Sunday 25 July 2010

TUC refuse to call national demonstration, so we'll do it for them!

Janice Godrich, National President of PCS, called at a meeting of the TUC General Council for a national demonstration against the cuts and although this was supported by the National Union of Teachers and the Communications Workers Union, it was opposed by Unison and Unite and the proposal was defeated. This is a setback, but plans are now being made for a demonstration outside the September TUC conference. Details will be published when available and we will encourage members to attend, in the company of many others. The TUC, the so-called leadership of the British trade unions, need to understand that we are not going to stand by and watch this 'broken-back' coalition Government destroy jobs and services.

Thursday 22 July 2010

Update on Leicestershire Against the Cuts

It was a really good meeting of Leicestershire Against the Cuts on 19 July; very positive with a keen desire to fight the cuts. We extended the Steering Committee which next meets on 11 August) and elected a Chair, Bernard Harper - President of Leicester and District Trades Union Council, a Convenor, myself, and a Treasurer, Alan Stanley, also a Trades Union Council officer. We also agreed a strategy, key to which is that we will moblise to defend any public service threatened by the cuts, from ward closures to community centres from schools to old folks homes etc. We want to link the trade unions with the communities and build strong local based unity. The cuts affect us all and we all have a part to play. Everyone can help by getting the word out that we exist and getting their friends and family to join us as part of our campaigns and activities.The campaign strategy also includes:
*A national demonstration against the cuts called by the British TUC - we will lobby the TUC conference with thousands of others if they fail to do this.
*Support for all actions by unions and anti-cuts campaigns in defence of public services, including individual strikes at local or national level.
*Campaign activity through the wider movement and local communities
*Meetings and activities through trades councils and local trade union branches with anti-cuts campaigns to explain and build support for action
*Lobbies of councils, health boards and other employer organisations responsible for carrying through Government cuts.
PS - we also changed the group's name to reflect that it is county wide.

Sunday 18 July 2010

Leicester Against the Cuts

A reminder that the meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts takes place tonight (19 July) in the Independent Arts Centre, Humberstone Gate, Leicester at 7.30pm. You are most welcome to attend.

Friday 16 July 2010

Leicester and District Trades Union Council resolution

The Leicester and District Trades Union Council carried our resolution last night. This was contained in an earlier post, but is provided again below. The Trades Union Council brings together branches of many unions locally and, therefore, carrying this resolution is an important step forward in our campaign:

This meeting notes that workers in a number of countries will be involved in general strikes on Wednesday 29 September, European Day of Action.

We agree that the British TUC should now name a day for a national demonstration against the cuts and that, if it properly built for, it is possible that 29 September could become a general strike in the UK too.

With this in mind, we recognise that there is a need for urgent campaigning and preparatory work throughout the movement; including
• supporting regional demonstrations, such as the one that has been proposed to take place in Nottingham on 4 September, and
• endorsing the call by the National Shop Stewards Network (which is supported by PCS and a number of other unions) for a lobby of the TUC conference, if the TUC fail to call for action.

We call upon all trade union organisations and anti-cuts campaigns to ensure the largest turnout possible for events by sponsoring transport for those who wish to attend

We further recognise that these campaigning activities should be underpinned by:
• support for all actions by unions and anti-cuts campaigns in defence of public services, including individual strikes at local or national level,
• campaign activity through the wider movement and local communities,
• meetings and activities through trades councils and local trade union branches with anti-cuts campaigns to explain and build support for action,
• lobbies of councils, health boards and other employer organisations responsible for carrying through Government cuts.

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Good local radio coverage

Daphne Mitchell, Branch Organiser, has just appeared on BBC Radio Leicester explaining what the situation is like for members working in local Jobcentres. Excellent contribution on behalf of PCS explaining all the current pressure and stresses. Thanks to Andrew Lloyd, our PCS Midlands full-time officer for setting this up.

Thursday 8 July 2010

Misinformation to create division

The con-dems and their paid media have started the campaign to create division in PCS. We should be proud; it's not a sign of our weakness but, on the contrary, it recognises our strength. They know that together, under our newly endorsed leadership, we can and we will defeat the attacks on our conditions, jobs and services. Some recent comment does, however, require answering:

PCS policy is that those who work for us, such as General Secretary Mark Serwotka, should receive pay that is more in line with the salaries of the members who the union represents. The union, however, that represents PCS staff (GMB) does not agree with this; they believe that their members should be paid 'the rate for the job.' PCS, as an employer, has not been able to reach agreement with GMB, so currently it is true that paid full time officials are generally receive more than many PCS members.

Mark, however, has committed to paying some of his salary back into campaigns and the movement in general. This is not an ideal situation, but it is frankly hypocritical that Mark's salary has been criticised by members of a Cabinet, 21 of whom are millionaires. I am happy to report that Mark is not a millionaire! I agree with PCS policy, but I was amused the other day when a member said to me that they'd rather pay Mark his current salary to continue protecting us as he has magnificently done since his election, rather than 'the tossers in this government or the bankers.' You will note that this was a direct quotation.

