BookLaunch:

TheCostofLivingCrisis
,byMichaelCalderbank.

A select gathering including MPs, trade union General Secretaries and lay activists met in
the august surroundings of the House of Commons last night to launch the second book in
Comerford and Millers Radical Read imprint, Michael Calderbanks
The Cost of Living
Crisis
.
Ted Knight, director of the Radical Read Project, outlined the logic of the series, which aims
to make available essential analysis, facts and arguments often circulating in ephemeral
literature of campaign groups, trade unions and social movements in more durable and
authoritative form of a published book. This will arm a new generation of activists with
powerful ammunition to fight for the radical social change we need today.

Theauthor
Michael introduced
The Cost of Living Crisis
, based on research originally commissioned by
the nine - largely politically unaffiliated - trade unions of the Trade Union Coordinating
Group, explaining the Labour was correct to diagnose a sharp fall in incomes and rise in
everyday living costs following the economic crash of 2008 and the onset of austerity. At
the same time, though he explained how the book identifies the conflict between their
ability to address the root causes of this crisis and Ed Balls commitment to prioritising cuts

in public spending to reduce the deficit. The book also provides an outline of a radical and
highly popular alternative programme for government based on making the primary
objective to bring about a fundamental and irreversible shift in the balance of power and
wealth in favour of working people and their families.

Rejectausterity
Bakers Union General Secretary Ronnie Draper commended the authors insistence on
rejecting the politics of austerity and confronting instead the vested interests responsible
for the exploitation of ordinary people. He paid tribute to his unions members at Hovis
(Premier Foods) in Wigan who successfully took strike action in order to fight the
employers attempt to use agency workers on zero hours contracts to drive down thier pay
and conditions. Draper also welcomed the books support for the demand of a 10 an hour
national minimum wage, successfully passed moved his union at last years Trade Union
Congress.
Prison Officers Association General Secretary Steve Gillan also welcomed Calderbanks
emphasis on the need to repeal Tory anti-union legislation, and explained how his own
union had just been served with an injunction preventing their executive from calling an
emergency meeting to discuss possible forms of industrial action (although they are legally
prohibited from going on strike). With a future Tory government planning to introduce
thresholds for strike ballots and minimum service agreements, the ability of unions to take
lawful industiral action could be restricted still further.

Specialoffers
Publisher Russell Miller, said that unions placing bulk orders for copies of The Cost of
Living Crisis would receive a generous discount, as the book is will continue to arm trade
unionists and other activists for the political battles ahead, whatever the outcome of Mays
General Election.