TUC leader Frances O’Grady welcomed delegates to the TUC Congress yesterday saying: ‘Welcome to the TUC, our parliament for working people.
‘Represented, here in the Hall today, are millions of workers who keep the wheels of this country turning.
‘All they ask in return is respect, and fair pay.
‘And if it takes strike action so be it. We stand with you.’
With these few words, she made it clear that she does not intend the TUC to lead or call any strike action at this Congress! It is to be a parliamentary-type talking shop!
She continued: ‘Let’s have a reminder of what’s happened under the Tories:
‘Which country has the worst investment in the G7? – The UK.
‘Which country has the worst wages growth in the G7? Don’t need to tell workers this – the UK.
‘And which country has the worst economic growth in the G7? – Of course, the UK.
‘That’s your record, Prime Minister.
‘That’s the country your party has been running for the past 12 years.
‘To be fair, under the Conservatives, some things are growing:
‘CEO pay – up; Corporate profits – up; Bankers bonuses – up.
‘And look what else: The cost of mortgages; NHS waiting lists; Ambulance waiting times; Child poverty; Food banks …
‘And if ministers and employers keep hammering pay packets at the same rate, UK workers are on course to suffer two decades – TWENTY YEARS – of lost living standards.
‘Over the next three years alone real earnings are set to fall by ANOTHER £4,000.
‘We have got to stop the rot.
‘… I say this to Liz Truss: On November 2nd, from every corner of the UK, we will rally to Westminster.
‘And if this shower of a government is still clinging to power, we will demand a general election. We are trade unionists.
‘People ask me: “Will the TUC coordinate strike action this winter?”
‘And I say: We already are.
‘When workers are left with no choice but to vote for strike action for decent pay, I say “Bring it on.”’
Nobody is fooled by this fake militant chatter. O’Grady was addressing the TUC, the most powerful body in the country.
Any serious leader would have put down a motion calling a general strike to bring down the Tories and bring in a workers’ government.
Delegates must move that a general strike is called at this Congress as the only way to beat the Tories and bring in a workers’ government and socialism.
