Wednesday 1 July 2015

MASS WALKOUT AT STAFFORD COLLEGE

Around 100 members of staff at Stafford College staged an unprecedented walk-out last Friday in protest against mismanagement and cuts. This followed a meeting of around 300 in a lecture theatre where they twice voted for no-confidence in the management of the college.

Teachers and other members of staff at the college are demanding the resignation of principle Beverly Smith. Ms. Smith and the management are blamed for a culture of fear, bullying of staff, increased workloads and unrealistic target setting, as well as general bad organisation.

Even Ofsted inspectors identified the need for improvement in 'effectiveness of leadership and management'!

Although the protest was mainly focused at these areas of incompetence and treatment of staff, the protest follows the recent announcement of a swathe of cuts and redundancies. The college will face a drop in funding from September, which workers and students are being made to take the brunt of. It is telling that Ms. Smith has been quoted as saying, 'Our transformation will allow the college to be more efficient and gives the opportunity to continue to improve and meet the needs of our stakeholders'. Yet again, we are seeing the consequences of privatisation - the greed of a few over the needs of the many.

A 30-day 'consultation period' is currently underway with unions and staff. Cuts and redundancies will be announced after this, the main attacks likely to be on adult education. This is on top of redundancies and funding cuts from central government from previous years. $1 million was cut at the same time last year with 69 workers facing the axe.


No confidence in management


UCU Rep Robert Trimmings, who campaigned for TUSC in the May elections, highlighted the anger, citing the example of e-mails being sent out to all members of staff threatening redundancy even though no decisions have yet been made. It is no wonder staff are protesting a 'culture of fear' and refusing to tolerate this bullying by management.

Marina Bowler, also a UCU rep, made a statement in the local paper, The Express & Star, saying:

'Staff feel they are operating in a culture of fear and they feel like they are being bullied. Workloads have gone up, stress levels have gone up. Staff are not being listened to and skills are not being utilised. Good staff have left the organisation and been made redundant.
The issues have been ongoing since Christmas and staff have now reached the point where desperate action is needed.
I think initially we were viewed as a small militant faction of lefties but it is totally not the case as proven by events today.
This is a lobby with a view to further action. We have been trying for six months to negotiate with the college. We don’t want to go down the route of industrial action. We are passionate about the college, it is an amazing place to be.
But that care is not being supported by a positive culture and it is not being supported by principal Beverley Smith.'

Some of the protesters present were those who had left their jobs in recent months. Since September 19 full-time workers, 11 part-time staff and 16 sessional employees have handed in their notice.

In recent months, staff have also marched on a board of governers meeting demanding the standing down of management, following a vote of no confidence in a union meeting of around 100 staff. Union membership has increased rapidly in this short period.

It is workers; teachers, technicians, cleaners and so on that know how to do their jobs to the highest standards and know how best to run the service they provide day-in-day-out. Beverly Smith and the management have proved they are not capable of running Stafford College. By exercising their collective power, staff have demonstrated that the management have lost their confidence, and are no longer fit to lead. Beverly Smith must 'do the right thing', as a speaker at the protest put it, and stand down. If she refuses, workers should push for official strike action, as well as inviting students for their support. With united action we can build a quality college that serves the needs and rights of workers and students and not the 'stakeholders'.




Thursday 25 June 2015

City of London fills with defiance against austerity


A vast mass of people compressed into the streets next to the Bank of England on Saturday 20 June, eager to show their anger and opposition to the Tory government's vicious austerity agenda.

Estimates of the huge turnout ranged from 70,000 to over 200,000. The mood was very buoyant, as the size of the demo brought home to everyone that the fightback against Cameron's plans has really begun, and this just six weeks after the shock result of the general election.
 20.6.15, photo Paul Mattsson
20.6.15, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge)
After an opening rally of speakers invited by the demo organisers - the People's Assembly - the march set off through the City ofLondon, packing the streets through to Blackfriars and then along Fleet Street towards its destination - Parliament Square.
Many of the individuals and groups - who came from all over the country - were new to demonstrating. Young people were strongly present. All clearly felt that they can't sit back and watch a renewed onslaught on people's living standards, while the richest get richer.
Trade unionists were also key participators, though not on this occasion in a highly organised form with large blocks of union contingents, which are an inspiring and important hallmark of TUC-led demonstrations.
Isai from Tamil Solidarity speaking from the TUSC stage near Bank, 20.6.15, photo Paula Mitchell
Isai from Tamil Solidarity speaking from the TUSC stage near Bank, 20.6.15, photo Paula Mitchell   (Click to enlarge)
Self-made placards were prominent, with inventive and humorous messages condemning austerity - from the carefully polite to the rude or crude.

The hundreds of placards on offer from the Trade Unionist andSocialist Coalition (TUSC) and those of the Socialist Party were eagerly snapped up, until all were gone.
Thousands of Socialist Party leaflets headed "Organise! Strike! Resist! to smash Tory austerity" were also enthusiastically taken, with their message on the need to build for a 24-hour general strike meeting widespread support.
A number of the anti-cuts candidates who stood for TUSC in the 7th May elections spoke from a TUSC stage while the marchers were assembling, attracting a lot of interest.
Later, the Socialist Party hosted a stage on Whitehall, with speakers from it including former 'Liverpool 47' councillor Tony Mulhearn who was in the leadership of the major Liverpool anti-cuts battle in the 1980s that achieved victory.

