Strikers met with a group of Palestinian students and their teachers
Strikers from the Institute of Cancer Research were invited by Manchester and Trafford Trades Councils for a bumper meeting last week, bringing together strikers from across the city.
We went expecting to give and receive solidarity. What we didn’t quite expect was to hear the details of our own dispute mirrored back to us.
Struggles are shared not just by workers in healthcare and education, but transport and hospitality too.
When we visited Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), we found some of the same grievances—pay erosion, but also the removal of canteens, and charging staff for parking.
Strikes at the ICR have already meant the plan to charge for parking has been dropped.
Sally, a theatre nurse at the Northern Care Alliance, is on her fourth round of action just to be paid the nationally agreed rate for overtime.
Currently, and bizarrely, staff get paid less than normal for working extra shifts.
Sally told us how management cite “external forces” in negotiations, a bogeyman to blame whenever it suits them.
We’ve seen this at the ICR. Who actually holds the financial envelope? Is it the CEO, the CFO, or the trustees? The story changes constantly, and we’re within our rights to demand to know exactly who we’re negotiating with.
We heard from inspirational and brave workers from the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on strike over pay and conditions. Neither the hotel workers nor ICR workers have been on strike before.
We also heard from John who told us about 77 newly qualified psychologists in north west Manchester. The taxpayer has paid £20 million to train them, but now they have no jobs to go to.
Like us, they were not used to talking on the megaphone or to journalists, and like us, they are learning the ropes of activism, one coloured pen and petition at a time.
Visa costs and support are another big fight for all workers. The ICR has removed visa renewal support by stealth, despite the ICR employing people of over 60 nationalities.
Meanwhile MRI members found themselves fighting to retain staff whose earnings are just £63 below the visa eligibility threshold. We must stand together to protect our wonderful and valued international staff.
We all face the same story of erosion, outsourcing, “reviews” or “consultations” always scheduled for some point in the distant future. Because managers learn from one another how to squeeze workers for every last penny.
Just like bosses, the workers must learn from each other too. There’s power in different disputes coming together, not just for donations, but for tactics, language and even picket line playlists.
Before ICR strikers balloted, we were inspired by strikers at Imperial College and Health Services Laboratories, who’ve walked this road before us.
Laura told us about the recent win by the AQA exam board workers, who secured 13 percent for their lowest paid workers. What an inspiration! Now we are out on indefinite strike, we show the road for those who follow.
Delegation work is a lost art, and we’re relearning it in real time. This is the solidarity tour tradition, dusted off and put back to work.
Our visit to Manchester ended on a high note, as we met a group of young Palestinian students and their teachers. They left their cramped refugee camp in Nablus for a few days to “breathe some fresh air away from the daily exposure to tear gas”, and came for a visit to Manchester and Bolton.
They ask that we help by sharing their stories and, when possible, donate to help them rebuild all the vital infrastructure that has been destroyed by the settlers.
And so we see the other face of the fight—money is being removed from the pockets of workers to fuel wars and displacement.
We are all fighting the same fight, whether our working day is caring for patients, pulling pints or running experiments, whether we are just starting out at work, or retired legends with 40-plus years of experience. Solidarity to all!
What you can do to support the ICR strike
Health workers set to strike across four Manchester hospitals
Bus workers rejected an offer and came back out
Deadline to accept new conditions approaches
Labour’s health secretary has no answers
