💾 Archived View for library.inu.red › file › anarchist-federation-the-struggle-on-merseyside.gmi captured on 2023-01-29 at 06:59:47. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Title: The Struggle on Merseyside Author: Anarchist Communist Federation Date: 1995 Language: en Topics: United Kingdom, workplace struggles, Organise! Source: Retrieved on May 13, 2013 from https://web.archive.org/web/20130513032724/http://www.afed.org.uk/org/issue41/merseyside_struggle.html Notes: Published in Organise! Issue 41 — Winter 1995/1996.
Across Merseyside a mounting wave of industrial action and militancy may
rekindle radical politics in the city after the long, post-Militant
hibernation. Three growing strikes by dockworkers, social services
residential workers and the firefighters threaten to develop into mass
action as public services, autoworkers, manufacturing, health and
education workers all threaten action over wage claims and cuts. Are we
ready to meet the needs of workers? And why is there a new willingness
to resist attacks on pay and conditions by the bosses?
The first reason must be that exploitation of workers is now
intensifying and forcing its way into previously ‘safe’ areas like
public services. Changes to the balance of power between workers and
bosses and to the balance of opinion between public bodies and the wider
community have created a situation where bosses can selfishly apply the
iron logic of Profit and Efficiency without having to worry too much
what either their employees or the public think. Workers are facing more
frequent and vicious attacks on their living standards. At the same
time, perhaps in desperation, workers are saying, “enough is enough”.
Even as we are being attacked more frequently we are also linking up
with other workers under attack. A culture of resistance is growing .
The second reason is increasing awareness of the fundamental shift in
power between local communities and the State. This new relationship has
been engineered by the Tories as the means to go on taking wealth from
the workers and the social economy that they depend on and awarding it,
as tax cuts, to the already-wealthy and the private sector they control,
use or profit from. Previously the Tories attacked on a political front:
powerful Labour councils, well organised Trade Unions, the political
power of workers like the Miners, ‘uncontrollable’ elements like ravers
and travellers, all were used to persuade people to accept changes to
the equation of political power. These political attacks (15 years of
them !) were a preparation for a wholesale assault on the economic
position of the working class. Not only wages but the share of the
wealth doled out to ordinary people has declined disastrously compared
to that being spent on the well-off. This too is creating a culture of
resentment and resistance.
In all ways, a better-off private society has profited at the expense of
working people and the social economy. Road-building programs and tax
breaks for car users have absorbed money at the expense of public
transport.
Fundholding practices in the health sector have brand new clinics but
refuse to purchase necessary treatments from hospitals who then cut back
staff and close wards.
Classroom sizes grow inexorably in the state sector while grants given
to the middle class to send their children to public schools are
increased. Even so, this massive shift of wealth from the local to the
State and from the social economy to the private sector, is not enough
for the bosses, who continue to see workers as units of labour to be
squeezed and exploited.
This exploitation is aided and abetted both by traditional enemies of
the working class AND so called democratic politicians. They refuse to
resist short term attacks like closures, casualisation or cuts in pay or
services and actively participate in the long term shift of resources
into the municipal, private and quango sectors. They believe that
managing these changes will keep them in a job for life, whatever the
consequences. Can this bureaucratic sleight of hand go on forever ?
The ACF has a definite opinion about this and we are clear that
resistance will keep on growing. The economy is not productive enough to
replace wealth stolen from one pocket and put in someone else’s. Nor is
this wealth an inexhaustible well the rich can go on dipping into.
Already people are dying as hospitals refuse to treat sick people.
People realise that public spending on things like transport schemes
will not benefit them.
And they are fighting back ON PRINCIPLE. Resistance to exploitation and
the arrogance of the rich and powerful is becoming general. A culture of
resistance is growing and spreading. Our task is first to join with any
and all resisting groups both physically (on the demos, in the anti road
camps, in occupations and on the picket lines) and in spirit by making
donations, publicising their struggle, fighting to stop anyone taking
control and stifling action. Secondly, we need to build effective
solidarity in local communities so that isolated workers will be
defended by community based pickets and consumer boycotts. Finally if
resistance is to develop and unite then WE must get organised, putting
aside particular political differences in favour of unity, solidarity
and mutual aid for all workers in struggle.
Lastest News
The lock out of 500 dockworkers on Merseyside continues. Initially 16
workers were told to accept casual contracts or be sacked. 80 workers
backed them and were themselves sacked. This brought 500 workers out;
they were immediately dismissed. Traditionally a determined and strong
group of workers, new Tory laws and restrictions on union help, threw
them into despair but the strikers have come back fighting. Fortnightly
mass marches are growing steadily, backed by firefighters, residential
workers and other dock workers. They are building international links
with other workers and adopting the direct action tactics of animal
rights, road and street campaigns. Already a highly successful blockade
of the docks has been organised and more mass action and boycotts are
being planned. Links between revolutionary groups with our militant
history and determined workers with their backs to the wall are building
a new front against capitalism.
At the same time residential workers on strike have been stabbed in the
back by a Labour Council using Tory laws against the workers as leaders
of UNISON ingratiate themselves by sabotaging the strike. The union has
co operated with the bosses to split strikers and bring in scabs .The
Council now have enough workers to provide a skeleton service. People in
care support the struggle to keep a properly funded and staffed service.
Residents rely on committed staff but the Council plans to use
unqualified casuals. Local people have been shafted by Labour yet again.
They cry crocodile tears about casualisation on the docks while fighting
tooth and nail to introduce casual working into residential care.
The third main focus for industrial militancy is the Firefighters,
striking over cuts that will endanger lives. Their argument has been
proved by the fact that the military tenders brought in can’t cope and
people are starting to die. The Firefighters struggle is critical. Once
again we see the power of the bureaucratic State reaching down to reduce
a vital service simply because administrators and bureaucrats are too
concerned with themselves and their pay packets to worry about the
consequences of cuts for others: the rest of us can burn, starve or kill
ourselves from despair! Merseyside ACF calls for the sacking of all fire
chiefs and organisation of the fire service under the control of the
Firefighters and this should be the position of all groups opposing
cuts.
These acts of treachery confirms the ACF’s analysis : most struggles are
isolated and side tracked by Labour and the unions.. And if New Labour
wins power, will anything change? Unions will only be allowed to exist
as long as they have no power. We need an INDEPENDENT workers movement
to fight ALL capitalist institutions including the Labour Party and the
unions. Only then can we start to have any real power over our own
lives.