Poem written in a personal capacity

I don’t care about the glossy photo-op with the Labour MP you sent us,

Dave Prentis.

To explain why you meant us,

Dave Prentis

To capitulate on pensions. Are you really compos mentis?

Dave Prentis

Did you need to eat a whole packet of Mentos,

Dave Prentis?

To clear the hypocritical stench as,

Dave Prentis,

You made a stirring speech and sent us,

Dave Prentis,

Like a stuttering tortoise,

Dave Prentis.

Up to the top of the hill before making a hasty descent as,

Dave Prentis,

You gave in and broke the mighty consensus,

Dave Prentis.

2 million out on strike, now that was momentous,

Dave Prentis.

Until you betrayed us. You only lent us,

Dave Prentis

The placards and armbands of protests and pickets. Your real intent was,

Dave Prentis,

To back down. You are out of touch and bent as,

Dave Prentis,

On 100 grand a year, you don’t struggle to pay the rent. Is,

Dave Prentis,

that why, instead of fighting the bosses who torment us,

Dave Prentis,

You waste half a million fighting socialists, the dissenters?

Dave Prentis?

Those who want a fighting union, not one that deserts us?

Dave Prentis?

No sell-out on pensions – Fight until we win!

This is taken from the National Shop Stewards Network site – it is vitally important that this is spread as widely as possible in a short time, so please feel free to circulate to anyone you feel may be supportive. After the magnificent strikes and demonstrations up and down the country on November 30th, we cannot back down and let the government off the hook. They have given almost nothing away in terms of concessions, yet some leaders of trade unions and the tops of the TUC – notably Brendan Barber and Dave Prentis, are waving the white flag already.

The TUC’s Public Sector Liaison Group (PSLG) has met for the first time since the magnificent 30 November public sector strike.

 Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, argued that trade unions should sign up to the government’s latest agreement on pensions, which would then allow Francis Maude to announce before Christmas that the dispute has been settled.

This was met with outrage by many of the public sector trade unions present. Not one of the central demands of public sector workers has been met. All public sector workers are still being told to work longer, pay more and get less. The teaching unions NUT and NASUWT reported that they had been offered no serious concessions by the government, as did the civil servants’ union PCS, the Fire Brigades Union and representatives of workers in the NHS. In local government, the only concession is to delay the attacks on pensions until 2014, provided that local government unions promise to accept the pain without a fight when it comes.

Yet Dave Prentis – general secretary for Unison – the biggest union in health and local government – argued for accepting this rotten deal. Hundreds of thousands of Unison members who struck on 30 November will not agree.

30 November showed the potential power of the working class in Britain. We can force this weak, divided government to retreat, but only if the action is stepped up. The leadership of the TUC and Unison supported N30 because of the pressure of rank and file trade unionists – now we need to do the same again. PCS demanded that the meeting name the day for the next day of national coordinated strike action. In Scotland, Unison delegates have already unanimously proposed 25 January as the day of the next strike.

We all – public and private sector workers alike – need to pile on the pressure for the date of the next strike to be set before Christmas, and to take place in January.

 

Sign the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pensions_strike_january/

PCS Left Unity is organising an open meeting at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London on Saturday 7 January to demand further action on pensions. This meeting will be open to all reps in any union that took action on N30 and is to put pressure on union leaderships to name a further strike day.