“Strike, Strike, give us a fair deal” demand Unison members

1000 Pupil Support Assistants (PSA’s) organised in Unison took strike action in Glasgow on 31st October. This is in response to the Labour council imposing changes to their already demanding job roles by making them take up duties such as medical support. See here for a report on the background to the strike action.

Schools across the city were closed and affected by the solid support for industrial action. Strikers reported on the picket line to the Socialist reporters that parents had an understanding attitude and saw the strike as being for the benefit of children.

There is a determination to resist managements bullying tactics which includes sending out notices terminating employment and telling the workforce they must accept the new conditions to work again.

Laura, a picket from Hazelwood School told us, “we are already low paid and they aren’t going to pay us anymore for carrying out stressful work that carries massive responsibility, I think our members and the wider public agree this is also about the issue of wider cuts to public services”.

Over 500 strikers assembled for a mass rally, surrounding the council’s city chambers getting large support from parents, pupils and the public. The rally heard from strikers themselves and lively chanting of “strike, strike, give us a fair deal” echoed across George Square.

The Unison Education conveor, Carol Ball, spoke at the rally. She commented; “the council can’t have it both ways. If PSAs have been trained and have the skills and responsibility of delivering these complex needs then the case for keeping them on the lowest level of pay collapses.”

Glasgow City Unison Social Work Convenor, Ian Leech got huge cheers when he highlighted the other ballots for industrial action taking place in the social work department over workload terms and conditions and the successful unofficial walkout of homelessness workers a few weeks previously. Ian made the call for the TUC/STUC to respond to the anger of all workers by organising a 24 hour general strike.

Labour who run the council today attacked Unison for taking strike action. Councillor Stephen Curran said “It is clear that Unison is not prepared to agree a compromise which would be in the best interests of their members.”

Not one Labour councillor came out to speak to strikers.

SNP councillors spoke at the rally getting a mixed response, they claimed that as the opposition to Labour they supported the action but many remarked that they were giving no commitment not to carry out similar cuts.

Glasgow City Unison Branch Secretary Brian Smith, closed the rally by outlining the three days of strike action that will be taken by the low paid Unison members. The next action is on the 6th November in schools in the north east of Glasgow.

The Socialist Party Scotland leaflet linking the need to support the dispute to fighting the wider cuts agenda and calling for co-ordinated action by all trade unions was eagerly received.

Strike action was also being taken that day by UCU, Unison and Unite in the universities (UCU held a rally at the same time which over one hundred attended). There were speakers from these unions and also the EIS.