Solidarity with PCS members this budget day

This Wednesday we will see up to a quarter of a million PCS members taking strike action The following is a piece by John McInally, Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) vice president, personal capacity PCS members are preparing to launch our union's national industrial action campaign with a one-day strike on Budget Day, 20 March, when Chancellor Osborne will be announcing more cuts in the civil service and also on workers generally. PCS members are aware of the scale of the attacks - job cuts, pay freezes, attacks on terms and conditions and trade union facilities, all of this to prepare the way for the mass privatisation of the civil service. Our campaign will be effective and sustainable with the aim of causing maximum disruption to the employer to get them around the negotiating table. It's unreasonable that they're not prepared to sit down and discuss the issues with us, preferring instead to press ahead with these unwarranted attacks. PCS members are prepared to struggle and the government is wrong if it thinks it can attack us without determined resistance. There will be a one-day strike on 20 March and a further half-day strike on 5 April which marks the end of the 2012/13 tax year - this walkout will begin a week of tax justice campaigning to highlight the £120 billion tax 'gap'. Added impetus for the dispute will come from the announcement that all 281 tax enquiry offices in the country could close under new plans by the government, including 13 to be closed this year in the North of England. Also, from 1 April, PCS members will have extra pension contributions imposed on them, while from the same date, millionaires are being given a tax cut. Fighting austerity On 20 March there will be rallies in cities up and down the country, where there will be speakers from other trade unions and campaign groups like Disabled People Against the Cuts and Black Triangle. We want to make sure people know that yes, it's a strike against the attacks on our terms and conditions, our pay etc but it is also a strike against austerity and the failed programme of the government. PCS particularly welcomes other unions' involvement. For example we welcome the strike of Unite and PCS members in the Homes and Communities Agency who have coordinated their strike for budget day. As our general secretary Mark Serwotka told the pre-budget TUC rally: "We hope our strike action is successful but we're quite clear, our union is right to take action, but we all know if more of us take action together we have a better chance of winning ... "On 26 June George Osborne will do another significant thing. He will announce his comprehensive spending review which will confirm the butchery of public spending for the next three years. What a brilliant day that would be - that while he announces cuts in parliament - to see as many people as we can taking industrial action together, demonstrating together and protesting together. If we build that movement then we can turn our aspirations into reality." Weekly meetings Starting off as a one-day strike on 20 March and an overtime ban from 21 March, the union's national disputes committee will meet weekly. We will be calling further action at short notice. We will implement work-to-rules throughout government departments. We will keep up the pressure on the employer until they are prepared to talk to us. We will also be making sure that government ministers and senior managers get a warm PCS reception when they come to visit civil service offices. For example on 13 March at a Ministry of Justice building in London, Cabinet Office minister Frances Maude didn't go through the front door. He was driven around the back in his Jag with the blacked-out windows because there were 40 PCS members demonstrating outside. He's going to have to get used to that because we're going to keep it up until he talks to us. The union's departmental groups are looking at what action to call as well. There will be days of action with themes like equality, welfare, taxation and so on. We're determined to keep the pressure up until the government is prepared to talk to us. Over the course of the past six months we've managed to win concessions in disputes within departmental groups. The slogan: "Campaigning works, action gets results" is true. We'll be making sure that we build the action until they're prepared to talk to us. ________________________________________ PCS national strike Wednesday 20 March 2013 Rallies: Barnsley: 10am-1.30pm, Peel Square, Pitt St Birmingham: 12.30pm, Conservatoire, off Chamberlain Square, for strikers in Birmingham, Shropshire, Dudley, Worcester, Coventry. Bradford: 12pm, Memorial Gardens Bristol: 12.30pm, Tony Benn House (Unite building), BS1 6AY. Cardiff: 12.30pm - Temple of Peace, King Edward VII Avenue, CF10 3AP. Huddersfield - 12.30pm - Market Cross, Market Place Leeds: noon, Victoria Gardens, outside the art gallery Leicester: 11.30am, 89 Humberstone Gate, city centre, LE1 1WB Lincoln: noon, Speakers' Corner, Lincoln High Street Liverpool: 11am, Liner Hotel, Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool London: 12-2pm, Old Palace Yard (opposite parliament), SW1P 3JY Manchester: 11.30am, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester Newcastle: 12.30pm, Grey's Monument Nottingham: 12.30pm, Market Square, for all strikers in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Plymouth: 12.30pm, Guild Hall, Copthorne Hotel, Armada Way, PL1 2AD Preston: 11am, Flag Market, Market Square Stoke: 11am, Albion Square, Hanley - assemble at the cenotaph near the town hall, opposite Radio Stoke, for all strikers in Staffordshire and Stoke

