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.