CONTACT: RUGBY AGAINST THE CUTS:

Email: rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com Tel: 07881 520626

Write to: RUGBY AGAINST THE CUTS - PO Box 4123, Rugby, CV21 9BJ.

CONVENOR and PRESS OFFICER – Pete McLaren.TREASURER – Julie Weekes TRADE UNION LIAISON –Martin Eversfield and Roy Sandison

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Show your support for the strike - by visiting local pickets lines!

Rugby college staff will be having picket Tomorrow  morning (Wednesday) and we expect other public sector workers to be picketing as well - please show your support.
  RUGBY AGAINST THE CUTS
              PO Box 4123 Rugby CV21 9BJ
             rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com

ALL OUT ON NOVEMBER 30th IN SUPPORT OF PENSIONS, JOBS AND OUR SERVICES!
The attack on pensions is yet another attempt to cut public spending.  The 3% increase in pension contributions is to pay back the country’s deficit not to fund pensions. The attack on pensions is yet another ideological attack on workers and our public services. The ConDems are happy to see the rich receiving bumper pay rises and massive pensions.  The rich created a budget deficit and then expect the workers to pick up the tab!

The economic crisis was not caused by workers in the public or private sector
  • Public sector workers are being asked to pay an extra £3 billion per year in pension contributions: the Government cancelled the banker’s bonus tax that raised almost the same amount
  • The Con Dem government wants to make people pay more and work longer for less pay and smaller pensions
  • Ministers are imposing unfair changes without meaningful negotiation
  • Most public sector workers are modestly or low paid and public sector pay has been frozen despite inflation of 5%

SUPPORT PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS ON NOVEMBER 30th
* Early morning workplace pickets – see http://rugbyagainstthecuts.blogspot.com/
* 10.15am Cathedral Steps, Priory Street Coventry March/Rally
* 12 noon TUC March through Birmingham - Assemble Lionel
                St/Livery St car park
* 1.30pm Rally with TUC Gen Sec Brendan Barber and others
               National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
* 7.30pm NSSN Public Meeting to reflect on the day ‘Building on
              Nov 30’ Methodist Central Hall, Coventry

PUBLIC SPENDING CUTS ARE NOT NEEDED OR WANTED
Governments throughout the world are trying to make the poor pay for the global economic crisis.  The Con/Dem Coalition is pushing through massive cuts to public services of between 25% and 40%, coupled with horrendous attacks on those unable to work, with little or no opposition from Labour.  It has been estimated that the poor will be 10% worse off, and the wealthy just 3%, as a result
The cuts, locally and nationally, will mean
  • Closure of the Youth Service across Warwickshire
  • Fewer buses, and higher fares on public transport
  • Closures of fire stations, as we have already seen in Warwickshire
  • Further privatisation, meaning we have to pay for our services
  • Fewer doctors, nurses, teachers and fire fighters
  • Wage cuts for those who remain in work
  • Huge rise in unemployment as public sector workers are sacrificed
  • Thousands being forced off benefits although no new jobs exist
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO REMOVE THE DEBT
·         The banks could repay the £850 billion given to them by the
Government to bail them out - £850 billion that could be spent on
public services
·         There could be a 5% wealth tax on the richest 10% which, alone,
would resolve the debt
·         There is £120 billion per year of unpaid tax that the rich avoid
            paying or evade – this could be reclaimed immediately
·         The banks and building societies, which continue to make
         massive profits, could be nationalised and run by the
         people for the people, with profits used to maintain and
improve our public services

WHY SHOULD WORKERS AND THE POOR PAY FOR A CRISIS THEY DID NOT CREATE?
Rugby Against the Cuts meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 7.30pm, The Three Horse Shoes, Sheep St

Tuesday 22 November 2011

ALL OUT IN SUPPORT OF PENSIONS, JOBS AND OUR SERVICES - 30TH NOVEMBER!

