Socialist Worker 2308, 23 June 2012 starts Highlights Unity against generals' attempted coup in Egypt - in International Greek election result offers no escape from euro crisis - in International A&E feels the strain from latest health service cuts - in Background check Syria and imperialism - in Features Strike can halt London's buses - in News ends highlights starts section News Tomlinson cop’s manslaughter trial PC Simon Harwood, accused of killing Ian Tomlinson, began his manslaughter trial on Monday of this week. Harwood was filmed at G20 protests in London in April 2009 hitting Ian Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground. Tomlinson, a newspaper seller, collapsed and later died. An inquest into Tomlinson’s death gave a verdict of unlawful killing. Inquests do not apportion blame. The inquest also saw footage showing Harwood having altercations with various protesters on the day. Director of public prosecutions Kier Starmer decided to press charges following the inquest. Harwood has been suspended on full pay since the incident. ends Tomlinson cop’s manslaughter trial Sean Rigg inquest is a battle for justice for those who die in custody Hannah Dee Family, friends and supporters packed into the public gallery at Southwark Coroner’s Court last week for the inquest into the death of Sean Rigg. Sean died in police custody on 21 August 2008. Sean’s sisters, Marcia Rigg and Samantha Rigg-David have fought for four years for this inquest. They hope it will help reveal how and why their brother’s life ended in a caged area in the back yard of Brixton police station. Marcia Rigg gave a moving testimony about her brother, a musician who had dealt with a severe mental illness for much of his life. Also in the public gallery were relatives of Seni Lewis, a 23 year old student who died in 2010 after being restrained by up to seven police officers. He had been seeking help as a voluntary patient at Bethlem Royal Hospital in Croydon. They are awaiting an inquest into how he died. Alfie Meadows, a victim of police violence on a student demonstration on 9 December 2010, also sat in the gallery. The Rigg sisters have solidly supported him. Marcia has pointed out that many people die after suffering a blow from a police baton. She added, “Thankfully Alfie is here to tell the tale, but sadly people like Blair Peach and Brian Douglas are not.” The charity Inquest has recorded the equivalent of almost one death a week in police custody since 1990. Some 14 percent of the victims are from black or ethnic minority backgrounds. Those whose loved ones have died have built determined campaigns for justice—from Janet Alder to Smiley Culture’s family. They have also continued to expose racism in the police. A 1,200-strong public meeting in central London last month gave unanimous support to Doreen Lawrence’s call for a public inquiry into police corruption. A verdict in Sean’s case is expected sometime in July. The second week of his inquest coincides with the opening of the trial of PC Simon Harwood who is charged with the manslaughter of Ian Tomlinson (see left). Since 1969 a number of inquests have delivered unlawful killing verdicts in cases where people have died in police custody. Yet no officer has been successfully prosecuted. ends Sean Rigg inquest is a battle for justice for those who die in custody No access to mental health services Three quarters of people who have a mental health problem aren’t getting treatment. The Mental Health Policy Group report found that effective therapies exist but aren’t widely available. Mental illness accounts for nearly half of all illness in Britain. ends No access to mental health services ‘The Harris Federation has no right to take over our school’ say Downhills strikers Workers in a north London school are striking back against Tory plans to turn their school into an academy, reports Sadie Robinson Workers at Downhills Primary School in north London struck on Tuesday of this week against government plans to privatise it. For teachers in the NUT union at the Haringey school, it was their second strike against the plans. But this time workers in the Unison union joined them too. Tory education secretary Michael Gove wants to force the school to become an academy because he claims it is “failing”. Strikers disagree. Pam, a teaching assistant in Unison, has worked at Downhills for 26 years. She told Socialist Worker, “They’ve moved the goalposts in inspections so we would fail. The government just wants to privatise everything. It’s not fair on the children.” The strike was solid and closed the school. Meltem, another teaching assistant, said, “I came to this school and so did my two boys. I’ve lived in Tottenham all my life. “The teachers, children and parents here are like a family. Why should the Harris Federation come and take us over? They’ve got no right.” The Harris Federation is Gove’s preferred sponsor for the school if it becomes an academy. Three Harris employees are on the school’s interim executive board—which Gove imposed after sacking the governing body. Paul, a teacher at the school, said, “There’s no evidence that the Harris Federation