Half a million workers will be taking strike action on May 10th, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka told the mass rally at the end of yesterday’s May Day march in London.
He told the Trafalgar Square crowd: ‘I pay tribute to the Occupy movement. We have to defend the right to protest.’
He added: ‘On May 10th half a million public sector workers will be on strike.
‘If we lose our pensions now we will never get them back, so join the strike.
‘The government are going to try to divide and rule.’
He slammed the attacks on welfare and concluded: ‘We should defend every job, every community, every pensioner who is fighting back.’
Les Woodward from Remploy told the rally: ‘I tell the government, if you try to shut our factories down you will have one hell of a fight on your hands.
‘Our factories are not for closure or privatisation.
‘We need a general strike.’
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: ‘We are not prepared to stand by and pay the price of a crisis caused by greedy bankers.’
He added that Europe was now a powder keg of youth unemployment and said: ‘We should support every form of civil disobedience and direct action.’
Over 5,000 trade unionists and youth marched through central London yesterday to celebrate May Day.
As well as trade union banners, there were contingents of Turkish and Kurdish workers and youth organisations.
A delegation of GMB members from the Remploy factories were marching with a banner saying ‘Keep Remploy Factories Open’ against government plans to close the remaining 54 plants.
A lively Workers Revolutionary Party and Young Socialists delegation won support for the slogans:
‘Capitalism is collapsing – Socialism now!’, ‘Defend jobs and services – call a general strike!’, ‘Defend the NHS – kick this government out!’ ‘No tuition fees – education must be free!’, ‘Youth demand a future – youth demand jobs!’, Hands off Syria – end imperialist wars!’, and ‘One state – Palestine!’
Speaking to News Line be fore the march set off, Melissa Traylen, Tulse Hill YS, said: ‘We want jobs for youth.
‘It’s hard for young people, the government don’t help us, we should get rid of them.
‘All the workers should strike. We want a different system, everything is too expensive under this one.’
Sean Gould, Tulse Hill YS, added: ‘We should kick the government out.
‘May Day is important to get people together and take a stand for socialism. There’s no future under capitalism.
‘The unions need to take action to kick out the government.’
Michael Schofield of GMB professional drivers section, told News Line: ‘I’m here campaigning against the cuts.
‘I’ve been made redundant twice since March 2011.
‘This government is on its last legs. If Jeremy Hunt goes, Cameron will go.
‘I don’t see why I should suffer, why Hunt should keep his job while millions are losing theirs.
‘I’m all in favour of a general strike.’
Terry Quin from Deptford said: ‘I feel the government is being run by millionaires who have no sense of the impact their policies are having on the lower income strata in the UK.
‘I would like to see a nationwide strike by everybody to bring the country to a halt and bring down this government.
‘An indefinite general strike would work.’
Keethan Rasa of East London British Tamil Forum said: ‘We’re raising the issue of Sri Lanka war crimes against Tamils.
‘May Day is about equal rights for everyone.’
Billy McColl, Equity North East London branch, said: ‘We’re here defending the arts and asking for more investment in the arts.
‘Personally, because of the cuts and the arts that he has implemented, I do not think Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is suitable for his position.’
He added: ‘The arts budget is one per cent of the health budget, a tiny proportion.
‘We have to unite and defend our industry.’
Havering Unison branch secretary Marsha Thompson said: ‘Our health members voted 50.4 per cent to reject the government’s pensions deal, despite Unison saying it was the best that could be achieved.
‘The vote clearly shows there is the will to fight amongst our membership.
‘Our industrial action ballot is still live and we should take further action.
‘We dispute the Unison statement that the rejection vote is not a mandate for further action.
‘It is a rejection and Dave Prentis should be true to his word that if members rejected the deal there would be further action.’
South East Region PCS official Alan Brown told News Line: ‘May Day is a great event, a chance for workers to stand up and defy this government of austerity.
‘We’re fighting a tax on our pensions, job and pay cuts.
‘We will show on May 10th our determination by having hundreds of thousands of our members join with other unions in striking to defend public services.’
He concluded: ‘We need to bring this government down. We need a government that will side with ordinary families.’
Jack Hanson from SEIU local 1199, NW Seattle, said: ‘We’re health workers. I happen to be in London on May Day and this is a great place to be.
‘I’m here to show a little transcontinental solidarity with the working people of the UK.
‘We have the same struggles in the US – massive budget cuts, mostly aimed at social welfare programmes.
‘There’s an unwillingness to raise taxes on the wealthy and the same assaults on worker rights and human rights.
‘I’m up for getting rid of your current Conservative government, that would be a move in the right direction for the people of Britain.’