March in Horsham

"Terrible disruption of everyone's life by selfish striking scum" or "It's all a damp squib" - the government cannot keep their story straight over the unprecedented strike action on November 30th

Over 300 marched in Horsham to put our questions to Francis Maude - the minister for cutting pensions - but Maude wouldn't come into the garden to talk to us.

Instead we heard from Phil Wood of UNISON who stressed the unfair treatment of women workers by this government with its two token females surrounded by male millionaires.;

Marian Darke brought the greetings of the American Teachers Union - "our action has caused ripples across the world."

Ben - a GMB ambulance driver - "We come out all hours to support people in emergencies - we want you to support us."

Derek Isaacs of North Sussex Trades Council was a surprise addition to the platform. "Instead of refusing to pay the pensioners - we could refuse to pay the millionaire fat cats who profited from PFI deals"

Veronica Peppiatt - National Executive member - pointed out that the government is targeting pensioners but has no interest in stopping the tax avoidance by which individuals grab 13 billion pounds and Corporations grab 12 billion pounds out of the public purse.

This is not the end. The determination of the pensioners and trade unionists in the first Horsham protest since the repeal of the corn laws is a small indication that this damp squib could blow up in the government's face :)

Good King Wenceslas in reverse.

The government has quietly cut the winter fuel allowance to old age pensioners.

George Osborne secretly cut the winter fuel allowance, paid to most people who are 60 or older. However the information did not form part of the 100+-page Budget document.

This news comes just weeks after all the Big Six power firms hiked the price of gas and electricity, with more  predicted for autumn.

Most of those aged 60-79 will get £200 instead of last year's £250 when the payment is made in November or December. Those who are 80 or older will get £300 instead of £400.

The government bewail the fact that people are living longer and they cite this as a pretext for cutting pensions. Well cutting the winter fuel allowance is a good way to make sure they die soon enough.

Merry Christmas Millionaire Osborne - don't get cold now.

Pensions robbery - Francis Maude Guilty! ....Labour Peer Lord Hutton Guilty!

WSTA is holding a protest in Horsham. Hilariously, the Labour Party
has tried to hijack it. We have suggested they hand over Lord Hutton
alive! Of course we welcome individual Labour supporters coming along
to support us.

They want workers to support Labour. They would be better occupied
getting the Labour Party to support the working class.

Our action is portrayed by the millionaire government and the gutter
press as teachers looking after "gold plated" pensions. That is a pack
of lies. The protest in Francis Maude's constituency is against a cut
to all pensions.

The government intends to cut *all* pensions by reneging on a promise
to link pensions to average earnings or the rise in the cost of
living. Prices will go up and the current plan is that pensioners will
receive nothing - zero - to cope with it.

The West Sussex Teachers' Association (NUT) invites pensioners and
anyone concerned about the savage cuts to pensions to support a rally
in Horsham

Assemble at 10am at the Bandstand in Horsham Park and go to the
bandstand in the Carfax via Madeira Avenue where Tory Party HQ is.

Our blog wsta1.org.uk will have information about this.

Horsham MP Francis Maude needs to answer some questions. The WSTA want
to know:

1) Can you explain what has happened to the cast iron guarantee that
"We will restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from
April 2011, with a *triple guarantee* that pensions are raised by the
higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%."

2) What does the government plan to do to pensions in 2012?
Will the link to increases in the cost of living even exist or will
pensioners be made to pay for the bankers' crisis?

3) Is it likely that the current policy towards teachers' pensions
will lead to a problem of recruitment in state schools?

4) How will it impact the public schools to which government ministers
send their children?

The West Sussex Teachers' Association (NUT) is not affiliated to any
political party and we would be asking the same questions whichever
party was in power.

'March for the Alternative' outside the Tory Conference in Manchester.

There was a huge turnout at today's 'March for the Alternative'
outside the Tory Conference in Manchester.

Paul Gerrard from Bury NUT reports:

We have had a fantastic demo in Manchester today, which exceeded
expectations. Sky and BBC both reported 35 000 on the streets of
Manchester today.

A key place was taken by 200 BAe workers from Lancashire plants
threatened with massive redundancies, and there was fury on the part
of demonstrators as we passed the Tory Convention complex.

UNISON banners and pennants galore, big sections from Unite and GMB.
The NUT contingent was one of the largest and most coherent of all,
with good support from NAS/UWT.

All in all this was a big confidence boost and augurs well for the
planned strikes on 30th November.

