THE Cameron government is being driven forward by the intensifying crisis of the capitalist system to have it out with the working class and the majority of the middle class and their trade unions, and to seek to drive both back to some new dark ages.
Yesterday, the would-be great dictator, Hunt, broadcast to the media, ignoring the BMA, his latest offer to the junior doctors, an alleged 11% increase in the basic wage, accompanied by confirmation that this is not up for discussion but is to be imposed by diktat. Since 7 day NHS working in the NHS was contained in the Tory general election manifesto, Hunt considers this is enough to justify a Tory dictatorship over the BMA!
Hunt may want to increase base pay by 11% but the truth is that the reduced out-of-hours pay will result in a net loss of 20%-30%, regardless of the 11% increase in base pay. A junior doctor on a £27,000 base salary for working 8-5pm Monday to Friday, can be paid a further 50% for working nights, weekends and bank holidays. If he or she worked every bank holiday of 2015 Hunt’s changes would see base pay increased to £29,000 but an out-of-hours pay cut would leave the junior doctor with a yearly income of £32,000 from next August; £8,000 less than this year.’
Hunt is bringing in longer hours and pay cuts! He is also is making it clear through his diktat that he is at war not just with the junior doctors but with all NHS workers, who will all be subject to the same diktat, as will be their trade unions, if he is able to succeed in defeating the junior doctors.
Massive wage cuts, longer hours and trade union rights abolish, all to pave the way for the privatisation of the NHS.
This is why every trade union, both NHS and non-NHS, must support the stand of the junior doctors, that they will not talk to Hunt, since they cannot negotiate while they are under the threat of dictatorship, with their union rights treated as so much rubbish. As a matter of fact, the struggle against the junior doctors is just the warm up for the imposition of the statutes of the new anti-union Bill whose third reading will be next week before it becomes law.
The TUC general secretary O’Grady is currently patting herself on the back, because the Tories have dropped two of their anti-union proposals – one makes unions publish a protest and picketing plan 14 days in advance of a strike, the other proposes to create new criminal offenses around picketing, or to make every picketer wear an armband or give their name to the police.
The truth about this government is that it is a big bully, with its would-be dictatorship, but it has feet of clay – its system, capitalism, is in a massive crisis. It has suffered rebuffs over bombing Syria and cutting tax credits, where it could have been brought down if Labour had voted for the Liberal motion in the House of Lords. Cameron has removed these two clauses because a number of ‘Libertarian’ Tories were threatening not to vote for the bill at the third reading if these clauses remained.
They have adjusted the legislation and now intend to push it through its third reading next Tuesday.
Then Hunt, Cameron and Co will attempt to dictate to the whole of the working class, and trade union sections of the middle class, in the same way that they are trying to dictate to the junior doctors. With Hunt already playing the great dictator every trade union must give its full support to the struggle of the junior doctors.
The junior doctors must not be allowed to fight alone. The general council of the TUC must be made to meet and the bluff of the union bashers must be called. The General Council must be told that the TUC trade unions have to take strike action in support of the junior doctors, and not let them fight alone!
They must be made to call a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers government and socialism. This is the way to win the junior doctors struggle and also to smash all of the anti-union laws to save the NHS and the Welfare State from complete liquidation by the Tories, the bosses and the bankers.
Victory to the junior doctors! They must not fight alone.
TUC must call the general strike! Forward to a workers government and socialism!