An estimated 3 million workers will be on strike against the CONDEM Government attacks on pensions, jobs and our services. Other workers such as nurses, firefighters, police officers and the Trade Union movement as a whole will also be supporting the protest against the 'race to the bottom' in respect of pensions and services.
Rugby Against the Cuts fully supports workers in our town taking action by visiting picket lines and attending the marches and rallys taking place.
* 10.15am Cathedral Steps, Priory Street Coventry March/Rally
* 12 noon TUC March through Birmingham - Assemble Lionel
                St/Livery St car park
* 1.30pm Rally with TUC Gen Sec Brendan Barber and others
               National Indoor Arena, Birmingham
Midlands TUC are organising a march and rally in Birmingham to coincide with the TUC’s national day of action for Pensions Justice onWednesday 30th November, involving up to 20 unions and 3 million workers.
March: 11.30am assembly Lionel Street (B3 1DG)
Rally: 1.30pm National Indoor Arena (doors open 12.30pm)
Speakers:
CHAIR: Lee Barron, CWU Midlands Regional Secretary & Midlands TUC Chair
Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary
Kevin Courtney, NUT Deputy General Secretary
Janice Godrich, PCS President
Karen Jennings, Unison Assistant General Secretary
Martin Johnson, ATL Deputy General Secretary
Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary
Barry Lovejoy, UCU Head of Further Education
Joe Morgan, GMB West Midlands Regional Secretary
Tony Woodley, UNITE Executive Officer




Monday 7 November 2011

Thousands mark end of Jarrow March

On Saturday 3,000 joined the Jarrow marchers in London to celebrate the end of the 330 mile march. There was overwhelming support from the crowd who had travelled from all over the country. Coaches of workers, students, pensioners and unemployed people arrived at Embankment. We were even joined by 106 year old Hetty Bower who had welcomed the original marchers when they arrived in London 75 years ago. Hundreds clapped and cheered the lively demonstration into Trafalgar Sq. Trade unionists, campaigners and marchers supported the marchers from the platform of the rallies.

The Jarrow marchers would like to thank everyone who has helped make the march a success and supported the march in anyway. The march is over but the fightback against the Con-Dems and their cuts has only just begun. We hope to see you all at the Youth Fight for Jobs meetings around the country over the next few weeks and on the picket lines and demonstrations to support the strikes on 30 November.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

JOIN THE JARROW MARCHERS NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION IN LONDON 5TH NOVEMBER

After marching 330 miles the Jarrow March for Jobs arrives in London.  Following in the footsteps of the 1936 Jarrow marchers who walked to London against unemployment.

Assemble Temple Place on Embankment 12noon!

Come and join the end demostration and rally in Trafalgar Square. 

 Speakers Include:

Matt Wrack FBU General Secretary
Bob Crow RMT General Secretary
Paul Murphy MEP Socialist Party Ireland
Lizi Gray Great-grandaughter of 1936 marcher
Stephen Hepburn MP for Jarrow
US Occupy Wall Street Activist
Jarrow marchers
Day-Mer Youth
Socialist Party
Young Deacon performing his rap about the riots called ‘Failed by the System’
Ed Marsh NUS
London Slutwalk Activist
Maddy Carty performing her track ‘CONDEMn AGE’
Dennis Skinner MP for Bolsover
+ More!
 
Join the facebook event!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=223703481020168




Book you place on the coach from Coventry!


This Saturday the march ends in London, and coaches are booked from across the country. There is a bus from the Coventry and Warwickshire area. We would encourage as many trade unionists as possible to attend this.

