Make 30th November a one-day public sector general strike

In an historic decision the TUC conference has agreed a national coordinated strike – effectively a public sector general strike – for 30th November involving up to 14 public sector unions so far. With ballots for a strike now announced in Unison, Unite, GMB, FBU, the EIS and a number of others, the scene is set for the biggest wave of industrial action since the 1926 general strike. 

This unprecedented decision by the trade union movement will be welcomed enthusiastically be public sector workers across the country. There is raging anger at the proposed penion “reforms”. A slaughter of pensions is more like it. If the Con-Dem’s get away with their plans it will mean working longer, paying more 50% more into our pensions and receiving less when we retire. And this at a time when Cameron and Osborne have made it clear they are in favour of cutting the 50p rate of tax for the wealthy.

Public services workers across the UK are about to enter one of the most important disputes in a generation. The fight to defend our pensions from the ConDem’s attempted robbery will be central to protecting our living standards in retirement. Public services workers are already facing threats to job security and their incomes – now we are expected to take a massive hit on our pensions.

Public services pensions are affordable. In fact they reduce government spending in the long term as fewer people are dependent on means tested state benefits when they retire. The UK Local Government Pension Scheme has assets of over £165 billion. No wonder a recent conference of Unison Scottish local government branches voted massively to demand that the Unison leadership organise a ballot for strike action in the Autumn.  

The mood of anger over the government’s proposed assault on public sector pensions has forced even reluctant converts to take to the barricades. Dave Prentis, genearal secretary of Unison said rightly at the TUC, “We’ve had enough. We’ve been patient, co-operative and we must say enough is enough. This is now the fight of our lives”

PCS, whose members organised a magnificent strike on 30th June and who have been to the forefront of the battle to defend pensions, have been crucial in the proposals for united and coordinated action. General secretary Mark Serwotka, said: “This is an historic moment. We now have complete unity across the public sector with commitments of ballots and support from unions representing millions of workers.

“The momentum and force behind the growing opposition to the government’s raid on public sector pensions is impossible for ministers to ignore and they must now change course.

“While this is a campaign of public sector unions, we are clear that we are not just fighting for our own members. We fundamentally reject the calls to equalise the misery, we want fair pensions for all, public and private alike.”

The task now is to deliver massive majorities in the strike ballots that will take place among public sector unions over the next weeks. To build a mass demonstration in Glasgow on October 1st, which has been called by the STUC and to turn the 30th November into the biggest strike movement seen in Britain for almost 100 years.