Pension strikes: the public sector vs. austerity - Video by Press TV

'Britain's austerity measures are starting to bite. Millions are in danger of losing their jobs or having their benefits slashed as the government seeks to make cut-backs.

With public sector workers being asked to work longer, for less, and students told the cost of a higher education has in some cases trebled - the fight-back against government plans has begun.

These strikes will also be joined by supporters of the Occupy London SX.

The strikes could have a crippling effect on not just the image of the Coalition- as the spectre of the Poll Tax riots loom large- but could also be the start of many to come. How long could government policy hold out in the face of public opposition?

With the threat of violence to content with, protestors want this to be a mass movement where the voice of the 99% is heard.

Could this be the movement that topples the Coalition government?

The Big Story will be at the heart of the day's events, in and amongst the protestors speaking to strikers, supporters and analysts.'
(Press TV)

Zita Holbourne (PCS, BARAC) on the Battle Bus, supporting the strikes

BARAC SAYS ' HANDS OFF MY PENSION' ; SUPPORT THE N30 PENSION STRIKES

 


'BARAC says no' flyer page 1

 

David Cameron said recently that the government is only asking public sector workers to work a little longer and contribute a little more in order to receive a great pension. He would have been more
honest had he said that the government is asking public sector workers to work up to 8 years longer, to receive a substantially lower pension with many losing tens of thousands of pounds over the course of their retirement.

The government’s intransigent approach to the public sector pension negotiations has resulted in more than 20 trade unions representing millions of workers coming together to signal their intention to take strike action on 30 November. Some already have a mandate to take industrial action whilst others are currently balloting their members.

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) fully supports the planned industrial action. We recognise that black workers are concentrated in parts of the public sector and so will be particularly impacted by the government’s plans.

Most public sector workers are modestly paid. Their pay has been frozen while inflation is rising. Yet they are being expected to pay £3 billion a year to reduce a deficit in the public finance they did nothing to create.
Most public sector pensions in payment are less than £5,600 a year (£3,000) in local government. The Hutton Report commissioned by the government itself rejects the notion that public sector pensions are gold-plated. The same report also concluded that the cost of public sector pensions is forecast to fall over the next 50 years. The National Audit Office stated the same.

The last Labour Government reached an agreement with the unions which all sides – including the
government’s actuaries – agreed meant that public sector pensions would be sustainable in the long term.
BARAC believes that all workers whether they are public sector or the private sector should receive a good pension. That’s why it supports the Fair Pensions for All Campaign.

If you work in the public sector see how much you stand to lose by visiting:
http://pensionsjustice.org.uk/pensions-changes-calculator/

We call on black workers, communities and services users to support the strikes on November 30th - cuts to the public sector impact on black workers disproportionately and we need to fully participate in campaigns to defend jobs, services, pensions and communities.

We encourage you to attend and get involved in anti cuts groups and union campaign activities building for maximum turnout on 30th November which could see up to 3 million public sector workers out on strike and on the day if you are in a striking union it's essential that you are out on strike, on the picket lines and attending the many marches and rallies that will be taking place in Towns and Cities across the UK.

To join the BARAC email list or to receive the N30 BARAC flyers electronically so you can circulate them more widely contact barac.info@gmail.com

EVENT: Hand Off My Pension :https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=159528684144197

Keep up to date with our events and activities via our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/108132359239521/

 or on our website http://blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.com/.

Follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/baracuk  @BARACUK

 

'BARAC says' flyer page 2



Why black workers went on strike - Voice article by Zita Holbourne

Why black workers went on strike

Zita Holbourne, Co-chair of BARAC (Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts) and member of the Public and commercial services (PCS) union’s National Executive Committee, speaks her mind

Written By Zita Holbourne 02/06/2011

 

BLACK PUBLIC sector workers are on strike today (June 30) because the cuts to pensions, jobs and pay impact disproportionately on us.

The public sector is the biggest employment sector for black people and black women in particular because of the discrimination in the private sector meaning we don't even get a foot in the door.

In the public sector whilst we are highly concentrated, that concentration is in the lowest grades with the lowest salaries because of the discrimination we face in appraisal, promotion and progression. It is these lower grade jobs that will bear the brunt of the cuts.

The pay gap between black and white workers which the last government was supposed to close is widening and the pay freeze in the Civil Service is a pay cut in real terms, taking into account the rise in the cost of living. Many black workers will have to claim the very benefits some of them administer in the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) because their salaries are so low.

The proposed changes to pensions meaning that we are expected to work longer to receive a pension and pay in more will also have a harder impact on black workers. Black people live in the poorest communities and receive the lowest incomes – twice as many black and minority ethnic children live in poverty in comparison with their white counterparts. The poorer you are the lower your life expectancy meaning that many black workers will not even benefit from their full pension once retired. The average civil service pension is £80 a week and less than half the national minimum wage.

The cuts that Civil Servants, Teachers and Lecturers are taking strike action over tomorrow are part of a wider attack by the con-dem coalition which is not just impacting on us at work but as service users, our families and communities.

The cuts to the public sector have a knock on effect on the voluntary sector with cuts to funding meaning that organisations providing specialised services that black people rely on in their local communities will no longer be available.

The cuts to EMA and tripling of tuition fees will mean that black students cannot afford to gain further education which in turn has a knock on impact on their future career prospects, standard of living and the black economy.
Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK was founded by myself and Lee Jasper to respond to the disproportionate impact of cuts on black communities, service users and workers. BARAC is a key part of the PCS campaign against the discrimination of cuts. We are supporting the strikes tomorrow under the banner of ‘No to Cuts, No to Racism, Everybody Out’.

It is essential that we stand together against every cut because they are all part of the same agenda. We call on the public and the black public in particular to support the strikes by visiting picket lines and attending the rallies and marches across the UK because we are not just fighting for our jobs, pay and pensions, we are fighting against all cuts and all cuts impact on every single one of us. If teachers are cut and civil servants are cut it impacts on our children in schools and colleges and the services we depend on.

In addition, as housing and jobs are cut the far right will blame black people and accuse us of taking housing and jobs and this is another key reason why we must fight the racism of cuts as it is not just about the disproportionate impact.

PCS is one of the unions representing civil service and other public sector staff.

Zita Holbourne

(From: The Voice   http://www.the-voice.co.uk  02/06/2011)

Power in defence of freedom is greater than power on behalf of tyranny and oppression

Following an emergency motion passed at PCS Annual Delegate Conference in May PCS members were balloted for strike action.
Conference condemns the policies of the coalition government which are designed to cut hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs, cut services, attack public sector workers’ pensions, and which have imposed a two-year pay freeze.
Conference further condemns the proposed redundancies that have been recently announced in a number of areas and believes they could have been avoided.
Conference notes that the government has already made it clear that it will implement the Hutton proposals meaning members will pay higher contributions and work longer for a lower pension.
Conference believes that it was not the jobs, pensions or pay of public sector workers which caused the economic crisis and rejects the coalition government’s attempts to scapegoat public services.
Conference welcomes the recommendation of the April NEC for a national ballot for discontinuous strike action and for discontinuous action short of a strike. Conference further welcomes the ongoing talks with the education unions for joint action involving hundreds of thousands of public sector workers.
Conference therefore instructs the incoming NEC to:

• Proceed with a national ballot in defence of jobs, pensions and pay
• Continue to work with other trade unions to co-ordinate the action for maximum impact.

Conference therefore urges all members and activists to prioritise mobilising for a ‘yes, yes’ vote.”
PCS members have now voted 61% for strike action and 83% for action short of strike in defence of jobs, pay and pensions. The NEC met on 15^th of June immediately after the close of the ballot and agreed that action would start with a one day strike on 30^th June followed by a 1 month over time ban from 1 -31 July.
We will be taking co-ordinated strike action on the 30th with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the University and College Union (UCU). Unless the government reverses its decision to force public sector workers to work for longer and pay more in order to receive their pension, all four unions consisting of 750,000 workers will be taking strike action.

PCS members are facing a pay freeze which in real terms is a pay cut, our employers and government are failing to adhere to the national protocols on redundancies and privatisation and we stand to lose hundreds of thousands in the change from our existing final salary pension scheme to a career averaging scheme and face working 5 to 8 years longer in order to receive it.

In the meantime poor young people are forced out of education because of cuts to the Educational Maintenance Allowance and tripling of fees with no option of a job if they don’t stay in education with high unemployment levels which will only get worse if older people are forced to work longer in order to receive a pension.

The cuts are not just hitting us as workers but as families and communities with local authority budget cuts and cuts to the voluntary sector meaning facilities and services in our local communities will no longer be there, some of which provide a life line to people in desperate need of support, advice or facilities.

Black people, women and disabled people stand to bear the brunt of the cuts whilst our employers and government are failing to pay due regard to race, gender and disability law when making decisions about cuts.

The future is bleak for everyone but if you are poor, young, old, a woman, black or disabled the future holds nothing but severe hardship and for many,  living hand to mouth for  years to come – families in Britain are already relying on food parcels just to survive and with the threats to social housing could find themselves separated from the networks they rely on for support or worse homeless.

As a black woman and a single parent nothing I have in my life was handed to me. I have had to work very hard for all I have and overcome prejudice and discrimination along the way.   I am now faced with a pay freeze whilst inflation rises and the basic cost of living, transport costs, fuel costs etc rise every month which means I have to make difficult choices about what I can afford to pay for and what my family will have to go without. I have a 17 year old son who next year will face extortionate fees in order to go to university and get an education whilst my income is reduced.  Working in the public sector does not come with perks but was supposed to be a secure job with whilst not a huge pension would give me some security in retirement. I’m really concerned about the prospects for my son and his generation – we have to ensure that there is something left for them to look forward to.

All of this leaves me and us with no other choice but to fight back. Every member of a union needs to be an activist, every non member needs to join. We need to reach out to the vulnerable, work with others so they feel empowered, supported and strengthened to stand against these attacks whilst dispelling the myths and lies about gold plaited pensions and high salaries spread by politicians and the media. People have to channel their fear and anger into action and be united to do this.

The 30^th of June must cause maximum disruption and send a strong message to government that workers, students, pensioners, unemployed people and our families are not taking action as a one off protest but as the start of a campaign uniting people across the UK against these ideological cuts. We need to campaign for the alternative and build for action across the wider trade union movement following on from the 30^th and to continue fighting together until we win.

Malcolm X said ‘Power in defence of freedom is greater than power on behalf of tyranny and oppression.’ We have to assert that greater power we all possess.

By Zita Holbourne
PCS NEC (pc)
Joint National Chair, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK

(First published at http://righttowork.org.uk  17 June 2011)