TUC ONE DAY PUBLIC SERVANTS' STRIKE

7.30AM PICKET, DWP, 30 NOV, BARROW IN FURNESS

   NOVEMBER 30TH 2011
"United, we stand; divided, we fall."  is a simple enough statement and one that most people understand yet it is apparently beyond the comprehension of many in Furness.  Either that or the many have become convinced that, no matter what they do, they will not succeed in bringing about change.


Many remember Prime Minister Gordon Brown declaring there would be a cut of 100,000 civil servants and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling warning that cuts about to be imposed by the New Labour government would be 'worse than under the former Tory Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher'.  And all this before the General Election in May 2010 at which the Conservatives, with the backing of the Liberal Democrats, took (unelected) power to unleash a slash and burn campaign against the Welfare State and to privatise sections of the National Health Service.


The TUC one day strike of Public Sector workers on 30th November was, in Furness terms, quite well supported.  Pickets were evident outside schools, the offices of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP, pictured above), the Town Hall, and Furness General Hospital, for example.  A thirty minute 'rally' in the town square, supported by local members of Unison, GMB, PCS, and NUT unions culminated in 'one minute of noise' obtained by blowing of whistles and vuvuzelas.  Furness Against the Cuts attended with a stall and members of Unite Against Fascism displayed their banner.  The secretary of Barrow Trades Union Council was seen sidling about in the background and the local Labour Party was conspicuously absent.  Later, the local press gave the event good coverage estimating an attendance of 300 persons.  


Was the strike successful in drawing the public's attention towards the threat to its Public Services and demonstrating workers' strength of feeling against the proposed Pensions reform?   The strike certainly made national headlines in the press and was featured in TV news programmes so, in this, it was a successful piece of publicity.  Did the strike serve to strengthen workers' resolve to take further action?  In as much as the strike had little affect upon the government's Pensions plans and further pressure will be required, then the results of future union strike ballots will demonstrate whether resolve was, or was not, strengthened.  


One thing that has not yet been clearly understood by local unions is the pressing need to educate the public about the damage being planned for the Welfare State and the National Health Service.  They will certainly not educate anyone by sitting in a room discussing issues amongst themselves, or having a 'fun' rally for half an hour every six months:  they need to follow the lead provided by Furness Against the Cuts by getting out into the town, talking to members of the public and explaining exactly what is at stake here.  But then, of course, any serious campaigners would have been doing this months ago and promoting the People's Charter as the TUC's alternative to the government's politically-motivated cuts agenda.


Blackleg office worker entering DWP "I'm not supporting the strike; the union's never done anything for me!"
Picketing union official "What do you think your union is doing for you today, then?"   

JOB CENTRE PICKET, 30 NOV,  BARROW IN FURNESS

Neither the secretary of Barrow Trades Union Council nor the secretary of Ulverston Trades Union Council was prepared to attend tomorrow's (Saturday 10th December) Trades Union Councils' Joint Planning Meeting - for Jobs, Industry and Public Services - at Derby.  Literature for this event clearly points out 'The TUC Trades Council programme of work highlights working with The Peoples' Charter'.  Given that Carlisle Trades Union Council and Kendal TUC have both been defunct for some time, and that Barrow and Ulverston TUCs are contemplating a merger 'just to keep going', it would seem the first proirity of the Trade Union movement ought to be encouraging trade union branches to support their local Trades Councils recognising that TUCs are an invaluable means of communicating directly with the general public.  Class conscious, politically aware, trade unionists know this of course.  Has anyone spotted the elephant in the room here - that thing which is so obvious but which most seek to deliberately ignore?