ANTI CUTS CAMPAIGNERS SUPPORT STRIKE AT RUGBY COLLEGE OVER JOBS, PENSIONS AND EDUCATION CUTS

College staff picketing one of the entrances on Thursday this week

Members of Rugby Against The Cuts were invited to join the picket lines at the Rugby campus of Warwickshire College by striking college staff (members of the University and College Union UCU) angry over the CONDEM Government’s attempt to cut £852 million form their pension scheme - which will mean that staff in FE colleges will face an hike in the level of contribution they will need to make of at least an extra 88 per month.

Workers on the picket line were supported by students and people in their cars and on foot – with a number of local people coming up to the picket line to explain how they were supporting the strike because their own pensions were at risk.

College staff also explained that the pension issues is also part of the onslaught of cuts on education, including job cuts  and the chance for young people to have a decent education and future as against the dole.

Rugby Against the Cuts took along our banner and gave out our own local leaflet and also leaflets from the Youth Fight For Jobs (a campaign part sponsored by the UCU) to students and also offered to support these workers in any way we can in the future.

By Roy Sandison - Rugby Against The Cuts - Trade Union Liaison

'Big Society' on the agenda? As Tories try to close Dunchurch Library

Dunchurch Library under threat from Tory Councillors cuts

A meeting of over 100 angry residents packed into Dunchurch infants school, just outside Rugby, to hear the chair and local Liberal Democrat parish councillor declare that the only way to save the local library from closure was to staff it using volunteers.

It seems the 'big society' agenda is even being pushed by coalition partners at local parish council level as well as nationally.

By Clive Dunkley, TUSC election candidate for Brownsover South,

The angry meeting was told about budget cuts being made by the Tory controlled Warwickshire county council which will result in 16 libraries being closed down in the county, including the one in Dunchurch.

With a defeatist attitude the Liberal Democrat chair of the parish council, Robin Aird, declared to the meeting that there was no way the county council would reverse these cuts and the only possible way to maintain a library in the village would be to run it as a 'big society' venture using local volunteers to replace the two women workers currently employed to run the service.

During the discussion some local residents, following Aird's negative lead, said they would get involved in running the service. However, two of the local election candidates from Rugby Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) - myself and Pete McLaren - made short interventions explaining that there are alternatives to cuts and firmly stating that it wasn't acceptable to sack workers and replace them with community volunteers.

We also pointed out that this is a weak government coalition that can be forced into U turns, giving the example of the protests in the Forest of Dean which helped to force the government to reverse its decision to sell off the country's woodlands.

Myself and Pete (who is TUSC candidate for Dunchurch ward) were the only people to receive a round of applause at the meeting. This shows that where a lead is given and a fighting strategy to resist cuts is put forward, people are determined and willing to fight back.

*Rugby Against The Cuts are asking people to only support candidates in the forthcoming local elections who have signed our pledge to oppose the cuts.

Front-Line Police Cuts To Warwickshire

While the Con Dem coalition government tries to maintain that no cuts to front-line public services will be taking place, the reality is now becoming clearer that front-line police jobs WILL go. Police will be taken out of policing roles and pushed into supportive posts, according to the Warwickshire police authority.

As civilian staff take up voluntary redundancy, up to 150 police officers may have to take up their jobs as they are redeployed. Warwickshire police force will have their budgets cuts by almost £23m, unless they fightback against the cuts. 

Warwickshire Police Federation chairman Simon Payne said: "This is the stark reality of what cuts mean, which is we haven't got enough money to pay for the number of police we currently have in Warwickshire." Speaking to the BBC, he said, "The [government] is conning the public if they say when police numbers fall, crime won't increase."

We stand opposed to ALL cuts and stand shoulder to shoulder with our police, nurses, firemen (and women) and the millions of public sector workers who did not cause the banking crisis and should not be forced to pay for it with their jobs. We will be marching in London on Saturday 26th March 2011 because we believe their is an alternative to the Con Dem cuts. Join us!


Thanks to Coventry Against Cuts for article

TAKING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE CUTS TO THE BALLOT BOX IN RUGBY!

Rugby Observer 03/03/2011

Rugby Against The Cuts wrote to all the sitting Councillors and their political parties and candidates to ask them to sign our pledge (below) to oppose the cuts that are afflicting such damage on our community.

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Only two Councillors made the effort to even reply to our pledge letter - Our community in Rugby deserves better! 

COMMUNITY CANDIDATES

Rugby Against The Cuts will ensure that every seat in Rugby will have a community candidate committed to fighting the cuts - most seats are now filled, but if you are involved in fighting to defend your youth club, local school, care service, fire service, St Cross or fed up with us being forced to pay for the  bankers gambling debts - please get in contact - by emailing rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com

RUGBY AGAINST THE CUTS

PO Box 4123 Rugby CV21 9BJ

http://rugbyagainstthecuts.blogspot.com

rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com

  PLEDGE YOUR OPPOSITION TO PUBLIC SPENDING CUTS
15^th February 2011

Dear

Rugby Against the Cuts is a campaigning group of local trade unionists and political activists determined to do all in its power to prevent the threatened cuts in public spending.  As part of its work, it intends to ensure that every voter in the  Council elections in Rugby this May has the opportunity to vote for a candidate who opposes all public spending cuts.  We are circulating the Pledge below to give all candidates the chance to demonstrate their opposition to the cuts.  This will enable us to decide whether to stand a candidate in your ward.  Rugby Against the Cuts has decided to promote anti cuts candidates in every ward where there is no other candidate or party who has given a written commitment to oppose all cuts in public spending and support for our alternative proposals.

