Build the protests against June 22nd “bloodbath budget”
June 22nd is the ConDem governments emergency budget that will begin the process of savage cuts across public services, jobs, pensions and benefits. In response, protests are being planned across Scotland organised by trade unions and community activists. Socialist Party Scotland members have been instrumental in proposing action on June 22nd. In this article Brian Smith, branch secretary of Glasgow Unison and a member of the Socialist Party Scotland looks at the impact the planned cuts will have in Scotland and what strategy is needed to fight the attacks. (This article is taken from the latest issue of the Socialist – the paper of the Socialist Party Scotland)
Communities across Scotland face massive cuts in jobs and services and attacks on benefits, pensions and wages as the new ConDem UK Government accelerates its assault on public spending. The SNP Scottish Government, despite some populist rhetoric during the election campaign, intends to make the cuts asked of it rather than standing up for public services workers and working class people in general. The Centre for Public Policy for Regions has stated that the cut to next year’s Scottish budget could lie in the range of £1.1bn to £1.5bn – equivalent to a fall from this year of 5.2% to 6.2%.
Our politicians should be protecting services to the sick, old, disabled, children and the unemployed not cutting them to pay for the mistakes of millionaire bankers. At a time when Britain ’s 100 richest individuals have a combined personal wealth of over £250 billion and just over a third of this, £90 billion, could end Britain ’s so-called “structural deficit”, there is no justification for the cuts planned.
The four main parties in Scotland are not going to defend jobs and services. It is therefore left to trade unionists, socialists and local communities to lead the defence of jobs and services. Many of the trade unions have made the case for an “alternative – no cuts budget” that includes increasing taxes on the rich, attacking the tax avoidance scams of big business and the millionaires, ending expensive PFI contracts, cancelling the replacement for Trident, etc.
These demands, whilst limited in many respects, do at least represent an alternative economic voice from the trade unions. However, we also need action as well as words.
As a first step local protests against the UK Government’s emergency budget on 22 June should be organised. Local trade union branches need to work together and also encourage the involvement of voluntary and community organisations in these protests. Anti-cuts committees should also be set up in local areas, uniting trade unions and communities to plan action. An all Scotland demonstration should be organised in the early autumn called by the STUC under a banner such as “Defend Scotland’s Services”.
We also need to build the confidence of members to take industrial action on the issue of pay and campaign hard for the rejection of the local government employers current three year offer of 1%, 0% and 0.5% – a pay cut with inflation at over 5%. Where local strikes against cuts break out, such as in Glasgow Council’s arms length organisation Culture and Sport Glasgow, then strikers must be fully supported by the trade union leaders and the wider membership.
We need a trade union movement armed with an industrial action strategy that can protect jobs, wages, welfare benefits and services. We need to work towards national joint trade union action, such as all public sector workers strikes or even general strikes similar to those in Greece and other parts of Europe , aimed at forcing changes to government policies. We must do all we can to ensure that the trade unions are ready to fight in the months and years ahead.
We also need to step up the fight for the building of a political voice, a mass working class party, to represent the majority of trade unionists, and communities who are facing the savagery of cuts from the bosses and their millionaire politicians.
Come to your local June 22nd budget day protests
Glasgow
George Square 12.30
(called by Glasgow Unison)
Dundee
Albert Square 1pm
(called by Dundee City Council joint shop stewards committee and Dundee Trades Council)
Edinburgh
The Mound (Princess street) 6pm
(called by Scotland No2 branch Communications Workers Union, the Public and Civil Services union and Edinburgh Trades Council)
