Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Solidarity with Wisconsin workers

In the 80s Reagan and Thatcher competed to attack the organised working class - the smashing of the US Air Traffic Controllors reverberated around the world just as did the defeat of the miners in the UK.



So workers here need to be worried that the Tories' transatlantic cousins in Wisconsin are trying to strip collective bargaining rights from public sector employees (http://wisaflcio.typepad.com/wisconsin-state-afl-cio-blog/). This is precisely the wet dream of the swivel-eyed extremists at the Institute of Directors and other looney-tunes right wing "think" tanks.



That the attack upon our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin includes an attack on their pensions serves only to underline our common interest in resisting the global attempt to make public servants pay the cost of the bankers' crisis.



American readers can sign an online petition (http://action.afscme.org/c/51/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1444&utm_source=blast-24243&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=StandWith) and - bearing in mind the inscription on the Statue of Liberty - I should imagine we all can.



Just as the Tories wish they had never had to concede any part of the Welfare State (and will destroy it as soon and as far as they can) so they - and their Republican allies - wish they had never had to permit any trade union rights (and will destroy us too if we let them).

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

No comments: