Don’t make cuts, join the fightback. That was the message delivered to Labour councillors at a 200-strong meeting in Camden last Monday night.
Trade unionists and community campaigners joined Labour party activists and students for the official launch of Camden United Against the Cuts, one of thousands of anti-cuts groups being built across the country.
Local FE student Ruby Hirsch addressed the meeting, calling on those present to fight alongside the students on 29 January.
Labour MP Frank Dobson, also speaking from the top table, vowed to support the TUC demo on 26 March, with this support loudly echoed around the room.
l Unions at Neath Port Talbot council have agreed to a pay cut for thousands of workers—to avoid around 110 job losses. It will mean pay cuts of up to 2 percent for the 7,000 workers to “save” £3 million for the council.
Members of the two biggest unions at the council, Unison and the GMB, voted for the deal. Ucatt and Unite members voted against, but the unions still signed up after further negotiations.
Council bosses had threatened mass sackings to force through new contracts if the unions did not agree.
But the deal does not guarantee that there will be no compulsory redundancies—and also cuts conditions including overtime pay and travel payments.
A staffing crisis in the NHS
Health workers set to strike across four Manchester hospitals
Bus workers rejected an offer and came back out
