So two million public sector workers are out on picket lines today, so naturally most of the internet is debating whether or not the strike is justified.
It’s all very predictable. The Tories think that it’s absolutely wrong, and even in some cases that striking is immoral. I really do get the impression from some of them think that workers should have no rights, no recourse and no pay. Sounds lovely… The Liberal Democrats for the most part seem silent, unless they’re the coalition-supporting almost-Tories. In which case see what I said about Tory views. Labour is, naturally, split on the matter.
But I support them. On a general level, I absolutely support the right of workers to withdraw labour in protest at their employers. But on a more specific level, I support public sector workers striking over changes to their pensions. I know this might be seen in some quarters as radical, and that there are many who will disagree with me, so I’m going to summarise why I feel this way. You’re welcome.
- The pensions renegotiation is being used as a ram-raiding exercise by the Treasury to pay off the deficit. I accept that we’re all going to have to contribute to paying it off, even if it only exists because of the greed and failures of the bankers, but the public sector seems to be bearing the brunt. Workers have been demonised by the Conservatives as the root of all evil. In fact, most of them are ordinary people, trying to make a living, and giving their service to the state. Even yesterday, George Osborne was deciding that they had to pay the price even more.
- “Gold-plated” public sector pensions are a right-wing tabloid myth. The report by Lord Hutton, upon which the government is using as justification, particularly refutes this. The average pension is £7,800 (1.11). I wonder what the average banker’s pension is?
- Public sector pensions are not unaffordable. The same report (Chart 1.B) shows that this is also a myth. According to the report upon which Osborne relies, the cost of public sector pensions are set to decline from 2009/2010.
Lord Hutton's report demonstrates that public sector pensions are NOT unaffordable
- The Government has never been serious about negotiations. The unions only have one real weapon; calling a strike. Ministers have been playing games of brinkmanship since the off, threatening and haranguing public sector workers and the unions who represent them. And if, as has been reportedly claimed by David Prentis (general secretary of UNISON) that there have been no face-to-face meetings with ministers since 2nd November, then it’s hard to see the government in a positive light here.
- The differences between public and private sector pensions is a reason to improve the latter, not slash the former. I’ll never understand the mindset of people who look at what someone else has, and if seeing it’s better, want to destroy that, rather than get the same thing for themselves. Public sector pensions aren’t “gold plated”, as I said above. Private sector pensions are appalling. This needs to be sorted, not distracted from.
- The unions have a democratic mandate to strike. This has been something that the right have been going on about incessantly. Somehow, because the turnout was low, the strikes are undemocratic. At the by-election I fought in July, the winning candidate (John Halsall- Con) won 65.9% of the vote on a 29.4% of the vote. That’s 19.4% of the electorate. It’s also less mandate to sit on the council than GMB (27.6%), UCATT (22.4%), Unite (23.3%) and Unison (22.6%) have to strike.
There are countless more reasons. Most of them have names, faces and reasons of them all. The thing which seems to be forgotten in all of this is that these are hard-working people, not lazy spongers. So I do support the strikes, as I know a great many people across the country also do.
But I’m a writer. I have no picket line to stand on. So I’ll do what I can- I’ll defend the strikers to the last stroke of my pen. And I’ve decided to join a union- GMB, to be specific, in recognition of the assistance they gave the Labour Party in Brighton, during my time there. If feel the same as me, why not do the same? Show the government that you won’t be manipulated, by standing in solidarity with your fellow citizens.
