Statement on the June 30th Strikes
Nearly a million workers will be striking and demonstrating on June 30th- workers in education, the civil service and the London underground. This is a further sign of widespread anger within the working class at the package of austerity measures unleashed by the government. We have already had the student demonstration which ended with the Millbank occupation, the huge turnout on March 26th as well as many local actions including strikes, blockades, marches.
These austerity measures are hitting us, the working class, through cuts in the NHS, fast rising unemployment rates, rounds of redundancies, whether so-called “voluntary” or compulsory, wage freezes, cuts in disability benefits, and cuts in local services as well as an attack on pensions, which is a major reason for the June 30th actions. People will have to pay more for their pensions, will have to work longer, and at the end, get a smaller pension.
It seems exciting that so many workers are coming out at the same time. However, union leaders will not go far enough, and will seek to channel our anger and dissent into weak and tokenistic forms of protest. Those of us in the striking unions have been balloted for discontinuous action – giving us the option to stage multiple strikes. We need to make sure this happens, and that these strikes are as far reaching and militant as possible including further strike action in October. But not all public sector workers are striking, and the private sector is out of the equation.
This should not be an occasion to let this go by passively. The day of action can be made more effective by:
• Strengthening the strike pickets as much as possible. Everyone should support these by going to their nearest picket. This means not just workers in that sector but everyone who is affected by the cuts- other workers, school students, FE and HE students, pensioners, the unemployed
• Refusing to cross picket lines
• Joining the strike even if you are not a paid up member of a union
• Organising meetings in the workplaces in the run up to June 30th to get maximum support for the strike
• School students and further education students ( where they are still at school because many terms will be ending) should turn out to support teachers and lecturers and organise their own actions
• Most university students will have finished their academic year. However, where possible they should support the strike pickets and demonstrations where they can
• The widest possible solidarity has to be reached between teaching staff and support staff. In all sectors, whether education, the civil service or transport the greatest involvement of those not “officially” on strike
• Encourage those who feel they cannot take part in supporting the strike including workers in other sectors to phone in sick on the day
• On June 30th delegations from picket lines to visit other workplaces to encourage solidarity action. The organisation of local marches and assemblies where possible
June 30th has the potential to be a huge display of anger at the cuts that are being imposed. The more successful, the more who turn out to strike and to support, the greater the encouragement to carry on ongoing actions that don’t just involve one token day.
We have no faith in the trade union leaders to successfully “lead” the fight against these austerity measures. Neither should we place trust in the Labour Party. They were the ones who started many of the measures that this government has carried on. Where Labour runs local councils it implements the cuts packages. Labour tells us that cuts are necessary, it’s just that they will do it in a “kinder” way. How many Labour MPs have you heard justifying austerity measures?
No, we have to rely on ourselves, on our own organisation. We can carry on the fight through mass assemblies where everyone can put over their view, where any delegates are mandated and subject to recall. We can win this fight against these austerity measures. All over the world we have the example of ordinary working people suddenly discovering their own self confidence and their own ability to organise and to resist, no matter what the odds.
WE CAN WIN!
IN BRISTOL:
In Bristol Pickets will be going on across the city including schools and job centres.
At 10.00am there will the a Claimants Feeder March starting from King Square on Stokes Croft and marching to College Green.
At 11am everyone will gather at College Green for the main march organised by Bristol Anti Cuts Alliance which will arrive at Castle Park for a Rally at 12am. Bring placards, banners, noise, anger and humor. At the rally there will be a number of stalls and further actions against the cuts including a UK Uncut style Tax Collection rolling picket to begin at midday in Broadmead.
Bristol Anarchist Federation 
Readers will be glad to here that none of us were arrested on the day.
Despite some of the harshest anti trade union laws in Europe and a government intenet on tightening them further, we were not actually breaking the law when we went out to strike and picket. Similarly despite years of attacks on our civil liberties under labour which seem to be continuing under the condems (hows that for democratic choice) it is not yet an arrestable offence to voice our discontent on the streets.
That said, we’re pretty sure some of the police would have loved to have a go at us, but after some recent high profile fuck ups (stokes croft…), they seemed to be on the back foot and had evidently been ordered to hang back and watch quietly from the sidelines. Unlike previous anticuts marches they did not attempt to provoke or arrest the anarcho contingent, nor did they start a mini riot on college green leading to there hasty retreat like they did last year.
Perhaps this was because their colleagues in neighboring counties were too busy with their own strikes and protests to rush to the aid of avon & somersets finest – and they do hate to go it alone.
Most importantly I’d like to thank True British citizen for his/her comment, the lack of regular trolling on our blog was begining to hurt out ego’s a little.
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The Above comment is in reply to someone who left a comment who said “I hope you all get arrested and don’t delete this comment you cowards” someone with access to this page decided to ignore the kind request to not delete the post so just letting you know what is said so the above makes sense.
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