International Socialists (CWI Scotland)

National tensions over the issue of Scottish independence were raised significantly following the blundering intervention of David Cameron and the ConDem coalition this week.The UK Westminster government attempted to force the hand of the SNP Scottish administration into holding a referendum within the next 18 months, rather than SNP First Minister Alex Salmond’s preferred option of late 2014.

The fight to defend public sector pensions is not over. As the PCS union has said nothing has changed since November 30th in the government's stance on pensions. Despite the attempts of some trade union leaders to try to seek an unnaceptable deal with the ConDem government, millions of public sector workers will not be prepared to accept a sell-out. It is vital that massive pressure is brought to bear in unions like Unison to ensure a rejection of the shoddy "agreement." The setting of a date for national and coordinated strike action involving the maximum number of trade unions is vital. Below we carry quotes from public sector trade unionists following the TUC meeting on Monday 19th December.    

Posted 16th December 2011
 
On 15 December the TUC's Public Sector Liaison Group (PSLG) met for the first time since the magnificent 30 November public sector strike. Disgracefully, Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, argued that all of the trade unions should sign up to the government's latest 'heads of agreement' on pensions, which would then allow Francis Maude to announce before Christmas that the dispute has been settled. This was met with outrage by many of the public sector trade unions present.

There is anger and disbelief in Dundee at the jailing of two teenagers who were involved in joke Facebook pages “organising riots”. Four youth, the youngest being fourteen, were arrested by Tayside police in August as riots swept across cities in England.

“John Moore has recruited more members to Unite in the last 3 weeks than we’ve recruited in the past year” So said Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary of Unite as she addressed 250 Unite Electricians at a Rank and File meeting in Glasgow on Sat 10th Dec.  Gail was talking about the same John Moore, who took home more than a million pounds last year, but wants to see sparks pay cut by up to 35% by withdrawing from the JIB and imposing the BESNA agreement.

Protest at Balfour Beatty Head Office Wednesday 7th November Lumina Building, 40 Ainslie Road, Glasgow 8am

No one can argue now, the sparks in Balfour Beatty (BBES) have spoken for all electricians in the construction industry - they're prepared to strike to defend the JIB and stop pay cuts of 35%. This from a company that has an order book of £15 billion and had made nearly £100 million in profits in the last 6 months! Facing all the obstacles and complications that have given the employers such an advantage in the construction industry for years - low union membership, lack of shop stewards, agency labour, the blacklist etc.

We will see history being made on Wednesday when 3 million workers from 28 public sector trade unions strike against the ConDem attacks on pensions. As has become clear from the workplace meetings, the massive majorities for strike action in ballots and the response to Socialist Party stalls on this issue this is a strike that has huge public support. It's widely seen as an opportunity to hit back at the cuts and austerity programme of the government and not just on the issue of pensions.

The 25th of November marks the start of the annual international 16 days of activism in opposition to violence against women.  In two articles Sinead Daly examines the scale of violence against women – and what needs to be done to challenge and end this nightmare that affects 1 in every 5 women in Scotland.

“Skilled jobs for skilled workers” was the chant as over 300 construction electricians and supporters marched from the Unite offices in Glasgow to George Square on Saturday 19th November. This impressive and determined mobilisation followed a similar sized march and rally to the Scottish parliament the previous week, demanding an end to the attacks on the electricians national agreements.

End the dictatorship of Wall $treet Follow Oakland’s example: For mass actions to fight against cuts and foreclosures. On November 2, the events in Oakland represented a new peak for the whole occupy movement – up to 20,000 came together to defend our right to protest against all attempts to crack down with police brutality. They didn’t limit themselves to demonstrations alone. Teachers left their schools, public sector workers went on sick-out, and the port was shut down. Unions called for support for the demonstrations when Occupy Oakland called for a “general strike.”