will improve education. “I work with early years students and our results are really good. But Harris has already said it would change the way we teach.” Like many strikers, Paul said the dispute at Downhills was part of a much bigger picture. “So many schools are being forced to become academies,” he said. “It would be good if the NUT or another union could call some joint action or get us all to strike at once.” Jane, another teacher, agreed. “The government wants to pick us off one by one,” she said. “We need more coordination. People want to feel part of something bigger.” Teachers in the NUT union at nearby Noel Park Primary School are also facing a forced academy. They are set to ballot for strikes from Friday of this week after winning an “overwhelming” vote for action in an indicative ballot. Parents, children and trade unionists joined pickets, and passersby tooted car horns giving strikers the thumbs up. And around 50 joined a lobby of the Department for Education later on Tuesday morning. “Things are very stressful,” said teaching assistant Derya. “But it’s refreshing how united we are.” back story There are 1,877 academies open in England, with 2,263 schools being processed for academy status Some 204 academies opened in the first year of the coalition Private companies that run academies can set their own curriculum They don’t have to respect workers’ terms and conditions Some names have been changed. Send messages of support to healthandsafety@haringeyunison.co.uk, branchsecretary@haringeyunison.co.uk and philbrett@msn.com ends ‘The Harris Federation has no right to take over our school’ say Downhills strikers No more bailouts for the bankers Across Europe ordinary people’s money is being used to bail out the bankers and the rich. Last week George Osborne handed £140 billion to the banks. He said it was a bid to stave off a new credit crisis. The battle over austerity continues to rage in Greece. The European Union is demanding more cuts in a country ravaged by austerity. And the Spanish government has bailed out the Bankia bank to the tune of almost £19 billion. But these desperate attempts to prop up the system are being challenged. In Britain bus drivers, food workers, teachers and engineers are among those striking back. After two years of general strikes and street protests, workers in Greece have vowed to resist further austerity measures. And in northern Spain 8,000 miners have been on strike for almost a month to save their jobs. The region has been rocked by huge marches and a one-day general strike. ends No more bailouts for the bankers Punished for going on strike The government plans to punish low paid workers who strike. Workers who receive tax credit to top up their wages currently receive their full entitlement for the first ten days of a strike. But minister Iain Duncan Smith wants to steal any top up from workers who strike. ends Punished for going on strike Older people working longer The number of people working beyond their retirement age has almost doubled since 1993. Some 12 percent of older people—or 1.4 million—were working in 2011. The Office for National Statistics reports that financial pressure is one factor behind the rise. ends Older people working longer Unhealthy in call centres Call centre workers say their working conditions are harming their health A quarter of respondents to a Unison union survey said their access to toilets was restricted. Nearly 70 percent reported eyestrain and nearly 60 percent said they had hearing problems. ends Unhealthy in call centres Furious doctors down tools over pension robbery Julie Sherry On Thursday of this week 100,000 doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) were set to join the pensions fight. The industrial action will see them postpone all non-urgent care. Lee Adams, a BMA member in north London said, “We’ll provide emergency cover if needed, but on the day we’ll all down tools.” Mostly there won’t be picket lines. But there is deep seated anger among doctors at Tory austerity. Gerard Reissman, a BMA member and Newcastle GP, told Socialist Worker, “You would never expect an organisation like the BMA to take industrial action. “But the government has managed to fire up even the doctors. “The pensions fight has focused our anger.” Doctors are furious that their pensions are under siege. After agreeing to pay in more to their scheme in 2008, their scheme is now in surplus. David, a GP in Lancashire, summed up the mood: “We see it as utterly unjust to attack our pensions now.” Gerard added, “It’s not just about fighting for our own pensions—there’s a genuine solidarity felt for other workers”. Inequality In Tower Hamlets, east London, BMA members plan a lunchtime rally at the Royal London Hospital to ensure their action is visible and links with other workers. Ben Hart, a Tower Hamlets GP, told Socialist Worker, “If the government proposed reducing the enormous wage and pension inequality, I’d support it. “But doctors’ pensions are being raided. Public and private sector workers shoulder the risk and corporations get all the profit.” One doctor working across the West of Scotland slammed the