Three million workers could strike on 30 November: students: take action in solidarity!
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The trade unions are moving towards a confrontation with the government over cuts to public sector pensions. Something like three quarters of a million teachers, lecturers and civil servants struck on 30 June (see here) for our solidarity at the time). Now the vast bulk of the public sector unions are going to ballot their members for strike action over pensions on 30 November – meaning that something like three million workers could strike. This is by the far the biggest challenge to the Tories? cuts program so far.
Already, members of the lecturers union UCU have voted for strike action (see here and here).
Students should support the public sector workers. Their fight is our fight. The Coalition is attacking pensions and slashing services for the same reason that it scrapped EMA and trebled tuition fees. It wants the majority of people in this country to pay for the crisis caused by the banks, so that the bosses and millionaires it serves can go on getting richer. (In the last two years the richest thousand people in Britain increased their wealth by £137 billion!) If the unions can beat the government on this it will be a huge blow to its whole agenda, and make all of us stronger to fight back.
The NCAFC is calling for students to make links with workers preparing to strike, to offer support and to prepare for our own action on the day: walk outs, demos and occupations. Taking action alongside the strikers is the best way to make solidarity. It also comes at the right time, three weeks after the national student demonstration on 9 November.
What you can do:
1. Make links between your anti-cuts group and student union and local union branches immediately. Offer you support in the run up to and on the day of the strike.
2. Pass a motion through your student union committing it to solidarity (a model motion will appear here shortly) and demanding that NUS also backs the strike.
3. If you’re a school or college student, walk out on 30 November! The walk outs over EMA last year had a huge impact. This time, with teachers on strike, we can have an even bigger effect, walking out to join the picket lines. If your school’s shut, join the teachers to demonstrate with them.
4. If you’re a university student, occupy! Get your occupation to issue a statement of solidarity with the strike.
5. Visit picket lines on the day. If you’re not in occupation, take part in the strikers’ demonstrations.
6. Link the struggles. Our fight is both about our own issues: fees, debt, grants/EMA, cuts to education ? and solidarity with the broader anti-cuts fightback, in the first instance the pensions battle. On 30 November we will be taking action both for own demands and in support of the strikers. Everything we put out publicly should make that clear.
If you want help, get in touch – email [email protected] or ring Ed Maltby from the NCAFC National Committee on 07775 763 750. Join the Facebook group for 30 November here.
About Ed
What this country needs now is a juicy general strike; To smack the establishment in the face, to show them who has the power.
Yes, thats a good idea. Hold the country to ransom. Blackmail the government. I’ve looked across many websites promoting stike action and frankly this makes me ashamed to be british. If you don’t like the new terms of your employment, then leave. All this strike action is dangerous. What next? All the emergency services being encouraged to join? You are all acting like petulent children who can’t get their own way. You can’t expect something to be given to you like a god given right. As with university education, you pay for what you want in this world.