Regional Committee, UNISON (personal capacity) N ot since the fight against council ratecapping in the late 80s, has there been a national demonstration called by major national unions on a central issue facing all of their members.
The demonstration for a Living Wage called by UNISON in Newcastle on Saturday 10 April offers a welcome return to high profile campaigning with serious official union support.
Socialists in the unions and community organisations must start building now as widely as possible for this demonstration. We must use the fact that national unions have been forced to give official backing to make this the biggest protest yet against the failure of the New Labour government to meet the needs of working people who voted for them so overwhelmingly.
UNISON's Campaign for a Decent Living Wage is to protest at the government's miserly offer of £3.60 an hour, and £3 if you are under 21, as the Minimum Wage from Ist April.
The call for the demonstration is simple: "March for a Living Wage. The Minimum Wage at £3.60 an hour isn't enough". UNISON's own policy is for £4.61 an hour, two thirds of male median earnings, without exemptions. Even that would mean only a £184 for a 40 hour week.
A particularly objectionable aspect of the government's minimum wage is the exemption for those under 21. It is a ridiculous idea that someone under 21 is less productive than a 30-year old - or Minimum Wage can easily bes afforded in a rich country like Britain where there is still money for nuclear weapons and where the top rate of income tax is the lowest in Europe.
Twenty national unions and the British Youth Council are now backing this demonstration. It will be the first open break by the unions with the Labour government.
UNISON is beginning seriously to mobilise for the event which is two months away and has already produced leaflets and posters. Activists on the ground must use this opportunity to create the broadest possible discussion in their workplaces.
Leaders from unions like UNISON, the GMB and even the CWU, but noticeably not the TGWU, are indicating through this campaign that they want something something more from Blair in order to head off possible rank and file anger against New policies. The demonstration has been called in Newcastle to cause less embarrassment than it would if it was held in London.. The demand for this demonstration was won by Campaign for a Fighting and Democratic UNISON supporters at last year's annual conference. Prior to the opening of conference, the Deputy General Secretary made it clear that the NEC did not want any National Demonstration. The call for the demo was contained in an amendment to the NEC's own motion, but the leadership were so determined to stop this move that they organised to lose the vote on their own resoluUp Front Baki work by the left, another motion