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STRIKE TO DEFEND
PENSIONS AT TATA STEEL

n Monday 22 June, steelworkers at

TATA steel are set to walk out for
a one day national steel strike, in
defence of pensions.
This will be the first national steel
strike in 30 years.
It is right to strike.
Across Britain workers are fighting
back from all out strikes by NHS
porters in Dundee and Homelessness
Caseworkers in Glasgow to battles
against privatisation in London at the
National Gallery and at Barnet and
Bromley councils.
Unions have offered concessions on
pensions but the employers are pushing
ahead with their work till you drop
plans.
If TATA do not stop the pension
attacks then the unions have to strike
and be prepared to escalate the action.

Overtime

From next week, workers will be

implementing an overtime ban along
with a work to rule until 22 June.
Members of Unite, Community,
UCATT and the GMB voted
overwhelmingly for strike action
following the decision by bosses at
TATA to close the pension scheme.
In an almost identical attack to that
on firefighters, workers will no longer
have the option of receiving a full pension
at 60 years of age, and will be expected
to work until the age of 65 or forfeit in
excess of 25 percent of their pension.
TATA have previously attempted
to shut down the pension scheme to
new members, but workers successfully
resisted that attempt.
The attack on pensions would be a
crippling blow. We have by and large
an ageing workforce, who work in
dangerous and physically demanding
conditions.
Instead of squeezing older workers
TATA steel should be investing in and
training a younger workforce with full

pension rights across the board.

Defending the pension scheme will,
as in another industries, be a part of the
broader defence of workers terms and
conditions.
The vote for industrial action
represents an impressive show of
strength and solidarity. It sends a
clear message to the bosses of TATA:
steelworkers are angry, and determined
to win this dispute.!
The strike action is an endorsement
of the members commitment,
nationally, to fight.

Sacrifices

Effectively were being told that in these

hard times its the workforce that has
to make all the sacrifices.
But for all the previous losses its
the workforce that has slogged away to
turn things around. TATA Steel Europe
announced pre-tax profits of 109.8
million in May.
Its always the same story. Austerity
Britain means that workers pay the price
while the rich get richer.
The annual Sunday Times Rich
List published in March showed that
Britain has more billionaires per head of
population than any other country.
We now have 117 of them!
Since 2009 the super-rich in Britain
have more than doubled their wealth,
up from 258 billion to 547 billion

(an increase of 112 percent).

Meanwhile workers have faced the
longest squeeze on living standards
since the 1860s.

Wider

TATA workers are right to fight back.

Its important to take the case out into
the trade union movement and win
wider support around every plant.
Where possible TATA workers
should join the mass protests in London
and Glasgow on 20 June called by the
Peoples Assembly (see box). Itll be
a great opportunity to publicise our
dispute and win solidarity.
And unions have to get ready to
escalate the action after 22 June if the
bosses wont listen.

National demonstration

END
AUSTERITY
NOW
Saturday 20 June, noon
London: Bank of England,
Queen Victoria Street, EC2R
Glasgow: George Square, G2 1DU
Called by the People's Assembly
www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk

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TATA steel 12/06/15