right wing press’ “diatribe” against doctors in the run up to their action. She said, “On a daily basis, we make difficult, complicated decisions, which can mean life or death, and we take responsibility for those decisions. “The payback for all the hard work and long hours for those of us who chose to work for the NHS was our good pension deal.” The BMA national council meets next week to discuss the next steps. ends Furious doctors down tools over pension robbery Union can win this fight The Unite union has been campaigning for an Olympic bonus for London bus workers since the beginning of this year—and the union is determined to win. This week it announced that it will add a day’s pay to its demand for every day that workers go on strike. That’s around £100 more per worker per strike day. “Bus workers will be on the frontline of London’s transport network during the Olympics but they have been treated with contempt by the bus companies and TfL,” said Peter Kavanagh, Unite’s regional secretary for London. “If bus workers are forced to take strike action, we will increase our claim of £500.” ends Union can win this fight Strike can halt London's buses Anindya Bhattacharyya Over 20,000 bus workers were set to walk out on Friday of this week in the first London-wide bus strike since 1982. Strikers include drivers, engineers, service controllers and instructors. The workers are demanding a £500 bonus payment to compensate for a hugely increased workload during the Olympic games. Other transport workers in London have already won similar or higher Olympic bonus payments. But Transport for London (TfL), London mayor Boris Johnson and London’s 21 private bus operators have refused to negotiate a similar payment for bus workers. Robert Laird is a bus driver and Unite union rep at Edgware bus garage. He told Socialist Worker that anger among London bus workers is running high. “People feel it’s unfair that we are expected to deal with just under a million extra passengers with no reward, unlike other transport workers,” he said. London’s buses carry seven million passengers a day, compared to four million on the tube system. Tube workers are receiving at least £850 while workers on the Docklands Light Railway are getting £900. Reignite Friday’s coordinated strike will demonstrate the power of London bus workers, who have suffered below inflation pay rises for years. It should be the first step towards turning this situation around. The action could reignite Unite’s stalled 2008 campaign for better pay across London and an end to two-tier working conditions. The partial privatisation of London’s buses in the early 1990s lies at the root of the problem, according to Robert. “Our pay and conditions have been falling behind ever since then,” he said. TfL operates the capital’s buses but private firms run them. Unite had to hold 21 separate ballots to call its London-wide walkout. The response was an average 94 percent vote for strikes. A victory over the Olympic bonus could pave the way for action to reverse this slippage in wages and conditions. “This action will lift the morale of bus workers,” said Robert. “We have a lot of responsibility and a difficult, complex job even in normal times—let alone during the Olympics.” TfL is happy to dish out Olympic-sized bonuses to its bosses. The organisation’s top seven managers are set to receive £560,000—which works out at £80,000 each. ends Strike can halt London's buses Millions of children still live in poverty Child poverty has fallen according to the latest official figures, released last week—but the statistics conceal continuing misery. The figures show a year on year drop of 2 percent. But they exclude housing costs. If these are included 27 percent still live in poverty—3.6 million children. And poverty is defined as a percentage of the average wage—which has declined in the recession. So people whose income has fallen as prices go up are being told they no longer live in poverty. The Tories now plan to change the way poverty is measured. That doesn’t mean taking energy costs or food prices into account. Their agenda is to blame poor families for their poverty. ends Millions of children still live in poverty A defiant protest to defend refugees in Glasgow Julie Sherry Over 1,000 people marched in Glasgow last Saturday on a defiant demonstration opposing deportations of refugees and the return of dawn raids. Glasgow has a strong base of resistance that defends refugees in the city. Many on the protest see the recent spate of raids as an attempt to undermine this. In spite of relentless rain refugees, campaigners, trade unionists and MSPs came together to show solidarity. Refugees regarded as “failed asylum seekers” are also threatened with eviction as the management of their homes is transferred to private companies. This is happening across Britain. Ako Zada recently resisted an attempt to evict him from his Glasgow home. He’s a refugee journalist from Iraqi Kurdistan. Ako pointed to the hypocrisy of the attacks on refugee rights. He told Socialist Worker, “I am ready to go back if this government stops selling arms to our regime. “The government