Christine Blower got the chance to explain to the BBC what the NUT and
the trade union movement was demanding:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15142672

Strike against the cuts

Lobby of the TUC

Three quarters of a million went on strike on June 30th in a massive
show of strength against a concerted attempt by the Tory and Liberal
Democrat partners of this millionaire government to make workers pay
for the bankers? greed. Powerful demonstrations up and down the
country brought thousands, including many young workers onto the
streets in big cities and small towns, many for the
first time, determined to defend pensions, and to stop the immediate
huge pay cuts that the pension changes would mean.

We believe that 30th June was the opening salvo. To win we need to
turn this threequarters of a million into 4-5 million in the next
round of industrial action in the autumn, involving all public sector
unions, and thereby scuppering the machinations of the government to
drive a wedge into the trade union movement between the NUT, UCU, ATL
and PCS and the other three big unions Unison, Unite and GMB. Defence
of pensions has proved a unifying factor so far, and one of our best
opportunities to all come together, and collectively force Cameron and
Clegg into a massive U-turn.

To this end the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) is organising a
lobby of the TUC Conference in London on September 11th 2011.

We will be handing in a petition calling on the TUC General Council to
call for and coordinate a one-day
strike of all public sector unions as the next step in this struggle.

The assembly point will be at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ at 1:30pm for an
indoor rally which will be addressed by union leaders, including PCS
General Secretary Mark Serwotka,
alongside shop stewards and workplace reps involved in the pension struggle.

The NSSN is encouraging all trade unionists to attend the rally and
the lobby as well as signing the
petition at www.shopstewards.net/sign. Why not use the text of the
petition as the basis of a branch
resolution which you could forward to the TUC general council to help
keep the pressure up?
We would be grateful if you could circulate information about this
event around your trade union
branch, attend yourself and encourage others to do so. We would also
encourage unions to book
transport to the event. If your branch / trades council would like to
contribute to the cost of a
coach, please make a cheque payable to ?National Shop Stewards
Network? and post to NSSN, PO
Box 54498, London, E10 9DE.

Campaign to defend the N H S

Meeting of the campaign to defend the National Health Service initiated by Crawley Trades Council.

7.30 pm

Thursday 11 August

St John's Church Hall (near Crawley Station)

(Google it if you are not sure!)

Defend the NHS

Coalition to defend the NHS

North Sussex and Surrey Trades Council launched a Coalition
to defend the NHS at a meeting on 06 July 2011.

Oliver Coxhead was elected as Chair
Derek Isaacs was elected as secretary.

Derek Isaacs was one of the first people to have his life saved by the new NHS in 1948. He had a playground accident
climbing the fence and was later taken to the hospital with an abcess which was growing inwards and would have
threatened his life.

However his mother didn't have to beg to a group of hard-nosed charity commissioners. The treatment was free for
the first time, so he was among the first of hundreds of thousands who owe their lives to the NHS.

People of sixty were old in 1948. The NHS has given us a new lease of life and that is why it is worthwhile for all of us
to defend it.

The government talks glibly about "reforms" of the NHS. In fact they propose to cut public provision and privatise
health care. The contents of your wallet will determine your treatment, not your medical need. You might as well say the German Air Force "reformed" Coventry.

The Coalition to defend the NHS will be meeting at St Johns Church Hall in central Crawley and the meetings will be advertised on this blog.

To join the coalition contact crawleyagainstthecuts@yahoo.com
It could be the fight of your life.

Hutton's nice Labour cuts

If anyone pretends to believe the Labour Party would cut less than the Tories, they have only to look at the Labour Peer (and lickspittle to Cameron) Lord Hutton.

Martin Powell-Davies (NUT Executive member) writes:

Lord Hutton's second report into public sector pensions has confirmed the attacks that we have been expecting.
He has recommended:
a) An end to final salary pension schemes - to be replaced by 'career average' schemes in order to cut the value of pensions.