Meet at the Sports Centre in Cov, 9am. It is £4 waged, and £2 unwaged.
Ring Lenny on 07530 429441 to book.
Marcher’s Diary – Day 25
Coventry to Rugby
On our journey to Coventry we passed; two closed down Peugeot factories, a closed Marconi site and a closed GEC building. This is a huge amount of jobs lost to a small area, jobs which are badly needed. We also passed a local Tory council; chanting and singing “if you hate the torys” we definitely made our presence known. we had lunch at the Sheath and Sickle pub where we had a brilliant reception and there were journalists there to meet us. When we got Rugby we had a rally in the town centre hosted by the local anti cuts group,Rugby Against the Cuts. The speakers were fantastic; Martin Powell Davies – NUT, Peter – TUSC, Roy – Green Party, Lenny Shail – Socialist Party and Matt Whale and Alex Moore from the march. We then walked down to the Griffin pub where tea had been put on for us by the RMT. After discussion and drinks we went back to supporters houses to sleep. Thanks to Lorna for putting me up, had some great conversation. Also thanks to her son, Paul and her neices and nephews who drew the marchers some pictures of the march. Everyone loved them 

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Rugby Observer report on the Jarrow March in Rugby

Jarrow Marchers protest in Rugby

Buy photos» The Jarrow Marchers take to the streets of Rugby. 43.011.039.rug.jg4
26 October. Updated: 26 October 12:47
THE JARROW Marchers rolled into Rugby this week protesting against the Government's handling of the continuing economic slump.
Around 50 marchers - recreating the famous 300 mile protest of 1936 from the north east to London against poverty and unemployment - arrived in the town centre yesterday (Tuesday).
They marched and protested against the Government's handling of rising unemployment, with local trade unionists and socialist political groups backing them.
The marchers first arrived at the Sheaf and Sickle pub in Long Lawford for lunch before a rally at the clock tower.
Tonight (Wednesday), the marchers will attend an anti-cuts meeting at which railway and maritime workers union leader Bob Crow will address them. It takes place at the United Railway Club on Railway Terrace.
Buy photos» Rugby Green party leader Roy Sandison speaking out against Government cuts. 43.011.039.rug.jg2Buy photos» A young protester with the Jarrow Marchers. 43.011.039.rug.jg3The Jarrow Marchers in Rugby. 43.011.039.rug.jg5www.therugbyobserver.co.uk/

Friday 21 October 2011

MARCH WITH THE JARROW MARCHERS IN RUGBY ON TUESDAY 25TH OCTOBER



The excellent initiative to draw attention to the plight of young people, The Jarrow - London March organised by the Youth Fight For Jobs will be visiting Rugby on the way to London on Tuesday 25th October.
The march has been enthusiastically received by all the communities it has visited and we must do the same in Rugby!
Rugby Green Party members will be meeting the marchers, with our excellent new banner at the Sheaf and Sickle Pub, in Long Lawford and taking part in the march into Rugby at 2pm for the rally at 3pm.
PLEASE COME ALONG AND SHOW SUPPORT!
TUES OCT 25 1 pm MEET MARCHERS AT SHEAF & SICKLE, LONG LAWFORD
2pm MARCH INTO RUGBY
2pm STALL AT CLOCK TOWER (Yes we need to do both at same time)
3pm RALLY AT CLOCK TOWER

About the Campaign;

Youth Fight for Jobs, a campaigning organisation, is marching from Jarrow to London, starting on 1 October 2011. This is on the 75 anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade, when 200 unemployed workers took a similar route to raise awareness of mass unemployment. Today, as unemployment and youth unemployment soars, the ConDem coalition is axing jobs and services; this new campaign is absolutely vital.
On the Jarrow March we are demanding:
  • A massive government scheme to create jobs which are socially useful and apprenticeships which offer guaranteed jobs at the end – both paying at least the minimum wage, with no youth exemptions.
  • The immediate reinstatement of EMA payments, expanding them to be available to all 16-19 year olds. Scrap university fees, for free high quality education.
  • The immediate re-opening of all youth services that have been closed, including reinstating sacked staff.
  • The scrapping of ‘workfare’ schemes – benefits should be based on need not forced slave labour.
  • A massive building programme of environmentally sound, cheap social housing.

