Will a Labor/student alliance put a halt to the British government's austerity plan?

London students protest cuts

The first “day of action” by the UK Unions in response to the attacks on social services and public sector pensions is planned for November 30^th.  The situation in the UK here is very similar to what is happening back in the US, not only with regard to the level of the cuts but also the back and forth rhetoric between the heads of the organized Labor movement and the government.

The cuts are significant and we shared on this blog earlier in the week the crisis among the youth and the unemployment figures with more than two and a half million unemployed and a fall in public sector employment of 110,000 over the last three months. The staffing cuts have been most severe at the Department of Communities and Local Government as 20% of the jobs have been eliminated.  The Home Office, Transport, Education and the Treasury have seen staff reductions of 17.6%, 14%, 11.1% and 14% respectively.

The government is not backing down over its pledge to cut almost $4.5 billion from public sector pensions and the Union heads at the TUC conference this week pledged all out war in response.  The scenario is a very familiar one to what we are experiencing in the US except for the fact that Union leaders talk a lot tougher. All we hear about is the need to keep “middle class jobs” and that the state should create more of them. We had 100,000 workers in the streets of Madison Wisconsin and the Union heads were able to send them home packing and in to an organizing drive to get Democrats in to office.  At no time were any economic demands made or were there any real threats of strikes from the Union hierarchy.  We have been driven so far back that the main issues were the right to bargain at all---concessions were not opposed.

After the TUC conference 24 of the public sector Unions agreed at a “council of war” (can you imagine the uproar and media hype about class warfare that would dominate the mass media, print and TV in the US at the use of such a term as “council of war”) to take coordinated action.  “We are talking about something that is long and hard and dirty” says the leader of one of the main public sector Unions and the head of the TUC, Brendan Barber warned that November would see the, “biggest trade union mobilization in a generation.”

The response from the government as we wrote in an earlier blog is to warn the public sector workers that they could be shooting themselves in the foot as public support for them would wane.  There is a danger of this although most workers I have spoken to in London anyway over the last two days are supportive.  However, if the strike is not generalized, if the predominant issue is public sector workers pensions, public opinion could change if work stoppages are extended and workers with less pay and social benefits find themselves unable to get to work and lose significant income.

It is quite clear from what the official line is in the media that the government is intent on the cuts.  The negotiations from the bosses’ viewpoint are much the same as they are in the US, they are not negotiations at all, they are meetings to discuss with the heads of organized Labor how best to reduce living standards and make workers pay for the crisis. The government has indicated that it is open to “different ways of cutting the cake” according to reports in the press.  You can’t put it any clearer than that; they will rearrange the cuts but not eliminate them The bosses have called the plan for strikes as a “deeply irresponsible action” and have accused the Union officials of “jumping the gun” because these negotiations that are not negotiations at all are continuing.  If the negotiations are continuing there is no justification for stoppages they claim. 

On the other hand, the Labor Party leader has also indicated now is not the time and has urged “both sides to step back from the brink”. This is exactly what we hear in the US from both the bosses and our own leaders;  “now is not the time to strike”.  For the bosses, it is never the right time to strike obviously.  But we’d have to ask Ed Miliband, the Labor Party leader when is the right time to strike?

So while there are strong similarities there are some differences in the tone and approach in the public eye anyway on the part of the trade Union leaders.   But we can see the same pattern developing if we read the Labor officials’ responses carefully. Despite all the “war” rhetoric Brendan Barber, TUC head lets the bosses know that the heads of organized Labor are responsible fellows after all. “We remain absolutely committed, in good faith, to seeking a fair negotiated settlement of this dispute so that this action will not be necessary.” he announces in the media.  There has been talk of the “Union resolve” but it is only the bosses’ side so far that has made it clear that their goal is a reduction.  Barber has let them know by comments like those above that they will be “fair” if only the bosses would not be so aggressive.

The situation is quite volatile though as the students who led some major protests and battles against the police in their opposition to cuts in education last year are planning more protests to coincide with the trade Union actions and strikes. They plan to rally in London in November before engaging in walkouts and occupations in support of the trade Unions. “There are now dozens of networks and thousand of good activists, and many of last years school students will have come to university this year with the intention of being politically active. We are looking to build a sustainable and democratic movement” says one student leader.

According to reports I have read, the students and the Unions are working closer together than they have in the past.  Being here only as a short-term visitor it is not easy for me to gauge the extent of the relationship as much of what I can gather is through the media.  But one student leader says that they are working to stop privatization of the university and college systems and that it’s “fantastic the Unions are now properly standing up to the government….on pension and the welfare state, their fight is ours as well” he says.

The Union bureaucracy in the US is quite willing to use students when it suits them and it is most likely the British trade Union leaders are not much different. The optimism among some or many of the students regarding the intentions of the Union hierarchy may well be based on a genuine belief that the officials mean business but it is likely these hopes will be dashed and some lessons will be learned.

I have the opportunity to find out a bit more over the next couple days before I return home but it does appear that there is a serious mood from within the ranks of organized Labor that wants to push back.  And we must remember that the Olympic games are being held in London next year so there is a lot at stake especially when it comes to the capital.

The possibility of strike action and a Labor/student offensive breaking from the control of the Labor hierarchy cannot be ruled out and would be a most favorable development.  What is certain is that the Labor heads are willing to make some deal as their comments show but maybe the mood is such and the bosses so determined that they won’t be able to.