www.socialistworker.co.
uk
T
he strikes and protests planned for
13-18 October give us the chance
to kick back against Camerons
government.
Te Tories have been branded the
nasty party. Teir conference this week
conrmed that reputation.
While declaring that an economic
recovery is underway Tory Chancellor
George Osborne announced that if
the re-elected he will hit 10 million
households with a two year freeze on
benets and tax credits.
Te squeeze will hit the poorest third
of people in Britain. In work families
with children lose up to 490 a year
in child benets and tax credits. So its
a recovery for the rich and austerity
forever for the rest of us.
But while the Tories are nasty they
are also weak.
Several of their MPs have defected
to UKIP. Tats after Cameron nearly
lost Scotland in the independence
referendum.
And just for good measure theyve
started yet another war in Iraq, the third
since 1991.
Labour
You would think it would be easy
to mount opposition to Camerons
crew. But Labours conference saw Ed
Miliband and Ed Balls outline plans
to continue austerity if they are elected
in 2015. Tat means cuts and wage
freezes will continue no matter who is in
government. Te TUC just voted to back
a minimum wage of 10 an hour now.
Labour will back 8 an hour, but only by
2020!
Labour wont stop the huge attack on
our living standards. Tats why we have
to ght back now. And the week of 13-
18 October gives us the chance to resist.
On Monday 13 October health
workers will strike over low pay from 7-
11am at hospitals across England.
Hundreds of thousands of local
government workers and college
lecturers are set to strike the next day,
Tuesday 14 October, over pay.
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Nasty party 01/10/14
Employers made a proposal to
head o action last week. But Unison,
the biggest union in local government,
rightly found the proposal (a revamped
1 percent oer) unacceptable so the
strike is on!
On Wednesday 15 October civil
service workers in England and Wales
will strike for fair pay too.
Local government workers in
Scotland have voted to strike over pay
and well know the planned date of any
action this week.
To top it o the TUC and STUC
have called for mass protests in London
and Glasgow against austerity and for
decent pay on Saturday 18 October.
Strikes
Everyone needs to go all out to back
the strikes. In many areas breakfasts for
the NHS and support rallies are being
organised on health workers picket
lines. We also need to build for the
biggest possible turnout for the protests
on 18 October.
Any group of workers with a dispute
should try to co-ordinate their action with
the October strikes. Workers at Care UK
in Doncaster who have already struck for
70 days have done just that. Tey started
a further three week strike for decent pay
and to defend the NHS this week.
If were to halt the assault on public
services and workers living standards the
October strikes and protests have to be
just the start of the resistance.
We need more mass action to hit
this government hard, into the winter
and beyond.
With Labour failing to defend our
side trade unionists have to debate
building a political alternative that will
stand up for our class.
TIME TO KICK BACK AT
THE NASTY PARTY
October 13-18: a week of action against the Tories
Stop the
bombing of Iraq
This week British planes joined the US
led assault on Iraq. Already there is talk
of spreading the bombing to Syria. Many
people will have been shocked by the
growth of Islamic State and the footage of
executions.
But the idea that more bombs will stop
the violence is a lie. This is the third war
in Iraq. Each time we are told that war will
stop extremism. Each time the opposite
happens.
Successive governments have claimed
we dont have enough money to spend on
our public services. But they can always
nd billions when they want to launch
another disastrous war!
To complement the war abroad,
Theresa May has launched a new attempt
to brand Muslims as the enemy within at
the Tory conference.
Muslims arent the enemy the Tories
are. Dont let them divide us.
Say no to the war. Join the Stop the
War demonstrations this Saturday, 4
October. Assemble at:
London: 1pm at Temple Place,
Embankment, WC2R 3BD.
Glasgow: 1pm Buchanan Street,
(at the steps of the Royal Concert Hall)