Cyprus bailout, poor suffer while bond holders are protected

As another EU country goes for another financial bailout affecting millions and potentially having a larger knock on affect the crisis in the Euro zone goes from bad to worse. The emerging details of the so-called bailout agreement with Cyprus indicate that there is no change in the recipe book of Troika bailouts – senior bondholders will be protected while working people will be crucified. Small deposit holders in Cypriot banks will lose 6.75% of their savings overnight, while international speculators and bondholders are protected. The hawks of global capitalism are using the crisis to impose their neo-liberal model of capitalism to increase their profits. A €1.4bn privatisation programme will see Cypriot public services run down and sold off at rock bottom prices. This seems to be the worst of a bad lot of so-called bailouts. People in Cyprus now face a future of vicious austerity and devastation of society that point towards a Greek situation of societal collapse. Austerity policies have devastated economies across Europe. The eurozone has returned to recession and the EU as a whole saw a collapse of GDP of 0.6% in the last quarter of last year alone. Why are these policies still being pursued despite the clear evidence that they don’t work from the point of view of the economy as a whole? Because austerity is working – it’s working for the bondholders and speculators whose debts are being repaid and for a section of big business who have increased profits off the back of attack on wages and conditions. It underlines the need for common struggle and resistance across Europe and for a programme for radical socialist change – repudiating the debts to the bondholders, public investment to create jobs, and democratic planning of our economies to redevelop our economies in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner.” With extracts from Paul Murphy MEP of the socialist party http://www.paulmurphymep.eu/cyprus-bailout-ordinary-householders-paying-for-senior-bondholders?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Companies hoarding labour, feature of capitalist crisis?

At present in Britain it is said many companies are hoarding labour power in the hope that the recovery and new growth is just around the corner. This I’m afraid is more wishful thinking than any pre planned economic thought. The fact if they did lay off large numbers of skilled workers they’d have to re train and re employ lots if the recovery did come they fear. Of course we know as Marxists that no such recovery can be seen on the horizon anytime soon. Capitalism can get out of this crisis we often say this is a fundamental crisis of capitalism and the capitalists know no way of getting out of it on the basis of capitalism well I’m afraid they do but it is not something we talk up at all it would be at the crushing of the working class to living standards not even worth thinking of they’d be so low. We are told constantly that employment figures are improving and more are being employed then ever before this flies in the face of the reality on the ground for many whom dead in the labour market day in day out. But there has been a hoarding of labour in this crisis and it is unusual and tricky to explain as you would think big recession biggest crisis in capitalism since the 30’s why are we not seeing mass unemployment way above the 3 million mark as yet ? One explanation for why employment figures are rising as productivity falls is the phenomenon called "labour hoarding", where employers do not adjust the amount of employees they pay, despite fluctuations in economic conditions. Four years ago if you had asked me what would be the level of unemployment under the current economic conditions, I'd have said I'd expect it to be be at least 3 million people. Jonathan Portes Ian Brinkley says such a practice is not a long-term explanation for the recent official figures: "Logically, this phenomenon of "labour hoarding" can only go on for a short time but this has gone on from about 2008 and it's now 2012. So the idea of four years of blaming this on labour hoarding is starting to lose credibility." "The one thing I can think of which could explain this is that we may be underestimating GDP, but it would have to be a significant revision to show that the UK economy has been growing rather than contracting in the first half of this year". Jonathan Portes, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, agrees. He told Channel 4 News there are also other factors: "The pace of the fiscal squeeze has slowed somewhat, and it might be that GDP is revised upwards. "Also we've seen employees prepared to accept shorter hours, there've been pay cuts and many people have moved into self-employment. These changes might not be terribly pleasant for individuals but it's better than having an extra half-million people on the dole.” As the capitalists point too. Of course they do not mind mass unemployment as it can help them drive down wages to increase competitiveness in the market. The problems that capitalism faces are all too stark for many today no way out of the nightmare of austerity for many leads to a demoralisation in the working class which we see today with a sense we cant win. This must be challenge at all opportunities. With the huge problems facing capitalism it is often a mystery as to why unemployment isnt higherin Britain than it is for examplein other parts of Europe. This is partly due to government measures bolstering 'zombie' companies. But it is also due to 'labour hoarding', in the false hope that this is a temporary crisis, while cutting workers' pay and conditions. There has been an increase in part-time casual work and people abandoning the jobs search and registering as self-employed. We must fightt o organise te unorgaised and unemployed unions must reach out to those not in work and try to draw them into the labour movemnt as we can affect rael change this way by a collective voice in colelctive actio. What is clear is that the problems of capitalism are not going away anytime soon despite labourHoarding mass unemployment could always be round the corner we must be ready for when mass struggle breaks out. Post April as we enter the new financial year we may start to see bigger redundancies as big busienss starts to see no end in sight of the crisis and begins to panic with still large numbersof labour cots on its books holding back profits. We must point this out and fight back where we can. Only socialist system change can be the answer to our woes. We don’t need a plan B for growth we need a plan S for socialism!

