Fight any government or council austerity
A conference will be held on 14 February that aims to bring together as many campaigning community and union struggles as possible in Liverpool.
News about the conference has spread around Merseyside, Greater Manchester, London and Europe. The conference is getting support from: health workers, anti-fracking campaigners, FBU fire fighters, students, disabled people against cuts, St Helens homeless campaign, UCU activists, save our libraries Liverpool, Save Our Services Wirral, Black activists from the RMT.
The conference is being organised by Liverpool Against the Cuts, Old Swan Against the Cuts, Reclaim and a committee of over 20 people who have met regularly. The aim is to build a real class fight against austerity and against any government or council that supports austerity that means Tory, LibDem, Labour or UKIP.
Why is it possible? The attacks on all the services that the working class hold dear is accelerating, while the government talk about recovery the most vulnerable are being the hardest hit.
The anger on the streets and in workplaces is increasing. After years of austerity people are realising that austerity is here to stay unless they do something about it.
We are fighting the attack not only of the government and big business in the UK, but a European and world tendency.
Oxfam reported on 19 January that one per cent of the world’s population owns more wealth than the other 99 per cent and that “85 billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population.” Since 2010, the total wealth of the poorest half of the world has been decreasing over the same period.
The number of billionaires in the EU with activities and interests in the financial sector rose from 31 to 39, an increase in collective wealth of $34bn, to $128bn.
The same trend is taking place in the UK. There are now 44 dollar billionaires compared with eight at the start of the 21st century, while the number of people whose net worth is at least $50m (£31m) almost quadrupled to 4,660 (Oxfam). Inequality rose under Labour; and under the coalition it is extreme and growing.
Yes there is a recovery, for them, the financiers, insurance, drug companies and private healthcare providers. Their plan is permanent austerity – to permanently stuff their and their share-holders pockets and mouths with gold.
But this situation is not stable on a world level. Stagnation threatens and plans are being made for more austerity throughout Europe. But the Greek elections have shown that workers are fighting back.
We can fight and we can win
Many people are battling austerity every day and where the struggle is under the control of the rank and file, local union or social movement organisations victories are won, in Liverpool against library closure, the E15 (against eviction and rent increases) and the victory at Lambeth College, London after beginning an indefinite strike.
But as the conference call says, “Let’s unite our struggles for all local and public services and defend the employed and unemployed. We are opposed to the policy of the union leaderships that control the many individual struggles and refuse to call a general strike in order to prevent them uniting into one powerful fight to end the government’s austerity policy.”
It is time to take back our services, jobs and rights. Workers need to bring the struggles together such as the NHS workers, those fighting the break-up of public education together with all the community struggles.
Unions must break with the Labour party and do more than pay lip service to community struggles. The working class must organise and build from below.
The conference
Thousands of leaflets have been distributed and some union branches and social organisations have advertised the conference.
The morning session will hear many people speaking about their fights in the communities and unions. We will celebrate our victories, discuss our experiences, work out our demands and develop our strategy and tactics to fight austerity.
Internationalism is an essential part of building our struggles and the conference organisers have written to class struggle organisations internationally. We hope to learn from them and build internationally.
In the afternoon there will be an open discussion on the programme. We need to fight austerity by mobilising on the streets with the understanding that every victory the working class wins in struggle must be built on. There is a firm understanding that this can only be done on the basis of working class independence and democracy, where all have an equal right to help develop a fighting programme and class actions.
The International Socialist League members will argue for another step after the conference: to organise a No Austerity demonstration for early April, at the time of an election period that will end in May.
“Mobilise for local services and jobs. Anti-cuts groups will be standing in the elections in May 2015 to fight the cuts in services and jobs, to oppose the sanctions imposed on unemployed people, to fight all oppression and defend council and public services. We can work together and assist all groups who want to take a stand against austerity.”
Conference call
Some draft proposals for the conference include :
- No to austerity;
- Oppose all cuts in public services;
- No to privatization;
- Fight zero hour and casual contracts – for proper jobs;
- For a minimum wage of £10;
- For a sustainable and safe energy policy. End fracking;
- Restore the benefits safety net, stop sanctions;
- Free public transport for children and students;
- For free and quality public education and health;
- No to discrimination against immigrants and ethnic minorities;
- Communities and union members unite and fight;
- Continue the fights and join on the streets.
Note:
The conference was held on February 14 with an audience of more than 100 people representing community groups, trade unions, left parties and individuals. It was a great succes, some decisions as to organising a demonstration in April, standing another conference and a fighting programme were taken. Soon we’ll post a report on the conference.