b) Retiring older - the 'normal pension age' would rise first to 65 for all but increase further to 68 in future to track the rising state pension age.
This comes on top of the attacks we already know about, particularly:
c) Paying more - with the government wanting to increase pension contributions by 50%. This will rob £100 a month or so from teachers just as we are about to be clobbered by a pay freeze and rising inflation.
Lord Hutton's interview on Radio 4 this morning contained a series of distortions designed to confuse and divide opposition - we must not be fooled.
First, he claims that 'there is no alternative', that we're all living longer and so we have to work longer to pay for it. The financial statistics don't back this up.
As the NUT press release has stated: "The National Audit Office has confirmed that public sector pension costs are falling as expected due to the reforms already in place.
"Teachers are already paying more, the normal pension age has been raised to 65 for new entrants and employer contributions have been capped ... Their plans are based on politics, not economics.
"Pensions have already been cut by changing their link from RPI to CPI inflation. As a result of this, next month's pension increase will be 1.5% less than it should have been".
Second, Hutton claims that public-sector workers can't expect to carry on with final-salary pensions when most private-sector workers aren't getting them.
But why should we allow ourselves to be ripped off in the same way that many private companies are ripping off their employees? The best way to defend all workers - in both the public and private sectors - is for someone to put up a fight, and we are going to!
Lastly, as well as trying to divide public sector workers from private sector colleagues, Hutton wants to divide classroom teachers from promoted colleagues by claiming that 'career-average' schemes will be 'fairer' to those lower down the scale. But what he intends will be unfair to all of us.
He hasn't made any recommendations on the technical details of the 'accrual rates' in any career-average scheme - and thereby hides the truth. In principle, a career-average scheme can be constructed in a way that maintains pension levels - but Hutton's aim is to cut pensions.
These schemes will be constructed to give us less pension even though we'll be paying in more. There's nothing 'fair' about Hutton's proposals - they are just another part of this government's agenda of cuts and privatisation.
Hutton did have to admit that there would have to be consultation and changes to legislation to bring in these changes. That means we have a window - although it might be a short one - to organise the united action needed to stop these attacks.
Hutton's report must be met with a quick response - coordinated ballots across the public sector for strike action to defeat this pensions robbery.

Protest in Queens Square

Oppose the cuts - 26th February 11am Queens Square

Derek Isaacs writes:

Saturday 26TH February in Queens Square in the Centre of Crawley West Sussex  at 11am, the North Sussex & East Surrey Trades Union Council in  partnership with Anti Cuts Coalition are holding a demonstration

 

*Against all of the Coalition Government and Local Government cut back in welfare for the young the old  and the disabled  

  

* Against the privatisation of the NHS 

* Against the disgraceful Localism bill on Council Housing that will take away the rights for council   and  housing association tenants to have life time tenancies and restrict the access to council. 

* Against the selling and leasing to private

companies of the Forestry commission land. (Looks like no more right to roam!) 

 

Please contact your Union office, play groups

disabled groups anybody you know that will be affected by the cuts. IF you know of web site or blog could you  put this

Message on it PLEASE'

Protest against the council

Council meeting to cut jobs and services

Wednesday 23rd February

Town Hall

7.30

Tax cuts for the rich

Job cuts and service cuts for the rest of us.

Don't let them get away with it.

Give the fat cats a piece of your mind!

The end of our National Health Service.

•  There is a crisis in the National Health Service. The publication of the Health and Social Care Bill heralds dramatic changes for the NHS, which will affect the way public health and social care are provided in the UK.

Full text of Lancet article

TUC National Demonstration: Saturday 26th March 2011

Join the TUC and other affiliated unions in the fight against unfair and unnecessary spending cuts.

Date: Saturday 26^th March 2011

Time: Assemble at 11am

Venue: Victoria Embankment between Temple Place and Blackfriars. March to Hyde Park for rally

The challenge is to counter the government's lies about

• the economy has never been in such a state
• spending on public service are the cause of this
• deep cuts to public services are essential
• these are difficult decisions - but they are fair

Support the alternative:

• A Robin Hood tax on the banks
• Closing tax loopholes
• Policies for jobs and green growth

Join us

The Crawley coach is leaving at 8 am from Crawley Bus Station. Tickets (5 pound suggested donation - very heavily subsidised by the West Sussex Teachers' Association) Contact Derek McMillan
12 Meadowgate
Giblets Lane
Horsham
West Sussex.

South East Region Anti-Cuts Day School Hosted by Brighton Stop the Cuts

The Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition is holding a day school against the cuts on the 19th February. We are working with and encouraging activists from groups across the South East and those who haven't a group in their area.

The agenda is still being finalised, but we will be hearing from Pat Sikorski RMT Assistant General Secretary, and have sessions including:


Fighting Cuts in Local Government, Benefits, Health, Education

Anti-cuts Economics, The case for public ownership, Political representation, forming and building anti-cuts groups in your area.

Registration will be from 10am, a full agenda will be out shortly. Please invite activists from across the area. We are planning to provide creche facilities, music after and there is a bar...


Facebook link