THE TUC has called a national demonstration to London’s Parliament Square on Saturday 18th June.
Announcing the demonstration the TUC said: ‘On Saturday 18th June, the trade union movement will be taking to the streets to demand action on the cost of living – a new deal for working people – and a pay rise for all workers.’
The statement continues: ‘Families across the country are bearing the brunt of the cost of living storm. Every worker – public and private sector – needs a real pay rise in 2022.’
It concludes: ‘The government needs to act now. Let’s come together on 18th June to speak out. We’ll be marching with thousands of people from all over the UK, followed by a rally in Parliament Square. JOIN US!’
Already this call has received massive support from trade union branches across the country with preparations being made for free coaches to bring thousands onto the streets while meetings are being held for the biggest mobilisation against the Tories ever.
But one thing is clear – if the TUC leaders think that the mass movement of workers and young people will be bought off by a walk through the streets of London and be restricted to the call for the Tory government to ‘act now’ to relieve the suffering of millions of workers and their families from being thrown into acute poverty then they have badly underestimated the determination of the working class.
The only act being carried out by the Tories is to demand that the working class ‘sacrifice’ their ability to feed their children and heat their homes for the benefit of the bosses and bankers and to pay for the war against Russia.
With energy bills from the private sector utility companies shooting up last week by £700 a year, thanks to the Tory increase in the energy price cap and further increases on the way in October, and inflation spiralling out of control, the time has come for the TUC itself to act not beg.
As for wage increases, the Tories and the Bank of England have made it clear they blame workers wage rises for inflation.
The Tories are determined to inflict the full cost of the world capitalist crisis and its war to carry out regime change in Russia to restore capitalism to the country it was evicted from by the Bolshevik revolution on the backs of the working class.
No amount of begging and one-off protests will deter them from the class war that capitalism has declared on the working class.
The working class and young people are champing at the bit for real action, not just demonstrations designed to let off steam.
All the meetings taking place across the country to prepare for the demonstration must develop a real campaign for ongoing action to defend the working class from the capitalist crisis.
Councils of Action must be built in every area uniting trade unions with the unemployed, tenants organisations and student organisations to organise local communities and prepare for national strike action to bring down the Tories.
Immediately trade unions must demand an emergency meeting of the TUC to make the June 18 demonstration the focal point for the mobilisation of the entire working class to close down the country with a general strike and force the Tories out of office replacing them with a workers’ government based on the local Councils of Action.
A workers’ government will seize the profits of the bankers and bosses, nationalise the basic industries and banks placing them under the management and for the benefit of the working class and not a handful of obscenely rich capitalists.
A fundamental change is absolutely a historic necessity today – there must be the overthrow of capitalism and the victory of the socialist revolution, and the building of a socialist society.
Only the WRP and Young Socialists are building the leadership necessary to take the mass movement developing around June 18th forward, to finish this bankrupt capitalist system once and for all, with a general strike and a socialist revolution that will see the whole economy nationalised under workers’ management.
There is no better time than today to join the WRP and the YS – there is not a moment to lose.