Socialists, our organisations and women

As socialists we know under a capitalist society we and our organisations can never be fully immune from the pressures and horrors of the capitalist society we are made up of working class people full of the strains and pains of a day to day exploitative system. The recent allegations and the subsequent crisis in the SWP has largely not been talked about by my organisation I’m a member of the socialist party I’m disappointed by this as keeping quiet on the matter only adds to the suspicion around our own party which has lead some to say well what have they got to hide too why are they not coming out with a statement firmly opposing the methods and roots of the crisis in the SWP. Not for cheap political point scoring but to reaffirm our commitment to fighting women’s oppression day to day. I personally felt we should have produced a strong statement on our own terms not the terms set by other organisations or media establishments but reaffirming the socialist party’s position on rape and sexual assault. The thing is any organisation in this world, whether it is a business or a party, a union or a think-tank, should enough members pass through its ranks, is going to throw up cases of sexual assault by one member against another. Short of subjecting every potential recruit to rigorous psychometric tests, this is quite inevitable. There are only two things we have any control over: minimising the risk, and maximising our ability to deal with such offences as and when they occur. Marxists explain women’s oppression and exploitation in terms of determinate historical forces - economic, political, and ideological - in which it is materially rooted. It is neither an inevitable consequence of the division of humanity into sexes nor possible to wish away by fiat; it is necessary both to fight most energetically for women’s liberation, and to accept that the fight will not be won, not even in our own ranks, until our whole project is complete. Fighting sexism, racism and other forms of oppression is not something we can eliminate before over throwing capitalism and defeating exploitation but it is something we should be looking to take up day to day not brushing it under the carpet as though its something we can deal with at a later day. I personally feel making our meetings accessible to all is key to building a movement to change society. Having women’s sections in our organisation with strong minded women who fight everyday in their workplaces to change society bit by bit but realising that division and oppression will exist for as long as a system exists putting the need to make profit above anything else. As we know women are affected far more by the austerity cuts raining down on us and are far likely to become more politicised than men in this period a reawakening of feminism and trends of women not willing to sit quiet any longer on matters that have always affected them is a positive thing in my mind. Why should women keep quiet for the good of the organisation they area part of? Challenging sexism and women’s oppression wherever and whenever we can and keeping on our guard about it is key to providing a necessary arena for women to join the fight to change society. Being opposed to sexism, rape and other forms of discrimination is not just something we can put on our materials we must look to challenge it within our own ranks too whenever it rears its ugly head. Interestingly a new allegation of a leading trade unionist Steve Hedley of the RMT has come to light of domestic violence he has been alleged to have conducted. As Steve joined the socialist party last year at socialism 2012 claiming a lot of differences with our organisation but thinking we were good class fighters decided to join us its been very quiet on his joining from our party and now this recent allegation has come to light perhaps we can understand why now. Steve has now resigned from the party with the following statement. The Socialist Party has received a message from Steve Hedley, assistant general secretary of the RMT, resigning from the Socialist Party. Steve feels it is necessary to resign in order to concentrate on dealing with an allegation of domestic violence which has been made against him. Steve refutes this allegation, which is currently being investigated by the RMT. Steve wrote: "Regarding our conversation earlier the police have dropped the case and I'm currently awaiting the outcome of the RMT investigation. "I am not in control of when the decision will be made and have been strongly advised against issuing a public statement whilst investigations are ongoing. "I know this puts the Socialist Party in a difficult position and is therefore resigning my membership. "I will continue to support TUSC and the NSSN and work constructively with SP comrades." I personally feel we should have added our own comments reaffirming our absolute seriousness in challenging domestic violence and giving our position on domestic violence mentioning the campaigns we’ve been involved in including In the 1990s the socialist party’s forerunner, Militant, founded the Campaign Against Domestic Violence, which fought “for better resources …, to promote awareness …, to campaign for legal change and to raise domestic violence as a workplace issue” Something like that should be highlighted and held up about how seriously we do take things of this matter. Maybe we will after the RMT investigation has concluded. But one thing is for sure socialist parties must be vigilant at all times and aware of what is going on in the wider world and to combat them at all times.

