Scottish Communists

Unions are accused of "walking their members up the hill" for battle and playing brinkmanship with the government "while negotiations are still ongoing."

Cries of illegitimacy come from right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes - presumably referring to the ballot results of the three big unions peppering the 30 per cent mark.

Of course there is no recognition that the government gained power propped up by the Lib Dems with around 36 per cent of the public vote.

More ridiculous was the Daily Mail's assertion that tomorrow's walkouts represent the start of "months" of strike action.

How ironic that many lay members would welcome that if it were true, albeit for reasons of convincing the government to back down rather than "holding the country to ransom" as right-wing ranters would have us believe.

And union leaders are portrayed as "bosses and barons" ordering their lot into an unjust and selfish fight, neglecting to explain that lay members voted for action and will be the ones putting themselves in harm's way to defend their hard-won pension rights.

Some obscure non-unionised private-sector workers have been rolled out to play the role of kow-towing servants - grateful for their own measly pension arrangements while castigating public-sector workers for wanting to maintain a decent standard of living in retirement.

What is missing from this coverage is the public-sector workers themselves.

Who are these people who empty our bins, keep our elderly safe, heal our sick and protect our communities?

Why would such people - doing jobs that engender a different kind of ethos to work, one of service and commitment - want to withdraw their labour on such a mass scale?

I caught up with Unite members at a strategy meeting in Bristol recently to try to understand the reasons why.

Branch secretary for Unite at Plymouth and city council Diane Beals doesn't consider herself a militant trade unionist.

But the pension changes were just the latest pinch for an already undermined workforce.

"People are suffering already," she says.

"We have endured a three-year pay freeze, had terms and conditions slashed and overtime has been cut.

"The pensions is just the next thing on the horizon."

Anger is palpable in her region, she continues, but that doesn't always lead to an organised constructive response on November 30, she warns.

"There are various pockets such as street-sweeping where members are angry.

"But bluff and bluster is one thing. Whether they deliver on the day is another."

However Beals believes ministers have misjudged public-sector workers and popular opinion, mistakenly seeing people like her and colleagues as a soft option to dish out austerity to.

"They have assumed we would not take action," she says.

"And the action itself will involve the public, as many schools will be hit. It will become a family day out."

Despite 24 unions being involved in the action, media scare stories have revolved around teachers, UK Border Agency staff and council workers.

But what about the Ministry of Defence?

Jan Fellows, a supervisor for the MoD guard service, believes that Unite is mixing the old with the new in a positive way.

"General secretary Len McCluskey is from the old school," she says with a beaming smile.

"To me he is a leader like from the '70s and now he is passing all that knowledge on to us."

But interestingly despite this enthusiastic endorsement of Unite's leader, she remains cautious about herself being branded a "militant" trade unionist.

"The union has a role to play in building community opposition to the cuts," she says.

"The public need to know that it's the ones in the union that need that backing and that November 30 is just the starter of what we are doing."

Fellows points out that a unique facet of this action is how women will be affected by the pension changes.

With so many women under the current system still failing to reach parity of pension with men in the public sector, government proposals will drive everybody to a new low.

"I will end up paying £58 a month instead of 23 and end up losing £7,000 in my pension" she says.

But Fellows retains her optimism in being able to fight back, highlighting history and the groundwork done by reps in branches.

"We have being fighting since Pankhurst for pensions - to get equality with men," she says.

"With new members who have problems we sit them down, show them past case works, grievances and how we have won bullying and harassment actions, showing that you can't lose your jobs 'just like that' because a manager says so. This is all part of mobilising people."

Members are all too aware of their union's strong backing of the Labour Party and its current leader Ed Miliband.

But what has also not gone unnoticed is his refusal to back the action this Wednesday.

Secretary of Dorset County Council Paul Kimber believes that only trade unionists on the ground can convince Miliband to change tack.

"Ed will see the power of feeling of trade union movement," he says confidently.

"This will be one of many strikes and days of actions. If he is not convinced now he will be later."

Although not calling for Unite to cease funding for Labour, he adds that fellow workers are becoming politicised elsewhere.

"Trade unionists are working with all left parties, including the Communist Party.

"There are other economic arguments and that is something that needs to be taken into the Labour Party."

Whatever the coverage or media perspective on the day, a camera or a newspaper cannot edit out the anger of workers, of their families or those affected by the strike.

The battle begins tomorrow.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/112492