Fight to defend jobs and services

UNISON at a UK level has made the case for an “alternative no cuts budget” that includes increasing taxes on the rich, introducing a Tobin Tax on financial speculation transactions, cancelling trident, etc. These reformist calls, whilst limited in many respects, do at least represent an alternative voice from the trade unions. The problem of course is that words are easy. The UNISON leadership and that of the other council trade unions are so wedded to the illusion that the Labour Party can protect workers and their families that no action will be taken at a UK level to push for this “alternative budget”.

In Scotland , a section of the UNISON leadership has even argued that Labour is not going to make any cuts as it is not Labour Party conference policy – a surreal position apparently based on the notion that the transformation of the Labour Party into a full blown, capitalist party did not take place over the last twenty years.

Local trade union branches, activists and local communities must therefore lead the way. Local broad based “defend our services” campaigns should be initiated by branches that bring together all those who want to fightback.

These networks can be the driver for local lobbying against cuts, assist in building support for community campaigns and raise the confidence of council workers to resist cuts including through the use of industrial action if necessary. Branches should also push their trade union leaders to adopt a national strategy across the public sector.

As a first step an all Scotland demonstration should be organised under a banner such as “Defend Scotland’s Services”. The STUC has said that it intends to call a trade union and communities conference to discuss such matters. Branches must do all they can ensure that the leaders of Scotland ’s trade union movement agree a credible strategy including the use of national strike action if necessary.

Within local government a first step could demanding from the SNP Scottish Government a no compulsory redundancies commitment across all of the 32 local councils. This could be framed within the concordat between the SNP Government and CoSLA and would represent a meaningful concession to the trade unions and an important protection for council workers across Scotland . It could also force more money out of the SNP Government for local councils and thus protect some jobs and services.

If the SNP Government and CoSLA refused to agree to no compulsory redundancies then the trade unions should campaign amongst their members for strike action across Scotland in the event of any council moving towards compulsory redundancies. We must also push for the strongest possible support from the national trade union leaders to those branches where members are willing to fight cuts in services, attacks on conditions, wages cuts, etc with industrial action. Finally, we must raise with members now the possibilitiy of the need for national action over pay freezes and attacks on local governement pensions