UNISON activists rally to defend Michael Gavan

Michael Gavan addresses the meeting in Stratford

“We stand very clearly as a trade union. There’s no
half-way house, there’s no if or buts, privatisation is not something that’s
good one day and bad the next – privatisation is wrong. It’s wrong on a Monday,
it’s wrong on a Tuesday, it’s wrong on every single occasion. You show me one
single public service that’s been privatised and it’s ended up better, and I’ll
show you someone that’s deluded.” Michael Gavan

Over 300 from across London came to St. John’s Church in
Stratford, Newham, on Monday night to show their solidarity with Michael Gavan,
the UNISON chair sacked by Newham council last November as part of their
campaign to stop trade unions effectively organising against privatisation.

There have been a number of attacks on UNISON activists like
Karen Reissman, who are giving a lead in putting up a strong fight in
defence of public services. The real message from these attacks by local
government is to make an example of activists like Michael and Karen, in order
to cow the labour movement in general. As Jean Geldhart, chair of local
government service executive for UNISON, said these union activists are the
‘sand in the machine’ towards privatisation.

There have been 2 days of strikes so far, where 1000s of
public servants have stopped schools, offices, even dustbin collections, in a
stand against privatisation.

As Michael Gavan came to address the meeting, he was
received by a standing ovation. He said that the attack by the local council
was something that had been coming for years; such is the council’s
determination to sell off local services. He talked about the role of the
unions to challenge and fight back against privatisation, which only results in
cutbacks, lay-offs and the squeezing of the remaining workforce.

“The people who run Newham council think that trade unions
should only exist under their beck and call, and under their control. Well
UNISON will never be under the thumb of the mayor, or the leader of the council
or anybody else. We will always speak up for our members because that’s the
right thing to do.”

Listen to Michael Gavan speak

John McDonnell MP, who has been a member of UNISON for 30
years, expressed his 100% solidarity with Michael. He underlined the process of
victimisation that has carried on for years, trying to pick off individual
leaders before their voice gains an echo. He also put this process in context,
talking about the history of the labour movement in fighting for welfare for
ordinary people. But in recent times we have entered quite a different period.
A period where, across the world – where 250 companies control two-thirds of
world trade – the process of globalisation has meant IMF-imposed cut-backs on
social spending and the asset-stripping of vast tracts of natural resources and
public services to private companies. In this country this profiteering has
manifested itself in the attack of the welfare state through outsourcing, PFI
and PPP.

“The one way they maximise their profits we all know.
Because those of us who’ve worked in local government, or the civil service, or
the health service have experienced it – to maximise their profits it’s simple
– you cut the wages, you worsen the conditions, you make people work longer and
then eventually you come for their pension fund. It’s the standard strategy
they’ve used right across the public sector. And it’s made immense profits for
them. In the last 10 years – and I say this almost in shame at what’s gone on –
this government has privatised more jobs in the last 10 years than the Tories
did in 18. £100 billion of government contracts have been afforded to the
private sector and they’ve made massive profits. And Gordon Brown says, ‘Oh
don’t worry we transfer the risk’ – oh no we don’t. Look what happened in
Metronet over the last 3 months. It’s cost us as Londoners £2billion, £500
million of which was paid out to consultants to set the deal up, that enabled
us to be ripped off. Then Metronet collapses and we then have to pick up the
tab with public money.”

John McDonell MP

“Some of the privatisations have been bizarre… there was a
public accounts committee report by the House of Commons. Mapley is the company
that Gordon Brown, PFI, privatised the inland revenue offices out to. Our own
tax offices are sold to Mapley and we rent them back. But we discovered it’s an
off-shore company that pays no taxes to the Inland Revenue – is this bizarre?
This is going on on a daily basis.”

John finished by labelling those who have attacked Michael
Gavan as using the tactics of a bully. And, recalling the slogan of the
Grunswick strikes of 1978, restated ‘The workers, united, will never be
defeated’.

Listen to John McDonnell speak

Before the meeting was opened to the floor for discussion,
Tony Benn had a few words to say:

“There’s a fundamental question here – if you let one of
your comrades go down and they’re fighting for you, then you’re next on the
list. It’s a simple question. To have so many people here tonight is an
indication that people here in Newham understand exactly what’s at stake.”

“Democracy and trade unionism frighten the rich and
powerful, and they decided that, if they could, they’d destroy it. When you
look back on Mrs Thatcher and President Reagan in America, they lead a
counterrevolution… how did they do it? Very simple – Mrs Thatcher knew more
about the labour movement than we sometimes do. She knew that the strength of
the welfare state, which she hated, was in trade unionism, so she decided to
take on the trade unions… she picked on the strongest union – the National
Union of Mineworkers – and she destroyed the mining industry in order to get
rid of the NUM… It was a crazy thing to do because we still have 300 years of
coal under our territory; with no miners and we’re fighting wars about energy.”

“This is an attack, not just on Michael, not just on trade
unionism, but the whole principal that we are entitled to govern ourselves – an
attack on democracy. We are supposed to be going round the world having wars
for democracy while it’s being destroyed at home.”

Listen to Tony Benn speak

Tony Benn

After Tony finished contributions came from the floor, where
the mood of frustration and anger flashed to the surface at certain points as
workers asked why UNISON wasn’t organising throughout London and taking on
these attacks as one union. That the rank-and-file should forget relying on the
union tops, but cut across with the initiative of the rank-and-file, was
evidently a popular feeling inside the meeting.

A dustbin worker summed up the frustration:

“All we want is just a bit more backing from everyone – we
want to do away with these one-day strikes, we should all come out on strike. A
strike’s a strike and we should stay out on strike basically until they listen
to us, because these one-day strikes are doing nothing at all, nothing
whatsoever. Because people come in on a Saturday and they just pick up the
work.”

And the chair of UNISON in neighbouring Tower Hamlets got to the point:

“One thing we would say to people like Robin Wales (Mayor
of Newham) is that it’s the work of our members, it’s our money, it’s our funds
that have built them up and they’ve got no right using Newham council to attack
trade unionists. And isn’t it a joke (I can feel the anger of people) but isn’t
it a joke that in Britain today you can be an MP, you can steal public money to
give to your family and you don’t even have to resign? If you’re a dustworker
working every day clearing up rubbish you get your pay cut by £4,500 – what
kind of society is that? How can it be that you privatise a building society,
you recklessly gamble the money, and then what happens – you get £55billion of
public money to bail you out and all of the top people there, their money is
guaranteed? That cannot be right in our society… and it’s getting worse – the
gap between rich and poor is worse now than it was under Margaret Thatcher…and
how can it be that even if Michael wins on a tribunal, this council can say ‘we
don’t have to reinstate him’? isn’t it about time there were laws that say ‘if
you’re a victimised trade unionist, and you win on a tribunal, they’ve got to
reinstate you’?…I heard talk this week about athletes against the Olympics. They
quite rightly have the right to protest about civil liberties in Beijing. Well
the Olympics are coming to Newham, how about civil rights in Newham? (applause)
…we built the Labour Party, and doesn’t there come a time to ask a question –
you can’t keep taking our money and then attacking our members, you can’t keep
taking our money, and then sack people. If you keep doing that you cannot
expect our money, our support from our members… isn’t it about time the likes
of Gordon Brown got a message – if you keep attacking us, don’t think you can
get a way with it forever?”