Concessions show bedroom tax can be defeated!

Today we’ve seen chinks in the armour of the coalition government over the so called bedroom tax. A truly vicious attack on some of the poorest in society. The coalition has made some concessions with the bedroom tax to take some of the non-spare rooms out of the new charge. Changes mean that foster careers will not be charged for rooms, as long as they have had a foster child or become an approved foster carer in the past 12 months and army personnel living at home will be allowed to keep their room even if they are away for over a year. Yesterday, it was announced that seriously disabled children would be considered to need their own bedroom but that will be a decision to be made by individual councils and no real definition has emerged as to what will be exempted and what won’t. These concessions show that the government is worried about the backlash over this charge and are recognising that there are far more “exceptional” cases where people need their “spare” room, than cases where they don’t and could move. Over 50 demonstrations are being held on Saturday, with anger growing to this tax. These exemptions remove some people but there are still many disabled people who will be charged for their “spare” room which is used for an adaptation or for equipment storage or for a partner/family member who is also a carer to sleep in. There are still separated parents with visiting children who will have to pay to keep a room for their child to stay in – and grandparents in the same situation with grandchildren. There are also people who have lived, worked and raised a family in a community that will be forced to move because there are no smaller properties available on their estate. No mention has been made as to whether the Discretionary Housing Payment fund will be reduced, as £5m was intended for Foster Carers. This fund is supposed to cover all the exceptional cases of people who clearly do need extra rooms or those who should be allowed to remain living in their community, but was never likely to be enough. Join the protests in your area on Saturday and help to ensure that it is not needed at all. This can be defeated lets show the government we have the spirit of the poll tax still. Can’t pay won’t pay!

Council cuts in East of England in figures

The shocking figures out today give us another glimpse at the devastating impact of the cuts on local government and local councils. EAST Herts is one of the few local authorities in the East of England which has increased its workforce according to figures released today (Monday, March 11) by the GMB union. It says that Britain's 407 councils now employ 380,500 fewer people than when the coalition government came into office. The number of employees of 52 local authorities in the East of England fell from 217,500 in the first quarter of 2010 to 170,400 in the third quarter of 2012. This is a fall of 47,100 or 21.7 per cent since the General Election in 2010. The fall in Essex is second only to Central Bedfordshire, with the number of employees down by 10,071, or 24.3 per cent, to 31,372 while Herts is in sixth position with a drop of 1,669 or 4.4 per cent to 36,085. In Harlow, the district council's workforce has fallen 22.8 per cent, down from 601 to 464. In Uttlesford the drop is 2.1 per cent, down from 335 to 328. However East Herts payroll increased by 12, up 3.2 per cent from 374 to 386. These are hard hitting devastating cuts. We must point out as the GMB union has failed to mention a few of these councils are labour run and across the country many big cities have a labour council doing the tories dirty work for them. Very little opposition inside the council chamber has been heard a few notable exceptions who have now been expelled or in the process of expulsion for daring to vote against cuts. If no resistance is built inside and outside the councils this figure will only increase as the cuts deepen. TUSC will be looking to provide an electoral alternative across county council elections this may do support TUSC and get involved if you can to fight all the cuts and privatisation going on. Let’s not give labour a clear run to take control of more budgets to wield more axe’s at our jobs and services. Unions like the GMB instead of bleating about how bad the cuts are. Hello we know how bad they are we’re on the sharp end of them how about organising a fight back? If you’re too far up labours ass to see the wood from the trees it’s time to get out and break the link. Funding a party who are making cuts is a disgrace and its time union members reclaimed their unions and turned them into militant fighting unions for the 21st century.

