If GloVes are off lets fight to win

T
he ght for a decent pension in the re service swings back into action this week with fresh strikes called by the FBU across 2, 3, and 4 of May. The call for action comes with the temperature hotting up across the movement. London Underground workers have been on strike for 48 hours this week against job cuts and ticket oce closures. They are set to start a 72 hour strike on Monday next week (just as our three days of action ends). Its time for us to escalate our action and to organise as much co-ordination as possible with other unions. Together we can beat the Tories. Teachers have voted for more strikes after successful action on 26 March, and local government workers are set to ballot for strikes against a 1 percent pay oer. This could all lead to joint action by up to a million public sector workers this summer. Health workers are also consulting for action on pay.
Several groups of workers have been ghting back recently, and many have won like these cleaners at SOAS University. Photo: Guy Smallman

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without a response from government and our union was left with little option but to strike. Its good that the call for action has been accompanied by tough talk from the FBU leadership. There is talk that now the gloves can come o . Its crucial that the action on 2, 3, and 4 May signals the start of more hard-hitting action that can win.

Enthusiastic

on computational loss (for retiring between 55-60) was close. In order not to jeopardise those negotiations the union took its foot o the action pedal. But this has reduced the pressure that had built up on the government, allowing it to use announcements made in the budget to further postpone any oer. While weve been talking the government has pressed ahead with the attacks on re service pensions it began over two years ago.

Wave

Our latest wave of strikes marks the end of a long pause after our last strike in early January. FBU leaders hoped that a period of negotiation could lead to a settlement. But things havent worked out that way. While the union negotiated in good faith the government was busy implementing its own agenda. Increases in the amount reghters pay into their pensions came in at the start of April, but we didnt respond. After three months of talks, coming on the back of over two years of talking, we still have no agreement on any of the fundamental issues at stake. Why is this? Following the last period of strike action it seemed, at rst, that the negotiations had been given a boost. Reports were fed through to the membership that a deal

Frustrations

The fact that the Executive Council issued the government a deadline of 24 April, by which date an oer had to be made to avoid further strikes, underlined the frustrations after the last three months of talks. Of course 24 April came and went

Every strike the union has called has received enthusiastic support from members. If the union campaigned to escalate over the coming weeks it would be possible to win support for a much more serious programme of strikes. There is frustration amongst many activists with the level of action so far. The danger is that without a clear sign that the union is willing to ght to win that frustration can turn to disengagement. The government would like to keep us talking until its whole agenda is implemented. But they have also shown that strike action puts them under real pressure. More action to build pressure on the government and the employers with no let up for talks can win this ght. Its time to escalate the action and co-ordinate our strikes with other workers who are hitting back.

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