Cambridge Students Union calls on Students to Strike!

As the crisis of capitalism continues
to pile attack after attack on living standards, the student and labour
movements in Britain are preparing for their largest mobilisations in
decades and crucially are coalescing this Autumn into a momentous month
of activity in November. No one can deny that the national student
demonstration (9th November) and the coordinated strike action (30th
November) are really part of the same struggle.

This means that activists need to start building for these events
now. For November 30th strike committees should be set up (if they are
not already) in each city/district, with representatives from all the
unions tasked with coordinating local strike activity, making the strike
as strong as possible and organising local demontrations. The best way
for students to participate in this is of course through their students
unions. Student activists should mobilise to get their union to back the
strike action, organise student solidarity with the strike (including
student union backed walkouts) and to send delegates to strike
committees to strengthen student/worker ties.

This is exactly what the Militant Student supporters in the Cambridge
Marxist Discussion Group have done. We recently drafted two motions for
a debate by the students’ union which took place this evening. These motions are at the bottom of this article and we would encourage students in other universities to pass similar motions.

The first motion called for the student union’s support for the 9th
November Demonstration through organising coaches to London for
university and school students and by linking up with trade unions
involved with that demonstration (UCU and NUT). The motion also
reaffirmed the students’ union commitment to free education. This motion
passed fairly easily.

The second motion called for the students’ union to support the
strike action on November 30th by organising a mass walkout of students
on the 30th and encouraging students to attend the Cambridgeshire Trades
Council rally on that day. This motion (the second at the bottom of the
article) was unfortunately watered down by the sabatical officers of
the union, who removed the points which linked the strike over pensions
to the wider social, economic, and political context of the crisis of
capitalism. They also removed the point stressing the need for students
to support ALL workers taking action, not just lecturers. In addition,
they removed the point demanding that the student union encourage
students not to cross picket lines.

In our opinion the reason they weakened the motions was because the
sabbatical officers do not have confidence in the students and working
class to change society. Rather than understanding what the problems in
society really are, and what is necessary to overcome them (a mass,
militant movement of workers and youth sufficiently strong to bring down
the government and replace it with a socialist one), they try to
second-guess what they think students are thinking, and so unecessarily
weakened the motion, keeping it within ‘safe’ bounds. 

The fact that the motions all passed shows that by presenting a
weakened motion they have missed a trick. The purpose of raising motions
in the students’ and workers’ movements is to raise the concsciousness
of students to what is necessary. We believe that those points that were
removed would do that and would stand a good chance of being passed. It
is for this reason that we publish the original motion side-by-side
with the doctored one.

Nevertheless our key demand that the students’ union organise a mass
walkout of the students on the 30th was still part of the motion. The
watered down version of the motion is the third motion at the bottom of
this article.

Both of our motions were passed by the students’ union, which means
that Cambridge students will be actively participating against the fight
against cuts, both specifically to education, but also as part of a
wider workers movement. In addition, the student union is now committed
to sending delegates to the trades council to co-ordinate this
action. Neither of the motions are perfect in what we would hope to one
day achieve, however they both raise important transitional demands and,
having been passed, will be a useful method by which to raise the
conciousness of a significant proportion of the student body,
particularly through participation in strike action.

For a university which has a degree of notoriety for its reactionary
character, we are very pleased that the Cambridge SU has passed these
motions. While there is much more work to be done, this is a substantial
step forward. Our task now is to continue building the movement of
students so that the 30th November will be a magnificent display of the
power of the united workers and students.

The Motions

Support the November 9^th Demonstration

CUSU notes:

1. The NUS demonstration against cuts to higher education and increased university fees, held in London on 10^th November 2010 and attended by 50,000 university and school students.

1. The success of that demonstration as a catalyst for the student
   movement against cuts to public spending and higher fees throughout the
   country.

1. The publication of a White Paper in June 2011 which fails to modify
   the original proposals for higher education in spite of the overwhelming
   opposition already displayed.

1. The demonstration called for the 9^th November and fully supported by the NUS against cuts to higher education and increased university fees.

1. These White Paper proposals come at a time of massive cuts to all
   public spending causing real hardship to students and working people.

1. Current CUSU policy condemning increased university fees and cuts to
   higher education and to the public sector in general and in support of
   free university education.

