THE 250,000 workers and youth who marched on Saturday, along with the thousands who also marched in Glasgow and Liverpool, proved once again that the working class hates the Tory austerity regime, and despises Labour’s ‘more humane austerity’ look-alike version of the same policy.
It is becoming more and more obvious that tens of millions would respond to a call from the trade union leadership for decisive strike action to smash the austerity drive to demolish the NHS, and the Welfare State, that is now in full swing, under the Tories.
However the People’s Assembly Against Austerity which called the protest and has the backing of major trade union leaders such as those of Unison, Unite, the PCS and others, has no policy to win this struggle.
Its aim is to make the Tories turn back from austerity in the hope that Labour will win a general election in five years time. The working class is supposed to behave itself and put up with this completely bankrupt electoral policy.
Since the Tories have not the slightest intention of turning back, and in fact will accelerate their vicious attacks, there is not the slightest reason for believing that the working class will be satisfied with just protesting, as hospitals are closed, welfare abolished, and children go hungry.
The trade union leaders and the People’s Assembly are simply striving to hold the working class back to the level of just protests, when what is called for is a social revolution.
Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, told the rally in London: ‘If they think they won the war of austerity on 7th May they’d better think again.’
McCluskey plans to carry on with the ‘war’ for the next five years, in the hope that Labour will win an election, but with the NHS and the Welfare State already demolished.
At the last TUC Congress the trade union leaders showed their hand when they voted down the resolution that had been discussed and carried at the two previous Congresses, that the TUC would continue to examine the practicalities of calling a general strike!
This is the equivalent of an army general staff deciding to disarm just before the start of a great war.
In fact immediately ahead is the introduction of the most anti-union laws since the Combination Acts and the big drive to privatise the NHS.
The TUC has surrendered in advance with its decision to ditch the general strike weapon.
Now the reformists are openly cuddling up to the Tories and to the state.
This can be seen in the knighting of GMB leader Kenny by the Queen, and in the recent abstention of the Labour Party in the House of Commons referendum vote when they could have defeated the government and brought down the Tories.
There has not been any condemnation by the TUC of this treacherous rescue of Cameron and Osborne by the Labour Party leaders, who are preparing the way for a national government with the leaders of the Tory ‘austerity war’.
Saturday’s massive marches have shown that the time has come for action, The first thing that the TUC leaders must be made to do is to organise a meeting of all workers in the Ealing Hospital to support its occupation next Wednesday to prevent the closure of its maternity unit.
The health unions have not organised a single meeting to stop the closure, and are not supporting the action of the West London Council of Action in occupying it to stop the closure of the maternity unit.
Yes, there’s a war going on, and the TUC is refusing to fight! The TUC must be made to organise Councils of Action nationally to mobilise the unions and the communities to lead the fight and to stop cuts and closures with mass strikes and other mass actions, preparing the way for a general strike to bring down the Tories. This is what is is required.
For the class war, that the Tories have declared, to be won, a new TUC leadership is required, one that is prepared to take all the actions that prove necessary to win the war, and go forward to a workers government and socialism.
Only the WRP is building this leadership in the organisation of the defence of the NHS and all the basic gains of the working class. Join it today!