Niall Mulholland reports on the Parliament Square rally:

Trade union leaders, singer Charlotte Church, comedians Russell Brand, Mark Steel and Francesca Martinez, and politicians addressed many thousands crammed into Parliament Square. They lambasted the Tories' plans to continue with the brutal austerity policies that have brought so much suffering to the poorest and most vulnerable in society and the working class as a whole.
Marina Prentoulis, representing Greek party Syriza, appealed for solidarity with the Greek people in their struggle with the austerity-imposing Troika - the EU, ECB and IMF.
People's Assembly demo, 20 June 2015, photo by Paul Mattsson
photo by Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge)
Jeremy Corbyn, the left candidate for Labour Party leader, got a rousing response when he rounded on the grotesque inequalities in society and pointed out that the richest 100 people now have the same wealth as 36% of the population.
Speakers were at one in pointing out that the Tory government, voted into power on only 24% of those registered to vote, has no mandate to continue with viciouscuts and new assaults on trade union rights.
Sixty four per cent voted against the Tories, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey pointed out. A government "with no legitimacy" to continue attacks "will be responsible for the consequences" of more austerity, he warned.
The cruel effects of austerity were expressed by speaker after speaker but what concretely should be done next to stop the new Tory government assault?
John Rees, from the People's Assembly, correctly said we "cannot win with one demo" and called for mass action to "make society ungovernable" by organising "protests, meetings, direct action".
But his proposals did not go beyond calling for protesters to "lay siege" to Tory party conference later this year, and to build resistance across the country.
People's Assembly demo, 20 June 2015, photo by Sabah
photo by Sabah   (Click to enlarge)
Similarly, Len McCluskey, leader of the one of the biggest trade unions, said the "fight goes on" but left it at a call for "solidarity" and "community spirit".
In contrast, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said it was necessary to "say not just what is wrong but what to do". He got a rousing response when he posed the question: "Six and half million in trade unions - why not strike together?" He pointed out that by "stopping all work" we can "turn the government back".
The Socialist Party agrees. Mass actions, including more big demonstrations, are very important in building mass resistance to austerity but this needs to be linked to a plan of industrial action against cuts and attacks on trade union rights. The Socialist Party calls on the unions to start building for a 24-hour general strike. The organised working class, with a bold anti-cuts policy, can lead the campaign to force the Tories to back down and even kick them out of government.
People's Assembly demo, 20 June 2015, photo by Paul Mattsson
photo by Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge)
A successful anti-austerity movement also needs to be 100% against cuts. There cannot be any 'acceptable' or compromise levels of austerity, as every cut affects someone's family, work colleague or neighbour, and indeed, society as a whole.
The Labour MP for Edmonton, Kate Osamor, said she would use her seat in parliament to speak on behalf of the anti-cuts movement. But she had nothing to say about the huge cuts passed on by Labour run councils without a semblance of resistance, or Labour's support for the Tories' £30 billion worth of new cuts during the life of this parliament.
Socialist Party placards (centre): Organise, Strike, Resist!, photo by Judy Beishon
Socialist Party placards (centre): Organise, Strike, Resist!, photo by Judy Beishon   (Click to enlarge)
Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, got a rousing reception for her anti-cuts stance but she has had to distance herself from Green-controlled Brighton council's cuts.
Martin McGuinness, deputy first minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly, claimed that Sinn Fein is "an anti-austerity party". He said Sinn Fein is "proud to say" it "blocked the welfare bill" in the Assembly.
But as part of the Stormont power-sharing executive, along with the DUP, Sinn Fein has voted through attacks on the rights of workers and cuts, in particular major cuts in pension entitlements for public sector workers. Sinn Fein is disputing only some of the new cuts measures, while at the same time calling for lower corporation tax for big business.

Sinn Fein's current 'anti-austerity' rhetoric has more to do with the fright it got during the Westminster elections, when its vote fell, partly as a result of its unpopular cuts.
photo Sabah
photo Sabah   (Click to enlarge)
The question of political representation for the anti-austerity movement and the working class was left hanging in the air in Parliament Square.
Jeremy Corbyn, who did not refer to his Labour leadership bid, spoke eloquently about 150 years of class struggle in Britain and how it created the Labour Party and won important reforms for the working class.
The Socialist Party wishes Jeremy well in the Labour leadership election, but does not believe there is a realistic prospect of the left gaining control of the Labour Party. Labour has long ceased to be an organisation of the working class, at least at its base, and slavishly follows an openly pro-capitalist agenda.
A new mass party of the working class, which can bring together anti-austerity activists, trade union fighters, environmentalists, housing campaigners, etc, is urgently needed. And to be successful, a new workers' party has to not just oppose cuts but offer a bold socialist alternative to austerity and capitalist crisis.
People's Assembly demo, 20 June 2015, photo Paul Mattsson
photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge)
Altogether there were 30 speakers during the demonstration's opening and closing rallies, but unfortunately TUSC, which stood over 748 anti-cuts candidates in May's elections and collectively received over 118,000 votes, was refused the chance to speak.
Speakers at Saturday's rally talked in general terms about the need to "rebalance and rethink" our society, called for "social justice" and the need to "change our society". Julie Hesmondhalgh, the Coronation Street actor, used the 'S' word, correctly stating that "socialism is not an anachronism".
The Socialist Party agrees. Only socialist policies - such as opposing all cuts and calling for the nationalisation of the main pillars of the economy, under democratic public ownership - can start to reverse the attacks on the working class and poor and bring about a society for the many, not the capitalist elite.

