This year began with brutal new attacks that will hit every working person—the VAT rise, travel fares up, food prices up, fuel prices up, rents up and higher mortgage payments to come.
University, FE and school students are once again preparing to hit the streets to defeat the Tory-led coalition’s plans to destroy education. This year can be one of inspiring resistance, and the students are at the forefront.
The student demonstrations that exploded onto the streets of Britain in November and December were a huge shock for the coalition government.
Paul Saville, a student from Bristol, was arrested in a dawn raid a week before Christmas.
Students occupying the University of Kent are defying college administration threats and plan to continue their protest against tuition fees and education cuts into the new year.
Socialist Worker is sad to learn of the death of Jayaben Desai on 23 December. She was the Asian woman who was the most prominent leader of the strike at the Grunwick photo-processing lab in 1976.
A solid strike by train drivers in the Aslef union on London Underground has had a severe effect on the running of the tube network today (Boxing Day). The workers are furious that management have failed to offer extra pay for working on the bank holiday.
The arrest and conviction of supporters of the racist English Defence League (EDL) in the last few weeks underlines the lie that they are a peaceful, anti-racist organisation – and proves that it is right to build a movement big enough to drive them from our streets.
Some 7,500 council workers in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, have voted for a strike. And their regional Unison union officials have said they will recommend this is now turned into hard-hitting action.
Socialist Worker is appalled that an alliance of Rupert Murdoch's News of the World and the police has secured a perjury verdict against socialist Tommy Sheridan.
Firefighters in London have voted to accept new shift patterns proposed after their union called off strikes.
Students occupying the University of Kent have vowed to continue their protest against tuition fees over Christmas, despite threats of legal action.