Join the Worldwide Movement for Socialism!

By SocialistAlternative.org Capitalism is an international system in decay. Multinational corporations want to produce their products at the lowest possible costs. This overarching desire for short-term profit leads to low wages and crumbling benefits. On a world scale, the actions of the reckless massive energy companies and the waste of an ever-expanding global market have led to an environmental crisis of momentous proportions, resulting in the highest temperatures ever recorded, the melting of polar ice caps, and an increased intensity of storms. These global problems must be met with international solutions and a worldwide movement. Socialist Alternative stands in political solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) – an organization in over 40 countries fighting for fundamental change – in arguing for a socialist transformation of society. The crisis of capitalism is reaching a dramatic phase, with more and more people looking for solutions to poverty, racism, sexism, declining benefits, environmental destruction, and mass unemployment. The root of these problems is a system that thrives on low wages, slashed social programs, and divide-and-rule tactics to attack oppressed people. The capitalist system provides no way out of this devastation. The super-rich put the pain caused by this crisis onto the backs of workers and youth by laying people off and cutting education, health care, and pay while at the same time bailing out the banks. Still, the crisis continues and deepens as the super-rich globally sit on trillions of dollars that they refuse to invest, while hundreds of millions of people lack jobs and the basic necessities of life to survive. The CWI and Socialist Alternative propose democratic socialism as a means to alleviate this madness. Socialism isn't about dictatorships, one-party states, or a loss of basic rights. Democratic socialism is about using the resources of society for the good of the vast majority rather than just for the profits of a few. Through democratic control of the resources of the top corporations, we could decide to invest in clean energy rather than environmental devastation. We could put all the unemployed to work and use new technology to reduce the working week without loss of pay rather than as a further weapon in the hands of the bosses to speed up the workforce and boost profits. We could decide to use our human potential for education, health care, and housing rather than war, discrimination, and waste. We support and demand improvements in the lives of ordinary people immediately, but we also realize that it will take mass movements to win reforms. Socialists participate in movements to inspire others that an alternative world can be built and that by mobilizing the tens of millions who have an interest in fighting for a new and better society we can build more powerful and dynamic movements. We need democratic structures in our movements and we need bold socialist demands so we can speak to all those pushed down by the capitalist system. In every movement, we need to realize that the capitalists will take away any positive gains we can win as long as we leave their power and control intact. Likewise, the rich and powerful would aim to isolate any people or country that moves in a socialist direction. The capitalists have a global market, and they don’t want anyone setting a “bad example” by using the resources of their country for the benefit of the 99% rather the rich elite. This is one reason why the CWI organizes internationally, to provide solidarity and support for movements worldwide and also to learn lessons from the struggles in Greece, South Africa, England, Brazil, and elsewhere. Internationally and in the U.S., working-class power can be built out of movements to defend our rights and fight for a better world. Democratic, fighting unions, new political movements of the 99%, and our protests in the streets can be the building blocks of a struggle for a socialist society. This means movements need to be linked up with a clear program of demands, and activists must learn from historic and international struggles. Through movements and political education, we can raise consciousness. The CEOs and big shareholders want us to think that they create the jobs and that we can’t survive without them. In truth, working people produce everything, provide all the services, and distribute everything. All the super-rich do is control the profits and work on ways to further exploit and divide us. In short, bosses need workers and we don’t need bosses. Taking the economy into the hands of working people can be the basis for providing full employment, countering environmental destruction, and starting the process of ending discrimination. Socialists have as our aim an end to the dictatorship of big business and the beginnings of a society based on real democracy and an end to oppression. Join Socialist Alternative and help build the growing movement against capitalist misery worldwide.