      Thursday 13 October 2011

      JARROW - LONDON YOUTH MARCH COMES TO RUGBY ON TUES 25TH OCTOBER

      Photo by Paul Mattsson - Socialist Party
      As youth Unemployment reaches the sky high figure of over 1 million. Rugby Anti Cuts campaigners will be welcoming the Youth Fight for Jobs march from Jarrow to London - which was a path followed by working class people protesting back in the 1930's against mass unemployment and poverty on Tuesday 25th October - Come and show your support! 
      (More details soon)

      Interview with a Jarrow marcher

      Matt Whale was interviewed on the BBC, see below. Photo Paul Mattsson
      Matt Whale was interviewed on the BBC, see below. Photo Paul Mattsson

      Matt Whale, unemployed organiser for Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) spoke to the Socialist about the Jarrow march as it passes through Yorkshire. See below for how to join and support the march.


      How's the Jarrow march going?
      Brilliant! On Saturday 8 October we had two demos. Hull's second on the youth unemployment statistics and has been near the top for the past two years since YFJ was set up.
      We thought it was vital we had a presence in the city. Plus BAE Systems proposed cuts of just under 1,000 jobsin Brough, just outside Hull, threatening the end of manufacturing industry there.
      The private sector was supposed to pick up the slack of the public sector cuts - according to the Con-Dems - this is clearly not true.
      Cameron says we're going to 'sell to the world' but that's not possible if they're cutting back on manufacturing.
      We've got a very simple message and that's nationalise the BAE plant and bring it under democratic working class control so they can carry on building what they think's right.
      When approached, the BAE workers completely backed the Jarrow march and agreed to organise a joint demo under the YFJ banner.
      About 700-800 people turned out including BAE workers, Jarrow marchers, local authority workers and local people.
      It was a great demo through the city with a lot of people applauding us and lots of press coverage.
      There was also a demo of about 200 in Leeds which challenged the racist EDL. These racist bigots only want to divide working class communities along arbitrary racial and religious lines, at a time when we need to be more united them ever.
      What's the Jarrow march abouted to highlight the issues facing young people. Youth unemployment is officially about to go over a million but if we include people, for example, who are on zero-hour contracts who sometimes get absolutely no hours in a week, then you can see that unemployment is absolutely horrendous for young people, as is underemployment.
      Behind the official figures are also the numbers on apprenticeships that don't pay the minimum wage, people who don't know their rights who aren't getting overtime payments or who are working through breaks they're legally entitled to have.
      We want massive investment in a programme of socially useful job creation. That would mean reversing all the cuts to youth services, creating green jobs and building houses.
      That would also provide much-needed homes to address homelessness and over-crowding. You've got oversubscription in schools - why don't we have more teachers, why can't we create smaller classes? More doctors, more nurses, put the training in place for people to do the jobs that people want to do so they can actually feel 'socially useful'. Don't throw them on the scrapheap.
      We want the re-instatement of EMA payments for all 16 to 19 year old students. To meet training needs we also need real apprenticeships on trade union-agreed rates of pay.
      Higher education should be free, not a privilege for the rich or a source of crippling debt.
      Another demand is an end to workfare schemes which are basically slave labour. If a job needs doing then a job should be paid for. It shouldn't be used to undercut the current workforce.
      Can these demands be met?
      We're under no illusions that we'll get to London and all of a sudden the Con-Dem government will reverse its policies and create jobs and become supporters of working class people.
      What we want to do is become a rallying point for young people and the anti-cuts movement linking with the trade unions and those going into struggle in the coming weeks and months.
      We want to have young people and workers united to fight back against this government.
      We've been very successful in that already in the first week of the march. With AEI cables workers in Birtley and then with BAE in Brough, YFJ is taking a lead in uniting young people and workers in struggle and that's how we'll bring about our demands.
      Is there support for your demands?
      On the route all that I've heard so far is positive feedback from the public as we pass through the towns and cities, saying good on you for having a go and we support you 100%.
