ID :
190041
Tue, 06/21/2011 - 09:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/190041
The shortlink copeid
Students join teachers, public sector workers in UK national strike
London, June 21, IRNA – Thousands of school and college students are expected to join teachers and civil servants in staging walkouts in support of co-ordinated strike action organised by trade unions at the end of this month
The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), behind last year's mass protests against the trebling of university fees, are organising a new wave of occupations and demonstrations colleges as part of a wider campaign to turn June 30 into a national day of action against the government's austerity measures.
'It was the student movement before Christmas that really kicked many of the major unions into action, and we'll be there again in force on June 30,” said Michael Chessum of NCAFC.
“One of the successes of the student movement was that we abandoned passive, A-to-B marches in favour of direct action in the streets and on campuses. Mass strike action is the logical extension of that. We're not here to protest; we're here to actively resist,' Chessum said.
Over 750,000 public sector workers from major unions including the Public and Commercial Services Union, the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lectures are already due to take part in industrial action against government changes to pension schemes.
The strike is the largest in the UK for several years and is expected to bring schools, colleges, universities, courts, ports and jobcentres to a standstill after overwhelming votes for strike action.
The direct action group UK Uncut has also announced that it would be joining picket lines and staging a 'public spectacular' in London to coincide with the industrial action.
Last week, the leader of Britain's largest civil service union warned that co-ordinated strike action by public sector workers will intensify over the coming months unless the government changes policy over budget cuts and pension changes.
Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCU), said industrial action would grow as the government showed no sign of having 'second thoughts' on the pension proposals./end
The National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), behind last year's mass protests against the trebling of university fees, are organising a new wave of occupations and demonstrations colleges as part of a wider campaign to turn June 30 into a national day of action against the government's austerity measures.
'It was the student movement before Christmas that really kicked many of the major unions into action, and we'll be there again in force on June 30,” said Michael Chessum of NCAFC.
“One of the successes of the student movement was that we abandoned passive, A-to-B marches in favour of direct action in the streets and on campuses. Mass strike action is the logical extension of that. We're not here to protest; we're here to actively resist,' Chessum said.
Over 750,000 public sector workers from major unions including the Public and Commercial Services Union, the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lectures are already due to take part in industrial action against government changes to pension schemes.
The strike is the largest in the UK for several years and is expected to bring schools, colleges, universities, courts, ports and jobcentres to a standstill after overwhelming votes for strike action.
The direct action group UK Uncut has also announced that it would be joining picket lines and staging a 'public spectacular' in London to coincide with the industrial action.
Last week, the leader of Britain's largest civil service union warned that co-ordinated strike action by public sector workers will intensify over the coming months unless the government changes policy over budget cuts and pension changes.
Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCU), said industrial action would grow as the government showed no sign of having 'second thoughts' on the pension proposals./end