CUSU believes:

1. Students at the University of Cambridge are still as opposed to
   increased fees and cuts to higher education and the public sector as
   they ever were for all the reasons outlined in current CUSU policy.

1. The only way to resist the White Paper proposals is to resist all cuts to public spending.

1. As many people as possible should attend the demonstration on the 9^th November 2011.

1. That education should be free for everyone.

CUSU resolves:

1. To support and advertise the demonstration on the 9^th November 2011 to University and school students.

1. To book coaches and use £500 of the Council Free Budget to subsidise
   those coaches to carry university and school students to and from
   London on the 9^th November 2011.

1. To campaign alongside and co-ordinate with the University and
   College Union (UCU) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) against the
   White Paper proposals and in favour of no fees and no cuts.

Proposed by: Ben Gliniecki (Selwyn)

Seconded by: Glen Pearse (Selwyn)

Support the 30^th November Strike Action (Original version)

CUSU notes:

1. The financial crisis which began in 2008 took £850 billion of public
   money to bail out banks which continue to pay out billions in bonuses.

1. This is an international crisis of capitalism which has shown no
   signs of subsiding and the overall cost of this crisis to the UK
   taxpayer is still not known.

1. Immediately following the bailout the UK Government embarked upon a
   programme of massive public spending cuts which have increased
   unemployment, increased inflation and decreased pensions.

1. In response to this Government programme 750,000 working people, including teachers and lecturers, went on strike on 30^th June 2011.

1. The success of co-ordinated strike action in raising awareness among
   working people that they have as much right to be listened to as those
   in the financial industry, and in raising awareness among the general
   public about the way the Government is treating working people.

1. The failure of the government to acknowledge the concerns of working
   people, resulting in a second wave of co-ordinated strike action
   culminating in a mass strike planned for the 30^th November
   2011 currently backed by the Trade Union Council with at least thirteen
   unions taking part which have a combined membership of around 3 million
   people.

1. Wednesday 30^th November 2011 is the last day of lectures in the Michaelmas term.

1. Current CUSU policy opposing cuts to public spending, particularly but not exclusively, in the field of education.

CUSU believes:

1. The policy of giving huge amounts of public money to financial
   institutions and then cutting back on public spending on health,
   transport and education services is deeply unfair and profoundly
   regressive.

1. Every Cambridge student makes use of a wide variety of public services which will be affected by current Government policy.

1. The cuts to public spending are part of a coherent and joined-up
   attack on UK public services and as such, can only be challenged by a
   coherent and joined-up response from all those affected by the cuts.

1. The strike action which took place on 30^th June 2011 should be praised, and the strike action planned for 30^th November 20011 should be supported by students.

CUSU resolves:

1. To publicly support all working people taking strike action on 30^th November 2011.

1. To publicly encourage all students not to cross picket lines.

1. To organise a mass walkout of students from the University on the 30^th November 2011 to join with the Cambridge Trades Council rally.

1. To send delegates to Cambridgeshire Trades Council to co-ordinate events for November 30^th with Unison and other unions.

Proposed by: Ben Gliniecki (Selwyn)

Seconded by: Mattin Biglari (Selwyn)

Support the 30^th November Strike Action (as amended by sabbatical officers)

CUSU notes:

1. Wednesday 30^th November 2011 is the last day of lectures in the Michaelmas term.

1. Current CUSU policy opposing cuts to public spending, particularly but not exclusively, in the field of education.

CUSU believes:

1. The policy of cutting back on public spending on health, transport
   and education services is deeply unfair and profoundly regressive.

1. Every Cambridge student makes use of a wide variety of public services which will be affected by current Government policy.

1. The strike action which took place on 30^th June 2011 should be praised, and the strike action planned for 30^th November 20011 should be supported by students.

CUSU resolves:

1. To encourage all students to support their lecturers in a variety of
   ways, including joining the Cambridgeshire Trades Council rally on
   November 30^th.

1. To organise a mass walkout of students from the University on the 30^th November 2011 to join with the Cambridge Trades Council rally.

1. To send delegates to Cambridgeshire Trades Council to co-ordinate events for November 30^th with Unison and other unions.

Proposed by: Ben Gliniecki (Selwyn)

Seconded by: Mattin Biglari (Selwyn)