NATIONAL TRADE UNION LEADERS SUPPORT SSP AS SHERIDAN GOES NORTH

The Scottish Socialist Party will call on workers and trade unionists to turn their backs on Labour at a major public rally timed to coincide with this week's STUC conference in Inverness.

SSP leader Tommy Sheridan will share a platform with Bob Crow, General Secretary of rail union RMT and Mark Serwotka, leader of the civil servants’ union PCS at a meeting this Tuesday 15 April at 7.30 p.m. in the Spectrum Centre, Inverness. Both union leaders have made it clear that, in their view, the party in Scotland which now best represents the interests and aspirations of ordinary working class people is the SSP.

Tommy Sheridan said,
"Our anti-poverty policies of scrapping the council tax, universal free school meals and a decent wage for public sector workers address the real needs of people the Labour Party has long since turned its back on. Our support for democratic public ownership stands in stark contrast to New Labour's obsession with privatisation. That's why thousands of trade unionists and disenchanted Labour supporters are turning to the SSP."

Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, has called for trade union political funds to be diverted to parties like the SSP which "support our policies." He described the trade unions’ relationship with Labour as "a rocky marriage heading for divorce. We didn't walk away from the Labour Party; they walked away from working class people."

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: "If I lived in Scotland, I'd be a member of the SSP and I'd be campaigning right now. These are exciting political times. What the SSP is doing in Scotland acts as a genuine beacon of hope for England and Wales."

The public rally is part of a two-day visit to the area by the SSP's leader. The party has taken note of national opinion polls showing that it is possible for them to win a list seat here in the Highlands and Islands and are urging voters to use their second vote to elect a Socialist MSP from this area.
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For further details of Tommy’s itinerary, call Steve Arnott, SSP Highlands Organiser on 01463 221939 (e-mail: stevessp@freeuk.com) or contact Tommy on 07887 795075