PORTSMOUTH: Guildhall Square
resounded to loud shouts against the Government’s attack on the pensions and
conditions of millions of Public Sector workers.
PORTSMOUTH: Guildhall Square
resounded to loud shouts against the Government’s attack on the pensions and
conditions of millions of Public Sector workers.
A woman civil servant handing out
leaflets typified the mood. “I’ve worked for the tax office for 32 years and
never thought I’d be militant or going on strike. But what this government is
doing is making me angry”, she said.
The rally organisers said that
there were up to 1000 demonstrating against the pensions changes.
Patrick Smyth, Chair of Portsmouth
Vectis Revenue and Customs PCS Branch said that 85% of his office membership
had stayed away from work – the biggest support for action in years. He said,
“This is a stealth tax on the Civil Service and to pay towards the £850 billion
they have given to the bankers.”
Amanda Martin, an NUT National
Executive member said that 70% of Portsmouth schools were affected by the
strike. Teachers could not afford to increase pension contributions from £100 a
month to £150 and 8% were already opting out of the pension scheme.
Apart from strikers from the four
Unions that had balloted for action, PCS, NUT, ATL and the UCU, contingents
from UNITE, RMT, Unison and Portsmouth TUC joined the March and Rally. The mood was one of anger and
determination shown by the participation of the ATL, striking for the first
time in its 127 year history! They had all decided: ‘enough is enough!’
Speaker after speaker demanded fair
pensions for all. Dave Fish, UCU said: Private pensions were liberalised by the
Conservative Government in the 1980’s, when big corporations had pension
contribution ‘holidays’ and spent pensioners’ money. “We’ll support the private
sector when they fight for their pensions”, he said.
Over the last year, since the Tories and Liberal Democrats became the
Government, Portsmouth has seen more demonstrations rallies and strikes than at
any time since the Miners strike in 1984/85. Anger with this government is
growing, – shoppers in the City Centre applauded the March, strike pickets won
support: people are getting off their knees and fighting back!