preaches human rights in other countries but they force us to live in destitution and fear.” The protest was also in opposition to the takeover of refugee accommodation by private firms. Serco has bought the contract to take over in Glasgow. Housing charity Ypeople, which currently runs the service, is carrying out evictions in preparation for the handover. Samuel from the Govan & Craigton Network Integration was angry. “Serco treats people like they’re animals,” he said. “There’s no need to handcuff us!” Justice One refugee told Socialist Worker, “My children were born here, their lives are here. I’ve lived in Glasgow for ten years. The Home Office has no justice.” The EIS Scottish teachers’ union was well represented on the march. Glasgow City Unison, TUC branches from across Scotland, Edinburgh UCU and Unite Scottish Housing branch all brought banners. David, a lecturer from Edinburgh, said, “Those placards that say ‘Kick out the Tories, Not Refugees’ are absolutely right—they want to divide us.” Social work student Zoe Parrott had travelled from Birmingham with a group of Unison members “to show solidarity against companies that don’t respect human rights”. James Fallah-Williams is a refugee involved in Manchester-based human rights organisation Rapar. He told Socialist Worker, “We can’t sit back and watch—what’s happening in Glasgow is happening all over the country.” Many were keen to point out the government’s role. As Samuel put it, “The government has created a climate of fear. We need to break down the racist barriers put up by those in power.” At the rally Margaret Woods from the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees said, “We want the detention centres closed and the deportations stopped. “We’ll keep lobbying the council, the Scottish parliament, and the government.” Activists are now building for a lobby of the Scottish parliament on 28 June. Some racists tried to attack the protest but were vastly outnumbered. The police later tried to escort Scottish Defence League thugs into the city centre. Record numbers seeking refute around the world A record 4.3 million people were newly displaced last year. Some 15.2 million people are defined as refugees across the world, with another 26.4 million displaced inside their home countries. Some 895,000 are in the process of seeking asylum. The British government is failing these people. And home secretary Theresa May wants to remove refugees’ human rights and introduce emergency immigration legislation. ends A defiant protest to defend refugees in Glasgow Unison local government leadership push for a summer of consultation Tom Walker in Bournemouth The Unison union will ballot over the local government pensions deal—but it won’t make any recommendation until it has asked members what it should be. That was the result of a strange pensions debate at Unison’s local government conference last weekend. The right of the union were determined to talk about anything but pensions. Those on the left submitted dozens of emergency motions calling for conference to recommend rejection of the deal. The union leadership didn’t take them on by arguing for acceptance. Instead it backed a motion calling for a “massive consultation” on what the recommendation should be. Eddy Redmond of Manchester moved the executive-backed motion. He said that opposing the consultation was “paternalistic and patronising and elitist by those who believe their own views are more important than our members’”. The conference was set up so that if Redmond’s motion passed all motions calling for rejection fell. “This is a debate of smoke and mirrors,” replied Doncaster delegate Jim Board. “It’s selling you a pup and it’s taking you for fools. “I don’t think we should be patronised by a group of people who negotiated in secret for eight months. This is the politics of defeatism.” Manual He pointed out that the retirement age will still rise to 68 under the deal—yet in working class parts of Doncaster 68 is the average life expectancy. Jackie Peploe said it was the same for manual workers in Bolton. “Working longer is not an option,” she said. Young member Hannah Thompson of Tower Hamlets added that she could end up working into her 70s. She said the deal meant “accepting a society that leaves youth without jobs while the elderly work until they’re dead”. She, together with others, was also angry that the proposed ballot would take place over the school summer holidays. Jon Rogers of Lambeth argued that the right’s motion was about refusing to accept responsibility for a bad deal. “It’s saying, you have a look at it and tell me what I should recommend,” he said. He added to applause that it is “exactly what you would do if you wanted to engineer acceptance of an otherwise unacceptable deal but lacked the confidence to put your real position”. This lack of confidence over the deal shows there is still space to win rejection in the ballot. Up to 40 percent of delegates voted against the leadership’s position and so effectively for rejection of the deal. The chair refused a card vote on the issue. And around 170 people—a big chunk of the conference—came to the left