Lambeth library workers: striking to serve our community

Submitted by AWL on 7 April, 2016 - 5:13

Lambeth library workers in solidarity with the Carnegie occupation

A Lambeth library worker and Unison member describes the fighting mood of a recent branch meeting and comments on the lessons for trade unionism.

The room was buzzing as I arrived, with people rifling through papers to look for the latest press reports. "I can't believe Lambeth Libraries have made it into the Financial Times!" came a shout across the Reference Library.

We know our current industrial action against the council is part of a broad movement for the defence of library services in Lambeth and across the country. We stand with the Friends of Libraries Groups and others who use our libraries. We've had support from Lambeth pensioners, disability campaigns, MPs, educationalists, writers, celebrities, and Mumsnet.

Barnet and Lewisham library workers have visited our picket lines. In fact the broad and passionate campaign Barnet workers have fought, taking industrial action, alongside community action is a great source of inspiration for us. We've had messages of support from library campaigns from Coventry to Australia.

But top of our minds were the brilliant and daring protesters who took matters into their own hands and by occupying Carnegie.

Speaker after speaker talked about how proud they were of their readers. One library assistant, who'd never spoken at a union meeting before, said she'd never been so proud to be a library worker. We took a solidarity photo and all recommitted ourselves to campaign alongside the communities we serve.

The meeting came on to talk about our campaign of industrial action. We've taken three days of official action, following an unofficial staff walkout last year. One of the reps read out a letter from the Council which they claimed closed the dispute. We discussed and debated it, from what a shoddy offer it was, to the abhorrent fact that we were limited to striking over jobs under the anti-union laws when we'd all be prepared to strike to save services.

You hear a lot in the press about trade unionists being selfish, calling our leaders bullyboys and barons; but the fact is it is our desire to fight for more than ourselves and use our collective strength to build a better world that scares the Tory Government the most.

We agreed that we do not think that the offer from the Council resolves our existing trade dispute. We know the closure of some libraries will lead (almost inevitably) to job losses in the future. No slippery statement from the council is going to get past us without assurances over jobs until 2020.

We understand the council have made veiled threats to block further action, and reps explained that ultimately whether a trade dispute is legitimate can only be decided in a court of law and we are confident the council will not win there.

Industrial action is just one of the tools of trade unionists, but it is one we think is incredibly powerful. If the council do not back down, we will take further action; our union branch is balloting its entire membership to come out alongside us. Library workers in a number of other boroughs are looking to strike to save their libraries.

We are a community that is saying enough is enough, and I must say I've never been so proud to be a library worker.

• The next step: demonstrate in Lambeth, Saturday 9 April - meet 11.30am, at the Carnegie library, 188 Herne Hill Road, SE24 0AG. Facebook event.

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