workers will come to see that no amount of tinkering with capitalism will solve their problems. Then the battle will be waged to carry out a root-and-branch transformation of society. That is the only way forward.
- Mobilize for a 24 hour general strike!
- We will not pay for the bankers’ crisis!
- Kick out the Tories and their Lib Dem shadows!
- Labour must defend the workers, not the bosses!
