As the TUC meets in Manchester and calls are made for united concerted action to fight the coalition cuts, Jerry Hicks, the Left candidate for the General Secretary position in Unite, has issued a press statement on fighting the cuts:
Press release: Press Release: Press Release: Immediate 11/09/2010
Jerry Hicks one of only four candidates for the General Secretary of
Unite has made it clear where he stands on the issue of ‘cuts’.
He said “This is a crisis not of our making, we should not be paying
one single penny, not losing one single job nor face any reduction in
benefits or services”.
He [Jerry Hicks] says, angry words will not be enough to stop the
butchery to jobs, services and benefits we as ordinary people face from
the Con-Dem government. The Labour party, argue cuts, but not so soon.
The TUC leadership seem to fall into the same trap of believing cuts
are inevitable.
Jerry Hicks points out that, a massive £100 billion goes uncollected
from big business and the very wealthy in tax avoidance, this is where
the money should come from to pay off the debt. There is an
alternative, the case has to be made, then we will need to fight for it
not just campaign.
We must build our way out of the recession, more jobs not less, more
public projects not fewer, and the money is there, it’s just being
spent on the wrong things.
Bringing the troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq saving lives and
£ billions, coupled with scrapping Trident saving up to £75 billion.
Spend that instead on
-
£25 billion on building schools, hospitals and council houses
providing 100,000 jobs in construction the first 3,200 offered to the
blacklisted workers. - £25 billion on ‘Green energies’, sea, solar and wind, creating up to one million jobs
-
That still leaves £25 billion for state pension increases making
ours one of the best in Europe instead of being the third worse.
ENDS:
Notes to editors:
(1) Jerry Hicks is the grassroots candidate the other three being
Assistant General Secretaries. Many are already saying that Jerry Hicks
could become the first elected General Secretary of super-union
‘Unite’. Union insiders report increasing concern from senior officials
of Unite that workers may reject officials seen as too close to the
previous Labour Government. Given the size and make up of Unite, it
makes the election for the union’s General Secretary the most
significant union election for decades.
(2) In last year’s election for joint General Secretary Jerry Hicks
came second to Derek Simpson, Mr Simpson will not be standing this time.
(3) Jerry Hicks, if elected would only take the average wage of a
skilled worker. This is certain to strike a chord, as none of the other
candidates will be saying the same.
Jerry Hicks can be contacted on Tel: 07817827912 Email:jerryhicks4gs2010@yahoo.co.uk
http://jerryhicks.wordpress.com/wp-login.php and http://www.jerryhicks4gs.com/
