Why we support the UNISON strike

by Russell Smith

Across the nation, local public service workers are on strike.  The strike has closed around 70% of schools in England and Wales (outside London) and affected a range of services.  In Leeds, thousands of members of the union attended a rally to protest at the government’s refusal to give public sector workers a pay rise in line with inflation.  Similar protests have taken place around the country

Unison is one of the largest unions in Great Britain, with members from across the public sector.  These include school teaching assistants, cleaners, bin men, librarians, leisure centre workers, social service staff, housing officers, catering and administrative staff and other council, local authority and associated workers.

The strike is in protest at the pitiful 2.45% pay offer that the anti-democratic regime in London has offered.  This is an insult to some of the hardest working and lowest paid people in the country.  This obscene pay offer is entirely indefensible when one considers that local authorities and schools are sitting on billions of pounds of unallocated reserves of cash (gained from efficiency savings by ordinary workers), that could be used to fund decent liveable pay increases without the need for increasing council tax as the liars in Westminster claim.

Unison and sister union Unite are asking for a 6% pay rise, which amounts to around 50 pence per hour.  This is entirely reasonable.  Local Government is sitting on vast reserves of money saved by industrious staff - the same staff who are living on the breadline due to the dictates of a National Government which wastes billions on scroungers, drug addicts and foreign wars.

The present official rate of inflation stands at roughly 4% and interest rates have reached 5.25%.  Any pay rise that does not match these rates is in fact a pay cut. 

Public Sector workers who are on strike are only asking for their wages to be kept in line with the rising cost of living.  They are not making unreasonable demands as the spin-doctors in Whitehall claim.  It is the politicians who regularly give themselves pay increases of nearly 50% whose demands are ridiculous.

It is high time for British workers, whether public or private sector, to stand up to the capitalist bureaucrats who get fat whilst we become poorer.  The BPP is the party of the Workers.  We stand for Social Justice.  We put people above profits. 

The BPP believes in a radical change away from treating money as God.  We will neuter the fat cats.  We will treat the working men and women who are the backbone of this nation with honour and respect.  We applaud the men and women who are striking in order to feed themselves and their families.