Thursday 18 June 2015

AFTER THE JUNE 20 DEMONSTRATION - WHAT NEXT?

PUBLIC MEETING


TUESDAY 23 JUNE AT 7.30pm

 

The Bird In Hand 1 Victoria Road, Stafford ST16 2AQ

Google Maps

 

Discussions on where next for the fightback with a talk by a local Trade Union activist and TUSC candidate

ALL WELCOME

 

 

END AUSTERITY NOW!!

Remember that this Saturday is the MASSIVE demonstration against Austerity and many other issues that the ordinary person is passionate about!

Austerity has killed more than 10 thousand people (Figure taken in 2012) How many more people need to die in the next 5 years just so the government can carry out the lie that is austerity, we aren't running out of money, there is plenty of it in the top 10 richest people in the UK. 

There are now 1.5 million people that live on Food Banks, this can literally degrade a person to the extent that they develop mental health issues.



Thursday 4 June 2015

AROUND 100 PROTEST IN CANNOCK AGAINST CANCER CARE SELL-OFF

ANTI-NHS PRIVATISATION GROUP, CANCER NOT FOR PROFIT, (CNFP) HANDED OVER A 60,000 NAME PETITION TODAY AGAINST PLANS TO SELL-OFF STAFFORDSHIRE’S CANCER CARE AND END OF LIFE TREATMENT TO PRIVATE COMPANIES. IF IT WASN’T FOR CNFP’S CAMPAIGNING WORK OVER THE LAST YEAR THIS SELL-OFF WOULD HAVE ALREADY GONE THOUGH. 

2015 June cancer care sell-off protest Cannock 003
United in opposition at privatisation of cancer care today in Cannock

STEP UP FIGHT TO STOP £1.2 BILLION NHS SELL-OFF OF STAFFORDSHIRE CANCER CARE
The Tories are determined to push through the biggest single privatisation of NHS services by inviting private companies to bid for £1.2bn worth of contracts to provide cancer care across Staffordshire.
WE NEED DECISIVE ACTION TO DEFEND THE NHS FROM THESE PRIVATE VULTURES!
We can’t trust any establishment parties as they all support the dismantling and privatisation of the NHS
Ordinary working class people had to fight to win a publicly owned NHS, now we have to fight to save it!
BUILD A MASS MOVEMENT
Local TUSC supporters along with Unite the Union and other groups set up the Cancer Not for Profit alliance and it’s had a significant impact . More than 60,000 people have already said NO to the sell-off by signing petitions
50,000 marched through Stafford against Tory plans to dismantle Stafford Hospital and the fight goes on. Nationally hundreds of thousands have marched to save the NHS. This opposition gives a glimpse of the massive anger which exists nationwide against NHS privatisation. 
But it’s now more urgent than ever that a plan of action is drawn up nationally by the health trade unions, other unions, local communities, campaign groups etc to carry out an organised campaign against the dismantling and privatisation of the NHS, including strike action if necessary. 
Such a campaign would receive support from millions across Britain and have the potential to stop the Tory’s plans.
But we also need to continue to defend our NHS at the ballot box. 
TUSC ACTION AGAINST NHS PRIVATISATION!
Local TUSC supporters were the first to campaign against the £1.2 billion NHS sell-off and have worked alongside campaign group Cancer Not For Profit
In May 2014 TUSC stood candidates in local elections in Newcastle with a fighting programme to STOP the dismantling and privatisation of the NHS and again in the 2015 elections in Stoke, Newcastle and Stafford. Despite a virtual media blackout, TUSC were the 6th biggest party nationally in May’s general & local elections. And TUSC will continue to challenge the cuts, closures and privatisation of our NHS at the ballot box at every opportunity.
  • To find out more about TUSC www.tusc.org.uk – To contact TUSC locally call or text 07845893607

Tuesday 2 June 2015

Inaugural meeting of Stafford Socialist Party

We are pleased to announce that Stafford branch is up and running again! The first official meeting of The Socialist Party in Stafford for 18 months, following standing four candidates for TUSC (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) in the May elections, will take place this

  Tuesday 2.6.15 @ 7.30pm in The Vine 

Following Labour's complete failure to defeat the Tories, Andy Bentley, full-time activist for The Socialist Party in Staffordshire will be introducing the discussion on 
What is the best way forward to build a fightback against austerity?