Public sector activists call for action after 24 April

Submitted by AWL on 25 April, 2008 - 8:00

Civil service by Workers’ Liberty PCS Members

A number of Groups (sectors) in PCS are striking on 24 April alongside the teachers and lecturers.

Our strike will make the news and will undoubtedly worry the powers that be; how much better if the whole of the PCS union was on strike.

Of course it does not stop there. Where are Unison, GMB, Unite etc? Gordon Brown has a united and consistent policy towards public sector pay and employment, yet the union movement does not.

At PCS national conference, which will happen shortly, AWL members have put forward motions calling on all the union to fight, not just a few Groups.

The motions also point out that one-day or indeed two-day strikes now and then are not the most effective manner of taking action. We are in favour of the maximum national action, but in addition we want selective action where key workers are taken out for short periods to hit the employer in between national actions. We should not allow them a period to recover.

Unions working together is more than general secretaries gathering in a room. Activists must come together locally. Although they are still weak in many areas, local trade councils offer a ready made vehicle for such co-operation.

Teachers by Workers’ Liberty teachers

On 24 April over 200,000 teachers will take national action to defend our pay. We will be joined by around 100,000 civil servants and 25,000 Further Education [FE] lecturers.

The government’s insistence that public sector workers should pay the price for their failed economic policies and rising inflation is being rejected and resisted by the biggest day of public service workers’ action in decades. At a time when billions are being set aside to guarantee failing banks and city bosses pick up £14bn in bonuses alone, this revival in trade union confidence and militancy is a tremendous and long overdue sign of hope.

But it is only a start. After today members of the NUT and the other unions have a decision to make: is this a protest action or are we serious about winning?

If we are serious, more action will be required beyond this one day, and as soon as practically possible.

When members return to work after the strike, messages should be sent to the National Executive supporting a fresh strike ballot so that further action can be called. We should also encourage members of other teacher unions, particularly the NASUWT, to put pressure on their leaders locally and nationally to join the NUT campaign.

The presence on 24 April of civil service members of PCS and FE lecturers from UCU demonstrates that opposition to a public sector pay freeze is spreading across the trade union movement. In the next few months that opposition is likely to grow.

Support staff in schools have also been offered only 2.45% and they are being consulted by Unison with a recommendation to reject the deal and to strike.

Health workers, fire brigade staff and prison officers are among the other groups due to react to below-inflation pay awards in the coming months.

It would make no sense for teachers to enter the stage briefly for one day, only to leave it when thousands more workers join the battle against the pay freeze.

A united fight by public sector workers can defeat the pay freeze and win inflation-proof increases across the board.

The NUT should re-ballot this term — this time for discontinuous action — and immediately approach the other unions to build a co-ordinated campaign. Discontinuous action would allow us to call further days or half-days of action or to call selective action in particular areas where striking members receive strike pay.

We should start action with whomever will take it — “a coalition of the willing”. That will make it easier to bring Unison and NASUWT on board.

All of this can only happen if it is prepared on the ground. In the staffroom it means talking to members of other teacher and support staff unions and sending petitions and messages to NUT headquarters calling for action. In cities and towns, it means building united public sector pay campaigns across the different unions as has been done already in Leeds and Bristol.

Lecturers by Workers’ Liberty UCU Members

In Further Education [FE], the long standing demand to bring main grade lecturers’ pay into line with school teachers’ has still to be won. Two years of increases barely above inflation pay increase have been followed by two years of below inflation pay increases. This year is due to be the third year in a row of cuts in real wages.

Worse than that is the continued casualisation of the FE teaching profession, with around 40% of teachers on a variety of short term, hourly-paid or otherwise inferior contracts. This can result in FE teachers receiving as little as £16,000 for what is effectively a full teaching year, and often without any job security.

Another problem is the increasing workload in colleges. Weekly contact hours of 25 hours are now not uncommon.

The Chinese water torture of “reform” of qualifications, funding methodology and “contestability” is remarkable for the government’s inability to take a sensible decision and then pursue it, and immune both to the needs of the learner and the expertise of the teachers.

To start a sustained campaign, we must first recognise the weaknesses in the UCU’s action on 24 April.

Although there was “yes” vote in the strike ballot, it was not a strong yes vote. Of those who voted, slightly more than a third voted no. Although the turnout was not bad in terms of national strike ballots (nearly 40%), weaker and less organised branches not being balloted at all.

UCU organisation on the ground remains weak. The regional structures weakened after the NATFHE-AUT merger need to be re-established and given resources and power to strengthen UCU branches in individual colleges.

We have to use today’s strike action to build towards a united response across the public sector. If the NUT calls further strikes, we should join them.

And we must build links with members of other unions (particularly via Trades Councils).

Comments

Submitted by Jason on Fri, 25/04/2008 - 19:00

passed a motion in an 80 strong meeting calling for an immediate ballot

we should back this up with school and college based motions passed to all union executives and shared on a network of activists within th eunions to demand ballots- though of course UCU and PCS already have live ballots they should also call on NUT executive for further action

and we should begin organising it now on the ground- preparing the ground, having public meetings, stalls, open letters
let's get in touch
Jason

Submitted by Jason on Fri, 25/04/2008 - 19:04

I should have added- let's also talk with Unison activists and have a massive unionisation drive

I also hear that over 2000 teachers voted for further strike action in a London meeting

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