Whenever any serious strike action took place during the
tenure of the last Labour government, not least if it involved public sector
workers, the bosses’ press and the TV news channels would start going on about
a new “winter of discontent.” Almost invariably the same 1978/9 footage of
rubbish pilling up in Leicester Square would be shown and assorted Tory MPs
would rattle on about how Labour couldn’t control the unions and how different
things would be if they were in power.
Well they are in power now and what are we seeing? London
Transport workers are taking strike action over attempts by Transport For
London (TfL) to close ticket offices and carry out measures that will have a
direct affect on safety. Much of the Tube network has been either shut or is
operating with major delays. London Fire Brigade workers organised by the FBU
are also staging a series of walkouts over attempts by management to impose new
rosters and terms of contracts – measures being backed up by threats to sack
all staff who refuse to accept the new arrangements. On 5th
November, BBC workers in the NUJ are set to walk out over proposed cuts to
their pension scheme which will see payout levels cut severely. All these disputes have one thing in
common – they are all against groups of workers perceived to be well organised
and with a militant tradition. The bosses and their friends in government want
to attack these workers first to lay down a marker to others. However, it is the labour movement that
should be laying down the marker – this government can be beaten.
This is just the tip of the iceberg now heading towards the
coalition ship of government. Like
the Titanic they may be about to discover just how unsinkable they actually
are.
Socialist Appeal is calling for all socialists to give
maximum solidarity to those workers taking action now and to those who will
follow them. Visit the picket lines of these workers on strike – the
Underground workers are out now with picket lines outside major stations. The
BBC workers will be out on the 5th and 6th November with
a rally outside the BBC centre in London W12 at 12.00 midday. The FBU in London will be holding their
next strike on November 5th unless management back down. There will
also be a mass rally of firefighters on Wednesday 17th November at
lunchtime in Westminster Central Hall.
As the
cuts start to take form, more workers will be starting to take action to defend
jobs, conditions of service and the work they do. There is no alternative to
fighting these attacks. The new year may well see authorities starting to issue
redundancy notices as they plan the cuts for the 2011/12 financial year. It is
now reckoned that more than a million jobs will go as a result of the spending
review. This is the nature of capitalism in crisis. We need to struggle against
these cuts but also against the whole rotten system. Only socialism can put an
end to the madness of a society where the poor must pay for the greed of the
rich.
Let this winter of discontent be followed by a glorious summer of united strike action, demonstrations, rallies and community action to take this coalition of millionaires on and show them where power really lies.