Today the Guardian has published an article from someone who is described as a 'writer and a barrister currently working in the Civil Service' calling upon Mark to resign because PCS took the last government to court over the compensation scheme and won!! The twisted argument of the article is that PCS should have accepted Labour's changes to the scheme (although a High Court judge found most of them illegal!!!), because what the con-dems are now proposing are far worse. The article made me very angry, but now I have had a chance to reflect it makes me proud to be a PCS member. Because what it tells me is that the other Civil Service union leaderships are cowardly and are prepared to sell out their members. Every decision on the campaign was endorsed by PCS members; members in other unions have never been fully consulted on the changes and that's why many left the union they were in to join PCS. Articles like this from someone who surely if he was any good at his legal profession would be making mega-bucks in the private sector receive the full support of Cameron, Clegg and other rich ministers, as well as the cabal of those other Civil Service union general secretaries with a wide yellow streak down their backs. By the way, these general secretaries receive large salaries too, but they are not in favour in reducing these at all and, as far as I know, they take everything that is going and pay nothing back into the movement to aid workers in disputes or other progressive movements. By ye friends, will thou be known!

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Find out the Government are trying to change your conditions through the media

Absolutely outrageous that the Government tell us through the media that they intend to change our conditions. Having seen the previous Labour Government defeated in the courts over the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, the millionaires in the Con-Dem Government now intend not only to move the goalposts, but shift the whole playing field. The stinking rich Francis Maude tells us that this is the fault of PCS. I'm afraid I'm angry, so I can't resist saying what bloody cheek! He was a minister in Margaret Thatcher's government that decided to give us these conditions in the first place.

The Con-Dems tell us we are all in this together and after all Maude has taken a 5 per cent pay cut; not hard when your ministerial salary is your pocket money! A bit different to our members who dare to earn over £21,000 a year and have their pay frozen for two years. Now they're coming for our compensation scheme and next it will be our pensions.

There is an alternative to the cuts the Government want to make. This is not an exercise in simple accountancy, it is a series of deliberate decisions in political economics; a series of decisions that will see the rich consolidate their wealth at the expense of everyone else. If you want to solve our 'debt crisis' collect the £120bn owed in Income Tax and tax the banks that have 'stolen' our money.

Of course, the Con-Dems will not do this; they look after their friends and supporters.

We invite all members to attend the next meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts; an initiative we played the leading role in creating. This will be held on Monday 19 July at 7.30 pm in the Independent Arts Centre, Humberstone Gate, Leicester.

We can and we will defeat the attacks of this Government if we unite the trade union movement and all those fighting cuts in Britain and the rest of Europe. Come and play your part!

Sunday 4 July 2010

New assault on compensation scheme

The con-dems are trying to distance themselves from making 40% cuts, but late last night it was announced that the Government intend to press ahead with what they believe are legal reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. We knew it was coming, didn't we?

Members have a choice and it's the biggest choice you've ever had. We stand by and watch our jobs and the services we provide destroyed by a Government without a mandate to make such savage cuts or we get up off our knees and join with millions of others all over Europe to protect what our mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and generations before them fought for.

We are not all in this together. The richest 30 people in Britain have done very well during the financial crisis and it's us who are paying for their wealth. This was a crisis not caused by ordinary people, but banks playing the financial casinos and then asking us to cover their debts. It must for be them to pay, not us.

Remember the tax gap in Britain is now estimated as £120bn. If we were all in it together, the Government would collect the 30 per cent of this that is available for collection (except New Labour have cut colleagues in HMRC) and chase the other 70 per cent that evade paying tax; people like Lord Ashcroft who lives abroad but bankrolls the Tories. The reason it doesn't is because it isn't a Government for all the people, but only for the stinking rich. The majority of the current Cabinet are millionaires many times over.

Our branch was behind the creation of Leicester Against the Cuts and we all need to now get behind this and our own National Executive Committee, linking up with the other trade unions across the continent. United we can win, united we will win!

Saturday 3 July 2010

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse

I have just read on the BBC web site that Government Departments are now being asked to draw up plans for a 40% cut in their budgets.

A cut of a quarter is obviously not enough and the Con Dems want to nearly halve our service.

This is not just trimming the fat, this is cutting away the flesh and hacking away at the heart of the service that we deliver.

It is vital that we all actively campaign (see previous posts for details) before there is nothing left to campaign for!

Friday 2 July 2010

The campaign against the cuts starts

The initial meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts took place on 29 June. It was well-attended, considering that it clashed with Spain against Portugal. The football rejecting individuals at the Independent Arts Centre numbered around 25 and the intiative we had started was endorsed by Andrew Lloyd, the full time official for PCS in the Midlands. This is good news because it gives us official support and hopefully some finance.

What was encouraging was that the meeting was attended by members of other unions and also members of the general public. It was agreed that to beat the cuts we needed to link unions with groups and individuals in the community fighting to defend services. The example of how the Poll Tax and Margaret Thatcher was defeated was very much in mind; a great lesson in working class history for those who are too young to remember the actual event.

A Steering Committee emerged from the meeting to take the campaign forward. Besides myself, this is Bernard Harper (President of Leicester and District Trades Union Council), Steve Score (Trade Unionist and Socialist candidate for Leicester West in the recent General Election), Mike Thompson (Unite) and Andrew Walton (Unison Leicestershire Health Branch).

The Steering Committe is discussing our next steps and an update will be posted soon.