Call more strikes to win

O
ur national march and five hour strike on 19 October are a great opportunity to get our message out to the government and the public that we are serious about fighting to defend pensions. Every FBU member should be active in our campaign. We need to build big picket lines and invite the public and other workers down to support us with banners and placards. We need to get FBU members into community meetings, trades councils and other trade union branches to argue our case and call for support.

www.socialistworker.co.uk

Strategy

We also need a serious debate in every FBU branch about what strategy we need to win. We have the power to defeat this government. Their request for voluntary recall arrangements shows the scabs cannot cope with protracted strike action. Moreover, postal workers, teachers and university and college workers are all set to take national strike action in the coming weeks. There is a growing revolt against the Tories and their Lib-Dem lackeys, which we can utilise to our advantage if we increase our fight. Thats why our union leaders should now call more and longer strikes. Moreover, where the bosses go on the offensive like docking members pay in

Surrey and Bucks or threatening legal action for wearing uniforms in London the union must respond with harder hitting strikes. Where possible we should try and coordinate our action with other workers. Tube workers in London stopped the trains under health and safety during our first strike. This shows the kind of impact our action can have. By striking we can build effective solidarity. By coordinating our action we can maximise our impact. Our union leaders should call out Scottish FBU members too. Brandon Lewis says Westminster and Cardiffs proposals are almost entirely the same as the Scottish Governments. Of course we shouldnt trust anything Lewis says, but our union leaders also say that the Scottish proposals do not meet the aims of our campaign either.

Unite the Resistance Conference Saturday 19 October, 12-5pm @ Bloomsbury Baptist Church
235 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8EP
Speakers include:

Billy Hayes

Privatisation

CWU general secretary

We voted 4 to 1 for a national campaign with national strike action north and south of the border. The stakes are high and go beyond pensions. We face swingeing cuts and privatisation of services in every brigade. We are fighting to defend public safety. We can undermine all these attacks and build confidence in our union by winning on pensions. Thats why we need more strikes now to win.

Liz Lawrence

UCU vice-president

Ronnie Draper

BFAWU general secretary

Jeremy Corbyn MP Jane Aitchison PCS Phil Jackson

EIS national president

Frank Morris
Crossrail dispute

Sean Vernell

Unite the Resistance

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Firefighters 14/10/13

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Plus speakers from disputes at Hovis, One Housing, Glasgow social care workers, Barclays Bike, Whipps Cross hospital, Lewisham hospital campaign, ISS East Coast Mainline cleaners and many more...