We must all push for a fightback over the cost of living crisis (Photo: WikipediaCommons)
As the cost of living crisis deepens, the labour movement has to rise to the challenge and lead a fight.
Workers, pensioners and unemployed people have been at the sharp end of this crisis for years. But now it’s hitting even harder because of Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
Inflation fell slightly last week, to 3 percent, because of the way the energy price cap is calculated.
But even mainstream commentators say it will accelerate. Food prices, for example, are rising through the roof. By autumn, food inflation is predicted to hit 9 percent.
Energy, too, is predicted to rise by as much as 12 percent on 1 July. And, with the costs of everything increasing, Labour and the bosses are attacking our wages with below-inflation offers.
But there are moves towards action in the unions. The Unison union is set to launch a ballot of local government and school support workers on 9 July in England and Wales after it rejected the Labour government’s paltry pay offer of 3.3 percent.
The union says it is “balloting members in strategically targeted employers,” but is still due to release a list. But activists are already organising for the pay fight with meetings, rallies and more.
Education workers in the NEU union have already delivered a strong vote for strikes in a recent indicative ballot. Teachers voted by 90.5 percent in favour on a turnout of 48.6 percent, while support staff backed action by 86.1 percent on a 55.5 percent turnout.
The NEU national executive decided this month to move to formal ballots over pay and funding in the autumn.
The union announced, “The formal ballots of teachers and support staff in state-maintained schools in England will open on 3 October and close on 15 December.”
It’s positive that the ballot will open in the first half term. Ahead of the national executive, we argued, “The NEU should set a clear start date for the ballot in the first half-term of the new school year that starts in September.”
But an end date of 15 December is too late to call strikes before Christmas. That’s why Socialist Worker supporters argued for a shorter timetable that would have allowed action this autumn.
It’s now vital to organise in the summer term, build and win the ballot in the autumn—and push for a programme of strikes.
Across the trade union movement, there are hurdles we have to overcome for a higher level of resistance. The Trade Union Act 2016, introduced by the Tories, imposed a turnout threshold of 50 percent.
This is the greatest barrier to national action—and the greatest alibi of the trade union leaders when they don’t want to lead a fight. No wonder Keir Starmer has dragged his feet over abolishing it and most union leaders haven’t kicked up a fuss over his backsliding.
But it is possible to organise and win—and the responsibility is immense.
If the left doesn’t show an alternative, the far right will seek to grow out of the social crisis and scapegoat migrants further.
Socialists have to popularise the slogan, “We won’t pay for Trump’s war,” across the labour movement. The needs of the working class as a whole demand that we all push for a fightback over the cost of living crisis.
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