Tomorrow is expected to be the largest general strike since 1926, as public sector workers will strike against cuts in their pension scheme and possible job-losses, making them work longer for less money - should they have a job. Government minister Francis Maude, said on Friday that the action would cost the country £500 million if the 2 million-strong public sector workforce were not to clock-in next Wednesday.
While the government gush the usual rhetoric about it being better than a private pension, it's a retort into a chasm when the public sector explains that its salaries are more modest than the private sector.Clearly in an economy where prices continue to rise in disproportion to the returns made by those in most jobs (private and public sectors), an ageing workforce among public workers would require some support and attention in order not to create a social timebomb some years down the line.
It's amazing however how much hatred there is for those who take industrial action. The idea that striking is a selfish thing, and that those who do it should be thankful for their lot, is deeply ingrained into many (private sector workers?) in this country, without any real thought for why they have chosen to do it. For those people who choose to take this course of action, it almost certainly a difficult one both professionally and financially. It would certainly be a contrasting and interesting statistic to publicise just how much money public sector workers stand to lose from so many losing a day's pay.
The £500 million pounds that industrial action is said to cost the economy could easily be recouped by authorities clamping down on the wealthy who are dodging tax by registering their companies off-shore.
This is something which costs the economy £750m ANNUALLY. Added to that companies such as Vodafone and Arcadia, which have been targeted by UKUncut for getting enormous tax-breaks, and the picture in the UK becomes quite clear. The government clearly puts the wealthy few and their interests at the forefront of policy right across the board - on everything from an education that is now beyond the reaches of the working-class to the National Health Service which they wish to carve up and sell off to favourable bidders.
Workers of Unite, NUT, GMB and UCATT cover a broad range of workers in society, but the work they do is usually much lower than their peers working for private companies. It is essential that they are allowed to withdraw their labour as a political act against official policy, if that policy threatens their futures.
There is little chance of any kind of social cohesion if people are not prepared to stand up to common sense in supporting a movement for workers to express their disgust at government betrayal. Having expressed such an opinion on Twitter recently, I discovered that some people who risibly call themselves "libertarians" think that those strikers are 'communists' or just plain selfish for striking. And their only coherent language on the matter is to offend and name call anyone who doesn't share their point-of-view. Why isn't this cause worth supporting?
It seems to me that most of these people are just bitter private sector workers who are embittered by the very fact that there are even fewer channels for them to vent their anger - in times of austerity the job market, and the power that comes with it, swings even more favourably towards the employer. While many fear for the jobs they have, there are now a growing army of people who don't have and who fear for the long-term.
There will be many people affected by Wednesday's strikes - everybody from parents who can't take their children to school, to people who have booked time off to have surgery. Almost everyone in the country will be affected in some form. It does seem, that for so many people to want to strike, the government's proposition is both deeply unpopular and completely unacceptable. This is a vote for everybody. It's a mandate on how far ALL workers wish to be exploited.
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