Thousands rally against austerity – now build coordinated strike action against Tory cuts

By Matt Dobson. 

5,000 trade unionists, young people and anti-austerity campaigners attended the “Scotland United Against Austerity” rally called by the STUC in Glasgow on 20th June. 

The mood of people at the rally reflected a real desire for action against austerity and a searching for the best way to fight back. 

Socialist Party Scotland was prominent throughout George Square. We called for the trade unions to take national co-ordinated action against austerity. Our central demand for a 24-hour general strike received a fantastic response. 

On a number of occasions, passers by stopped to take pictures of our stall posters calling for the TUC/STUC to name the day for a 24-hour general strike. We also called for the Scottish government and all local councils to set no cuts budgets and refuse to implement Tory cuts.

The highlights of the rally included the striking Dundee hospital porters on all-out strike for fair pay for 11 weeks. These 117 working-class heroes were represented onstage by Unite senior shop stewards Ronnie Heeney and Graham Nelson. “Management thought they could tough it out but look at the determination of the porters and the chaos in the hospitals that shows the importance of our job. Just like our comrades, the Glasgow Homeless Caseworkers (who also addressed the rally) who have been out on strike for 13 weeks. We can see the power of working people when we withdraw our labour. Our strikes have taken on bullying management and the politicians from Labour and the SNP. This is a lesson for the whole trade union movement. If less than 200 workers involved in strikes can make this impact, imagine if the entire trade union movement came out together. We need a general strike and a political voice for working class people. Victory to the porters, victory for caseworkers, victory to the working class!”

Larry Flanagan, General Secretary of the largest teaching union, EIS invoked the example of the mass non payment campaign against the poll tax that brought down Thatcher (with the Socialist Party’s predecessor Militant playing a leading role). He also raised the need for the trade unions to flex their industrial muscle to fight this new Tory government. Larry correctly criticised “the step back” taken by right wing trade union leaders after the public sector strike over pensions in November 2011, “we should have pressed forward, we have to learn the lesson from that and step forward using the full collective power of the trade union movement”.

Janice Godrich, National President of the PCS civil service union and Socialist Party Scotland member put forward a clear strategy for the labour movement after the general election. “This government is intent on destroying all the gains made by working class people. Under capitalism these gains are going or gone. Whichever of the main parties is in power austerity continues. Our class is on the receiving end of cuts. The SNP have gained because they posed as anti austerity, but I would say to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP no more excuses for implementing the Westminster cuts. If you stood up and called for mass resistance people in Scotland and all over the UK would support you.” Janice also called for coordinated national industrial action from the TUC and called on the SNP government to meet the demands of low paid workers in dispute in museums Scotland and CSCS and for a socialist alternative.

30 people applied for more information on joining Socialist Party Scotland on the day. 183 copies of the Socialist were sold plus over £200 was raised for our fighting fund. In addition we distributed thousands of Socialist Party and TUSC leaflets. The Scottish TUSC conference is taking place on Saturday 27 June in Glasgow at 1pm in Renfield-St Stephens Centre, Bath Street.