The day that the trade union movement and working people renewed
their compact to fight for economic and social justice
30 November 2011
November 30 will go down as the day when the trade union
movement and British working people renewed their commitment to
fight to protect the economic and social welfare advances of the
last 60 years.
That was the message that Unite general secretary Len McCluskey
gave as he toured picket lines in London today (Wednesday 30
November), before giving a keynote address to thousands of trade
unionists at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in central London.
The general secretary of the UK’s largest union said that
yesterday’s Autumn statement by the chancellor of the exchequer
George Osborne was a concerted attack on the living standards of
working people and treated those that provided public services with
contempt with his imposition of a one per cent capped pay rise for
two years, once the current pay freeze ends.
Len McCluskey said: ”The fight to protect public service
pensions is the latest battle that working people and their
families have had to mount to protect the social and economic
advances that have been achieved since 1945.
”But now working people are being asked to pay for the economic
mess caused by the greedy City elite whose behaviour this spineless
government has repeatedly failed to tackle.
”When Francis Maude, the government’s lead pensions’ negotiator,
can receive a pension of £43,000-a-year, but nurses, teachers,
dinner ladies, fire-fighters and librarians have to pay
substantially more, work longer and receive less in real terms when
they retire, the mantra of ‘We are all in this together’ has
a very hollow and shabby ring.
”This is a government that will snatch at least 16 per cent of
income from public sector workers by holding down their pay for
four years – but leaves the banking tax at a paltry 0.08 per
cent.
”The action today has been a brilliant display of courage and
concern by public servants who are being demonised by a government
that has lost its moral compass.
”Today is the day when hundreds of thousands of public sector
workers say ‘enough is enough’ and that the legacy of 1945 is well
worth fighting for.
”Today will be remembered as the day when the trade union
movement renewed and strengthened its compact with the British
people and clearly stated it was fighting back on behalf of
families and communities struggling with soaring household bills
and record levels of unemployment.
”My visits to those taking action across London have shown me
that working people are crying out for leadership that will create
a more just and equal society - the quest for such a society is a
flame that can never be quenched.
”Today will be remembered as a famous milestone on that journey.
I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with working people on
that voyage.”
Yesterday Unite heavily criticised the chancellor’s statement
and said that the economy was in ‘a tailspin’. The union called for
a massive boost in demand to assist with job creation and the
introduction of a Plan B to fuel an export-led manufacturing
recovery.
ENDS
Notes to news editors:
For further information please contact Unite communications
officer, Shaun Noble, on 07768 693940