      At an inspirational meeting in Darlington a public sector worker got up and said 'you're representing not only yourselves but also the working class'. It's those sorts of acts of solidarity that have really inspired the marchers so far.
      But a Tory MP has had a go at the marchers, saying people are dropping out and you're not up for the task.
      Of course the more marchers we have the better and we want more people to join us. I'd love to invite that Mr 'Goodwill', MP for Scarborough, down to do a leg of the march or even more.
      Maybe he can help fund the march by taking some of the £145,000 of expenses he claimed in 2008 to actually fight for a future for young people.
      And if 'not being up for it' means organising two demos over a weekend with around 1,000 workers and youth involved - then they've got us bang to rights! But the Tories have undoubtedly been briefed against us - it's their policies we're attacking.
      Iain Duncan Smith, Tory work and pensions minister, who we're going to visit in his constituency on 4 November, is going on about making 'work pay'.
      Well, if they want to make work pay that's brilliant - but where are the jobs? I don't know any unemployed person who doesn't want a job.
      When I was unemployed for eight months it was really depressing not being able to find work.
      Living in Hull where there are 83 people going for every job, that means there are 82 people who won't get the job.
      Benefits are there as the bare minimum to allow people to survive. We don't want to see a return to Victorian times when there were people dying on the street because people couldn't afford to feed themselves.
      What would you like to see the march achieve?
      Well I'd like to see big demonstrations in every town and city we go through and a big demo at the end on 5 November in London.
      The march is a good way of inspiring young people to fight back. We're informing people about the history of the original march, with the tagline 'no return to the 1930s'.
      We're saying that prevention's better than the cure in this situation. We're also linking in with workers going into struggle.
      I want to see YFJ speakers and representatives linking up with the trade unions to a) unionise young workers and b) to support them in the public sector general strike over pensions on 30 November.
      And I want YFJ representatives speaking on every platform about the plight of young people, growing the campaign, growing the movement and eventually having a campaign that's capable of toppling this government.
      As they see their lecturers and teachers go out on strike, fighting for their jobs and futures, I think last year's student movement will be re-ignited.
      Whether it's in the same way as last year is debatable but students have a history of being one of the first groups to fight back.
      As someone who was unemployed I was involved in the occupation at Hull University. I saw it as my future being affected as well as those at the university.
      It's absolutely vital that young people are linked together in a common struggle because there is a common enemy - this system that bails out banks and chucks us on the scrapheap.
      But all we hear about is the deficit. How can we afford this?
      The banks got bailed out and the bankers got their bonuses but working class people face cuts. You've got unpaid tax of £120 billion a year according to the PCS union.
      Only one year of collecting this would make the plans for four years of cuts unnecessary. So when we're told that our aims aren't achievable we know that's absolutely rubbish.
      The truth is that the money's there in society - it's just in the hands of a few rather than in the hands in the many.
      Support the fightback! March and donate

      Join the march!

      Young people and supporters are welcome to join the march for any amount of time between now and 5 November.
      Public support has been massive but they still need financial support to cover the costs of the march. Can you or your trade union branch sponsor the march?
      See the Jarrow blog for information, daily updates, details of where the march is going, events en route and how to donate.

      www.jarrowmarch11.com

      5 November - national demonstration and rally

      For jobs, education and a future

      Assemble 12 noon at Embankment for the final leg of the Jarrow March
      We will hand in a petition to Downing Street followed by a rally in Trafalgar Square
      Speakers include:
      Jarrow Marchers; Bob Crow, RMT general secretary; Matt Wrack, FBU, general secretary; Paul Murphy, MEP (Socialist Party Ireland); Lizi Gray, descendant of 1936 marcher; Stephen Hepburn, Jarrow MP; Young Deacon, rapper performing his track about the riots called 'Failed by the System'; Ed Marsh, NUS VP union development; Day-Mer Youth speaker

      www.jarrowmarch11.com