fringe meeting on pensions. Many took away materials to build the vote to reject the deal. The ballot will run from 31 July to 24 August. ends Unison local government leadership push for a summer of consultation Kirklees council workers: 'They say we won't strike. They are wrong.' Low paid women workers are taking on Kirklees council and picketing out other workers says Sadie Robinson Women admin workers in west Yorkshire struck for three days last week—and convinced other workers to come out and support them. The group of 435 workers in the Unison union work in departments across Labour-run Kirklees council. They are fighting to stop compulsory redundancies and to defend pay. Gemma Shearing is a Unison steward in Kirklees. She told Socialist Worker, “We are some of the lowest paid workers in the council and these attacks have been going on for two years. “Management are talking to us —but they’re just going over the same thing all the time. They aren’t negotiating.” Some 92 percent of the workers are women. Many are low-paid and work part time. They don’t fit the stereotype of what strong trade unionists look like. Yet their struggle has had an impact across the council. Last week strikers picketed a council bin depot in Huddersfield and convinced workers to refuse to cross their picket line. Philip, a sweeper, told Socialist Worker that he supported the strikers because all workers were in the same boat. “We’ve had no pay rise for four years and the cost of everything is going up,” he said. Overdraft “Every month you get to the third week and you’re into your overdraft. It’s taking the morale out of people.” Strikers also picketed a council computer centre. Out of 76 people who work there only four went into work. Those refusing to cross were in the Unison and Unite unions. A local Unite official had circulated a letter advising Unite members not to cross Unison picket lines. Sue has been in her admin job at the council for six years. Her bosses have told her that her job isn’t under threat—but she joined picket lines to support her colleagues. Sue said, “The council has said it needs to lose admin workers. The atmosphere has been awful and it’s made lots of people leave. “That makes it harder for the people who are left. Three years ago we were rated a four-star council. Now we’re like a market stall.” Striker Jean pointed to the chaos caused by the cuts. She said, “We work in the social work department. Every report on social work says we need more admin staff to free up social workers to do their job.” She added, “They think we’re an easy target as lots of people are part time so they think we can’t afford to strike. But they’re wrong.” The union is due to have talks with management on Monday of next week. If they fail, Unison says it will hold a branch-wide ballot for strikes. The strike and solidarity action has shown that workers can win this dispute. Send messages of support and donations to Kirklees Unison, 4 New North Parade, Huddersfield, HD1 5JP. Phone 01484 511826 ends Kirklees council workers: 'They say we won't strike. They are wrong.' ends News section starts section The Troublemaker Fat cat of the week (and other stories) Our fat cat of the week is Martin Baggs, chief executive of Thames Water. Baggs has bagged another bumper bonus bonanza—£420,000. And he’s in line for another £1 million in “incentives” It’s raining cash for this fat cat—funded by his firm jacking up water bills by 6.7 percent this year alone ‘Perfect storm’ hits the poor Tory austerity is hitting the poorest, a report shows. A “perfect storm” of falling incomes and rising prices could bring back “inequality levels not seen since Victorian times”, the Oxfam study says. There are 7.9 million adults living in poverty, it added. And it isn’t just about unemployed people—six out of ten of them are in work. Covering up for misery Bosses in DWP call centres have been taking down PCS union posters that expose the reality of what it’s like to work there. They describe callers to benefit hotlines saying they are thinking of suicide, and how workers have been told to work even if they are sick. You can see the posters at www.bit.ly/KMAG5V No tricks up his sleeve Meanwhile chancellor George Osborne says the Tories are “rolling up our sleeves” on the economy. He was wearing a dinner jacket and dickie bow to speak in the City at the time. Racists versus llamas The English Defence League (EDL) has long campaigned against Muslims. Yet racists now seem to be targeting llamas. John “Snowy” Shaw, leader of EDL split the Infidels, has been convicted of animal abuse after depriving llamas of food. Five of the llamas he was keeping died. Others were found emaciated. ends Fat cat of the week (and other stories) Benefits basher’s link to blue baron More bad news for Newsnight’s political editor Allegra Stratton, whose vicious interview with a woman on benefits sparked outrage. She has been exposed ranting, “People should think about whether they can afford kids before they have them.” Tangled Up in Blue, a book about baron Maurice Glasman and his right wing “Blue Labour” project, sheds a bit more light on her views. Stratton “introduce[d] Glasman to a number of significant players in both parties,” it says. “Without her influence, it is unlikely Blue Labour would have risen as quickly as it did.” Blairites on the back foot Progress, the Blairite faction of the Labour Party, is on the defensive over calls for its expulsion. So it has put out a list of its donors to show all is above board. Two names stick out. One is the European Azerbaijan Society, apologists for its regime. The other is PR firm Bell Pottinger—hired lobbyists for the regimes of Bahrain and Syria. ends Benefits basher’s link to blue baron Jubilee windfall buys Middletons’ mansion Kate Middleton’s parents have splashed out £4.7 million on a new mansion after the queen’s jubilee got the tills ringing at their firm Party Pieces. The duchess’ folks new seven-bedroom Berkshire pile even has out-buildings for royal protection officers to stay in. It is also more secluded. They find their current £1.7 million home too “visible”. Not posh enough for Ascot It’s all getting too much for the proper poshos, as the “nouveaux riches” take over their events. But the toffs have launched a fightback—by bringing in a dress code for Royal Ascot this weekend. It bans “ladies” from wearing strapless and off-the-shoulder dresses, and says midriffs must be covered. And in a clear anti-Middleton move, they’ve banned Kate’s fave “fascinator” headwear. Now hats must cover at least 4?inches of the head. When the dress code was trialled in January, they even got wardens to hand out orange stickers to fashion offenders. That’ll show the oiks. ends Jubilee windfall buys Middletons’ mansion How the richest bosses in Britain bankroll the Tories A quarter of the richest people in Britain are Tory party donors—and they have handed Cameron and co a massive £83 million. A new study of the Rich List has found that of Britain’s 1,000 richest people, 248 have made a donation to the party. And those are just the ones that can be proved. The Tories’ biggest donor is billionaire Lord “Cashcroft” Ashcroft, who pours money into Tory “swing seats” between elections. He has handed the party £6.1 million. Ashcroft saved an estimated £100 million in tax by living in the tax haven of Belize and only coming to Britain for parts of the year as a “non-dom”. Coming a close second is oil baron Sir Paul Getty who gave the party £5?million in a lump sum before his death. Luckily for Getty, this meant there was no inheritance tax on the sum. Then there’s Michael Spencer, who handed the party £4.9 million. He is the chief executive of City firm Icap and was the Tory party’s treasurer during the 2010 election campaign. JCB tycoon Sir Anthony Bamford has dug deep to fork out over £4.8 million. David Cameron personally nominated him for a peerage in 2010—but even the House of Lords turned him down, because of “concerns” about his taxes. Bamford also collects Ferraris. The figures, collected by the GMB union, are drawn from the official registry of party donors over the last decade. The sickest thing of all? The Tories’ cut in the top rate of tax from 50 percent to 45 percent will have handed them all their money back in one fell swoop—with interest. ends How the richest bosses in Britain bankroll the Tories ends The Troublemaker section starts section What we think Workers are ready to fight The debates at this year’s trade union conferences have shown that workers are determined not to let the Tories make them pay for the crisis. The fight to defend public sector pensions looks set to reignite in the autumn. There is a groundswell of support for more united strikes after the summer. Then we might see half a million teachers striking. This could pull other unions into taking action alongside them. Time after time workers across the public sector have shown their determination not to give up this fight—despite the stalling of some trade union leaders. And the promises to fight over pay are an opportunity to open up another front against the government. All these struggles can come together in the mass demonstration against austerity called by the TUC on 20 October. Mobilising committees are being set up in towns and cities across the country to build this demonstration. They involve different unions and both public and private sector workers. We can defeat the Tories’ plans on pensions. The government is weak and constantly buffeted by crisis and divisions. The coalition is becoming increasingly fragile. All over Europe austerity is being challenged. This is a fight that we can win. ends Workers are ready to fight Egypt’s revolution hangs in the balance The revolution in Egypt is at a critical moment. Some commentators in the mainstream media have even declared it finished. The ruling military government—the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf)—has brought about what the media are calling a “soft” coup. It is “soft” only in the sense that it has not—as yet—involved any killing. Scaf has certainly not balked at murdering protesters over the past year. What happens over the next weeks will be decisive. A revolution is a process, not just a single event. Gains can be won and sometimes pushed back.