The Herald Letters

Nothing better exposes the class nature of our society than the current pensions crisis. In a month when, yet again, the government has shown that it will go to any lengths to defend the interests of the rich, one million of Britain's lowest-paid workers have been forced to take strike action in defence of their pensions, which have come under attack from the same government.

The government says that it has no choice but to take this action; that the country cannot afford this level of pension provision. This is nonsense and just another example of government spin. All governments make choices; that's what governments do. This government chose not to impose the same pension settlement on other public-service workers, most notably teachers, because it didn't want a damaging industrial dispute in the run-up to the election.

As for funding, the government chooses to spend tens of billions of pounds each year in subsidising the rich and big business, in maintaining a useless nuclear arsenal and in fighting an illegal war. It also chooses to deny itself colossal revenues from the rich by refusing to change to a more progressive tax regime. In fact if the money isn't there it's because it is being diverted into these other areas.

The local government workers striking on Tuesday are in the front line of the fightback and as such represent the interests of all working people facing the same attack; particularly in the private sector. That's why they should be and are being supported. That widespread disruption took place is simply a reflection of the essential jobs these workers do. If those on fat-cat pensions went on strike would anyone notice?

There is a Woody Guthrie song, Whose Side Are You On? New Labour would have no problem answering this question. However, for the million workers on strike and the millions of others who supported them it is time to face reality. There is now no difference between New Labour and the Tories when it comes to attacking the interests of working people. On the demonstrations and rallies in Scotland on Tuesday the Scottish Socialist Party was the only party to stand shoulder to shoulder with those on strike.

William Bonnar,129 Ardmory Avenue, Glasgow.

Video Footage of the Edinburgh Demo

More Photos

SSP members will be out participating in and supporting the massive public sector strike today. We have produced a series of bulletins and will be having rallies in many areas.

Carolyn Leckie, SSP MSP, UNISON and IWW member, will be asking the following question at First Minister's Question Time this Thursday, 30th March. FMQs is on at 12 o'clock and is usually shown on the BBC on Holyrood Live.

First Minister's Question Time - Thursday 30 March
6. Carolyn Leckie: To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Executive still intends to abolish the rule of 85 in the Local Government Pension Scheme. (S2F-2227)

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The Herald
Your Letters March 28 2006

Even the most vicious opponents of trade unionism cannot ignore the historic
strike of 1.5 million local government workers, 250,000 of them in Scotland.
This is a powerful display of the power of workers' unity, and a sharp
reminder that in the 21st century it is still the labour of working people
that makes society relatively civilised. Services grind to halt when workers
walk out in defence of their deferred wages, whereas nobody notices when the
country's bloated fat-cats sail off into the sunset.
March 28 will be at least the biggest strike in this country since the early
1970s, and the biggest ever strike of women. Such levels of rebellion cannot
be dismissed as a whim by the governments of either Westminster or Holyrood.
It is an outpouring of rage at workers' contracts being ripped up
unilaterally; their pensions stolen from them after decades of them
contributing 6% of their wages; their very lives being curtailed as the
government tries to make them work until they drop.
Tom McCabe, one of the Scottish ministers in Holyrood who can collect a
pension of about £14,500 a year after a mere eight years' service, has tried
to bamboozle strikers into delaying their action. In vain. Mr McCabe and the
Scottish Executive would be reflecting more accurately the widespread views
of the Scottish people if they stood up to Westminster for once, and
declared their readiness to retain the current pension rights of all
Scottish local government workers.
The Scottish Socialist Party has absolutely no hesitation in showing
solidarity with these strikers, joining their pickets, marches and rallies,
because we put people and pensions before profits. Contrary to the
government's propaganda juggernaut, we don't believe there is any real
pensions crisis – but there is a very serious crisis for pensioners, who,
after a lifetime contribution to society, frequently retire to a choice of
heating or eating.
Scotland is awash with wealth that could be poured into decent occupational
and state pensions for all. Ask the banks (£34bn profit between five of
them); the oil companies (£25bn between two); the companies who gained £28bn
from taking a "pensions holiday" at the height of the stockmarket boom – or
the multi-millionaires who give Labour loans for lordships.
Richie Venton,
Scottish Socialist Party national trade-union organiser,
70 Stanley Street, Glasgow.

Glasgow Evening Times

A CAMPAIGN group has warned casualty units in Glasgow and across Lanarkshire could be swamped if a controversial closure plan goes ahead.
Today the SNP's Alex Neil, SSP health spokeswoman Carolyn Leckie, and Gordon Martin, of the North Lanarkshire Trades Unions Council, joined forces to launch the alternative vision at a social club in Airdrie.
They are calling on the health board to retain all three Lanarkshire units - the third is at Wishaw General - and, if necessary, increase the number of patients each is able to treat.