Please therefore sign and return the Pledge below by Tuesday February 22^nd if you oppose the cuts, otherwise we will assume this is not your position.

We await your response

Pete McLaren

Convenor, Rugby Against the Cuts

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

PLEDGE

I recognise there is an economic deficit, but I do not believe public spending cuts are the answer.  I oppose all cuts in public spending, locally and nationally, and I will vote against all cuts, if elected, at every level.

Furthermore, I support alternative ways of resolving the deficit including:

• A 5% wealth tax on the richest 10%, which, alone, would resolve the debt
• Nationalisation of the banks, building societies and financial institutions, run by the people for the people, thus enabling their vast profits to be used to maintain and improve our public services
• Stricter enforcement of the collection of taxes which the wealthy avoid or evade – these amount to £120 billion per year
• Scrapping Trident and withdrawing from Afghanistan

NAME                                                                                                            DATE                         

TORY SPIN AT RUGBY COUNCIL!

PRESS RELEASE                           For immediate use February 25th 2011

TORIES CLAIM THE PUBLIC SPENDING CUTS WILL NOT AFFECT RUGBY

RUGBY AGAINST THE CUTS

PO Box 4123 Rugby CV21 9BJ

http://rugbyagainstthecuts.blogspot.com

rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com

Convenor and Press Officer: Pete McLaren  pete.mclaren@virgin.net 07881 520626

Treasurer: Julie Weekes           Trade Union Liaison: Roy Sandison; Martin Eversfield

Rugby Against the Cuts held a Lobby of Rugby Borough Council last night.  They gave out leaflets outlining the alternatives to cutting public spending in order to reduce the economic deficit.

“Tory councillors were clearly rattled, either by our protest, or because they now know we are going to ensure there is an anti cuts candidate in every Rugby ward this May,” spokesperson Pete McLaren explained.  “The Council Leader, Cllr Craig Humphrey, told us as he went into the Town Hall that the Council would not be agreeing any cuts in Rugby tonight.  Fellow Conservative Councillor David Wright went further, suggesting to protesters that Rugby people would not be affected by any decisions about cuts agreed at that night’s meeting.”

“It was good that Cllr Wright came to talk to us, but it is hard to understand his motivation for making these comments.  Staff have been told their jobs are at risk,” he continued.  “The Tories are ideologically committed to imposing public spending cuts – so why are two of their local leading members telling us otherwise?   Rugby Council has agreed over £4 million of cuts which, according to the Papers going before Council, included:

• The loss of 20 posts, at least 5 of which by the Council’s own figures, will be compulsory redundancies
• Reducing the number of refuse collections
• Ending the Council’s contribution to the Citizen Advice Bureau
• Increasing charges for a number of facilities including sports pitches and parking”

Geoff Dewhirst (Warwickshire Branch Secretary of Unite – Youth Work section) added, “These cuts come on top of those agreed last week by Warwickshire Council, which will decimate the youth service, library provision, and care for the elderly.  They will react with each other to make the situation worse for service users.  Some services have inputs from both Rugby and Warwickshire Councils.”

“It is not true that cuts to ‘backroom’ posts have no effect on services, and Councillors know that. Services to our communities are often created by, and always enhanced by, networked relationships between agencies. Take even one piece out of this “backroom” network, then services become less responsive, imaginative projects aborted, and only bare, statutory requirements are met.”

NOTES

• Rugby Against the Cuts will be promoting anti cuts candidates, standing in their own Party name or as independents, throughout Rugby this May to ensure every voter has the chance to vote against the cuts
• Rugby Against the Cuts meets on the second Thursday of every month, 7.30pm, at the Three Horse Shoes, Rugby
• Rugby Against the Cuts can be contacted on 07881 520626, at rugbyagainstthecuts@googlemail.com, or through our web site at http://rugbyagainstthecuts.blogspot.com   

RUGBY ANTI CUTS CAMPAIGNERS SUPPORTING COVENTRY ANTI CUTS CAMPAIGN AND SLAM WARWICKSHIRE YOUTH AND OTHER SERVICE CUTS!

As Labour led Coventry City Council voted through £39m of cuts for the coming year, it has emerged the council will be going on a spending spree. While 1,000 workers face redundancy and services to the vulnerable are slashed, councillors will spend £18 million forcing workers to take redundancy.

(More Information, Pictures and Video from Coventry Against the Cuts) http://www.coventryagainstthecuts.blogspot.com/